JUNE 27, 2026
Psalm 140:8
Do not grant, O Lord, the desires of the wicked; do not further his wicked scheme, lest they be exalted. Selah
When David prayed that God would not allow the “desires of the wicked” and his schemes to be furthered, he was asking that God would keep them in check. Essentially, he accepted the fact that, since the fall of man, wickedness was something the righteous would always have to contend with. Yet, he did not want the evil of the world to exceed the bounds that God had set. The Hebrew root translated as “further” means to “expand without restraint; to exceed boundaries.
From the beginning of time, God has set boundaries and limits upon every component of Creation so that it will function according to His design. He distinguished day from night, the heavens from the earth; the seas from the land. The same is true for wickedness. For instance, when Satan wanted to attack Job, the Lord allowed him to do certain things but restricted him when it came to taking the man’s life. In short, God will allow wickedness to work in the world but always on the leash He has placed upon it. Satan can’t do anything that the Lord doesn’t allow; God has him muzzled lest his voracious appetite is allowed to destroy without limitations.
Let’s keep this in mind when we feel that we are under attack. It may well be that the Lord has allowed the enemy to put us to the test, but it is always with this caveat — there is a limit to what He will allow him to do. Thus, David prayed in the midst of trial, “Keep the muzzle on the wicked men who are trying to destroy me!” Don’t allow them to do everything that is in their heart “lest they be exalted” and consider themselves to be more powerful than the Lord. According to His Word, that is exactly what He will do — restrain them. God’s intention for us is always good and so He keeps our enemies on a short leash.