Psalm 41
This psalm consists of three part: There is the general thesis of what God does for those who love their neighbor as themselves, (vs. 1-3); then there is the prayer of David for deliverance of those who do not love him, (vs. 4-12); and the psalm ends with a doxology which constitutes, at the same time, the conclusion of the first part of the Book of Psalms (vs. 13).
1. What God does for those who love their neighbor as themselves vs. 1,2
Our relationship with our fellow human beings has a direct bearing upon our relationship with God. Jesus puts the love for our neighbor on the same line as our love for God. He says: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.' "1 The Apostle John elaborates on this theme extensively, and in his First Epistle he makes it clear that our love for God cannot be separated from our love for our brother. He says: "If anyone says, 'I love God,' yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen."2
David, however, does not merely speak about a fellow human being in general, but about "the weak," that is, the person who does not count among his fellow men. The Hebrew word is dal, which, in Strongs Definitions is defined as: "dangling, i.e. (by implication) weak or thin," and variously translated in the KJV with: "lean, needy, poor (man), weaker." The Brown-Driver-Briggs' definition of the word is: "low, poor, weak, thin, one who is low." The NAS translates the word with: "The helpless." We could use the expression of someone who is "let down," that is, someone who does not count among his peers. The Lord wants us to associate particularly with "the underdog." Jesus identified Himself with the hungry, the thirsty, the foreigners, the naked, the sick, and the prisoners. We read in Matthew that He says to the righteous: "I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'"3 To Saul of Tarsus, who persecuted Christians, Jesus introduced Himself with the words: "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting."4
The designation "weak" suggests a measure that people use to judge one another, which is, not necessarily, the measure God uses. The teachings of Jesus abound with examples on this subject. Jesus always emphasized children. We read in Matthew's Gospel: "At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, 'Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?' He called a little child and had him stand among them. And he said: 'I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me. But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.' "5 He gave preference to the lower class. Mark says: "Jesus called them together and said, 'You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.' "6 To the expert in the law who wanted to know who his neighbor was, Jesus told a parable in which He focussed on the victim of violence. Luke tells us: "In reply Jesus said: 'A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper. ' 'Look after him,' ' he said, ' 'and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.' ' 'Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?' The expert in the law replied, 'The one who had mercy on him.' Jesus told him, 'Go and do likewise.' "7 These are only a few examples of the many things Jesus said about "the weak."
The implication is that the measures we use for our judgment are wrong. We do not look for the eternal values in the life of our neighbor; we fix our eyes upon the physical features alone. Samuel was caught in this trap in his opinion about Saul8 and Eliab. We read: "When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab and thought, 'Surely the LORD's anointed stands here before the LORD.' But the LORD said to Samuel, 'Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.' "9 We also tend to evaluate people according to what they possess. James admonishes us by saying: "My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don't show favoritism. Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in shabby clothes also comes in. If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, 'Here's a good seat for you,' but say to the poor man, 'You stand there' or 'Sit on the floor by my feet,' have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts? Listen, my dear brothers: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him? But you have insulted the poor. Is it not the rich who are exploiting you? Are they not the ones who are dragging you into court? Are they not the ones who are slandering the noble name of him to whom you belong? If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, 'Love your neighbor as yourself,' you are doing right. But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers."10 That which does not measure up to our distorted standards, we call "poor" or "weak." The Holy Spirit uses the word, in the first place, ironically, but also with the purpose to awaken in us a passion for souls, and to make us look at people as God's creatures who are in danger of being lost eternally.
In Hebrew the word dal is in the singular. This may be one of the great hidden lessons of this verse. God does not speak about a group of people who fall behind, but about one single individual. This does not only mean that we should look at people as individuals, but particularly, that we fix our attention upon the man Jesus Christ. He not only identified Himself with people who do not meet our standards, but He does not even meet our standards Himself. Isaiah prophesied about Him: "He had nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not."11 In his epistle to the Corinthians, the Apostle Paul speaks about the foolishness of the crucifixion of Jesus.12 In Jesus Christ God turns our standards and measurements upside-down. Or rather, He demonstrates that our thoughts and evaluations are wrong. Blessed is the man who discovers this himself. God's beatitude pertains to all who have come to the conclusion that they owe their salvation to the death of Jesus Christ on the cross. If we see in the opening statement of this psalm only a wish of blessing for those who demonstrate social concern, we miss the point. Love for our neighbor has value only if it is based upon the love of Christ.
The promises in verses 1-3 are for those who are born again. Five things are promised: 1- deliverance, 2- protection, 3- honor, 4- victory, and 5- grace in suffering. All this is rather paradoxical.
1- First of all, there are "times of trouble," or as some versions put it: "the day of trouble." This day will find its culmination in the end times. But there are in the history of this world many days that precede the last day, which could bear the name "the day of trouble." God does not say that He will keep us from trouble, but He promises to deliver us. Sickness, death, want, and danger will be part and parcel of our life on earth, even if we live in fellowship with the Lord. But God promises to see us through. This does not mean that we will not sustain any physical injury, but we will not be allowed to suffer spiritual damage. God never leads us into a dead end street. If we follow Him, all our experiences will mean progress, and we will be brought closer to the goal.
2- The promise of protection is closely connected to the preceding paragraph. Deliverance points in the direction of the goal to be reached. We need protection while we are on the way. To walk with God is the best assurance of safety we can ever receive. On a human level it is inconceivable that we would abandon someone we love, and for whom we assume responsibility; therefore, it should be unthinkable that God would forsake us since He guarantees our safety.
3- The honor. Most translations render the phrase with: "He will be blessed." TLB says: "He publicly honors…" The Hebrew word is 'ashar, which means, "to be straight, be level, right, happy, or to go forward, be honest."
It seems incongruent to speak of honor, or blessing in this context. Who would want to honor us in a hostile world where we have to swim upstream? God honors us! Jesus says: "My Father will honor the one who serves me."13 No doubt, the angels will do the same. There is also, even in the heart of one who does not admit God into his life, respect for people who are honest and who follow the Lord sincerely. Christianity has received a bad name in this world, not because of the lives of real Christians, but because of the hypocrisy and inconsistency of people who are not what they claim to be. A person who has given the reins of his life into God's hands is honorable. This honor will eventually take on concrete form.
4- Victory is expressed in the phrase: "He will … not surrender him to the desire of his foes." We maintain that, here too, those foes are not primarily human beings but demons, which are our archenemies. He who has put himself under the protection of Jesus Christ is no longer subject to the authority of the Evil One.
Yet, the outward appearance is against us. It looks as if the devil can do with us as he likes. From the book of Job, however, we learn that limits have been imposed upon Satan, which he cannot overstep. This means that we are no longer slaves of the devil, because of the threat of death that hangs over us. The writer to the Hebrews puts it this way: "Since the children have flesh and blood, he [Jesus] too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death-- that is, the devil-- and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death."14 Through His death and resurrection, Jesus changed our relationship with death. Therefore, if there is deliverance in death, there is hope in any dismal circumstance in life, in oppression, and in persecution. When Jesus says: "Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul,"15 He does not mean that men cannot kill the body. He Himself was nailed to the cross by human hands. But this meant the defeat of the devil. What men do unto us brings about their own destruction. How then can we say that we are the victims?
5- Grace in suffering. We run into difficulties if we interpret vs. 3 as if God heals all sickness. Inasmuch as He does not spare us all other kinds of suffering, He does not always keep us from getting sick either. I believe in divine healing, and I have some personal experience in it. This verse seems to say that there are sicknesses that will not be taken away from us. What changes is not the condition of the body, but the attitude of the patient. The NKJ renders this verse as follows: "The LORD will strengthen him on his bed of illness; you will sustain him on his sickbed." Sickness has its bearing upon our spirit; our fellowship with God often suffers if we do not feel well. The Lord promises to sustain us in this condition. In sickness He changes depression into testimony. Some people are radiantly ill, and thus they give comfort to those who come to comfort them. God can show us that there are more important things in life than health. This does not mean that He does not heal, or that sickness and death exist according to His will; but there are cases in which God can do more with our sickness than with our health. "He who has ears, let him hear."16 It is important that, when we get sick, we ask God the question of what He intends with it, and that we thank Him for what He is doing with us, be it to heal us or to change us as we lie in bed.
2. David's prayer for deliverance of those who do not love him vs. 3-12
The verses 4-12 form a commentary on the preceding verses. They describe David's struggle as God changes his sickbed into a testimony couch. By introducing this section with the words "I said," David puts this whole section in the past tense. All this is history. It is written from the vantage point of the deliverance God granted him. The healing he speaks about is an accomplished fact.
The connection that is made between sickness and sin in vs. 4 suggests that healing is, in the first place, a healing of the spirit. This, of course, has its effect upon David's emotional and physical condition, but it does not, primarily, indicate physical healing. As we have seen, this was not the case in vs. 3 either. Because of his sins against God, David asked God to have mercy on him; that means forgiveness, healing, and rehabilitation. These are words of confession. Forgiveness of sin is the basis of all healing. What would it profit us, if we were physically healthy, but emotionally we were in knots, or our relationship with God was broken?
Spiritual healing and a normal functioning of our relationship with God also form the basis of our relationship with our fellowmen. The animosity David speaks about in verses 4-9 does not come from David; at least, that is not the way it is presented to us. The people who surround David hate him. We do not read that David loved his enemies, but all these verses breathe hatred. Man cannot live a normal life in such conditions; in order to lead a normal life one has to both receive and give love.
The enmity with which David sees himself surrounded has taken on both open and hidden form. There are people who rejoice in the fact that David is dying, others fake interest in his condition and are hypocritically friendly. One of the worst examples of hatred is betrayal by a bosom friend.
Jesus applied vs. 9 to Judas. Addressing His disciples, He said: "I am not referring to all of you; I know those I have chosen. But this is to fulfill the scripture: 'He who shares my bread has lifted up his heel against me. It is the one to whom I will give this piece of bread when I have dipped it in the dish.' Then, dipping the piece of bread, he gave it to Judas Iscariot, son of Simon."17 Jesus' quotation elevates this psalm to a higher level, and it makes David's experience a picture of the suffering of our Lord. It also implies that the deliverance that was mentioned earlier is an image of the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. Human relations are put in the light of victory over death. This is the perspective in which we ought to see all of our relationships.
In vs. 10 it sounds as if David wants to repay evil with evil, but there is a biblical revenge that is more effective: repaying evil with good. Jesus advocates a perfect way to get back at people. In Matthew's Gospel we read: "You have heard that it was said, 'Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.' But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you. You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect."18 And the Apostle Paul advises Christians: "Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: 'It is mine to avenge; I will repay,' says the Lord. On the contrary: 'If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.' Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good."19 This is the way Jesus took revenge upon His enemies; that is "the wrath of the Lamb."20 The best way to avenge our enemies is to pray that the Lord will save them.
Jesus' attitude toward Judas would be worth a separate study, which is not within the scope of this meditation. Evidently, Jesus loved Judas because, in spite of the fact that He knew early on that Judas was a thief, He did not expose him immediately and remove him from the inner circle.
David's relationship with God, which is described with the words, "I know that you are pleased with me," is evinced in the twofold victory over David's enemy: an outward victory, and an inward one. His enemy does not triumph over him, and God upholds his integrity. These words can also be taken as a prophecy about Jesus Christ. It was because Jesus was a lamb without blemish or defect when He took upon Himself the sin of the world, that the devil was defeated and death was conquered. That which for David was a matter of forgiveness and cleaning was a birthright for Jesus. The result in both cases was the same: access to the Father, and being in His presence forever, that is eternal fellowship with God. There is no shortcut to this fellowship. It begins with having "regard for the weak," that is, seeing our Lord Jesus Christ, the "Man of Sorrows," and recognizing Him in our fellow human beings. It ends with unlimited communion with God, which is the highest form of relationship that can exist between two persons.
This doxology not only concludes this psalm, but the whole first book of the Book of Psalms. Each of the five books into which the Book of Psalms is divided ends with a doxology,21 psalm 150 being one great doxology that closes the whole Book of Psalms.
God is addressed here as "the LORD, the God of Israel," that is "YHWH, Elohim of Israel." YHWH is the name with which God revealed Himself to Moses, as "I AM WHO I AM."22 God calls Himself there: "The LORD, the God of your fathers-- the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob."23 God reveals Himself to man for the purpose of redeeming him. If we would try to say everything about this subject that can be said, "I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written," to quote the Apostle John.24
In the name Elohim, we find an expression of the triune God, the Creator of heaven and earth. God's revelation of Himself means that eternity penetrates the time and space in which we live. Initially, that is before man fall into sin, there was not contrast between eternity and time. Death made the relationship of the two a paradox. In God's revelation of Himself, the union is reestablished. That is the reason it has become possible for man on earth to send praises up to heaven, which will resound eternally above. It is a great miracle that a mortal man on earth can open his mouth and say: "Praise be to the LORD, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. Amen and Amen." And that he can confirm this with the highest oath of "Amen and Amen!"
There is also in these words the acknowledgment that God reveals Himself in this world through the people of Israel, particularly through Israel's greatest Son. YHWH, Elohim is the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
1
Matt. 22:37-402
I John 4:20
3
Matt. 25:35,36
4
Acts 9:5
5
Matt. 18:1-6
6
Mark 10:42-45
7
Luke 10:30-37
8
I Sam. 10:21-24
9
I Sam. 16:6,7
10
James 2:1-9
11
Isa. 53:2b,3
12
See I Cor. 1:18-25
13
John 12:26
14
Heb. 2:14,15
15
Matt. 10:28a
16
Matt. 13:9
17
John 13:18,26
18
Matt. 5:38-48
19
Rom. 12:17-21
20
See Rev. 6:16
21
See Ps. 72:18,19; 89:52; 106:48; and 150:6
22
Ex. 3:14
23
Ex. 3:15
24
John 21:25
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