Psalms 41

Psalms 41:1

Psalm 41: Prayer From a SickroomDavid was sick, and his enemies hoped it was nothing trivial. They were already rejoicing among themselves that his illness was undoubtedly terminal. An added grief to David was that one of the traitors had been his own close friend at one time. 41:1-3 But the patient is not without comfort. First he remembers that the Lord blesses the person who considers the poor. Here “the poor” probably means not so much poor financially as poor in health, weakened by sickness. David consoles himself with the thought that he had done just what the Lord did for people in distresshe had assisted, comforted, and cheered all who were in the grip of disease. Now he claims the promise that the LORD will deliver him too in time of trouble. Yes, the Lord will keep a protective vigil over him, preserving his life.

Because David has earned a good reputation for his consideration of the sick and the suffering, he is confident that God will not desert him to the malicious will of his foes. He will instead give David all needed grace for his time in the sickroom, then raise him up to health and strength once more. The Lord is pictured as a nurse, adjusting the patient’s bed so as to make him comfortable. 41:4 But the psalmist did not depend solely on his own past consideration of the ill and infirm. He wisely took his illness to the Lord in prayer, confessing his sin and pleading for healing as something he didn’t deserve. Not all sickness is a direct result of sin in a believer’s life. Many of the ailments of older people, for example, are part of the normal process of deterioration due to age. Sometimes, however, there is a direct link between sin and sickness, and where the faintest possibility of this exists, the believer should rush into the Lord’s presence in heartfelt confession. In all such cases, the Great Physician’s forgiveness should precede the local doctor’s remedies. 41:5 In the meantime, the psalmist’s enemies were waiting hopefully for a bulletin from the hospital stating that David had died. “When will he die?” they asked each other, “and when will we hear the last of this fellow?” 41:6 Occasionally one of these evil-wishers would show up during visiting hours, but he had no comfort to offer, no words of hope or encouragement. He talked without saying anything. Actually, it seemed he was just looking for some information to use against David. After he left he broadcast every negative report he could imagine. 41:7, 8 A whispering campaign was going on against the sick man, and the prophets of doom were outthinking themselves in conceiving calamities for David. They spread the word that a fatal disease had attacked him and that his next stop would be the morgue. 41:9 Perhaps the “unkindest cut of all” was the treachery of one who had been an intimate friend. Of all the sorrows of life, this is certainly one of the bitterestto be betrayed by one who has had close associations with you. It is a sorrow the Savior experienced in the betrayal of Judas, and a not-uncommon experience in the lives of those who follow this Captain. The Lord Jesus quoted verse 9 in connection with Judas. However, it is significant that He omitted the words “my own familiar friend in whom I trusted.” Knowing in advance that Judas would betray Him, the Lord had never trusted him, so He simply said, “He who eats bread with Me has lifted up his heel against Me” (Joh_13:18). 41:10 David turns away from the one who had, as it were, stabbed him in the back, and looks instead to the LORD for mercy. When others were deserting him, he counts on the Lord to stand by faithfully. He then makes what might seem to be a strange request: “and raise me up, that I may repay them.” If at first this seems unworthy of a man of David’s stature, we must remember that he was the Lord’s anointed ruler of Israel, and it was his duty as king to deal with sedition and betrayal. While as an individual he might have chosen to tolerate villainy and treachery against himself, as the king he was obliged to suppress any attempts to overthrow the government. 41:11, 12 David sees in the failure of his enemies’ plots an indication of the Lord’s favor toward him. Then he adds: You uphold me in my integrity, And set me before Your face forever.If we prefer this translation, it may sound as if David is boasting excessively. But he actually was a man of integrity in spite of his sins and failures. And compared to his foes he was a paragon of virtue. It is entirely possible that the Lord did uphold him because He saw sincerity and righteousness in his life. Gelineau’s translation of the verse presents less difficulty: If you uphold me I shall be unharmed and set in your presence for evermore. In this version everything is dependent on the Lord rather than on David’s integrity. The Lord’s sustaining grace assures safety in this life and a standing in the presence of the heavenly King forever. 41:13 Confident and serene, the psalmist now raises his voice in a parting burst of praise. Jehovah, the covenant-keeping God of Israel, is worthy to be worshiped from everlasting to everlasting. David could add a double Amen to this tribute, and so can we!