What is the meaning of Psalm 140:3? They sharpen their tongues David pictures intentional preparation for harm. The tongue is not merely slipping into sin; it is being honed like a weapon. • Psalm 64:3, “They sharpen their tongues like swords and aim cruel words like deadly arrows”, echoes the same imagery. • Psalm 52:2 shows the motive: “Your tongue devises destruction; like a sharpened razor, you who practice deceit”. • Ephesians 4:29 urges the opposite: “Let no unwholesome talk come out of your mouths.” Teaching: Speech is never neutral. We are either fashioning it to bless or to wound. like snakes The comparison draws us to the serpent of Genesis 3:1, “Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field”. • Cunning, stealth, and calculated strike lie behind the metaphor. • Jesus warns in Matthew 23:33, “You snakes! You brood of vipers!”—linking malicious talkers with the serpent’s lineage. Application: Words can slither into conversations, disguised until they bite. Vigilance is essential. the venom of vipers The speech of the wicked is not just sharp; it is poisonous. • Deuteronomy 32:33, “Their wine is the venom of serpents, the deadly poison of cobras”. • Job 20:16 describes judgment: “He will suck the poison of cobras; the fangs of a viper will kill him”. • Romans 3:13 cites this psalm: “Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit. The venom of vipers is on their lips”. Truth: Poisonous words infect hearts, homes, and communities with spiritual death. is on their lips The poison is poised, ready to be released with a word. • Psalm 5:9 warns, “For there is no truth in their mouths; their hearts are destruction; their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit”. • Proverbs 10:11 contrasts: “The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life, but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence”. Takeaway: Lips reveal the heart; what is stored inside inevitably spills out (Luke 6:45). Selah A deliberate pause. • Throughout the Psalms (e.g., Psalm 46:7), Selah invites reflection and response. • Here it asks the reader to stop, measure the danger of destructive speech, and reaffirm trust in God’s protection (Psalm 140:1–2). Practical moment: Breathe, examine your words, and let the Spirit redirect them before they leave your mouth. summary Psalm 140:3 exposes the calculated cruelty of ungodly speech: tongues honed like weapons, words slithering with serpent-like craftiness, lips dripping fatal poison. God calls His people to recognize the danger, refuse to participate, and choose speech that heals rather than harms, knowing every word is measured by the One who hears it all. |
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