Blessed Is He That Considers the Poor! - Psalm 41

Psalm 41 A Psalm of David                              

Commentary by Dennis Edwards with consideration to William de Burgh, Doctor of Divinity (1801-1866)

41:1 Blessed (or Happy) is he that considers the poor (or weak, persecuted, oppressed, destitute, or afflicted): the Lord will deliver him in time of trouble.

Jesus Himself was despised and rejected, a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief. He was oppressed and afflicted, Isaiah 53:3&7. He told His disciples the following parable.

Matthew 25:34-40 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: For I was hungry, and you gave me meat: I was thirsty, and you gave me drink: I was a stranger, and you took me in: Naked, and you clothed me: I was sick, and you visited me: I was in prison, and you came unto me. Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You? or thirsty, and gave You drink? When did we see You a stranger, and take You in? or naked, and clothed You? Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come unto You? And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, In as much as you have done it unto one of the least of these My brethren, you have done it unto Me.

Mother Teresa, and Saint Francis before her, and many others have travailed with the poor in seeking to fulfil Jesus’ commandments on helping the poor. Let us do the same in what ever way we are able.

^{Psalm 41:2-3} The Lord will preserve him, and keep him alive; and he shall be blessed (or prosper) upon the earth: and You will not deliver him unto the will of his enemies. The Lord will strengthen him upon the bed of languishing: You will make all his bed in his sickness, (or be like a nursing father).

God has promised that if we are faithful to care for others in our lives who He brings along our paths, He will care for us. We see the same sentiment in Isaiah.

Isaiah 58:6-11 Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that you break every yoke? Is it not to deal your bread to the hungry, and that you bring the poor that are cast out to your house? when you see the naked, that you cover him; and that you hide not yourself from your own flesh (family)? Then shall your light break forth as the morning, and your health shall spring forth speedily: and your righteousness shall go before you; the glory of the Lord shall be your reward. Then shall you call, and the Lord shall answer; you shall cry, and He shall say, Here I am. If you take away from the midst of you the yoke, the putting forth of the finger, and speaking vanity; And if you draw out your soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall your light rise in obscurity, and your darkness be as the noon day: And the Lord shall guide you continually, and satisfy your soul in drought, and make fat your bones: and you shall be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.

Lord, help us to meditate on Your words and apply them to our lives that we may be blessed. If we want to be happy and healthy in this life and the life to come, let us see how we can help those in need around us.

^{Psalm 41:4} I said, Lord, be merciful unto me: heal my soul; for I have sinned against thee.

When we are sick, we search our souls to find out if our sickness is a result of having wandered from God’s path. Jesus Himself never sinned, but He carried the sins of the world to the cross.

Isaiah 53:5-8 But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned everyone to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth: He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so He opened not His mouth. He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare His generation? for He was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of My people was He stricken.

^{Psalm 41:5} My enemies speak evil of me, When shall he die, and his name perish?

The Pharisees and religious leaders wanted Jesus’ name to perish. But as Apostle Peter responded,

Acts 4:10-12 Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by Him does this man stand here before you whole. This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner. Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

The religious leaders then counselled together on what to do and decided,

Acts 4:17-20 But that it spread no further among the people, let us straitly threaten them, that they speak henceforth to no man in this name. And they called them, and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered and said unto them, Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge you. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.

Neither should we hide God’s truth within us, but speak forth His truth with love and humility.

^{Psalm 41:6-8} And if he comes to see me, he speaks vanity: his heart gathers iniquity to itself; when he goes abroad, he tells it (or spreads it abroad). All that hate me whisper together against me: against me do they devise my hurt. An evil disease, say they, cleaves fast unto him: and now that he lies he shall rise up no more.

As with Job, when bad events happen in our lives, others may assume that what is happening is a result of God’s judgment on us because of sin. The Bible says that the curse causeless does not come. Yet, Jesus was without sin. In the case of Job, God allowed his afflictions as a testing. The enemy may be attacking us because of our good work for the Lord. Let us not fall into condemnation for God’s mercies endure forever.

^{Psalm 41:9} Yea, mine own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, which did eat of my bread, has lifted up his heel against me.

Early expositors agreed that the prophetic word found here as spoken by Jesus in John 13:18 indicates the psalm in applicable to the Messiah.

^{Psalm 41:10} But You, O Lord, be merciful unto me, and raise me up, that I may requite (or respond to) them.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus says,

Matthew 5:44-45a Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them that despitefully use you, and persecute you. That you may be the children of Your Father which is in heaven.

However, in His parables He clearly reveals that there is judgment for the wicked, if he turn not from his wickedness.

Luke 19:27 But My enemies, which would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and slay them before Me.

Matthew 25:48-51 But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delays his coming; And shall begin to smite his fellow-servants, and to eat and drink with the drunken; The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looks not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of, And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

^{Psalm 41:11-12} By this I know that You favour me, because my enemy does not triumph over me. And as for me, You uphold me in my integrity, and set me before Your face for ever.

Jesus’ enemies did not triumph, which means “shout for joy in victory,” over Him. He rose from the dead and sits at the right hand of the Father. He gives us power over death and hell. He calls us to become sons of God. Therefore, we should not fear those that can kill our bodies, but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both our souls and our bodies in hell.

Matthew 10:32-33 Whosoever therefore shall confess Me before men, him will I confess also before My Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny Me before men, him will I also deny before My Father which is in heaven.

Revelation 22:12-14 And, behold, I come quickly; and My reward is with Me, to give every man according as his work shall be. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning, and the end, the first and the last. Blessed are they that do His commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.

^{Psalm 41:13} Blessed be the Lord God of Israel from everlasting, and to everlasting. Amen, and Amen. (or, truly I say, Amen.)