Psalms 41

Psalms 41:1-5

God’s kindness and truth have often been the support and comfort of the joints, when they have had most experience of men’s unkindness and treachery: for David found them. Here, 1. He comforts himself in God under his sickness, ver. 2, 2, 3, and lifts up his heart on prayer to him, ver. 4. 2. He represents the malice and influence of his enemies, ver. 5-9. 3. He leaves his case with God, not thinking but that he would even and favour him, ver. 10, 11, and concludes with a drawings, ver. 13. But if we look not further than David, even to his glorious Sin, we shall be beside the purport of this psalm.

¶ To the chief musician, A psalm of David.

1. BLESSED is he that considereth the 1st poor; the LORD will deliver him 2 in time of trouble. 2. The LORD will preserve him, and keep him alive, and he shall be blessed upon the earth; and 3 thou wilt not deliver him into the will of his enemies. 3. The LORD will strengthen him upon the bed of languishing: thou wilt 4 make all his bed in his sickness. 4. I said, LORD, be merciful unto me; 5 heal my soul, for I have sinned against thee.

The labour of love is never labour lost; so the Psalmii affारण us.

1. He pronounces the man blessed that considereth the poor; either in general the poor in this world, compassionate their wants, sympathize with them in their sorrows, and seek by counsel, influence, and liberal distribution, to relieve the distress of the necessities; or it may refer to that poor man whom he ever remembers, Eccl. ix. 15, the lowly Jesus expected for our fakes to want, and having no where to lay his head: to consider his humiliation for us, is the way to true blessedness.

2. He shews wherein this blessedness consists. In trouble, God would deliver him, preserve him from his enemies, repay him with interest even upon earth, support him on the bed of languishing, and tenderly watch over him in his sickness. Note, (1.) Kindness to God’s poor and afflicted ones, is highly our oneself as well as duty; none ever lost by lending thus to the Lord. (2.) God’s blessing is the comfort of every estate; it can make the bed of languishing chastels, give rest in trouble, and make even grief to smile.

3. Having some good hope through grace, that he could claim the character, he is emboldened in prayer to seek the promises. Yet, as a miserable sinner in himself utterly undeterring, he pleads for mercy with God, and begs his sickness may be healed, that worth and most dangerous disease, corruption in his soul. Note, They who see deeply into their fallen nature, will, in their best estate, cry for mercy to their sins, and healing of their corruptions.

4. A S the hart panteth after the water-brooks, so panteth my foul after thee, O God. 2. My foul thirteth for God, for the living God: when thall I come and appear before God? 3. My tears have been my meat day and night, while they continually lay unto me, Where is thy God? 4. When I remember these things, I pour out my foul in me; for I had gone with the multitude, I went with them to the house of God; with the voice of joy and praise, with the multitude that kept holy-day. 5. Why art thou cast down, O my foul, and why art thou disquieted in me? hope thou in God, for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance.

This psalm is entitled Machil, instruction, as containing sweet instructions for mourning souls. It is directed to the fous of Korah; for though their father perished in his sins, his children, who fled from his tent and treason, shared neither his punishment, nor lost their office as ministers of the sanctuary. We have here,

1. The eager longings of his soul after communion with God in the courts of his sanctuary. As the hart flying before the blood-thrifty hounds, parched with heat, and panting for breath, with such intense desires, is he a chief for God, for a tonic of his love and favour, even for the living God, the only fountain of true felicity; and looks with languishing eyes towards that heavenly hill where God manifested peculiarly his glorious presence. Note, (1.) Nothing but God will satisfy the believer’s soul; a sense of his love is his supreme happiness, and if that be withdrawn, every enjoyment is tathlels. (2.) Whilst foolish men, with eager impatience, seek from the broken reforms of earthly comforts to flash their raging thrift: how few feel these ardent desires after the living fountain! (3.) Confiscated absence from the means of grace is a firm burden to the faithful, and quickens his longings after them. (4.) If God’s sanctuary was so desirable, how much more his beatific presence in his eternal temple?

2. He laments the sorrows that oppressed him, the insults he dishoned from his taunting enemies, v. 5; and his depiction under the views of the blesings he had lost and the miseries he endured, v. 6. The heathen, among whom he dwelt, upbraided him as having no visible God, whilst their idols stood in their temples; or his Jewish enemies reproached him, as if he was now abandoned of God, because he appeared not instantly for his relief. These things melted his heart with sorrow, and made his eyes as fountains of tears, that, flowing ceaseless, mingled with his cup, or so affected him, that he forgot to eat his bread; whilst the remembrance of past happy days rose up to aggravate his distress in that strange land, where no songs of Zion were heard, no holy festivals observed to Jehovah, nor multitude of worshippers appeared, crowding his gates with laxatives of praise. Note, (1.) Affliction is no proof of God’s want of affection to us. (2.) When outward distress lies heavy, inward temptations are often violent. (3.) The joys we have tailed in God, make the want of his presence, and the withdrawing his comfort, more grievous.

3. Under all he encourages his heart in God. Why art thou esy’ deum, O my foul, so broken, so dispirited? why, though his hath prevailed, though Satan accuses, though darkened over-shadows thee, is he not the same God of grace, can his promises fail, or doth the cloud blot out the sun? why art thou shes disquieted within me, as if all were lost, and help despaired of? hope thou in God, cast this firm anchor there, and then thou shalt not only ride out the storm in safety, but, when these thick clouds disperse before his bright beams, the light of his countenance shall return, and the language of my ransomed soul be praise. Note, (1.) In our distresses it is good to reason with our souls, why am I thus? We often cause our own depiction, by pitying on our corruptions or afflictions, and forgetting the promises, grace, and faithfulness of our Redeemer. (2.) The longest night ends in day: if we have a little patience under our troubles, we shall surely at last find cause for praise. (3.) In heaven at least all our sorrows shall end, and the never-clouded light of God’s countenance fill our souls with ever-lafting consolations.

4. O my God, my soul is cast down within me: therefore will I remember thee from the land of Jordan, and of the Hermonites, from the hill of Mizar. 7. Depe calleth unto deep at the noise of thy water-spouts: all thy waves and thy billows are gone over me. 8. Yet the LORD will command his loving-kindness in the day-time, and in the night his long shall be with me, and my prayer unto the God of my life. 9. I will say unto God my rock, Why hast thou

forgotten me? why go I mourning, because of the oppression of the enemy? 10. As with a f sword in my bones, mine enemies reproach me: while they lay daily unto me, Where is thy God? 11. Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope thou in God, for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God.

Psalms 41:6-11

God is not displeased with us that we feel, nay that we complain, but he will not have us difficult him. The Psalmii is our gracious pattern.

1. He complains to God; and where can we get relief so soon as by pouring out our sorrows into his compassionate bosom? His heart was dejected; his troubles, like stormy billows, fuzzelloes, and each threatening to swallow him up, v. 7. Whilst God seemed as if he had forgotten him, v. 9. and given him up to his oppressing for; and their taunting reproaches, like a sharp sword, wounded his inmost soul, v. 10. Note, (1.) The louder the storm blows, the more earnest should our applications be to God. (2.) Though trouble upon trouble follow us, far be it from us to think God hath forgotten us. (3.) The faith of God’s elect doth not fail, but it is often feeble and fore shaken.

2. He encourages his heart in God by the remembrance of past experiences, when God in former afflictions had appeared for him, v. 6. or it may signify, wherever he was he continued in ceaseless prayer; God was full his rest, there his soul shack fast, and he could not but confidently expect deliverance. The Lord will command his loving-kindness, and all the storms of affliction shall be bathed into a calm, and this publickly and openly in the day-time, that his enemies may be and own the hand of God within in his protection; and in the night, during the continuance of his afflicted state, though sorrowful, he would rejoice in him, his long shall be with me; the song, of which his grace, and love, and faithfulness is the burden, and my prayer unto the God of my life; my life bound up as with his own, and which, with humble faith, I will commit to his life keeping. With these views he can chide down his fears, and hid his troubled heart return to its rest again; what can more him whose hope is in God? what make him miserable, on whom the light of God’s countenance shines? yea, what be wanting to his consummate felicity, who can lay assembly, My God? Note, (1.) When we remember what God has done for us, it should suppress our unbelieving fears. (2.) Wherever we are, or in whatever state, it becomes us never to restrain prayer before God. (3.) If God command his loving kindness, it is not in the power of earth or hell to make us miserable. (4.) In our worst estate we have much to be thankful for; if we consider our mercies, we owe continually the tribute of praise. (5.) If God be the God of our life, then death is disarmed. (6.) The feeble minded need repeated encouragement, so show of heart are they to believe. (7.) When we have a true interest in God, as our covenant God, we have nothing to fear from the malice of earth or hell.