Psalm 41

SLIDE 1 I attended a workshop Monday on preaching. We were reminded that there are three focuses for any message. SLIDE 2 He referred to them by the Greek terms logos, pathos, and ethos. SLIDE 3 He said these roughly apply to the head, the heart, and the hands. SLIDE 4 A sermon will either affect how we think, how we feel, or how we act. None of this is new. While advertisers have focused on the three areas for years the concept goes back to Plato – so more than two thousand years.

SLIDE 5 All three are important and each affects the others. How we think can affect how we feel and what we do. How we feel can affect what we think and what we do. And what we do can affect how we think and feel. So, which is the most important? When it comes to gauging someone spiritual condition I think what we do is most important.

For example, the Bible tells us that we are to love others. Jesus said loving others is the second most important command, right behind loving God. He said that all the other commands depend on these two. It’s impossible to keep the others if we fail to keep these two. What did Jesus mean when he said we are to love others? Today, love is mostly defined as an emotion. Did Jesus mean we are to have warm thoughts about someone? Others have correctly said that love is a decision. Our emotions can fluctuate so that they are warm one day and cold the next. We have to decide we are going to love someone regardless of how we feel. But more important than either of these two is what we do or how we treat someone. Too, how we treat them will eventually affect how we think and feel about them.

There’s an old story about a woman seeking advice from her preacher about divorce. She confided that she hated her husband and was planning to divorce him. “I want to hurt him all I can,” she declared firmly. “Well, in that case,” the preacher said, “I advise you to start showering him with compliments. When you have become indispensable to him, when he thinks you love him devotedly, then start the divorce action. That is the way to hurt him.” Some months later the wife returned to report she had followed his advice and all was going well. “Good,” said the preacher. “Now’s the time to file for divorce.” “Divorce!” the woman said indignantly. “Never. I love my husband dearly!”

How we treat others affects the way we think about them and what we feel towards them. And what good are those thoughts and feelings if we never act on them?

We are in Psalm 41 this evening. The psalm of David doesn’t talk about marriage or love, but it does start by talking about how we treat others. David also talks about how he has been treated by others. The superscript for this psalm is like so many others we have seen. We’re told that it’s by David and is directed to the music director. It reads:

For the director of music. A psalm of David.

You may also note that at the end of the psalm and before Psalm 42 that there is a note mentioning the beginning of Book 2. Psalms has five divisions or books, the first one containing Psalms 1-41. This is a good time to take a break from the Psalms so for the next few weeks we’ll be doing something else before continuing with Book 2.

Jesus said that we should treat others the same way we want to be treated. SLIDE 6

Do to others as you would have them do to you. (Matthew 7:12)

That’s a good reason to be good to others, but David has another reason.

SLIDE 7 David begins by describing the blessing given to those who treat others well.

1 Blessed are those who have regard for the weak; the Lord delivers them in times of trouble. 2 The Lord protects and preserves them – they are counted among the blessed in the land – he does not give them over to the desire of their foes. 3 The Lord sustains them on their sickbed and restores them from their bed of illness. (Psalm 41:1-3)

David declares that God blesses those who are kind to the weak. It includes the poor and the helpless. One commentator explained it this way:

There are plenty around you, who, if not poor in the things of this world, are poor in love and hope and the knowledge of God.

There are many ways we can help others and not all of them involve money. While helping others isn’t the only thing that identifies the godly, it is an important one. This is the basic theme of this psalm. Those who show mercy receive mercy. Or as Jesus said in the Beatitudes, SLIDE 8

Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. (Matthew 5:7)

You reap what you sow. SLIDE 9 Many think about the negative impact of this proverb. If I’m unkind to someone I’ll receive unkindness. But it works positively as well. If you are good to others God will be good to you.

In Luke 7, the elders of Capernaum come to Jesus with a request. The servant of a centurion living there was sick and about to die. The men came to Jesus asking for his help. Even though he wasn’t a Jew, he’d done much for the Jewish people including helping rebuild their synagogue. Therefore, they believed he deserved Jesus’ help.

In Acts 10, Cornelius, another centurion, was visited by an angel. SLIDE 10

Cornelius stared at him in fear. “What is it, Lord?” he asked. The angel answered, “Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God.” (Acts 10:4)

SLIDE 11 God took note of the things Cornelius did and blessed him. He sent Peter to show share the gospel with Cornelius and his family. David says God blesses those who have regard for or consider those in need. To consider means to give careful thought about a person’s situation. I like this explanation:

He who considers the poor trusts God, willing to give from his own resources.

He who considers the poor is kind to those in need.

He who considers the poor helps those who likely will not help him in return.

He who considers the poor has a generous heart.

He who considers the poor gives for their good, not simply to make himself feel good.

In the next two verses David goes into detail about what God does for those who care for the week and poor. The LORD:

Protects them

Keeps them alive

Gives them prosperity

Rescues them from their enemies

Strengthens them when they are sick and

Restores them to health

These are just some of the promises God made to the Israelites in the law. God told them if they followed his instructions he would take care of them. David applied these promises to the ones who help those in need.

After telling us how God blesses, David asks for God’s help. He makes a request.

4 I said, “Have mercy on me, Lord; heal me, for I have sinned against you.” (Psalm 41:4)

David starts the psalm talking about how God takes care of those who have been obedient and then admits that he hasn’t been obedient. Even though David had helped the poor, it did not make up for his transgressions or erase his sins. Therefore, he calls out to God for mercy and forgiveness. Notice though that David doesn’t make excuses for his sin. He confesses freely his failings. Saul made excuses for his sin. Judas was sorry for his sin. David confesses his. He acknowledges that he had sinned against God. Some suggest that because David does not indicate being weighed down by the sin that he was just making a general confession of his sins. We should confess those sins we are aware of, but we also need to know that we commit sins we aren’t aware of. David is suffering though and asks for God’s healing.

As a result of his suffering, David’s enemies spoke evil about him.

5 My enemies say of me in malice, “When will he die and his name perish?” 6 When one of them comes to see me, he speaks falsely, while his heart gathers slander; then he goes out and spreads it around. 7 All my enemies whisper together against me; they imagine the worst for me, saying, 8 “A vile disease has afflicted him; he will never get up from the place where he lies.” 9 Even my close friend, someone I trusted, one who shared my bread, has turned against me. (Psalm 41:5-9)

David wasn’t perfect, but he was a good king. Despite all the good he had done his enemies found reason to hate him and spread lies about him. David says they lied to his face when they came to see him. They wished him well, but he knew it wasn’t sincere. Montgomery Boice described the scene like this:

When they visited the king his courtiers said the right things: “We were so sorry to hear that you are sick. We have been praying for you and will continue to pray. We hope you are going to be better really soon. Everything is being taken care of. Is there anything we can do?” These words were sheer hypocrisy. These people were not hoping that David would get well at all. After they left him they said things like, “Didn’t he look awful? I don’t think he’s going to make it, do you?”

That’s because, as David says, they were hoping for his demise and spread a rumor that he was suffering from a fatal disease. It couldn’t have been too fatal, he lived to write this psalm.

Why didn’t they like David? Why were they hoping he would die? Today, David is considered the greatest king Israel ever had. However, when David reigned he was only the second king. At the time they couldn’t have said he was the greatest king because there was only one other king to compare him to. Saul may not have been a great king, but there were some who liked him and therefore despised David. If David ever stumbled they were quick to point it out. It was then – as it is today – easy to look over your enemies good qualities while exaggerating their bad. Jesus made a similar comment in the Sermon on the Mount when he said: SLIDE 12

3 Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? SLIDE 13 4 How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? SLIDE 14 5 You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye. (Matthew 7:3-5)

SLIDE 15 It’s easier to spot a small problem in someone else’s life than a big problem in our own. Why is that? Surely we are aware that we do have problems. It has been suggested that we judge others in this way to make ourselves feel better. Maybe we are aware of our own big problems and pointing out someone’s problems – even if they are much smaller – makes us feel better. I don’t know. What I do know is that being aware of our own problems should lead us to show mercy for others. One commentator wrote:

Respect for others is an indication of one’s own self-understanding. The awareness of the complexity of our own lives and the limitations of our own nature should help us to be more considerate and understanding of others.

Everyone has weaknesses and failings. David says that God blesses those who help the weak. But no one was helping him.

We also need to understand that it’s often those who do what’s right that are criticized the most. Adam Clarke wrote:

It is often a good man’s lot to be evil spoken of; to have his motives, and even his most benevolent acts, misconstrued.

David Guzik points out that it was certainly true of the early church. The early history of Christianity tells us the reasons why Christians were persecuted, or at least why people in the Roman Empire thought Christians were worthy of persecution.

They accused Christians of hostility to the emperors and conspiracy against the state.

They accused Christians of incest.

They accused Christians of cannibalism.

They accused Christians of being atheists.

They accused Christians of being “haters of humanity.” And,

They accused Christians of being the reason why problems plagued the empire.

None of those were true, but they accused Christians of them anyway. The truth was:

Christians were good citizens and prayed for the emperor.

Christians lived pure moral lives.

Christians never practiced anything like cannibalism.

Christians were certainly not atheists.

Christians loved others, and showed it all the time.

Christians made the empire better, not worse.

Still, these lies were commonly believed and Christians were persecuted because of the lies. The apologists of the early church did what they could to tell the truth, but it was a losing public relations battle. These lies were popularly believed even as they were about David.

Then, to make it worse, David says that even his friend, someone he trusted, had turned on him.

Even my close friend, someone I trusted, one who shared my bread, has turned against me. (Psalm 41:9)

You might recognize that verse. Jesus referred to it in the upper room when talking about Judas betraying him. SLIDE 16

I am not referring to all of you; I know those I have chosen. But this is to fulfill this passage of Scripture: “He who shared my bread has turned against me.” (John 13:18)

When Jesus quoted this verse from Psalm 41 he left out the part about Judas being and close friend and trusting him. That’s because Judas wasn’t a close friend and Jesus never trusted him. The Apostle John tells us: SLIDE 17

But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all people. (John 2:24)

SLIDE 18 Because Jesus knew what was in people’s hearts, he didn’t entrust himself to them but he still felt the sting of betrayal. David, however, once trusted this person. He had invited them person to eat with him. Eating with someone was a sign of friendship. It’s an intimate setting. You didn’t eat with your enemies. But despite the kindness David had shown he was betrayed.

David turns to God and prays once more for mercy.

10 But may you have mercy on me, Lord; raise me up, that I may repay them. 11 I know that you are pleased with me, for my enemy does not triumph over me. 12 Because of my integrity you uphold me and set me in your presence forever. (Psalm 41:10-12)

David asks for God’s mercy. “Be gracious to me,” David prays, “and make me well again.” The reason why David wants this is unusual. David wants to triumph over his enemies. He doesn’t want God’s healing for his personal benefit, but because he doesn’t want his enemies to be proven right. He doesn’t want their lies to come true. It’s also interesting that David would mention his integrity considering he had just confessed his sins a few verses earlier. However, the kind of integrity he’s talking about is the kind that admits when it’s wrong. David doesn’t deny his sin or pretend he’s something he’s not. He admitted his sin to God. That’s the integrity David is talking about and it’s the kind of integrity that pleases God. Too many people act like the kid whole stole a cookie and denies it even though he’s got chocolate all over his face. You know they’ve done wrong and they know they’ve wrong, but they won’t admit it. God wants us to come clean when we sin. God cares more about our attitude after we’ve sinned.

David says God preserves him because of his integrity. It’s not because David was perfect, but because David was ready to admit it when he had failed. This is what made David a man after God’s own heart. David took God’s preservation of his life as evidence that God was pleased with him. In fact, David mentions four benefits inverses 11 and 12.

God is well pleased with him

His enemies don’t triumph over him

God upholds him

God sets him in his presence

All four of those benefits are in the present tense. In other words, these are things God was doing for him at that time. It’s not only that God would do them in the future but that God was also doing them as he wrote.

As much as David wanted to triumph over his enemies, what he wanted most was to be in God’s presence. Therefore, David asks that God would establish him in his presence. Concerning God’s presence, one psalmist wrote: SLIDE 19

Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked. (Psalm 84:10)

SLIDE 20 Charles Spurgeon wrote:

To stand before an earthly monarch is considered to be a singular honor, but what must it be to be a perpetual courtier in the palace of the King Eternal, Immortal, Invisible?

David longed for God’s presence.

Because of the support he received from God he worshiped God.

13 Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. Amen and Amen. (Psalm 41:13)

I mentioned earlier that Psalm 41 is the last psalm in Book 1. I won’t read all the verses, but every book ends with a doxology or verse of praise. They are all worded differently, but they end praising God. They point to the greatness of God. David wants God to be praised forever – from everlasting to everlasting.

G. Campbell Morgan pointed out that the word “everlasting in Hebrew means “vanishing point.” Have you ever been to the ocean and looked out over the horizon? You can see about three miles before something disappears over the horizon. Now imagine being in a boat out in the water far enough you can’t see land. God is out there beyond the horizon, beyond what you can see. You look the other way and God is still out there beyond the horizon and what you can see. You look as far as you can in either direction and he is further still. He is from everlasting to everlasting. He is the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end.

David gives us an example to follow. It’s not just what he thought or felt that were important, but what he did. Even in his trials he lived in humility. He sought after God, trusting God to provide for him, and he helped those who were in need.