Psalm 140
As was often the case in the psalms of David, this psalm was likely written after the fact, after the conclusion of the particular incident that inspired it. It was written so that it could be sung in the morning worship at Zion, and so that anyone in like circumstances to those David had been in might remember to relate to God as David had.
The scenario is one in which David was apparently surrounded by men who hated him and wanted him out of their way. Whoever they were, they constantly planned ways to undermine or destroy him, constantly said evil things about him, and were always laying snares and traps for him in everything he did.
David did what he always did in such situations – he prayed. Then, in his prayer, he did another very characteristic thing – he recalled what God had done for him in the past. He says, "You are my God; hear the voice of my supplications, O Lord. O God the Lord, the strength of my salvation, You have covered me in the day of battle – do not grant, O Lord, the desires of the wicked; do not further his wicked scheme, lest they be exalted."
David was in the habit of relating every situation to God. For him, it was as if God were beside him, walking with him. And of course, that's exactly the way God wanted it, because He actually was with David in a very special, loving way! In such a close relationship, it was only natural for David to talk to Jehovah about what was happening at the moment – just as you or I might do when walking through the forest or down the street with a friend, especially a friend who could help us over the rough spots of our current lives.
So he tells the Lord his desire. He says, "As for . . . those who surround me, let the evil of their lips cover them; let burning coals fall upon them; let them be cast into the fire . . .!" In other words, he's asking the Lord to let their own evil desires toward him fall upon themselves instead. He's asking God's justice in his situation. He's "talking it over" with the Lord Who is there beside him.
Finally, though, coming back to the present - the morning worship on Zion - he says, "I know that the Lord will maintain the cause of the afflicted, and justice for the poor." He's just telling everyone present about his own confidence in the Lord, and he is telling them that they too should have that confidence.
The entire psalm, then, is as though David were saying to the congregation, "This is the awful predicament I was in - but you see that the Lord was right there with me. I talked it over with Him, asked Him for justice, and, see, I'm here as living testimony to His gracious deliverance!"
Shouldn't we read this psalm just as if we were in David's congregation? May we not learn from it to walk with our God as closely as he did? He IS present with us – why do we walk as if He were not?