Psalm 141:1-10 Guard My Heart
David asks God to guard his heart, mind, and mouth from evil. He also asks that, if he slips, a righteous man will correct him. Let the evil men fall in their own traps.
We don’t know when or why David wrote these words but some of them make me think of the time Nathan confronted him for his sin with Bathsheba. David had concealed his sin from most people, or so he believed, but he couldn’t conceal it from God. God sent Nathan to confront David and he readily repented.
Just a really quick question and observation. In Hebrew law, if a man marries a woman and dies before having children, his brother is supposed to take his wife and raise up the first child in the name of the deceased husband. The first child Bathsheba bore should have been raised up as Uriah’s child. Is that why God took the first child? This rule probably didn’t apply legally though because Uriah was not David’s brother but maybe God still saw it that way. And God wanted David’s rightful heir to sit on the throne. Just something that popped into my mind.
The first part of the psalm sounds like David is in a place where he is tempted to say something he shouldn’t. For some reason he quickly and earnestly asks God to put a lock on his lips and protect his heart. This speaks of David being in the company of evil men and being unable to avoid it. This could have been during the time he was hiding out in the Philistines territory. There were many times he had to watch what he said and guard his heart, lest he wind up truly on their side. He also had to sidestep their traps for him. That fits with the end of the psalm.
Whatever his situation and whenever it occurred, God listened to David’s prayers. God always listens. We don’t always listen when it comes to the ‘guard’ He places. The Holy Spirit gives us an uncomfortable feeling when we open our mouth to say something God is guarding us against, but it is up to us to heed that warning and keep our mouth shut! He doesn’t install a padlock; we have to choose to listen and obey.
When it comes to our enemies falling into their own traps, I’ve certainly seen God work that out! While in a legal battle with my ex-daughter-in-law’s mother we watched as she cut her own throat with her words. We only had to remain strong and watch God’s hand at work. My son may not have been calling on Him during this time but I certainly was. God ended that battle decisively and in our favor. She fell in her own snares.
God can definitely do ALL that David asked. It was up to David to take it from there, just like it is for us. When we walk with the Lord and listen to Him we do not need to be afraid. He is with us wherever we go.
Father God, put a lock on my mouth instead of just a check. Thank You for changing my heart so that I don’t get myself into as many problems as I used to. Keep working on me Father and keep me safe in the meantime.
