Temple Baptist Church - 1-25-2026
Psalm 140
A. The Psalm is Davidic, written by a man after God’s own heart. The person and prophecy of this Psalm are important to all of us as God’s children.
1. God did not give us this example written by someone of common cast. It was written by the greatest king who ever lived, a man whose heart thirsted after God. A man who established the Throne of David forever, one upon which the “King of kings, and Lord of lords” would one day reign.
2. We who live in these last perilous times are well acquainted with sufferings of every description. You do not have to go looking for evil. Evil pursues you! Troubles will find you, so do not go looking for it.
B. My mind immediately went back to the hardships found in the Bible that occurred in the lives of good people. God-loving people. Just to name a few:
1. Adam, in the first mention of evil pursuing someone, had no idea that Satan, through the serpent, had set a trap for him. - Genesis 3:17-19 And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; (18) Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; (19) In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.
2. Job, the same as Adam, had no idea of what was to come. - Job 1:14-21 And there came a messenger unto Job, and said, The oxen were plowing, and the asses feeding beside them: (15) And the Sabeans fell upon them, and took them away; yea, they have slain the servants with the edge of the sword; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee. (16) While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, The fire of God is fallen from heaven, and hath burned up the sheep, and the servants, and consumed them; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee. (17) While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, The Chaldeans made out three bands, and fell upon the camels, and have carried them away, yea, and slain the servants with the edge of the sword; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee. (18) While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, Thy sons and thy daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother's house: (19) And, behold, there came a great wind from the wilderness, and smote the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young men, and they are dead; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee. (20) Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped, (21) And said, Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.
3. Jacob - Genesis 47:9 And Jacob said unto Pharaoh, The days of the years of my pilgrimage are an hundred and thirty years: few and evil have the days of the years of my life been, and have not attained unto the days of the years of the life of my fathers in the days of their pilgrimage.
4. David - Psalms 34:19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all. (Pursued by Saul and Absalom. The Sword never left David’s house.)
5. Paul - 2 Corinthians 11:23-27 Are they ministers of Christ? (I speak as a fool) I am more; in labours more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft. (24) Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one. (25) Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep; (26) In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; (27) In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness.
6. Peter - John 21:18 Verily, verily, I say unto thee, When thou wast young, thou girdedst thyself, and walkedst whither thou wouldest: but when thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee, and carry thee whither thou wouldest not.
7. John - Revelation 1:9 I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ.
8. Martyrs - Hebrews 11:35-37 Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection: (36) And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment: (37) They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented;
9. The Lord Jesus, the greatest Example of all - Isaiah 53:3-7 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. (4) Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. (5) But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. (6) All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. (7) He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.
10. Those who would live godly - 1 Peter 1:6-7 Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: (7) That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:
11. The list could go on: from Adam’s day through the time of the end and the Tribulation Period. GOD’S PEOPLE HAVE ALWAYS SUFFERED.
C. Psalm 140 is about the pursuit of evil and evil men. David spent much of his life on the run instead of on the throne. May God use this Psalm, one of harsh reality, to give us all hope and strengthen our lives as we strive to live for Christ.
D. Life itself is hard, but here, David is being pursued by Saul, whose only desire is to catch and kill him. Our enemies also have a “person” that directs their pursuit of the righteous, Satan.
1 Peter 5:8-9 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: (9) Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.
E. David realized that his only hope and help would be from God, not man. Here is the breakdown of the Psalm.
1. Verses 1-5. The Enemies of Man.
Psalms 140:1-5 To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. Deliver me, O LORD, from the evil man: preserve me from the violent man; (2) Which imagine mischiefs in their heart; continually are they gathered together for war. (3) They have sharpened their tongues like a serpent; adders' poison is under their lips. Selah. (4) Keep me, O LORD, from the hands of the wicked; preserve me from the violent man; who have purposed to overthrow my goings. (5) 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.
a. The Enemy of our Fall – Adamic judgment. Genesis 3:7 And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.
1) Because of Adam's sin, we face natural hardships in this life, such as sickness, disappointments, discouragements, and death. These are natural, and we will all face the hardships in this world because of the Fall.
2) Bad things happen to good people! I have often said, “When you understand that life is hard, you can make it!”
b. The Enemy of our Flesh – Paul spoke of two things in Romans 7:18, his flesh and his will. “For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.”
1) We have a sinful flesh! Our flesh desires the things of the world and not the things of God. Paul spoke of bringing his body into subjection by dying to the flesh.
2) We have an Adamic nature. We call this the old man, as it is still as wicked as it was before we were saved. We must guard the invisible, our hearts, which are deceitful above all things, and our minds, which are carnal by nature.
c. The Enemy of the Foes – Notice that Foes is plural.
1) Satan is the original God-hater, thus a man-hater. But we are not ignorant of his devices.
1 Peter 5:8-9 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: (9) Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.
2) Satan’s Servants. The People of the Enemies. Evil, violent, mischievous, plotting, poisonous. Their determination and continual plotting with both tongue and deeds.
Luke 22:3 Then entered Satan into Judas surnamed Iscariot, being of the number of the twelve.
2. Verses 6-11. The Faithfulness of God. 2 Timothy 2:13 If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself.
Mark 11:22-24 And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God. (23) For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. (24) Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.
a. David displayed a Personal Faith. Verse 6. “Thou art my God” David’s faith was in a very personal God. When you know God, you then get to know God. We believe that God can do anything, anytime, and anywhere! He can make a tree talk or a telephone talk.
b. David had a Past Experience. Verse 7. “thou hast covered my head in the day of battle” We have seen the power of God that brings us through the evil times of this life. Satan hasn’t eaten me yet!
c. David had a Present Request. Verse 8-11. “Grant not, O LORD” We have done it before and we can do it again.
3. Verses 12-13. A Prayer of Faith. “I know!”
a. A Retribution Promised. Verse 12. “I know that the LORD will maintain the cause of the afflicted, and the right of the poor.” We also know that right will prevail and wickedness will fail.
Ecclesiastes 8:11-13 Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil. (12) Though a sinner do evil an hundred times, and his days be prolonged, yet surely I know that it shall be well with them that fear God, which fear before him: (13) But it shall not be well with the wicked, neither shall he prolong his days, which are as a shadow; because he feareth not before God.
b. A Righteous Praise. Verse 13. “Surely the righteous shall give thanks unto thy name: the upright shall dwell in thy presence.” There was a statement that we made during the hard times of Bible College: “Just praise the Lord anyhow!”
Conclusion:
1. Psalm 140 is a teaching Psalm. It teaches us that when surrounded by evil, the believer’s refuge is prayer, not panic. God hears the cries of His people, frustrates the schemes of the wicked, and preserves the upright in His presence.
2. Let us learn to take every threat, every slander, and every danger to the Lord, trusting Him to be our deliverer, defender, and righteous judge. “Deliver me, O LORD… preserve me.” And He will.
3. As the Evil Pursues us, Evil Pursues those who pursue us. Proverbs 13:21 Evil pursueth sinners: but to the righteous good shall be repayed.
4. David had faith that the Lord would ultimately make all things right
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