Salmi 41:1 Commento

God's kindness and truth have often been the support and comfort of the saints when they have had most experience of man's unkindness and treachery. David here found them so, upon a sick-bed; he found his enemies very barbarous, but his God very gracious. I. He here comforts himself in his communion with God under his sickness, by faith receiving and laying hold of God's promises to him (Psa 41:1-3) and lifting up his heart in prayer to God (Psa 41:4). II. He here represents the malice of his enemies against him, their malicious censures of him, their spiteful reflections upon him, and their insolent conduct towards him (Psa 41:5-9). III. He leaves his case with God, not doubting but that he would own and favour him (Psa 41:10-12), and so the psalm concludes with a doxology (Psa 41:13). Is any afflicted with sickness? let him sing the beginning of this psalm. Is any persecuted by enemies? let him sing the latter end of it; and we may any of us, in singing it, meditate upon both the calamities and comforts of good people in this world. To the chief musician. A psalm of David.

In these verses we have, I. God's promises of succour and comfort to those that consider the poor; and, 1. We may suppose that David makes mention of these with application either, (1.) To his friends, who were kind to him, and very considerate of his case, now that he was in affliction: Blessed is he that considers poor David. Here and there he met with one that sympathized with him, and was concerned for him, and kept up his good opinion of him and respect for him, notwithstanding his afflictions, while his enemies were so insolent and abusive to him; on these he pronounced this blessing, not doubting but that God would recompense to them all the kindness they had done him, particularly when they also came to be in affliction. The provocations which his enemies gave him did but endear his friends so much the more to him. Or, (2.) To himself. He had the testimony of his conscience for him that he had considered the poor, that when he was in honour and power at court he had taken cognizance of the wants and miseries of the poor and had provided for their relief, and therefore was sure God would, according to his promise, strengthen and comfort him in his sickness. 2. We must regard them more generally with application to ourselves. Here is a comment upon that promise, Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. Observe, (1.) What the mercy is which is required of us. It is to consider the poor or afflicted, whether in mind, body, or estate. These we are to consider with prudence and tenderness; we must take notice of their affliction and enquire into their state, must sympathize with them and judge charitably concerning them. We must wisely consider the poor; that is, we must ourselves be instructed by the poverty and affliction of others; it must be Maschil to us, that is the word here used. (2.) What the mercy is that is promised to us if we thus show mercy. He that considers the poor (if he cannot relieve them, yet he considers them, and has a compassionate concern for them, and in relieving them acts considerately and with discretion) shall be considered by his God: he shall not only be recompensed in the resurrection of the just, but he shall be blessed upon the earth This branch of godliness, as much as any, has the promise of the life that now is and is usually recompensed with temporal blessings. Liberality to the poor is the surest and safest way of thriving; such as practise it may be sure of seasonable and effectual relief from God, [1.] In all troubles: He will deliver them in the day of evil, so that when the times are at the worst it shall go well with them, and they shall not fall into the calamities in which others are involved; if any be hidden in the day of the Lord's anger, they shall. Those who thus distinguish themselves from those that have hard hearts God will distinguish from those that have hard usage. Are they in danger? he will preserve and keep them alive; and those who have a thousand times forfeited their lives, as the best have, must acknowledge it as a great favour if they have their lives given them for a prey. He does not say, "They shall be preferred," but, "They shall be preserved and kept alive, when the arrows of death fly thickly round about them." Do their enemies threaten them? God will not deliver them into the will of their enemies; and the most potent enemy we have can have no power against us but what is given him from above. The good-will of a God that loves us is sufficient to secure us from the ill-will of all that hate us, men and devils; and that good-will we may promise ourselves an interest in if we have considered the poor and helped to relieve and rescue them. [2.] Particularly in sickness (Psa 41:3): The Lord will strengthen him, both in body and mind, upon the bed of languishing, on which he had long lain sick, and he will make all his bed - a very condescending expression, alluding to the care of those that nurse and tend sick people, especially of mothers for their children when they are sick, which is to make their beds easy for them; and that bed must needs be well made which God himself has the making of. He will make all his bed from head to foot, so that no part shall be uneasy; he will turn his bed (so the word is), to shake it up and make it very easy; or he will turn it into a bed of health. Note, God has promised his people that he will strengthen them, and make them easy, under their bodily pains and sicknesses. He has not promised that they shall never be sick, nor that they shall not lie long languishing, nor that their sickness shall not be unto death; but he has promised to enable them to bear their affliction with patience, and cheerfully to wait the issue. The soul shall by his grace be made to dwell at ease when the body lies in pain. II. David's prayer, directed and encouraged by these promises (Psa 41:4): I said, Heal my soul. It is good for us to keep some account of our prayers, that we may not unsay, in our practices, any thing that we said in our prayers. Here is, 1. His humble petition: Lord be merciful to me. He appeals to mercy, as one that knew he could not stand the test of strict justice. The best saints, even those that have been merciful to the poor, have not made God their debtor, but must throw themselves on his mercy. When we are under the rod we must thus recommend ourselves to the tender mercy of our God: Lord, heal my soul. Sin is the sickness of the soul; pardoning mercy heals it; renewing grace heals it; and this spiritual healing we should be more earnest for than for bodily health. 2. His penitent confession: "I have sinned against thee, and therefore my soul needs healing. I am a sinner, a miserable sinner; therefore, God be merciful to me," Luk 18:13. It does not appear that this has reference to any particular gross act of sin, but, in general, to his many sins of infirmity, which his sickness set in order before him, and the dread of the consequences of which made him pray, Heal my soul.

INTRODUCTION TO PSALM 41 To the chief Musician, a Psalm of David. In this psalm is a prophecy concerning Christ, and concerning Judas Iscariot, as runs part of the title in the Syriac version; and in the Arabic version it is called a prophecy concerning the incarnation, and the salutation of Judas; and certain it is that Psa 41:9 is to be understood of him, and of his betraying Christ into the hands of his enemies, since it is cited and applied to him by our Lord himself, Joh 13:18; so that having such a sure rule of interpretation, we may safely venture to explain the whole psalm of Christ, which treats both of his humiliation and exaltation; for it neither agrees with David wholly, nor with Hezekiah, to whom some ascribe it, as Theodoret remarks.

Blessed is he that considereth the poor,.... Not the poor of the world in common, nor poor saints in particular, but some single poor man; for the word is in the singular number, and designs our Lord Jesus Christ, who, in Psa 40:17, is said to be "poor and needy": and so read the Septuagint, Vulgate Latin, and Ethiopic versions here; who became poor for our sakes, that we might be enriched by his poverty; being born of poor parents, educated in a mean manner, and in public life was ministered to by others: the word (q) here used signifies one that is attenuated, weak, and exhausted either of his substance or strength, or both; as Christ was in his state of humiliation, when he was emptied of his riches, and, though Lord of all, had not where to lay his head; and whose strength was dried up like a potsherd, when he suffered on the cross; and indeed at best he was encompassed with weaknesses and infirmities: and in this his low estate he is to be wisely considered, or attended to with wisdom and understanding; and he may be said wisely to consider him, who considers how great a person he is, that came into such a low estate for us; not a mere man, but above angels and men, that has all the perfections of deity in him, is the eternal Son of God, truly and properly God, and the Creator of all things, and Governor of the universe; which consideration will engage to and encourage faith and hope in him, lead to adore his wonderful grace, and to admire his condescension and humility in becoming poor and weak; as also who considers that the poverty of Christ was for our sakes, and that we might be made rich with the riches of grace and glory; and considers it so as not to be offended with it; see Mat 11:6; and which may serve to support us under all meanness and infirmity, and in whatsoever estate saints may come into; and likewise who considers him in his offices which he exercised in that his estate as the apostle and high priest of our profession; and him in his exalted state in heaven; see Heb 12:3; in a word, he wisely considers him, who believes in him as his Saviour, prizes him as the pearl of great price, cleaves close unto him, and follows him wherever he goes; who desires to know more of him, is concerned for his honour, interest, kingdom and glory, and pities his poor members, and freely and bountifully communicates to them; and so the Targum, "blessed is the man that wisely considers the afflictions of the poor, that he may have mercy on him;'' and such an one is an happy man, and the following things said of him prove him to be so; the Lord will deliver him in time of trouble: or "in the evil day" (r); out of all his trouble, temporal and spiritual, of body and soul; in every time of affliction, private and personal; or in a time of public calamity; perhaps reference may be had to the time of Jerusalem's destruction, which was a time of great tribulation, Mat 24:21; when those who did not consider Christ in his poor and low estate, but despised and rejected him, were destroyed; and such as did were saved from that calamity: and it may also include the day of judgment, which is the evil day, unto which the wicked are reserved, and when they will be punished with everlasting destruction; but then those that consider Christ, and believe in him, will be saved from wrath. Some (s) take these words, with what follows in the two next verses, as a prayer, and as delivered by him that visits the sick, for his comfort; and so Joseph Kimchi interprets it of an honourable man visiting a sick man, and instructing and comforting him with such words as these, that "the Lord will deliver him", &c. (q) "tenuem", Montanus, Cocceius; "attenuatum", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator; "the poor weakling", Ainsworth. (r) "in die mala", V. L. Pagninus, Montanus, Musculus. (s) Vid. R. David Kimchium in loc.

[One] will not be able to merit the mercy of God who himself has not been merciful, nor will [one] gain any request from the divine love by his prayers who has not been humane toward the prayer of the poor.

The Word defines blessedness for us in another way than at the beginning. For in the first psalms, to depart from evil was blessed, but here to know the good more fully is pronounced blessed. Now the nature of the good … is the “only-begotten God,” “who, though he was rich, for our sake became poor.” The Word here predicts his “poverty” in the flesh, which is pointed out to us through the Gospel account, pronouncing the one who has recognized that “poverty” with understanding blessed. He was “poor” in relation to the “form of a servant” but blessed in relation to the nature of deity. For in the opening words of the psalm the Word calls him “needy and poor”; at the end of the section he says, “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel from eternity to eternity. So be it. So be it.”

Faith comes first, and mercy comes second.… Happy, therefore, is the one who understands the poverty of Christ, his utter destitution. Christ, though he was very rich, became poor for us. In his kingdom, he was rich; in his flesh, he was poor, for he took on himself the flesh of the poor. We had indeed become very poor, because, by fraud practiced on us by the serpent, we lost the rich robes of virtue and were put out of paradise. We were thrown out of our native land and banished into exile. We were even stripped of clothing. Our lovely vesture of virtue that once covered our body was snatched from us by sin.… Have understanding as regards the poverty of Christ, so that you may be rich; understand his weakness and suffering, so that you may become strong and whole; understand his cross, so that you will never blush for it; understand his wound, so that your wounds may be cured; understand his death, so that you may gain eternal life; understand his tomb, so that you may discover the resurrection.

The day of judgment is bitter, and we dread it. There is no one to whom it does not appear evil, because it is fraught with terror. It is the day on which the Lord will judge not only what we did in public but even our most secret actions. On that day each of us will have to show clearly what we have done and what we have thought. Therefore many will be condemned, and few will win the crown.

"Blessed is he that understands upon the needy and poor One: in the evil day shall the Lord deliver him" [Psalm 41:1]. For the evil day will come: will thou, nill thou, come it will: the Day of Judgment will come upon you, an evil day if you "understand not the needy and poor." For what now you will not believe, shall be made manifest in the end. But neither shall you escape, when it shall be made manifest, because you believe not, when it is kept secret. Invited are you, what you see not to believe, lest when thou see, thou be put to the blush. "Understand then upon the needy and poor One," that is, Christ: understand in Him the hidden riches, whom poor you see, "In Him are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge." [Colossians 2:3] For thereby in the evil day shall He deliver you, in that He is God: but in that He is man, and that which in Him is human has raised to life, and changed for the better, He has lifted (you ) to heaven. But He who is God, who would have one person in man and with man, could neither decrease nor increase, neither die nor rise again. He died out of man's infirmity, but God dies not....But as we rightly say, Such a man died, though his soul dies not; so we rightly say, Christ died, though His Divinity dies not. Wherefore died? Because needy and poor. Let not His death offend you, and avert you from beholding His Divinity. "Blessed is he that understands upon the needy and poor One." Consider also the poor, the needy, the hungry and thirsty, the naked, the sick, the prisoners; understand also upon such poor, for if upon such thou understand, you understand upon Him who said, "I was an hungred, I was thirsty, I was a stranger, naked, sick, in prison;" [Matthew 25:35-36] so in the evil day shall the Lord deliver you....

By “evil day” he refers not to it as naturally evil—a day not being evil by nature, since if it were, the day would transfer the responsibility to its creator. Instead, by “evil day” he refers to the one on which a person is enveloped in distress, affliction and pain or falls victim to illness or some other hazard. So he means, when such a day comes, God, who lends help, is not asleep.

Though having lordship of visible and invisible things, he had nowhere to lay his head, was born of a virgin and through lack of bed was laid in a manger. Consequently, the inspired Word declares blessed the one able to understand this poverty and filled with zeal to sing the praises as far as possible of the one who accepted it.

Clearly, as often as we succor the wretched, we give to ourselves. The dispensing of our resources is our gain. For if you consider again the hope of future reward, whatever is given to the poor is reckoned as a profit. That is what the prophet states: “Blessed is he who understands concerning the needy and the poor: the Lord will deliver him in the evil day.”

You should “recognize” Christ “in the needy” to the extent that your resources “allow.” Christ our Lord gives testimony to the fact that he is the one whom we clothe, support and feed in them. That is how strongly he has recommended the poor to us.

In the preceding Psalm, the Psalmist showed his confidence with respect to God; here, however, he asks from God a mercy that strengthens. The title is: "Unto the end, a Psalm of David." This title has already been explained above, namely that this Psalm which David composed leads us to the end, that is, to Christ, because it treats of his Passion with respect to certain things. It is said, however, in the Gloss that according to Jerome in his original text the title is: "Understanding, for the sons of Korah"; and this is a new title among the titles of the Psalms. It should therefore be known that, as is read in Num. 16, when Dathan and Abiram made a schism against Moses for the leadership of the people, then Korah rose up against Aaron for the leadership of the priesthood, and he was burned. Not all of his family, however, consented to this, and therefore those who did not consent from among them survived; hence in the time of David, ministries were given to them among the singers. And it is understood that this Psalm was in those days ordained to be sung. But it should be noted that in those Psalms where "understanding for the sons of Korah" is said, and is said according to the letter in all those in which "understanding" is placed, it is given to understand that through that Psalm the people are incited to understand the divine benefits or certain secrets, such as that verse, Ps. 94: "Understand, you senseless ones." And there, Ps. 78: "Attend, O my people," etc. Mystically, Korah is interpreted as Calvary, and Christ was crucified at the place of Calvary; and therefore this Psalm is attributed to the sons of the Passion, that is, of the cross of Christ. And these are they who have crucified their flesh, as is said in Gal. 5. The intention of the Psalmist is that he asks for divine mercy. This Psalm is therefore divided into two parts. In the first he asks for divine mercy in general; in the second in particular, at "But you, O Lord." Concerning the first he does two things. First he asks for mercy; second he introduces the necessity of asking for mercy, at "My enemies." Concerning the first he does two things. First he shows to whom mercy is owed; second, perceiving in himself that he deserves mercy, he asks for it, at "I said," because Mt. 5: "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy." Therefore mercy is owed to the merciful for a twofold reason. First, from divine acceptance, because God accepts mercy, through which man becomes an imitator of God. Lk. 6: "Be merciful," etc. Second, from the prayer of the saints. Sir. 29: "Store up almsgiving in the heart of the poor, and it shall pray for you." And this he does at "The Lord preserve him." Concerning the first, he announces the merit; second, the reward. He says therefore, "Blessed is he who understands concerning the needy and the poor." Blessed is the one who is merciful, who has mercy on the needy and the poor. Prov. 14: "He who has mercy on the poor shall be blessed." And he says, "who understands"—he does not say "who helps," because, as has been said, one ought to be merciful after the manner of God; but God does not wait to be always asked. Hence he comes to the aid of a desire before being asked; and therefore he is truly merciful who not only helps those who ask, but also helps the one in need before being asked. Job 31: "If I denied what the poor desired, if I made the eyes of the widow wait." The needy is one who needs to receive from another; the poor is one who has little. Jerome has, "who considers," etc., that is, who takes upon himself the care of the affairs of the poor. Job 29: "I was an eye to the blind, and a foot to the lame." Mystically, if this is referred to Christ, blessed is the Christian if he is a son of Korah, that is, of the cross of Christ through meditation, who understands, that is, who has his understanding brought into service, understanding concerning the needy and the poor, that is, the benefit which Christ accomplished through the cross. Lam. 3: "Remember my poverty and my transgression, the wormwood and the gall." He sets forth the first when he says, "In the evil day the Lord will deliver him." Days according to their nature are good, because they are made by God. Ps. 119: "By your ordinance the days continue." But they are called evil on account of the evils that happen in them. Eph. 5: "Redeeming the time, because the days are evil." And he says, "In the evil day," that is, in a day of some evil tribulation. Now there are many kinds of evil days: namely, of trial. Sir. 11: "In the day of good things, be not unmindful of evils." The greatest of evils is eternal damnation, which threatens man at the judgment, either particular, namely death, or at the universal judgment, that is, at the end of the world. And that day is evil on which such damnation takes place, that is, "that day is a day of wrath, a day of tribulation and anguish," etc. On this evil day the Lord delivers the merciful. Mt. 25: "I was hungry," etc. "Come, blessed," etc. Not that mercy alone without other virtues delivers a man, but because through mercy a man makes satisfaction for his sins.

The Psalmist celebrates the blessedness of those who compassionate the poor, conduct strongly contrasted with the spite of his enemies and neglect of his friends in his calamity. He prays for God's mercy in view of his ill desert, and, in confidence of relief, and that God will vindicate his cause, he closes with a doxology. (Psa 41:1-13) God rewards kindness to the poor (Pro 19:17). From Psa 41:2, Psa 41:11 it may be inferred that the Psalmist describes his own conduct. poor--in person, position, and possessions.

(Heb.: 41:2-4) The Psalm opens by celebrating the lot, so rich in promises, of the sympathetic man. דּל is a general designation of the poor (e.g., Exo 30:15), of the sick and weakly (Gen 41:19), of the sick in mind (Sa2 13:4), and of that which outwardly or inwardly is tottering and consequently weak, frail. To show sympathising attention, thoughtful consideration towards such an one (השׂכּיל אל as in Neh 8:13, cf. על Pro 17:20) has many promises. The verb חיּה, which elsewhere even means to call to life again (Psa 71:20), in this instance side by side with preserving, viz., from destruction, has the signification of preserving life or prolonging life (as in Psa 30:4; Psa 22:30). The Pual אשּׁר signifies to be made happy (Pro 3:18), but also declaratively: to be pronounced happy (Isa 9:15); here, on account of the בּארץ that stands with it, it is the latter. The Chethb יעשּׁר sets forth as an independent promise that which the Ker ואשּׁר joins on to what has gone before as a consequence. אל, Psa 41:3 (cf. Psa 34:6 and frequently), expresses a negative with full sympathy in the utterance. נתן בּנפשׁ as in Psa 27:12. The supporting in Psa 41:4 is a keeping erect, which stops or arrests the man who is sinking down into death and the grave. דּוי (= davj, similar form to שׁמי, מעי, but wanting in the syllable before the tone) means sickness. If Psa 41:4 is understood of the supporting of the head after the manner of one who waits upon the sick (cf. Sol 2:6), then Psa 41:4 must, with Mendelssohn and others, be understood of the making of the couch or bed. But what then is neat by the word לך? משׁכּב is a sick-bed in Exo 21:18 in the sense of being bedridden; and הפכתּ (cf. Psa 30:12) is a changing of it into convalescence. By כל־משׁכבו is not meant the constant lying down of such an one, but the affliction that casts him down, in all its extent. This Jahve turns or changes, so often as such an one is taken ill (בחליו, at his falling sick, parallel with דוי על־ערשׂ דוי htiw). He gives a complete turn to the "sick-bed" towards recovery, so that not a vestige of the sickness remains behind.