Beloved, I am glad to share with you today the above theme from Ps 41:1-2 et seq. Indeed, through the prophetic Spirit, Christ declared at the end of Ps 40:17-18, “But I am afflicted and poor.” Voluntary poverty, destined to enrich us! (2 Co 8.7-9). Blessed, therefore, is he who understands this Poor! And also who knows how to put himself in the place of all the poor, the humble, those who suffer… Blessed is he who, in spirit if not in reality, takes as his Master this position of poor! (Mt 5.3-12). What encouragement verse 4 brings to the sick! In the first place the promise of divine help! Even if the outer being withers, the inner being is renewed day by day by the care of the great Physician of Souls (2 Cor 4:16-18).
But in addition, the “whole bed” of the patient will be miraculously transformed. For the presence of the Lord at his bedside has the power to change his languor into joy. Sweet company, suitable to make us forget the incomprehension or indifference of which he may have been the object (verse 9)! We know when verse 10 was fulfilled. How sadly the Lord had to quote him, before giving the traitor Judas “the piece,” which made him recognize (John 13:18-27). And this1st book of Psalms ends with an eternal praise to which, believing friends, we can join our amen! This psalm is also in David’s mouth under the blow of the same affliction. Perhaps at the beginning there is an allusion to Barzillai who, in the days of Absalom, Akhitophel and Shimhi, showed sympathy for David in his trial (2 Sam 17:27-29). David then complains about his enemies and ends by anticipating his own deliverance and their confusion, in praise of his God, the God of Israel.
But there is certainly Jesus there, as in the previous psalms, except, no doubt, in v. 5, and this recalls what has already been noted in Ps. 27. The daughters of Jerusalem (Luke 23) can be considered to some extent to hold the place of Barzillai (as well as Judas that of Akhitophel, and the multitude that of Shimhi). And the Lord was moved with compassion for them, as David was for Barzillai. They gave him, so to speak, a cup of cold water, which did not lose its reward. But Barzillai is the model of all those who today, during the time of his rejection, confess Jesus the righteous; it is to them that he declares: “You are those who have persevered with me in my temptations”. Blessed in fact is the one who pays attention to the mystery of the preceding psalm, who understands Jesus, the poor and the afflicted, and who by faith takes his share with him, as he himself says: “Blessed is whoever has not been scandalized in me” (Mt 11:6; Luke 7:23). And yet the pride of life and the train of this apostate world do not make our walk in the wake of “this poor man” an easy and pleasant thing. Here ends the first of the five books of psalms, according to the division made by the Jews.
For Ps 41 shows us the happiness of man who has the intelligence of this position of the poor of the flock and who associates himself with it (Mt 5:3; Luke 6:20). The words of the Psalm are those of one of the faithful of the suffering residue, – no doubt, the expression of the Psalmist’s own experience. We have before us one of the Psalms from which Christ borrows an expression to show how, at the end of his life, when he took part in the sufferings of the residue, he tasted them in all their bitterness. However, the poor are kept in integrity and placed before the face of the Lord. The apparent triumph of the wicked is short-lived. Thus ends the first book, in which, as a whole, we find the experience of the residue before it is cast out, or at least the experience of those who will not be cast out: the covenant name of the Lord is used there.
That is why we are initiated into it in the position of Christ, insofar as he came and placed himself in the midst of the poor of the flock on earth, and lived in suffering and integrity, in the midst of evil: but he is not personally the subject of the last Psalm of the book, as verse 4 shows us. As we have also said, the first eight Psalms form a kind of introduction in which the whole scene unfolds before our eyes in its principles and results according to God’s counsel: after which Ps. 9 and 10 make us know the true historical circumstances of the Jews in the last days. Thus, from the point of view of historical facts, the state of the Jews in the last days forms the basis and subject of the whole book, at the same time as we learn how Christ was able to associate himself with their sufferings and become by his example an encouragement for them.
Blessed is he who is interested in the poor. It is the exercise of kindness and compassion manifested in caring for and helping the wretched, which is praised here. But it is necessary to observe why David declares to be blessed those who form a wise and prudent judgment concerning the afflictions by which God chastises his servants. We said that he had to fight in his own heart against the perverse judgments of foolish and wicked men, because when affliction pressed him heavily, many considered that he had fallen into a desperate state, and was quite beyond the hope of recovery. It probably happened to him as to the holy patriarch Job, whom his friends considered one of the most wicked men, when they saw God treat him with great severity. And it is certainly a mistake that is far too common among men, to regard those who are oppressed by afflictions as condemned and reprobate.
On the day of misfortune the Lord delivers him. David speaks in his own name, or on behalf of others, he briefly recommends and enjoins the goodness that we must exercise towards the afflicted; for although God may for a time manifest His discontent against them, he will nevertheless be gracious to them, so that the outcome will finally be happier and more joyful than the judgment that we might be led to form in the present aspect of things. We now see that the meaning in which this verse is explained is much more meaningful and meaningful, namely that we must hope for salvation and deliverance from the Lord’s hand, even in the day of adversity; for otherwise, no man who had once fallen into a state of pain and sadness could ever rise again. Thisis the purpose of the Holy Spirit in this passage is not only to exhort the faithful to be ready to show kindness to their brethren when they see them in affliction, but also to point out the remedy that has been provided for the alleviation of our pain, whenever our faith is shaken by adversity.
The following verses have been compiled for your edification and grouped together for your better understanding.
Prayer of a persecuted man:
- The poor, kindness to the poor, recommended
Ps 41:2 Blessed is he who is interested in the poor! On the day of misfortune the Lord delivers him; Pr 14:21 He who despises his neighbor commits a sin, but blessed is he who has mercy on the wretched! Mt 19:21 Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have, give it to the poor, and you will have a treasure in heaven. Then come, and follow me. Gal 2:10 They only recommended that we remember the poor, which I was careful to do.
- Divine Promises to the Generous
Ps 41:2 Blessed is he who is interested in the poor! On the day of misfortune Jehovah delivers Him Isa 58:10 If you give your own sustenance to the hungry, If you satiate the destitute soul, Your light will rise upon the darkness, And your darkness will be like noon. Lk 6:38 Give, and it will be given to you: a good measure shall be poured into your womb, tightened, shaken and overflowing; for you shall be measured with the measure which you have used. 2 Cor 9:7 Let everyone give as he has resolved in his heart, without sadness or constraint; for God loves the one who gives with joy.
- Wicked heart, evil, characteristic of the heart of man
-Stubbornness Ec 8:1 Who is like the wise, and who knows the explanation of things? The wisdom of a man makes his face shine, and the severity of his face is changed.
-Foolishness Ec 9:3 This is an evil among all that is done under the sun, it is that there is for all the same fate; so the hearts of the sons of man are full of wickedness, and madness is in their hearts during their lives; after which, they go to the dead. For who is excepted?
-Extortion and excess Mt 23:25 Woe to you, hypocritical scribes and Pharisees! because you clean the outside of the cup and the dish, and inside they are full of rapine and intemperance.
-Source of all evil Mk 7:21 For it is from within, it is from the hearts of men, that evil thoughts, adultery, immodesty, murder come out,
-Source of unbelief and lust 2 Pet 2:14 Their eyes are full of adultery and insatiable with sin; they initiate souls badly strengthened; they have hearts exercised to greed; they are children of curse.
- Eternal God
Dt 32:40 For I raise my hand to heaven, and I say: I live eternally! Ps 135:13 Eternal! your name lives on forever, Eternal! your memory lasts from generation to generation. Ps 145:13 Your reign is a reign of all centuries, and your dominion endures in all ages. 2 Pet 3:8 But one thing, beloved, that you must not ignore, and that is that before the Lord, a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. Rev 1:8 I am the alpha and the omega, says the Lord God, the one who is, who was, and who comes, the Almighty.
From all the above, we note that theresurrection was the solemn witness of God’s intervention, by which, as we have seen in Ps. 22, he aroused or rather created this hymn in so many other hearts. As we frequently see elsewhere, the first verses (vs. 1-3) provide us with the very subject of the Psalm, those who follow all that has produced this result, with the peculiarity that here the path has as its starting point the offering that he made first of himself to accomplish the work. The believer will also notice, in Ps. 41, that we have pointed out as characterizing the residue, the acknowledgment of sin (versesand 4) and the declaration of integrity (verses 12). We have already said that Christ borrowed an expression from this Psalm that shows how he took the place to which the general content of the Psalm applies (John 13:18): The proud and the wicked could despise and trample on him, humble and debonair, and this fact can apply to the residue under discipline, but what is here before us is rather the spirit of falsehood of those in whom he should have confided. The blessing is for those who, humble and debonair under chastisement, understand the ways of the Lord. The humble man looks to the Lord when his hand is upon him. The significance of the Psalm is that those who understand the position of the poor with whom Jehovah deals and who associate with it are blessed. Christ fully took this place, although He was never on a bed of sickness. Our prayers are with you all.
PRAYER OF ACCEPTANCE OF JESUS CHRIST AS LORD AND PERSONAL SAVIOR
I now invite every person who wants to become a new creation by walking in the truth, to pray with me the following prayer:
Lord Jesus, I have long walked in the lusts of the world ignoring your love for humans. I admit to having sinned against you and ask your forgiveness for all my sins, because today I have decided to give you my life by taking you as Lord and personal Savior. I recognize that you died on the cross of Calvary and rose from the dead for me.
I am now saved and born again by the power of the Holy Spirit. Lead me every day to the eternal life that you give to all who obey your Word. Reveal yourself to me and strengthen my heart and faith, so that your light may shine in my life right now.
Thank you, Lord Jesus, for accepting me into your divine family, so that I may also contemplate the wonders of your kingdom.
I will now choose a nearby waterpoint to baptize myself by immersion, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
All adoration, power and glory are yours, now and forever and ever. Amen!
I would be happy to react to any questions and comments you may have, before sharing with you tomorrow ” the faithful thirst for God and expect Him (Ps 42).”
May the Lord Jesus Christ bless you abundantly.
David Feze, Servant of the Almighty God.