Psalms · psalm 41 of 150
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Psalm 41 is a prayer of David that begins by calling blessed the one who considers the poor, because the Lord will deliver him in the day of trouble. David, sick, finds himself surrounded by enemies who want him dead and betrayed by a close friend. He trusts that God will uphold him and set him in his presence forever. The psalm closes the first book of the Psalms with a blessing.
The title dedicates it to the choirmaster and ascribes it to David. It is the last psalm of the first book of the Psalter, which covers Psalms 1 to 41, and so it ends with a doxology in verse 13. In the Gospel of John, Jesus quotes verse 9 at the Last Supper to speak of the betrayal by one of the Twelve, according to John 13:18.
The psalm begins with a beatitude: blessed is the one who considers the poor, for the Lord will deliver him in the day of trouble. God will protect him, keep him alive, let him be called blessed in the land and not give him up to the will of his enemies; he will sustain him on his sickbed and restore him from his illness.
Then David prays from his own illness: Lord, be gracious to me, heal my soul, for I have sinned against you. His enemies speak evil of him and ask when he will die and his name perish. When one comes to visit, he utters empty words; his heart gathers mischief, and when he goes out he tells it. All who hate him whisper together against him and imagine the worst for him, saying that a deadly thing has fastened on him and that, now he lies down, he will not rise again.
The most painful part is the betrayal: even his close friend, in whom he trusted, who ate his bread, has lifted his heel against him. David asks the Lord to be gracious to him and raise him up, and he knows God delights in him because his enemy does not shout in triumph. In his integrity God upholds him and sets him in his presence forever. The psalm ends with praise: blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. Amen and Amen.
References follow ESV book names and verse numbers. Read each verse in your Bible before the explanation.
Blessed is the one who considers the poor and cares for him, for the Lord will deliver him in the day of trouble. The psalm joins mercy toward the weak with God's blessing.
David prays for God's mercy and healing for his soul, acknowledging that he has sinned against him. This honesty is the basis of the whole plea of the psalm.
A close friend, whom David trusted and who ate his bread, has turned against him. Jesus cited this line at the Last Supper in John 13:18, to speak of the betrayal by one of his disciples.
Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting, Amen and Amen. This doxology closes the first book of the Psalter with praise.
6 questions with answers and references, ready for Sunday school, small group or a Bible quiz night.
Answer: The one who considers the poor. — Psalm 41:1
Answer: Deliver him in the day of trouble, protect him, keep him alive and sustain him in illness. — Psalm 41:1-3
Answer: Mercy and healing for his soul, because he has sinned against the Lord. — Psalm 41:4
Answer: That he die and his name perish. — Psalm 41:5
Answer: He lifted his heel against him, though he ate his bread. — Psalm 41:9
Answer: With praise: blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting, Amen and Amen. — Psalm 41:13
Psalm 41 opens with a practical invitation: to consider the poor. In a church this can mean visiting the sick, helping someone in need or keeping company with the lonely. In a small group you can identify a specific person to look after during the month.
The psalm also accompanies those who have been betrayed by a friend. David does not hide his pain or pretend it does not matter. He takes it to God and rests in the Lord who upholds him. Christians see in verse 9 a shadow of what Jesus suffered, betrayed by one of his own and yet giving himself for all.
Psalm 41 closes the first book of the Psalter with a doxology. From Psalm 42 the second book begins, with the prayer of one who thirsts for God and seeks him in times of discouragement.
The Psalms are grouped in five books: 1 to 41, 42 to 72, 73 to 89, 90 to 106 and 107 to 150. Each ends with a doxology, like the one in Psalm 41:13. This division is often seen as an echo of the five books of the law of Moses.
In John 13:18 Jesus says the Scripture is fulfilled: he who ate my bread has lifted his heel against me. He says it at the Last Supper, referring to Judas. The phrase shows that the suffering of the righteous betrayed by a friend finds its deepest meaning in Christ.
Yes, in verse 4 he asks for healing for his soul because he has sinned against the Lord. At the same time, in verse 12 he speaks of his integrity. There is no contradiction: David does not claim to be perfect, but that his life is directed to God and that his enemies' attacks are unjust.