John Calvin Commentary Psalms 141:1

"Jehovah, I have called upon thee; make haste unto me: Give ear unto my voice, when I call unto thee." — Psalms 141:1 (ASV)

O Jehovah! I have cried to you. From such an opening and manner of praying, it is evident that David was undergoing no small trial, as he repeats his requests and insists on receiving help. Without venturing to say anything definite on the point, we would not disapprove of the conjecture that this Psalm was written by David with reference to the persecutions he suffered from Saul. He teaches us by his example to turn immediately to God, and not be tempted, as wicked men are, to renounce prayer and rely on other resources. He says that he cried to God—not to heaven or earth, to men or to fortune, and other vain objects, which are mentioned, at least in the first place, in such cases by the ungodly. If they do address God, it is with murmurs and complaints, howling rather than praying.

In the second verse, the allusion is evidently to the legal ceremonies. At that time, the prayers of God’s people were, according to His own appointment, sanctified through the offering of incense and sacrifices, and David depended on this promise.

As for the conjecture some have made that he was at this time an exile and cut off from the privileges of the religious assembly, nothing certain can be said on that point. Their idea is that there is an unspoken contrast in the verse—that although prevented from joining God’s worshippers in the sanctuary, or using incense and sacrifice, he desired God would accept his prayers nonetheless.

But as there seems no reason to adopt this restricted sense, it is enough to understand the general truth that, since these symbols taught the Lord’s people to consider their prayers as acceptable to God as the sweetest incense and the most excellent sacrifice, David derived confirmation for his faith from this circumstance.

Although the view of the fathers was not confined entirely to the external ceremonies, David was bound to make use of such aids. Therefore, as he considered that it was not in vain that the incense was burned daily on the altar by God’s commandment, and the evening offering presented, he speaks of his prayers in connection with this ceremonial worship.

The lifting up of the hands evidently means prayer, for those who translate משאת, masath, a gift, obscure and pervert the meaning of the Psalmist. As the word, which is derived from נשא, nasa, means lifting up in the Hebrew, the natural inference is that prayer is meant, in allusion to the outward action practiced in it.

And we can easily suppose that David here, as elsewhere, repeats the same thing twice. As for the reason that has led to the universal practice among all nations of lifting up the hand in prayer, I have taken notice of it elsewhere.