HEBREW WORD STUDY – DOOR OF MY LIPS – ‘Al Dal Sapathi עלדשׁ שׁפתי
Psalms 141:3: “Set a watch, O Lord, before my mouth, keep the door of my lips.”
Upon close examination of the context of this verse, David is asking God to watch over his words or what he speaks when he prays. Yet, God does not hear the words of our mouth, but the cry of our heart. I may pray with my lips: “God give me a candy apple red Porsche,” but my heart may be saying: “Don’t you do it either, given him a broken down Ford Focus so he can learn to trust in you.” God hears and answers every prayer, the only reason we don’t realize the answer is that we are expecting the answer from the request of our lips and not of our hearts. We are so in the flesh we do not hear the cry of our hearts.
So why is David asking God to guard his words if it doesn’t matter what he says, only what is in his heart? The Talmud teaches that this verse is saying that when David asked that God set a watch over his mouth and keep the door of his lips he is asking God to hear the cry of his heart and that he speaks only what his heart says. His lips will speak the desire of his soul, but his heart will speak the desire of God. He wants his soul’s desires to be God’s desires.
Another problem is that too often we Christians pray with our lips, especially in public prayer. At least for me. I find I am trying to make an impression around those that I am praying. I want them to know that I am really holy and pious, perhaps ready to model for a holy card. I am careful of each word I use, the tone and volume of my voice and to be sure I raise my voice at the proper time for that dramatic effect. Yeah, I know, who listens to these spot loyalty oaths anyways, if you were God would you?
It is interesting that the word for mouth is the word Pei like the letter Pei and the word for door is Daleth like the letter Daleth. In fact, if you take these two letters and put them together you form the word for redemption. The numerical value is 84, which is the same numerical value as the word for blood, escape and knowing as in intimate knowing.
God does not automatically give us redemption, we must ask for it – Romans 10:13. But if these words of calling upon God for redemption does not come from our hearts, there will be no intimacy, no willingness to act upon that love and make the commitment that such love demands. It would break God’s heart just as a would-be lover would break a young woman’s heart by saying he loves her just to get something he wants from her.
I believe this is what David was saying in Psalms 141:3: I would paraphrase this verse as: “May my lips never speak a word to God that my heart has not first spoken.” Note that God does not expect you to love Him intimately right away. It is after all the greatest commandment to love the Lord your God. It is something you work at. Jeanette Oaks titled one of her novels “Love Comes Softly.” Love for God comes from a daily walk and talk with Him, from getting to know Him. Christians are great at talking to God: “I want this, I need this, I need your help Oh God.” Do we ever talk with God? “How long has it been since you talked with the Lord, How long since you shared your heart’s hidden secrets” as Moser Lister once wrote.
Redemption is not a ticket to heaven, it is a ticket to becoming intimate with God. That is heaven enough.
BE SURE TO WATCH FOR MY NEW BOOK ON INTIMACY WITH GOD TO BE RELEASED IN THE NEXT COUPLE WEEKS.
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