Bird's-eye view
In this crucial turn within Psalm 140, the psalmist, David, pivots from describing the venomous attacks of his enemies to declaring his ultimate allegiance and finding his refuge in God. Having detailed the snares and slanders of wicked men, he now anchors his soul with a foundational confession of faith: "You are my God." This is the bedrock upon which the entire prayer rests. From this personal, covenantal declaration, he petitions for God's attention, acknowledges God as the source of his strength and salvation, and recalls past protection in the heat of battle. The section concludes with a plea for God to frustrate the plans of the wicked, not out of personal vindictiveness, but for the sake of God's own glory, to prevent the arrogant from exalting themselves. It is a movement from desperation to declaration, and from fear to faith-fueled petition.
These verses encapsulate the essential logic of biblical prayer. It is not a desperate cry into the void, but a confident appeal to a known, covenant-keeping God. The believer's plea is grounded in God's character ("my God"), His power ("the strength of my salvation"), and His past faithfulness ("You have covered my head"). The request for God to thwart evil is therefore not just a wish for personal relief, but a righteous desire to see God's name vindicated and the pride of wicked men brought to nothing. This is spiritual warfare fought on the knees, with the weapons of confession, remembrance, and supplication.
Outline
- 1. The Turn to God in the Midst of Trouble (Ps 140:6-8)
- a. The Covenant Confession (Ps 140:6a)
- b. The Earnest Supplication (Ps 140:6b)
- c. The Acknowledgment of Divine Strength (Ps 140:7a)
- d. The Testimony of Past Deliverance (Ps 140:7b)
- e. The Petition Against Wicked Ambition (Ps 140:8)
Context In The Psalm
Psalm 140 is a prayer of David for deliverance from violent and deceitful men. The first five verses paint a vivid picture of the enemy. They are evil, violent, and constantly stirring up trouble (vv. 1-2). Their words are as sharp and poisonous as a serpent's fangs (v. 3). They are not just brutish, but cunning, setting traps and snares for the psalmist's feet (vv. 4-5). It is in direct response to this intense, malicious pressure that David makes his stand in verse 6. Verses 6-8 form the central hinge of the psalm. After this declaration of faith and petition, David goes on to pray for a divine recoil, that the mischief of his enemies would fall back upon their own heads (vv. 9-11). The psalm concludes with a confident assurance that God will maintain the cause of the afflicted and that the upright will dwell in His presence (vv. 12-13). Our passage, therefore, is the anchor point where David, surrounded by evil, consciously and verbally plants his feet on the rock of his relationship with Yahweh.
Key Issues
- The Centrality of Covenant Confession in Prayer
- God as the Believer's Strength and Salvation
- The Role of Remembering Past Faithfulness
- Praying for the Frustration of Evil Plans
- The Connection Between Wicked Success and Pride
My God, My Strength, My Shield
When a man is surrounded, when the spears are leveled, and the traps are set, his first instinct is to look for a way out. But the man of God has been trained to look up. David, having surveyed the malice of his enemies, does not despair. Instead, he turns his full attention to his God. And notice that his prayer is not a vague appeal to a distant deity. It begins with a possessive, covenantal claim: "You are my God." This is not arrogance; it is the heart of faith. Faith does not say, "There is a God somewhere who might help." Faith says, "This God, Yahweh, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, is my God."
Everything else in the prayer flows from this foundational relationship. Because Yahweh is his God, David has the right to be heard. Because Yahweh is his God, he can call Him "Lord," his sovereign master. Because Yahweh is his God, he knows Him as the very "strength of my salvation." The Christian life is not a matter of trying to get an impersonal force on our side. It is a matter of living out the reality of a personal, binding covenant that God Himself has established with us through the blood of His Son. When we pray, we are not trying to get God's attention for the first time; we are calling upon our Father, our Lord, our God, who has already pledged Himself to us.
Verse by Verse Commentary
6 I said to Yahweh, “You are my God; Give ear, O Yahweh, to the voice of my supplications.
David makes a deliberate, stated declaration. "I said..." This was not just an internal feeling; it was a confession made in the teeth of the opposition. To whom did he say it? To Yahweh. He is speaking to the covenant God of Israel. And what is the content of this declaration? "You are my God." This is the fundamental premise of all true prayer. Before we ask for anything, we must know to whom we are speaking and what our relationship is to Him. This is the confidence of a son speaking to his father. On the basis of this relationship, he makes his request: "Give ear...to the voice of my supplications." He doesn't just ask God to hear his words, but the "voice" of his pleas. There is an urgency, a personality, a unique cry in his prayer that he knows his God can discern. He is not a number in a queue; he is a child whose voice the Father recognizes.
7 O Yahweh, O Lord, the strength of my salvation, You have covered my head in the day of battle.
The address here is layered and rich. He calls on Yahweh (the covenant name) and Adonai, "Lord" (the name for a master or sovereign). This acknowledges both God's personal relationship and His absolute authority. He then defines this Lord as "the strength of my salvation." God is not just a part of David's deliverance; He is the very power, the muscle, the might that accomplishes it. Salvation is not a cooperative venture where David does his best and God makes up the difference. God is the strength of it. Then, David moves from a statement of theological truth to a testimony of personal experience. "You have covered my head in the day of battle." He remembers past fights, past dangers, and recalls how God acted as his helmet. This is not wishful thinking. David had been in literal battles where his life was on the line, and he attributes his survival to God's direct, protective intervention. Faith is fueled by memory. Remembering what God has done in the past gives us confidence to trust Him in the present.
8 Do not grant, O Yahweh, the desires of the wicked; Do not promote his evil scheme, that they not be exalted. Selah.
Having established who God is and what He has done, David now presents his specific petition regarding his enemies. He asks God to refuse them what they want. "Do not grant...the desires of the wicked." The wicked have desires, plans, and ambitions, and David prays for God to veto them. He goes on, "Do not promote his evil scheme." The word for "promote" can mean to cause to prosper or succeed. David is asking God to ensure their plans fail. And what is the reason? It is a profoundly theological one: "that they not be exalted." The ultimate issue is not David's personal safety, but God's glory. If the wicked succeed in their schemes, they will become proud. They will attribute their success to their own cleverness and strength, and they will lift themselves up. This is an affront to the living God. David's prayer is that God would act to keep these men from their arrogant self-exaltation. The "Selah" invites us to pause and consider this weighty point. The frustration of evil is not just for our relief, but for the humbling of pride and the exaltation of God alone.
Application
These verses provide a powerful template for our own prayers when we are under pressure. First, we must begin with who God is. Before we unload our list of troubles and requests, we must anchor ourselves in the truth of the gospel. "I said to the Lord, 'You are my God.'" We can say this with even greater confidence than David, for we know God through His Son, Jesus Christ. Our relationship is sealed by the blood of the new covenant. We are not just servants; we are sons and daughters.
Second, we must learn to draw strength from God's past faithfulness. Like David, we should cultivate a habit of remembering. Look back on your life. Where has God "covered your head"? Where has He been the strength of your salvation? Recount those times. Write them down. Give thanks for them. Those past deliverances are the ammunition for present faith. They are God's resume, proving He is trustworthy.
Finally, our prayers against evil should be motivated by a concern for God's glory. It is right to pray for protection and deliverance. But the ultimate goal is that God's name would be honored and that the proud would be humbled. When we pray, "Do not let their plans succeed," it should be followed with the reason, "so that you alone, O Lord, will be exalted." We are asking God to vindicate His own name by frustrating the schemes of those who oppose Him and His people. This transforms our prayers from self-centered pleas for comfort into God-centered petitions for His kingdom to come and His will to be done on earth as it is in heaven.