psalm · 140
Deliver Me From Evil
now playing · Deliver Me From Evil
0:000:00
summary
He has covered the head in battle before — He is not handing you over now.
lyrics
Deliver me, O Lord, from the evil man; Preserve me from the violent man, Who imagine mischiefs in their heart; Continually are they gathered together for war. They have sharpened their tongues like a serpent; Adders’ poison is under their lips. Selah. Keep me, O Lord, from the hands of the wicked; Preserve me from the violent man Who have purposed to overthrow my goings. The proud have hid a snare for me, and cords; They have spread a net by the wayside; They have set gins for me. Selah. I said unto the Lord, “You are my God; Hear the voice of my supplications, O Lord.” O God the Lord, the strength of my salvation, You have covered my head in the day of battle. Grant not, O Lord, the desires of the wicked; Further not his wicked device, Lest they exalt themselves. Selah. As for the head of those that compass me about, Let the mischief of their own lips cover them. Let burning coals fall upon them; Let them be cast into the fire, Into deep pits, that they rise not up again. Let not an evil speaker be established in the earth; Evil shall hunt the violent man to overthrow him. I know that the Lord will maintain the cause of the afflicted, And the right of the poor. Surely the righteous shall give thanks unto Your name; The upright shall dwell in Your presence.
go deeper
Psalm 140: Deliver Me From Evil
When you need to remember — that You're still my Shepherd.
What's Going On…
You can be in a stretch where the harm coming for you is quiet — in tongues. The whisper network. The text screenshot. The meeting you found out about second-hand. Words sharpened like a serpent's tongue, set down quietly behind your back, with adders' poison under the lips of people who smile to your face.
You do not need to outwit them. The One who covered the head of David in the day of battle is the same One who will not let evil speakers be established in the earth.
What It Means
The opening cry is plain: "Deliver me, O Lord, from the evil man; preserve me from the violent man, who imagine mischiefs in their heart; continually are they gathered together for war." The mischief is being imagined, crafted, gathered.
Then the specific weapon: "They have sharpened their tongues like a serpent; adders' poison is under their lips." This is violence done with words. Then the traps: "The proud have hid a snare for me, and cords; they have spread a net by the wayside; they have set gins for me." A whole infrastructure of harm. He is not paranoid; he is paying attention.
Then the pivot: "I said unto the Lord, 'You are my God; hear the voice of my supplications, O Lord.' O God the Lord, the strength of my salvation, You have covered my head in the day of battle." That last line is the one to hold — God's hand has been over the head, in the place where the blade falls hardest. He hands the imprecation to God instead of acting it out himself; the grief is real, the vengeance delegated. The close is steady: "I know that the Lord will maintain the cause of the afflicted, and the right of the poor." Not "I will win" — He will maintain. That is the difference between revenge and trust.
Right Here, Right Now
• Right now, name to God the specific tongue that has been sharpened against you — say out loud: "You have covered my head in the day of battle."
• Write this down: "What harm being plotted with words have I been trying to fight by sharpening my own tongue back?"
• Repeat this line when the whispers reach you again: "I know that the Lord will maintain the cause of the afflicted, and the right of the poor."
Selah
Stop. Breathe. Let God's hand laid over your head in the day of battle press down on the place that has been bracing for the next blow, then tell Him exactly which tongue you want Him to defend you from — out loud if you can.
Prayer
God, deliver me from the evil men, from the violent men, from the people who have been imagining mischief against me without me knowing.
Their tongues are sharpened like serpents'; the poison is under the lips of people I see every week — and You see it too.
You are my God; hear the voice of my supplications; cover my head in the day of battle the way You always have.
I am not going to sharpen my tongue back; I am handing the whole thing — every snare, every net, every meeting I was not in — to You to deal with.
Maintain the cause of the afflicted, maintain the right of the poor; let the upright dwell in Your presence, and let me be one of them.
You're still my Shepherd.
Stay Strong
He has covered the head in battle before — He is not handing you over now.
comments · 0
Sign in with Google to comment.
No comments yet. Be the first to share your thoughts.