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What to ask God to protect our heart
(Psalm 141)
Andy Nagahara
We have been reading the Psalms together for several years, and we have now come to the last ten. Today’s text is 141.
I have previously mentioned that the verses of the Psalms were basically sung as worship, and it is clear from their structure that this psalm is also typical of that. The basic attitude of worshippers is established in the first two verses and in the concluding verses 8-10, where they call out to God. And between them are placed the two main wishes that make this psalm unique.
So, as always, let’s read through it bit by bit.
1. The Heart of Worship 1: Calling upon the Lord(1, 2)
A psalm of David. O LORD, I call to you; come quickly to me. Hear my voice when I call to you. May my prayer be set before you like incense; may the lifting up of my hands be like the evening sacrifice.
The psalmist understands that God is not someone who resides in a specific temple somewhere and needs to be called to convey his thoughts to God.
Still, can we not sympathize with his cry, “Come quickly, listen to my voice”? Being together or standing together is not the same as actually standing nearby. So even if we cannot see them, even if they live in a faraway country, our hearts are encouraged.
Still, it would be even more gratifying to hear their voices and see their faces. Worship is where this becomes reality in our relationship with God.
And in verse 2, it says that prayers are like incense and uplifted hands are like an offering. The Old Testament contains many words such as offering, gift, and sacrifice. And most of these refer to animals or grains that are actually offered to God. And of course people took it for granted.
However, here, prayer and worship are themselves our offerings to God.
Jesus did not consider the actual giving of anything to be of primary importance. Rather, he strongly criticized the fact that the offerings had become merely a formality, without any heart behind it. Even in the Old Testament, we can see some ideas that anticipate the teachings of Jesus. For example, the prophet Hosea warned:
For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings. （Hosea 6:6)
Jesus also quoted it to condemn religious leaders:
If you had known what these words mean, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the innocent. （Matthew 12:7)
There was a passage like this in a psalm we read earlier:
You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. (Psalm51:16,17)
And Paul puts it this:
Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God–this is your spiritual act of worship. （Romans 12:1)
This is why yourchurch emphasizes worship. Worshipping with all our heart, mind, and strength is the greatest offering we can make to God.
2. Guard our lips and our heart so that they may be upright (3,4)
3 Set a guard over my mouth, O LORD; keep watch over the door of my lips.
4 Let not my heart be drawn to what is evil, to take part in wicked deeds with men who are evildoers; let me not eat of their delicacies.
This is where the psalmist’s specific wish begins. Have you ever had the experience of hurting someone’s feelings by saying something unintentionally? The mouth is truly a troublesome thing that is difficult for us to control.
To people who were bound by various dietary laws out of fear of becoming unclean, Jesus said, “What goes into a man’s mouth does not make him ‘unclean,’ but what comes out of his mouth, that is what makes him ‘unclean.'”(11). The things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these make a man ‘unclean.'”(18). It is recorded in Matthew, Chapter 15.
A 7th century Chinese Buddhist scripture states, “The mind is the source of worldly desires, and the mouth is the outlet of misfortune,” from which the proverb “The mouth is the source of all evil” was born, and is still well known today. What’s interesting is that, like Jesus, it points out that the problem is in the heart. It is quite difficult to keep a watchful eye on your mouth and stop bad words from coming out, but the most troublesome thing is that unless you do something about your heart, it will only be a temporary solution.
The psalmist then shifts his focus from the mouth to the heart. Our minds are constantly exposed to the temptations of evil. For the sake of our own immediate gain, we may be “dragged along by evil people and join in evil deeds” or “eat the feast offered by evil people.” The heart is our greatest weakness and must be protected by God. Let us continue to
3. Having someone who admonishes us with compassion (5)
5 Let a righteous man strike me–it is a kindness; let him rebuke me–it is oil on my head. My head will not refuse it. Yet my prayer is ever against the deeds of evildoers;
The psalmist here substitutes “a righteous man” for “a wicked man.” He hopes to have someone who will scold and admonish him with mercy. Does such a person exist for you?
In last week’s message we were taught the importance of mutual dependence on each other. And it meant that God had entrusted that work to us. We all need someone like that. It is difficult for anyone to keep their own mind in order on their own.
In the home, parents play this role while the children are young. Children who are not properly disciplined by their parents are unfortunate. I thought I had been doing so, but before I knew it, the roles had been reversed and I was the one being scolded and admonished by my children. In fact, I feel that it is such a blessing.
The church is a community in which we can discipline one another with God’s love as our motivation. It is not an organization that is directed and controlled by the pastors or leaders. However, it is not a carefree circle where we have no responsibilities to each other. After all, I believe that we are the body of Christ and God’s big family. It is because of our mutual trust centered on Jesus that we can receive the correction we need from each other when we need it.
And the first step in building that trust is getting to know each other. It is not necessary to get to know everyone in the church well. But you also need a few people you can talk to and pray with, like in a mini church.
I was once at a church in Yokohama’s Chinatown, and one of my favorite things to do on Sundays was to have lunch at the various Chinese restaurants around the church with the people I had chatted with after the service that day. If you don’t have to rush home today, then spend the day having lunch and chatting with someone.
4. Hoping for the defeat of evil
6 their rulers will be thrown down from the cliffs, and the wicked will learn that my words were well spoken.
7 They will say, “As one plows and breaks up the earth, so our bones have been scattered at the mouth of the grave.”
This passage has a different meaning in the NIV and the Japan Bible Society Inter-confessional Version. Many Bibles also have different translations. The reason this happens is because the original text is “corrupted.” Corruption is a condition in which there are missing parts that cannot be translated without the addition of imagination.
Bible translations are based on the Bible in the original languages, which are compiled by biblical scholars who compare and select from the many manuscripts that have been discovered. Unfortunately, none of the manuscripts discovered so far are complete enough to allow the meaning of this passage to be determined with certainty.
But not so corrupted that it makes it difficult to imagine the psalmist’s mind. Regardless of which translation is used, what is clear is the expectation that the wicked ones who are tormenting him will be destroyed. God knows each of our circumstances. He does not put us through trials that we cannot bear. Still, when times are tough and we can no longer bear it, God is willing to hear us speak of the hope we have not yet seen. There’s no need to be shy. Because God wants to hear the honest desires of the heart, not just pretty, well-formed prayers.
5. The Heart of Worship 2: Turning to the Lord and taking refuge in him (8-10)
8 But my eyes are fixed on you, O Sovereign LORD; in you I take refuge–do not give me over to death.
9 Keep me from the snares they have laid for me, from the traps set by evildoers.
10 Let the wicked fall into their own nets, while I pass by in safety.
This passage shows that places of worship are also places of refuge where people can flee from danger.
We face various difficulties in our daily lives. Feelings of anxiety, fear and anger can drown out feelings of peace and joy and even make you lose the will to live. But by grace we have been given a time of worship.
I always say that worship does not have to take place in this place on Sunday mornings, but can be offered anywhere, even by oneself, but I’m sure you all know that there are times when the difficulties can make us lose even that desire. But at this Sunday morning service, Jesus is waiting for us with open arms, regardless of the state of our individual hearts.
The church is the body of Christ, and through various people Jesus reaches out to help, comfort, encourage, and sometimes admonish. This is a big difference from worshipping alone. And we need both.
If you feel like worshiping with others on Sundays is a duty, please try to see it instead as a great blessing, a great privilege that we have been given.
And today, here and now, let us confess any desires we have to Jesus and hope for the best.
This service may be a major turning point in your life. Let us worship with anticipation.
(Prayer) God, like the psalmist, we call upon you. We will come closer to you.
Please help us to realize that you are near us.
We cannot control our hearts or the lips that speak from them, and sometimes we end up hurting others and making you sad.
Please let us know your will in our prayers and through the faithful friends you have given us.
Also, prepare our hearts so that when our friends admonish us with Your will, we will hear it as Your admonition.
May we always be under your wings of salvation.
We pray in the name of Jesus Christ.
Summary
This verse sings about the basic attitudes we should expect from worship and what we should seek in it. Worship is a place where we can spend intimate time with God and where we can escape from our difficulties. If we do not have God’s protection, the weakness of our hearts will cause disaster. God protects and guides the gathering of people called the church as His body. We support one another in that, and we carry out God’s work in the world.
For Discussion
- Why did the psalmist call on God to hurry up and come?
- How can we get a friend who will lovingly admonish us?