Psalm 141

Reading for September 19, 2012          Psalm 141

In a manner similar to Psalm 140, the psalmist here is petitioning God to be his defender. The psalmist is praying that his enemies will “fall into their own nets” (v. 10). There are two other aspects of the psalm that are worth a closer look.

The first is the value the psalmist places on accountability:

“Let the godly strike me!

    It will be a kindness!

If they correct me, it is soothing medicine.

    Don’t let me refuse it.”

Psalm 141:5

His use of hyperbole, “Let the godly strike me!” indicates how important it is to him to have friends ho will help him stay focused on his priorities.

The second aspect is the way the psalmist involves all of himself in worship. In verse 2, the psalmist invokes the visual, the sense of smell and the demonstrative as he writes, “Accept my prayer as incense offered to you, and my upraised hands as an evening offering.” The Jews were taught to burn incense in their evening prayers, “And each evening when he lights the lamps, he must again burn incense in the Lord’s presence. This must be done from generation to generation” (Exodus 30:8). The Book of Revelation reveals to us the significance God places on this act of worship: “The smoke of the incense, mixed with the prayers of God’s holy people, ascended up to God from the altar where the angel had poured them out” (Revelation 8:4).

The Apostle Paul also taught his church to raise their hands when praying, “In every place of worship, I want men to pray with holy hands lifted up to God. . .” (1Timothy 2:8a). The early church modeled this form of prayer, because it represented Jesus’ outstretched arms, as he prayed on the Cross of Calvary. Raising our hands in prayer and worship is an act of adoration as we reach toward God; it is also an affirmation that but for the cross of Jesus, we would be forever separated from God our Savior.

Sē’lah

 

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What word or phrase in today’s reading of the Psalms

 attracts your attention?

Reflect on that word or phrase.

What insights come to you?

How does this passage touch your life today?

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

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Reading for September 20, 2012          Psalm 142