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Psalm 41
Book 1 contains Psalms 1–41, and this means that we have come to the last psalm of Book 1 with this chapter. The other books contain Psalms 42–72 (Book 2), Psalms 73–89 (Book 3), Psalms 90–106 (Book 4), and Psalms 107–150 (Book 5).
Psalm 40 ends with the thought that the Psalmist is “poor and needy” in verse 17. Notice that Psalm 41 begins with “blessed is the one who considers the poor”.
And this leads us into 2 great themes of this Psalm— “blessing and mercy”. The word “blessed” occurs 3 times. 1, 2 and 13. Then mercy is found in verses 4 and 10.
The Lord Jesus alludes to this great Psalm in Matthew 5:7 when He says “Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy”. And then in Matthew 25:34-36, Christ gives an exposition of blessing and mercy when He says “Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me”
Let us come as poor and needy sinners seeking to receive mercy so that we may give mercy to our fellow human being thus being blessed and being a blessing to others!
This great poem is rich in truth regarding mercy and blessing. As we study this passage pray God will open your heart fully to its precious message!
- Blessed are the Merciful—Notice that the first book of Psalms has begun and concluded with blessings. There is a 2-fold blessing:
- We need to show compassion to the weak. —We are a blessing to others!
- We need to ask God for His mercy to be bestowed upon us because we are weak. —We receive God’s blessings!
- David petitions his enemies for mercy because he said he had been merciful to them.
- If we have lived lives of mercy towards others…we should expect to be treated mercifully ourselves by some…but many other times we should expect to be treated mercilessly.
- We have no right to ask for God to be merciful to us if we are not merciful to others.
- We receive the greatest blessing when we are merciful to others. And we are a blessing to others when we are merciful.
- There are at least 7 blessings we receive from God when we are merciful to others in verses 1-3— The Lord will “deliver him in times of trouble,” “protect him,” “preserve his life,” “bless him in the land,” “not surrender him to the desire of his foes,” “sustain him on his sickbed,” and “restore him” to health.
- How can we ever hope to extend mercy to others and be blessed? —Be in union and communion with the God of Mercy!
- Notice the personal care and interest provided for us by God—Its not just general although God does that too. But God is specific, when we are sick He comforts, when we are discouraged He lifts us up, when we are not sure what decision to make, He gives us guidance!
- A Plea for Mercy in Verses 4-10—What we need to understand is that even if we are merciful to others we still have no right to expect God’s mercy because the very essence of mercy is that it is undeserved. God shows mercy to those who should receive the exact opposite—wrath! When David asks for mercy he is doing so from a position of believing himself to be a sinner in verse 4!
- The word for “mercy” suggests not mere physical healing but rather body and soul, both spiritual and physical healing!
- Our great enemies the world, the flesh and the devil do everything but extend mercy to us:
- Jealous Enemies in verse 5
- Two-Faced Enemies in verse 6
- Condemning Enemies in verses 7-8
- Suffering is the nature of humanity—”Man is born to trouble as surely as sparks fly upward” (Job 5:7)
- Suffering develops Christian character —”Suffering produces perseverance” (Rom. 5:3)
- Suffering is for the Glory of God—Perhaps the greatest test of our love for God is when we feel as if we are suffering unjustly…will we still love God even though we are suffering?
- Be Very Careful with making someone think they are suffering because God is punishing them! —That is the opposite of mercy and we forfeit God’s blessings for us and others this way!
- Backstabbing Enemies in Verse 9
- Christ quotes this verse 9 in John 13:18 concerning the betrayal of Judas. To be a “back-stabber” is the opposite of being merciful and we circumvent God’s mercy and blessings when we do that!
- The Results of Mercy and Blessing in Verses 10-12
- Grace
- Being raised up
- Vindication
- God delights in us
- Our enemies will not triumph over us
- Being upheld by God
- Sitting in God’s presence forever. Truly, Jesus was right when He said “Blessed are the Merciful for they shall obtain mercy”
- “Amen and Amen” in Verse 13—This Psalm ends with a crescendo of praise! Books 1, 2 and 3 all end with the phrase “Amen and Amen”. Book 4 ends with “Let all the people say, Amen! Praise the Lord” and book 5 ends with a double Hallelujah or “Praise the Lord”—What a fitting finale!
- Psalm 1 shows us the faithful root themselves in Scripture
- Psalm 2 reveals the victory of David and the final victory of David’s greater Son Jesus Messiah
- Psalm 3 and 4 teach us to meditate on God and His Word Morning and Evening
- Psalm 6 and 32 tell us God is willing and able to forgive sins
- Psalm 7 reveals God’s justice and Psalm 8 His Majesty
- Psalms 9, 20, 24, 35 and 40 all speak of deliverance from enemies and the perseveration of the people of God in trouble
- Psalm 14 exposes the most foolish person in all the world
- Psalm 22 shows us how to suffer victoriously
- Psalm 22-24 are all Shepherd Psalms
- Psalm 27 says God is our Light and Salvation
- Psalm 28 tells us about the kind of prayer God answers
- Psalm 29 reveals God’s Glory
- Psalm 30 gives us the God of Joy
- Psalm 31 tells us God is our Refuge
- Psalm 37 affirms we can rest secure in God no matter our circumstances
- Psalms 38 and 41 show us that God is our help in sickness
- And therefore, we say:
Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting! Amen and Amen.
