Some courts of law distinguish between three degrees, or types, of murder. First-degree applies to murders which are planned and premeditated. Second-degree murder is intended but not premeditated. This happens when, in the heat of the moment, someone strikes another person with the intent of killing. Third-degree murder or manslaughter is an accidental killing. In Psalm 140, David confronts enemies who want to harm him with premeditation and intent—first-degree murder!

From the opening of the psalter, in Psalm 1, we had been introduced to the collection’s three main characters. There is God, who “watches over” His people (1:6). Then there are His people, “the righteous” (vv. 5–6), who meditate on God’s Law. Finally, there are “the wicked” (v. 1), who oppose the righteous and will not stand on the day of judgment. These three characters appear throughout the psalms, and Psalm 140 is no exception.

Psalm 140 focuses on the violent plans of the wicked. We don’t know precisely how the wicked want to harm David. Do they want to attack him physically, or simply destroy his reputation? Whatever their goal, their murderous schemes have been planned. David says, they “devise evil plans” (v. 2), hide a snare, spread their net, and set traps (v. 5).

We’ve seen before in the psalms that it’s the words of the wicked that often cause the most harm (see Psalm 12). Here, their words are “as sharp as a serpent’s” and like the “poison of vipers”; and their tongues are full of mischief (Psalm 140:3).

This psalm reminds us that we all need to use words with care. In the heat of the moment, I’ve often said something, or rushed off an email which later I’ve come to regret. But much worse is the precisely-worded email, letter, or speech designed to maximise hurt and shame. For example, people frequently use words in this way on social media to “stir up war” (v. 2)

In Romans 3, when the apostle Paul presented proofs from Scripture that everyone sins and falls short of God’s glory, he quoted Psalm 140:3. Again, it’s people’s evil words that render them guilty before God.

What if we are on the receiving end of such words? Often, there is little we can do when people verbally slander us. But Jesus has words of comfort for us. He said, “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me” (Matthew 5:11). Nevertheless, at such times Christians might feel weak and helpless, as did David. That’s why he describes the righteous and the upright, like himself, as the poor and the needy, (Psalm 140:12–13). Such terms really speak of the believer’s dependence on the Lord, our strong deliverer.

One day, justice will come for the wicked, and their own evil plans will engulf them like burning coals raining down on them (v. 10). In this life, the wicked plan our harm, but God’s eternal plan for His people is that “the upright will live in [His] presence” (v. 13).