Do not let me eat their delicacies

Psalm 141 and 142:  The editors of the NRSV have titled Psalm 141 as a prayer for preservation from evil. In this individual lament, the psalmists asks God for help in the temptation of being drawn into the circle of enemies. I like the specific plea for help in verse 4, quoted in the title. Don't let me be sucked in by the good things they offer, the psalmist is saying. It's a curious request considering the context. I live in a place and time of plenty, where people like me have to be careful not to be drawn into wicked ways of overindulgence. The biggest difference is that we don't necessarily consider good things like food and hospitality as wicked. Today is Black Friday, the day many Americans (and Canadians who live close to the border) shop until they drop to take advantages of the many good things on sale. I fear the trap of consumerism, but it is easy to fall into it. Maybe today, on Black Friday, this needs to be our prayer: "Keep me from the trap that they have laid for me, and from the snares of the evildoers. Let the wicked fall into their own nets, while I alone escape." (v. 9, 10).
Psalm 142, another individual lament with a superscription referring to David in a cave, has similar themes of God being a refuge and enemies setting traps. Instead of wishing judgment on enemies, here the psalmist is seeking the company of the righteous: "The righteous will surround me, for you will deal bountifully with me." (v. 7b).