Deliverance in Psalm 140 Leads to Confident Trust

I understand Isaiah when he wrote in Isaiah 6:5, “…I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips…”

“Deliver me, O Lord, from evil men; preserve me from violent men, who plan evil things in their heart and stir up wars continually.” Psalm 140:1-2

We need deliverance from our own wickedness, and we need deliverance from evil and violent men. It doesn’t take much to acknowledge that evil is planned in the hearts of mankind. Wars, pride, and signs of greed are everywhere. Rampant. The tongues of evil men are as sharp as that of a serpent’s mouth filled with venom.

“Guard me, O Lord, from the hands of the wicked; preserve me from violent men, who have planned to trip up my feet.” Psalm 140:4

David’s context is one of absolute danger. Wicked and violent men are pursuing him, and he turns to God in total dependence. He’s desperate. He asks the Lord to guard him and protect his steps. He knows the way of the arrogant who have laid a trap for him. Snares await him.

“I say to the Lord, you are my God; give ear to the voice of my pleas for mercy, O Lord! O Lord, my Lord, the strength of my salvation, you have covered my head in the day of battle.” Psalm 140:6-7

As is needed during loss, David turns to God for mercy. He knows of God’s strength given at salvation. He knows of God’s protection. Now he seeks it in his present circumstances, and this is exactly what any sufferer needs. We ask God to thwart evil’s way. We need intervention. We ask God to keep the wicked from being exalted. David needed—and we need—the Lord to come to our defense. We need mercy. As B. B. Warfield has stated, “…true mercy is no less the product of anger than of pity…” Our God is a warrior angered against brokenness, and he obtains merciful deliverance for us out of his heart filled with pity for his people.

“As for the head of those who surround me, let the mischief of their lips overwhelm them!” Psalm 140:9

Evil does not pay. Righteousness wins out. David calls for the mischief of the evil to overwhelm them by turning it back in upon themselves. He longs for them to taste their own medicine and be cast into miry pits or into fire itself. Men of slander or violence should be cast out, even chased down by the very evil they spread.

“I know that the Lord will maintain the cause of the afflicted, and will execute justice for the needy.” Psalm 140:12

Confidence in loss or difficulty is faith-building. Faith is to be exercised, and it grows and deepens from use and exercise. Faith is needed most when it is used in opposition to what is seen. Pure joy emerges from knowing without doubt that God protects and upholds the afflicted. He is a God of justice, and he sent his only Son to redeem the afflicted who are victims of the world’s evil. Ultimate justice will be enjoyed by everyone who puts their faith and trust in God.

“God’s ripest and most royal scholars are made such by an expensive education. His brightest gold comes out of the hottest furnace.” Theodore Cuyler, God’s Light on Dark Clouds

Deliverance gives birth to gratitude. Constant protection leads to confident trust in our good God. He sustains and teaches us to trust him and his ways. In response, those of us who have been made righteous exude grateful praise. We are recipients. We are dependent. And we have confidence that, while evil may persist today, we are welcomed into his presence.

“Surely the righteous shall give thanks to your name; the upright shall dwell in your presence.” Psalm 140:13