Psalms 140:8 - Meaning and Application

Here is the believing foresight David had.

I. He foresaw the shame and confusion of those who persecuted him.

1. He prayed that their plans would fail. In verse 8, he asks God not to give the wicked what they want, meaning their desire for power, envy, and revenge. He says, “Do not let them get the ruin of my cause that they are so eager to see. Instead, hear my prayer.” He prays that their schemes will not succeed, but be brought to nothing. In effect, he asks God to stop their wicked plans and keep them from reaching their goal. We should pray the same way against enemies of God’s people, that they would not succeed in their evil work. David prayed this kind of prayer against Ahithophel, asking God to turn his wise counsel into foolishness.

The reason is plain: if proud people succeed, they grow even prouder. They begin to think their success means God approves them, and then they become more bold against God and more cruel toward his people. So David asks, “Lord, do not let them prosper.”

2. He also foresaw their ruin. This can be read as a prayer, or as a prophecy, and the Hebrew text allows both. If we read it as a prayer, it is still a prayer spoken with the help of God’s Spirit, so the meaning is the same.

He speaks first about his own enemies. The harm they meant for him would come back on them. The evil of their lips would cover their own heads, meaning the trouble they planned with words would fall on themselves. Their curses would return to them, and the traps they set would become their own ruin (Psa 7:15, Psa 7:16). Those who do harm by slander, false reports, and twisted stories should fear the outcome of such sin. They should think about how terrible it will be when all the damage they helped cause comes back on them.

God’s judgments will also fall on them, and David compares them to burning coals. This brings to mind the destruction of Sodom. In a larger sense, it is like the flood, when the waters above and below joined together to destroy the world. In the same way, the enemies of Christ and his kingdom will face both God’s judgment and the misery that comes from their own ruin. It is not a fire they can escape from, but a deep pit they cannot climb out of. Tophet, the place of judgment, is described as deep and large (Isa 30:33).

He then speaks of all who are like them. Evil speakers should expect to be shaken, because they will never be firmly established in the land. What is gained by lies, fraud, false charges, and slander will not last. Wealth gained in this way will shrink away. Men like Doeg should not expect to rule for long, because their fate will be the same (Psa 2:5). A lying tongue lasts only for a moment, but truthful speech stands forever.

Evil doers should expect to be destroyed. Evil will hunt the violent man, like a bloodhound tracking a murderer, or like a lion chasing its prey. Wicked men will be found out and brought down. The ruin set for them will overtake them and bring them low. Evil pursues sinners.

II. He also foresaw the rescue and comfort of those who are persecuted (Psa 140:12, Psa 140:13).

God will do justice for them by delivering them. David is sure the Lord will defend the cause of his afflicted people. God will not let force win forever over right, even when the right belongs to the poor, who have little else to appeal to. God is, and always will be, the defender of oppressed innocence, and even more of those who suffer for their faith. Anyone who knows God can trust this.

They will also do God justice, if I may say it that way, by giving him the glory for their rescue. The righteous, who make it a matter of conscience to give God what belongs to him as well as what belongs to others, will thank his name when they see their cause defended carefully and carried through with power. The closing words, “The upright shall dwell in your presence,” mean both God’s favor toward them and their duty toward him. God will let them live before him in grace now and in glory later, and this will be their safety and joy. At the same time, they will wait on him like servants before their master, ready both to honor him and to receive his commands. This is true thanksgiving, thanksgiving that is shown in a thankful life. We should use every rescue in the same way, serving God more faithfully and gladly.