Psalm 140 "What's on Your Head?"

Psalm for Today = 140:7, 9-10

 ⁷ O Lord, my Lord, the strength of my salvation,
    you have covered my head in the day of battle…

    you have covered my head in the day of battle…

⁹ As for the head of those who surround me,

    let the mischief of their lips overwhelm them!

¹⁰ Let burning coals fall upon them!

    Let them be cast into fire,

    into miry pits, no more to rise!

Comments:

The psalmist’s lament (request) to God is to be preserved from violent men (v.1, 5) who are acting out of evil/wickedness. There is a discernible ABC A’B’C’ thought pattern in verses 1-5 if you look for it.

What caught my eye today was the juxtaposition of the psalmist’s head, which had been protected in battle by the Lord’s covering (v.7), and the wicked who are different and upon whose head David prays an imprecation. Yet if we look at the content of the imprecation, we see the judgment he prays for them is totally appropriate and is based on their own words and plans against God’s people, “let the mischief of their lips overwhelm them!”

The day of battle dawns for all of us blood red, wrath red, in the morning. As we enter the fray, are we wearing the Lord’s helmet of salvation, or have we been left vulnerable by persistent wickedness and evil to the Lord raining burning coals down on us? It is sad to think that some people are so hateful to others that those others, out of self-defense, would pray a curse on them from the Lord! I don’t want to be a part of that group of violent men. O Lord, preserve me!

Here is an interesting twist. The idea of coals falling on someone’s head sounds familiar in the New Testament context, doesn’t it?

Romans 12:19-21 (ESV) says, 

“Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.”

To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him;

                                          if he is thirsty, give him something to drink;

for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.”

Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”

This is the kind of imprecation we should pray…that they would be totally messed up by our kindness, by our non-violent response to their violent ways, and by our willingness to trust judgment into the hands of God. If we leave the judging to God, our loads will be lightened to lead our community in love and forgiveness! 

May our lives of love and acceptance pour burning coals on the heads of our enemies to the place where they would cry out to you, Lord, to forgive them.