Psalm 41
Sickness (vv. 8, 10) and sin (v. 4) again unite to put David into distress and danger as his enemies plot against him and wait for him to die. These factors seem to place this psalm in the time of Absalom’s rebellion. David’s illness prevented him from leading the nation as he wanted to (2 Sam 15:1-6), and Absalom took advantage of this to promote himself as king. If the “dear friend” of verse 9 is David’s counselor Ahithophel, then the matter of the historical setting is settled (2 Sam. 16:15ff.). Jesus quoted verse 9 in the upper room when referring to Judas (John 13:18), so the psalm has messianic overtones. When we find ourselves in difficulty, we may use this psalm to take an inventory of our spiritual condition by asking and answering four questions.
1. Integrity: How Do We Treat Others (vv. 1-4)? Before we can claim God’s promises, we must examine our own hearts to see if we have sincerely met the conditions the Lord has laid down. David no doubt based his prayer on the stipulations given in the covenant (Lev. 26:1-13; Deut. 7:13-16; 28:1-14). He knew that he had no right to claim mercy from the Lord if he himself had not shown mercy to others. But David had fully obeyed the Lord’s rules and had shown mercy to King Saul, to Saul’s grandson Mephibosheth, and to the needy in the land. (See Matt. 5:7; Luke 6:37-38.) “Poor” refers to the helpless, the miserable people whose lot was difficult and who depended on the help of others. To “consider” these pitiable people meant being attentive to their needs and assisting them. It also meant not judging and blaming them, as Job’s friends blamed him and the disciples blamed the blind man (John 9:1-4). We have every reason to believe that David sought to care for the poor and needy in his kingdom and therefore was praying with integrity. In verse 1, he referred to himself in the third person, a true mark of his humility before the Lord.
He listed in verses 2-3 the blessings God would send because he confessed his sins and asked God to be merciful to him (v. 4). God would protect him from his enemies and prolong his life in the land. That in itself would bear witness to his enemies that David was a man favored by God. God would also heal him of his sickness and raise him up from the sickbed. “Make all his bed” (v. 3) simply means “heal him and raise him up.” This would be the gracious and merciful act of the Lord, undeserved by David but lovingly granted by Jehovah. “If I regard wickedness in my heart, the Lord will not hear” (66:18 nasb), so it’s important that we confess our sins to the Lord. If we haven’t been merciful to others, how can our hearts be right to ask Him for mercy?
2. Treachery: How Do Others Treat Us (vv. 5-9)? It wasn’t enough that David was sick in bed, but he also had to deal with treachery among his own family and friends, including men like Ahithophel, his official counselor, who sided with Absalom. Ahithophel was Bathsheba’s grandfather (2 Sam. 11:3; 23:34) and hated David for what he did to her and to her husband Uriah. These false friends visited the king and lied to him (“We hope you’ll get well soon”), but they really wanted David to die and even plotted against him. But if Absalom became king, that would be the end of the Davidic dynasty, for Absalom had no son (2 Sam. 18:18). God promised David that his descendants would sit on the throne of Israel forever (2 Sam. 7:11-16), a promise ultimately fulfilled in Jesus Christ (Luke 1:31-33). David was gifted at reading people (2 Sam. 14:17-20) and knew the truth.
Jesus used verse 9 when referring to the traitor Judas (John 13:18-19; and see 55:12-14; 69:25; 109:8; Matt. 26:63; Mark 14:18; Luke 22:21; Acts 1:16-20). Note that our Lord didn’t quote the phrase “whom I trusted” from verse 9, for He knew that Judas had no saving faith (John 6:70-71). This psalm opens with a statement about the poor, and Judas tried to identify himself with the poor (John 12:4-6; 13:26-30). David’s enemies wanted the king’s name to perish, but it was Judas who destroyed a good name–“Judah,” which means “praise.” We call our sons David, but we would never call a son Judas. (See 2 Sam. 16:15-17:23 for Ahithophel’s part in the rebellion.) The phrase “lifted up his heel” pictures a deceptive and underhanded attack, but see Romans 16:20.
3. Mercy: How Does God Treat Us (vv. 10-12)? God in His mercy doesn’t give us what we do deserve, and God in His grace gives us what we don’t deserve, and He does this because of Jesus Christ His Son, who died for us on the cross. David prayed for mercy, because he knew he had sinned (v. 4). He also affirmed his integrity (v. 12), for he had walked before the Lord in humility and submission (7:8; 18:19-25; 25:21; 78:72). When confronted with his sins, he confessed them and sought the face of the Lord (2 Sam. 12:13ff.). David wanted mercy for himself but not for his enemies, except for his son Absalom (2 Sam. 18:5). Why? Because his enemies (especially Absalom) had committed treason against the Lord’s chosen and anointed king. This was not a personal vendetta on David’s part, but a concern for the future of the nation of Israel and the dynasty of David. As ruler of the land, David wielded the sword of justice (Rom. 13:1-4), and nations today punish treason with death.
More than anything else, David wanted to please God (v. 11; 18:19; 22:8; 35:27; 2 Sam. 15:26). He had confidence that the Lord would heal him, restore him to the throne, and deal with those who opposed him. Even more, he was certain that one day he would be in the presence of the Lord and serve in His holy courts in heaven forever (v. 12; 16:11; 17:15; 21:6; 101:7; 2 Sam. 7:16).
4. Glory: How Do We Treat God (v. 13)? This verse was probably added later by an editor to mark the end of book I of the Psalms. Each of the first four books ends with a similar doxology (41:13; 72:18-20; 89:52; 106:48), and book V ends with a praise psalm (150). But the verse reminds us that the main thing in our lives must be the eternal praise and glory of the Lord. “Hallowed be thy name” is the first request in the Disciples’ Prayer (Matt. 6:9), and it governs all the other requests. God answers prayer, not to make His people more comfortable, but to bring glory to His name. The Lord still had more work for David to do, particularly the preparation for the building of the temple, and His glory would one day move into that holy sanctuary (1 Kings 8:1-11).
Can we honestly say “Amen and amen!” to the prayer in verse 13?