Psalm 41: Merciful, or Just Mean as a Snake?

Blessed is the one who considers the poor!

    In the day of trouble the Lord delivers him;

the Lord protects him and keeps him alive;

    he is called blessed in the land;

    you do not give him up to the will of his enemies.

The Lord sustains him on his sickbed;

    in his illness you restore him to full health. (41:1-3)

Photo by Shail Sharma on Unsplash

In Psalm 40, we saw the psalmist testify about the good that God had done for him, and we see that in Psalm 41 as well… in the person of the Lord himself and in the one who represents him well. 

     “Blessed is the one who considers the poor!” (v.1)

Here is a question... are verses 1b-3 a description of what God does for the poor or what God will do for the one who cares for the poor? Perhaps both. Willem Van Gemeren, in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, notes that,

“The Father in heaven looks for those who wisely conform to his heavenly kingdom on earth: righteousness, holiness, love, and justice. He cares for the oppressed and delights to see his children's concern with the things that are important to him: concern for those in need (cf. 35:13-14; 112:9 –Emphasis mine).”[1]

We should also observe that David ended the previous psalm with the cry,

 As for me, I am poor and needy,
    but the Lord takes thought for me.
You are my help and my deliverer;
    do not delay, O my God! (40:17)

David might have been establishing a case whereby the Lord would do merciful things for him since he was also in need. It is also possible that he was emphasizing the importance for those who have power over the poor/weak/sick/powerless to use that power to help and not to harm. This idea may be supported by the title of this psalm in the Syriac which says, “It was a Psalm of David when he appointed overseers to take care of the poor.” (Adam Clarke)

This psalm seems to suggest that how we treat “the poor” in their day of trouble influences how we will be treated in our own day of trouble. Jesus picked up on this prophetic message (and others such as Psa. 18:25-26 and Micah 6:8) in the Sermon on the Mount when he said, "Blessed are the merciful for they shall receive mercy" (Matt 5:7). Later James, Jesus' half-brother and leader of the Jerusalem church, wrote that pure religion is evidenced in our treatment of “widows and orphans” and not just some abstract form of personal piety (James 1:27).

Nineteenth-century preacher Charles Spurgeon, in his classic Treasury of David, elaborated on how the faithful servants of the Lord are both relationally wise and merciful in their consideration of the poor, “They do not toss them a penny and go their way, but enquire into their sorrows, sift out their cause, study the best ways for relief, and practically come to their rescue; such as these have the mark of the divine favor plainly upon them…“The promise is not that the generous saint shall have no trouble, but that [they] shall be preserved in it, and in due time brought out of it.”[2]

Certainly, these verses depict the kindness and grace of God, shown to those who are “poor”— a word that depicts the marginalized in every society on earth, but also in the Hebrew context that specially referred to those who were humble before the Lord, confessing the sin. In the New Testament, we see both aspects on the lips of Jesus in Matthew 5’s “poor in spirit” and Luke 6’s “poor” in an economic/power sense.

I am touched by the merciful kindness shown to "the poor" in verses 1-3 of this psalm. I am also disturbed by the contrasted meanness of others in verses 5-10 — the malicious, the slanderers, the whisperers, the scandalmongers, the prognosticators, and the betrayers!

Have you ever been “visited” by such as these? David had...

And when one comes to see me, he utters empty words,

    while his heart gathers iniquity;

    when he goes out, he tells it abroad. (v.6)

Pigpen by Charles Schultz

I don’t want to be the “utterer of empty words” nor one with a heart that “gathers iniquity” like velour gathers lint. I don’t want to spread abroad the iniquity I gather like so much sticky pollen and dust due to the negative charge of a fallen world. Instead, I want to spread the goodness of God which I have received. God doesn’t want his people to be the spiritual/relational equivalents of the Peanuts character “Pigpen” whose very presence continuously broadcasts dirt and dust. I also don’t want to imagine the worst for others (v.7) even though we are often faced with the reality of it.

Photo by Elijah O'Donnell on Unsplash

How can we keep from being mean like those described in v. 5-10? I don’t think that too many people set out to speak hurtfully or even use mean words, but the less we listen to the heart of God and more to the selfishness and demands of the world we start to sound like those to whom we listen. I was in a man’s office recently and noticed that his bookshelves were covered in a thick layer of dust. It didn’t happen all at once, but a little bit at a time, so gradually that he had not noticed it. But when I walked in for the first time, I noticed it right away. It is not fun when the light of God’s Word is focused by the Spirit on some areas of our hearts that have become clogged with the dust and disease of selfish pride, but it is therapeutic for it leads us to confession and cleansing!

What else can we do? Having confessed our sins to God and asked for mercy and grace to speak the truth in love, always looking to build up rather than tear down, there are several other safeguards, I would suggest that will prevent us from becoming one of those odious individuals mentioned in v.5-6 that hurts others verbally. We can...

1. Know that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit delight in you! Jesus was prepared for his times of greatest testing by the knowledge of his Father's love (Matt. 3:16-17; 17:5). The triune God knows your flaws already and still delights in you! Publishing and critiquing the perceived faults of others does not enhance your standing before the Lord. It is not like playing “king of the hill” where we climb higher by pushing and throwing others lower. (--> Romans 5:6-11)
2. Know that our enemy, whose very name means “Accuser”, will not have the last word. And when the accuser is silenced by the manifested love of God in Christ, let us not play “devil’s advocate” and take up his taunts against others for whom Jesus died. (--> Rev. 12:10-11; Romans 8:31-34)
3. Know that we are secure in the loving presence of the Lord Jesus forever. We don’t have to be overcome with anxiety, insecurity, or discouragement at our own shortcomings. We are not called to climb up to heaven to win God’s favor, rather, he came down to us to set us free from all that brings guilt and shame! (--> Romans 8:14-17, 35-39)
4. Know that our words quickly reveal the condition of our hearts. So, when we (or others) notice our words growing more caustic, impatient, and overly sarcastic, let it be like an early warning system that our heart is no longer responding to the lovingkindness of the Savior, but has begun to go astray to gather iniquity. (--> Matt. 15:1-20; 12:34; Mark7:1-23; Luke 6:45)
5. Know that you will always need God’s help and make a practice of asking for it, as the psalmist models for us in Psalm 141:3-4,

     Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth;

         keep watch over the door of my lips!

     Do not let my heart incline to any evil,

         to busy myself with wicked deeds

     in company with men who work iniquity,

         and let me not eat of their delicacies!

As recipients of great mercy, even before we knew we needed it, let us extend mercy to others though they may not know they need it too! But having received it they will be changed. May the Heavenly Father and Christ the Son, use us to pour his love into the thirstiest of hearts through the work of the Holy Spirit this week! 

And for those of us who face the hour or day of trouble may we embrace the Lord's delivering presence in and through it! 

"Blessed is the one who considers the poor!

    In the day of trouble the Lord delivers him..." (v.1)

---

[1] Willem A. Van Gemeren in EBC Vol. 5, Psalms—Song of Solomon, Zondervan. 325.

[2] C.H. Spurgeon, Treasury of David, Vol. 2 Psalms 27-52, Baker Books, Grand Rapids, 283-284.

Psalm 40 A New Song: Our Testimony of God’s On-going Goodness to Us

Miss Clara in her "War Room"

This is a psalm that is very familiar to many Christians. It contains verses that we like to quote, some that readily identify with our life story, and others that we struggle with admitting are true about us. It starts very straightforwardly as David testifies,

“I waited patiently for the Lord;
    he inclined to me and heard my cry.” (v.1)

Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash

How many of us can honestly say that we have waited “patiently” for the Lord? While I have waited and contended and prayed and believed for many things over the years, I am not sure how consistently patient God would say that I have been. David’s life, however, lined up with his claim. Despite the turmoil and the tears, he knew that the Lord had heard his desperate prayers.

David knew that God had chosen him and anointed him (via the elderly prophet and judge Samuel) to be king after God had rejected the unrepentant excuse-making King Saul. Even so, David would not elevate himself to the position. He left the timing of the promise’s fulfillment in the hands of God. Even though Saul, in his insane jealousy, repeatedly tried to hunt David down and kill him (in an effort to retain his kingdom from which God had rejected him), David refused to defend himself. He would not raise his weapons against “the Lord’s anointed” despite being encouraged to do so when the opportunity came.

That doesn’t mean that David didn’t feel the pain and experience significant anguish along the way. He did, and he talked to God about it a lot… just read the Psalms! There are more lament psalms than any other kind! As we have often noted on this blog, the psalms give us the language, to be honest with God, and to process our emotions through the revealed character of God. While our circumstances don’t always change, we change and our perspective changes as well! These changes can positively impact those around us!

Photo by Martin on Unsplash

It should be noted that David’s testimony was not that of a quick or one-time deliverance, but more of a slow-motion miracle of daily provision and protection as with each new moment he chose to trust the Lord. He had eyes to see God at work (even in the mundane) and an ear to hear the word of the Lord (even in a whisper). 

Along the way, perhaps in that “valley of the shadow of death” (Ps. 23:4), the psalmist received more than words of empty consolation, for it was in the darkest moments that he became most aware of the presence of God. It should be noted that his life was not all darkness and pain for there were many brilliant moments where heaven seemed to break forth into David’s life. Whether it happened literally or poetically, David was repeatedly delivered by the manifested faithfulness of the Lord.

Photo by Neil Thomas
 on Unsplash

He drew me up from the pit of destruction,
    out of the miry bog,
and set my feet upon a rock,
    making my steps secure.
He put a new song in my mouth,
    a song of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear,
    and put their trust in the Lord. (v.2-3)

What is our “pit of destruction”? Where have we been betrayed and left to die like Joseph (Genesis 37) or Jeremiah (Jer. 18)? What is our “miry bog”, that situation that seems to hold us in a suffocating grip of iron until we give up in exhaustion and despair? David uses the “mire” idea again in Psalm 69:1-3,

Save me, O God!

    For the waters have come up to my neck.

I sink in deep mire,

    where there is no foothold;

I have come into deep waters,

    and the flood sweeps over me.

I am weary with my crying out;

    my throat is parched.

My eyes grow dim

    with waiting for my God.

God always knows where we are, even in those times when it feels like he doesn’t. Isaiah 43:1b-3 is an awesome promise for whatever floods and fires we may face.

“Fear not, for I have redeemed you;

    I have called you by name, you are mine.

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;

    and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;

when you walk through fire you shall not be burned,

    and the flame shall not consume you.

For I am the Lord your God,

    the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.

The psalmist’s testimony was that the Lord had put his feet on the rock “making his steps

Photo Greg Dueker

secure.” I know what it feels like to climb a steep sand dune at the beach where you are constantly sliding backward, or worse I know the anxiety of trying to traverse a large talus slope in the mountains where sliding rocks could break a leg or precipitate a fatal fall. I also know what it feels like to be pressed down by a 100+ pound pack into a deceptively sticky mud flat—you start to think you might never get out. But the security and stability that the psalmist speaks of are more than just a reference to enhanced physical balance and traction. It addresses a change in one’s whole life through an emotional, and spiritual rescue from overwhelming circumstances, overbearing enemies, and overflowing sin.

But I wonder how often we speak about what God has done for us. On a daily basis, are we more likely to complain about what went wrong (frustrations, disappointments, fears, etc.) or to thank God for his works on our behalf—the way that his deeds manifest his amazing love?

In v. 3, David writes that the Lord “put a new song in my mouth”. Have you ever wondered what that new song is, or why there needs to be a new one if the old song works just fine? I have. So, what is that new song? It is “a song of praise to our God” that is our continuing testimony to the shared goodness of God! Each new daily deliverance should help us to see God more clearly. His loving character is revealed through all his works and our gratitude is revealed by sharing what he has done with others.

Sometimes, in the midst of disappointment, loss, and even persecution, we can be encouraged when we read the psalmist’s reminder that God thinks of us a lot (v.5). I love the word picture that his thoughts and deeds towards us are “multiplied” instead of merely being the work of addition.

You have multiplied, O Lord my God,

    your wondrous deeds and your thoughts toward us;

    none can compare with you!

I will proclaim and tell of them,

    yet they are more than can be told. (v.5)

Photo by Hudson Hintze on Unsplash

Such an insight into the mind and mission of God led the psalmist to testify freely. He did not restrain his lips when speaking of the goodness of God (v.9-10) because the Lord had done more things than could be told (v.5). He could have said there is too much to say so I won’t even try, but he didn’t wimp out. Listen to his words!

I have told the glad news of deliverance

    in the great congregation; behold,

I have not restrained my lips,

    as you know, O Lord.

I have not hidden your deliverance within my heart;

    I have spoken of your faithfulness and your salvation;

I have not concealed your steadfast love and your faithfulness

    from the great congregation.

What were the most recent three things that God has done for you, which you then shared with someone else? Why don’t we remember what he has done? Why are we not better at writing it down? To borrow a picture from the gospels, could our memory be challenged because our hearts have become like a hard-packed path (with the restless to-and-fro of our habitual busyness and the aimless shuffling of our highly distracted lives) and the seeds of the goodness of God’s works in our lives are snatched away by the enemy of our soul?

Photo by Alejandro Escamilla on Unsplash

We need to plant the blessed memories of God’s workings on our behalf in the potting soil of internal gratitude and public testimony. In the OT people would build an altar or set up memorial stones to remember how God had met them and delivered them. What about us? What things do we do to remind ourselves of the good things God has done for us and for others? Feel free to share your suggestions in the comment section below! As for me, this section has challenged me to start what I call a “gratitude list” or an “I noticed list” where I write down one way I noticed God at work or I enjoyed something or someone for whom I am grateful. If I don’t write it down, I won’t remember. If I don’t remember it then how can I share it with others and allow them to participate in the blessing? Thankfully his mercies don't run short... even in the darkest of times "they are new every morning" (Lam. 3:22-23).

The psalmist makes the connection between his own unrestrained testimony of gratitude to God and his observation/trust that the Lord would not restrain from showing his mercy to the psalmist (v.11) because he was personally in great need of mercy (v.12)! We are certainly no different though we may think we are.

As for me, I am poor and needy,
    but the Lord takes thought for me.
You are my help and my deliverer;
    do not delay, O my God! (v. 17)

I hope you find it encouraging that God thinks about you, hears your cry for help, and comes quickly to answer, encourage, and deliver you. Do you see him?