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December 17/18, 2016
Jason Meyer | Psalms 41:1-13
Blessed is the one who considers the poor!
In the day of trouble the LORD delivers him;
the LORD protects him and keeps him alive;
he is called blessed in the land;
you do not give him up to the will of his enemies.
The LORD sustains him on his sickbed;
in his illness you restore him to full health.
As for me, I said, “O LORD, be gracious to me;
heal me, for I have sinned against you!”
My enemies say of me in malice,
“When will he die, and his name perish?”
And when one comes to see me, he utters empty words,
while his heart gathers iniquity;
when he goes out, he tells it abroad.
All who hate me whisper together about me;
they imagine the worst for me.
They say, “A deadly thing is poured out on him;
he will not rise again from where he lies.”
Even my close friend in whom I trusted,
who ate my bread, has lifted his heel against me.
But you, O LORD, be gracious to me,
and raise me up, that I may repay them!
By this I know that you delight in me:
my enemy will not shout in triumph over me.
But you have upheld me because of my integrity,
and set me in your presence forever.
Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel,
from everlasting to everlasting!
Amen and Amen.—Psalm 41
Introduction
We finish Book 1 of the Psalms today. We began this series on July 25, 2015. It was considerably warmer at that time than it is now. Psalm 1 and Psalm 41 both open with the same exact word: Blessed. Blessed means happy—in fact, I would argue blessed does not mean “temporary good fortune,” but “eternal, supreme happiness.” If you think in terms of earthly financial blessing, you may miss the point altogether.
Happiness is what everyone in this room is pursuing. You can’t help it. We do what we do because we want what we want because we love what we love. We pursue what we love because we know happiness is found where what we love is found.
Pause and think about that principle for a moment. Can any of you really say that is not true in your life? Did you wake up this morning and decide to be as miserable as possible? Even people who pursue pain do so because in some broken way it is what they want. Most people believe that looking out for #1 is the way to advance in happiness. You have to find it and grab it and take it. Find what makes you happy and then hoard it. Don’t let anything or anyone stand in your way. Many people take this so far that they actually take advantage of those in need (nice guys finish last).
This psalm says the opposite. It says pursuing the good of others is the way to happiness. The message is the same as the apostle Paul taught: “By working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35).
Psalm 1 says that blessing and delight are found on the path of the righteous (that is the teaching). Some of the other Psalms look at that teaching in the light of their experience and they feel a tension—there’s a lament because the teaching doesn’t seem to line up with real life at times. If am following the path of the righteous, then why am I so under attack? Many psalms are a protest that it looks like the wicked are actually being blessed more than the righteous (Psalm 37). We have doctrine and we have experience and there is a tension when it looks like the two don’t line up.
Now Psalm 41 follows the same path of lament. The teaching (verses 1–3) and the experience (verses 4–10) don’t seem to line up. In fact, the deepest pit of pain takes place when a close friend (seemingly on the same path of the righteous with you) betrays you. But verses 11–12 provide the resolution.
Main Point: If God delights in you, He will defend you.
1. Declaration (the teaching) (vv. 1–3)
Blessed is the one who considers the poor!
In the day of trouble the LORD delivers him;
the LORD protects him and keeps him alive;
he is called blessed in the land;
you do not give him up to the will of his enemies.
The LORD sustains him on his sickbed;
in his illness you restore him to full health.
David says that those who show mercy to people in need will be blessed. The connection with Psalm 40 is clear at this point as well. Psalm 40 ended with the confession that the Psalmist is poor and needy. Psalm 41 pronounces a blessing on those who have regard for poor people like that. If you are aware that you are poor and needy, then you are going to be more aware of others who are poor and needy. You are not going to look down on them, you are not going to feel better than them, you will identify with them. When I was growing up as a boy, I loved the L.A. Lakers (Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, James Worthy—the Showtime Lakers). I even had my own little skyhook that I worked on constantly like Kareem. I could always spot someone wearing Lakers colors or a Lakers hat and I felt like I had an immediate connection with them. That is the way it should be with the poor and needy. We identify with them.
Now the psalm says that the Lord will consider the one who considers the poor. He will bless the one who is a blessing to the poor. He will deliver the one who delivers the poor. Jesus taught this too: Blessed are the merciful for they will be receive mercy (Matthew 5:7). But they receive mercy, which means that they did not merit it. Point 2 (the petition) makes that really clear.
Petition (vv. 4–10)
As for me, I said, “O LORD, be gracious to me;
heal me, for I have sinned against you!” —Psalm 41:4
It may surprise some of you to see that David does not say: Be gracious to me because of how I have treated the poor. He says, “Be gracious to me and heal me” because I have sinned. Be gracious to me because I am so undeserving. Be gracious to me because I need it so much.
This is exactly what we saw last week. “Your steadfast love will preserve me (v. 11) because (‘for’) evils surround (encompass) and my sin abounds (has overtaken me).” God doesn’t pull us out of the pit and then say: Don’t fall in again or I am not coming to help you anymore. God will not restrain his steadfast love and faithfulness from us precisely because our need is so great.
This is the opposite impulse of the religious. The religious person is going to bring to God all the things they did for God (i.e., a spiritual resume—how they give, how they serve, how many missions trips, etc.).
Religious people look at what is on the surface (here is what I do, here is what I give). They never reckon with who they are at the core. Deep problems cannot be solved with shallow solutions. A story I recently read summarizes the way I feel about my heart in such a picturesque way.
On May 11, 1960, a team of Israeli Mossad agents kidnapped Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann off the streets of Buenos Aires, Argentina, and spirited him back to Israel to stand trial. Eichmann had deported millions of Jews to concentration camps. Now he would stand trial before Jews in Israel.
This was the first trial in history to be broadcast on television in its entirety. The eyes of the world were riveted on the courtroom in Jerusalem. The most dramatic moment may have been when Yehiel Dinur, a concentration camp survivor, took the stand.
A film clip shows Dinur walking into the courtroom and stopping as he saw Eichmann. This was the first time Dinur had seen him since Eichmann sent him to Auschwitz 18 years earlier. Dinur began to sob uncontrollably, then collapsed on the floor as the judge pounded his gavel for order in the crowded courtroom. Mike Wallace later interviewed Dinur and asked about that moment.
Was Dinur overcome by hatred? Fear? Horrid memories? No; it was none of these. Rather … all at once he realized Eichmann was not the god-like army officer who had sent so many to their deaths. This Eichmann was an ordinary man. “I was afraid about myself,” said Dinur. “… I saw that I am capable to do this. I am … exactly like he.”
Wallace summed up Dinur’s terrible discovery with a terrifying phrase: “Eichmann is in all of us” (James Johnston, The Psalms, Vol. 1 – Preach the Word Commentary). Do you see it? Because of the Fall, sin is in each of us. That is who we are at the core. As one theologian said, we are not sinners merely because we choose to sin; we choose to sin because we are sinners. At the core, we are full of sin. But we have hope because we know who God is at the core: He is full of steadfast love and grace! Now he takes that plea for mercy and describes why he needs it. If he has shown mercy to people in need, others have taken advantage of him in need.
My enemies say of me in malice,
“When will he die, and his name perish?”
And when one comes to see me, he utters empty words,
while his heart gathers iniquity;
when he goes out, he tells it abroad.
All who hate me whisper together about me;
they imagine the worst for me.—Psalm 41:5–7
People come to David, the psalmist, in his weak state in order to gather and then go out and spread gossip intended to bring him down. They are trying to lift themselves up by tearing him down. Spread a bad report so that they will go down in other people’s eyes and it gives them an opportunity to climb the ladder.
David’s so-called friends here put on a fake smile and speak flowery words as part of the treason and betrayal. Imagine people visiting you in the hospital. They bring you a bouquet of flowers and “get well soon” balloons and poetic cards from Hallmark. Look again—now they are in the hall whispering about how they wish you were dead already.
They are confident that the sickbed will soon become the deathbed. But they want more than death. They want even his memory to be erased so that his name is not remembered. This is sheer hatred: “All who hate me whisper together about me.” They imagine the worst—this sickness is a sign that God is against him.
They say, “A deadly thing is poured out on him;
he will not rise again from where he lies.” (v. 8)
But it is a little bit like Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar when he sees that his friend Brutus is among the assassins, “You too, Brutus?”
Even my close friend in whom I trusted,
who ate my bread, has lifted his heel against me. (v. 9)
I wrote an email this week to some people in our congregation who have experienced betrayal at the hands of their spouse, because I knew hearing this verse would sting and perhaps all the bitter feelings of betrayal make come rushing back at them like a pack of wild animals. It doesn’t have to be a spouse. It could be a mother, father, family member, friend, or co-worker. Many of you feel defined by this betrayal so that this verse about David is a big part of your story—a big part of what it means to be you and understand the pain you carry—the limp with which you walk.
The pain of verse 9 can be felt even more deeply through this principle at work: “The closer the friend, the higher the level of trust, the more unexpected the betrayal, the deeper the wound.” Each of these pulls the bow string back a little further so that the poison arrow can sink in a little deeper. This is the kind of person that made you believe that you could let your guard down. A person who made you believe that you could share intimate details that made you feel vulnerable—and fully expect that the person would not use those things against you. There is gospel hope coming, but for right now hear me say that I know you are there and I lament that experience with you.
Why the betrayal? The phrase “lifted up the heel” probably means the friend tried to take David’s blessing as a heel grabber from behind. It refers to betraying someone in order to get ahead or advance oneself in some way. But David prays that they will not get away with it.
But you, O LORD, be gracious to me,
and raise me up, that I may repay them! (v.10)
David asks for God to show grace to him and restore him to health (raise him up). He prays to get off his sick bed so that he can repay them. David is the leader of the nation and has a responsibility to advance the cause of justice against wicked lies. They rebelled against God’s anointed leader and thus it is not some kind of petty personal revenge, but a national, rebellious uprising that must be brought down.
But David does not trust in his own kingly power and authority to do this. He entrusts himself to the Lord. He knows that if God delights in him, then God will defend him and vindicate him. The last part of this Psalm shows the resolution that David knows will come.
3. Vindication (vv. 11–12)
By this I know that you delight in me:
my enemy will not shout in triumph over me.
But you have upheld me because of my integrity,
and set me in your presence forever.
These verses seem so important to get right. Is this psalm really saying that you are going to be vindicated over all those who oppose you because the Lord delights in you? You will publicly be shown to be right and they will publicly be shown to be wrong. You win and they lose? Right here, right now?
Or some of you are sick. Some of you are battling chronic illness and some of you have terminal illness. Does it mean that you should expect to be healed? Right here, right now? If you are not, does that mean that God does not delight in you?
Many of you will be bitterly disappointed if that is your expectation. These verses are true for all of God’s children in the life to come. Why? Because Jesus fulfilled them in their fullness and purchased these promises for us. How do you know this will happen will Jesus returns? The answer is what Jesus did in his first coming.
The Fullness of Christ’s Fulfillment
First, Jesus was betrayed. His betrayal was the most unjust betrayal in all of history because Jesus never sinned. He never gave anyone any reason to every betray him. That fact makes Judas’ betrayal all the more sinister.
Jesus quoted Psalm 41:9 at the Last Supper (see John 13:17–19).
“If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them. I am not speaking of all of you; I know whom I have chosen. But the Scripture will be fulfilled, ‘He who ate my bread has lifted his heel against me.’ I am telling you this now, before it takes place, that when it does take place you may believe that I am he.”
Notice what part of the Psalm Jesus does not quote: “Even my close friend whom I trusted.” Jesus did not quote that part because it would not be true. Jesus did not get blindsided by the betrayal of Judas. Jesus did not trust Judas. He did not choose Judas because of some oversight or limited understanding. He already said in John 6:70, “Have I not chosen you, the Twelve? Yet one of you is a devil!” “Jesus did not entrust himself to them, because he knew all people and needed no one to bear witness about man, for he himself knew what was in man” (John 2:24-25). Jesus is making a point here. The Scripture must be fulfilled and Jesus is declaring it before it happens so that the disciples will believe that he is God—believe “I am”—not believe, “I am he.” He, unlike David, was God and knew the hearts of all and knew the plans being fulfilled by Scripture. Judas’ betrayal was not about being fooled; it was about God’s plan being fulfilled.
Second, Jesus became the object of scorn, shame, humiliation, slander, and gossip. Jesus did not shield his life from open scorn and shame that came with the betrayal. Many people assumed that Jesus suffering was evidence that God was not pleased with him. He was surrounded by his enemies. They brutalized his body, but they also tried to brutalize his heart (with their taunting and mocking). It looked like the enemies had won.
Third, Jesus was vindicated in the resurrection. This was the supreme sign of God’s delight in his Son. Christ was upheld because of his integrity and is at the right hand of God forever.
First Timothy 3:16 says that Christ was vindicated (justified) by the Spirit. I take that to mean (with most commentators) that Christ’s resurrection by the power of the Spirit (cf. also Romans 1) represents God’s verdict of vindication in behalf of Christ. This verdict overturns the flawed verdict of humanity most fully expressed by their support of the death sentence of the cross. God gave His stamp of approval to all that Christ said and did when He raised Christ from the dead. Acts 17 also treats God’s resurrection of Christ in an evidentiary sense for humanity. God gave proof of Christ’s authority to judge by raising him from the dead.
Fourth, Jesus shows concern for the poor by becoming poor. Jesus in his incarnation became poor. He was not born in wealth and luxury, but in a cattle trough. He had no place to lay his head. He was despised and rejected by people. Jesus identified with the poor and weak and therefore God is the supreme example of showing consideration for the poor—the one who had riches without number was born in a cattle stall. You don’t have to have a rich spiritual resume. Christ died for the weak and ungodly—the spiritually poor and needy.
For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.—Romans 5:6
For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.—2 Corinthians 8:9
Blessed are those who know that they are spiritual beggars, because they will reach out their hands to God and see that God will give us his Son and we will become the bride of Christ. He pays all of the extravagant debts we owe and we receive all his extravagant wealth with the empty hand of faith.
Living Between the First and Second Coming
1. You can look out for the needs of others – because God will meet your needs.
Therefore, what difference does the coming of Christ make on us? You don’t have to look out for #1, you can look out for others like you who are poor and needy. God will supply all of your needs according to his riches in glory. If God is your defender and provider, then you can live one of the most selfless lives possible.
This is the clear teaching of Christ in Matthew 25:34–36. Jesus will separate the saved (sheep) and the unsaved (goats). The sheep are blessed and inherit the kingdom prepared for them by the Father. Why? They fed the hungry, satisfied the thirst of the thirsty, welcomed the stranger, clothed the naked, visited the sick. Jesus, the King, tells them that as they did to the least of these my brothers, you did it to me (vv. 34–40). He goes through the same routine for the goats on his left and they are condemned to the fires of judgment with the devil because they did not feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, welcome the stranger, cloth the naked, and visit the sick (vv. 41–45).
Concern for the poor is a clear sign of salvation by grace. Jesus taught point in Matthew 25. The sheep of Matthew 25 who are blessed and inherit the kingdom prepared for them—they give evidence that God took out the heart of stone and gave them a changed heart. The evidence? They fed the hungry, welcomed the stranger, clothed the naked, and visited the sick. Do I have that evidence in my life? We are going to talk a lot more about that in January.
2. You don’t have to be your own self-appointed defense attorney. God is your defender.
Don’t be surprised if you are slandered and mistreated in this world. Why do we expect to be treated better than Jesus? Jesus promised it. If he was treated that way, his disciples will be as well. So don’t make earthly vindication into a god. Let go of it and entrust your life and your reputation and everything else into God’s hands.
I will give you an example. December 16 was the birthday of one of my heroes: George Whitefield (born 302 years ago). He was perhaps the greatest preacher since the time of the apostles. No one has had a more dramatic effect in spreading the fires of revival wherever he went. His story is simply stunning and breathtaking.
Yet he was one of the most viciously slandered people of his day. People wrote stage plays against him and started smear campaigns against him. His friends kept begging him to defend himself. Finally, he relented and said, “Here is my reply. Please write these words on my tombstone: ‘Here lies G.W. What kind of man he was, the Great Day alone will tell.’”
Or as Paul says (which Whitefield echoes): “Each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it” (1 Corinthians 3:13). May the mediation of your heart resonate with Paul as he says in the next chapter:
But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by any human court. In fact, I do not even judge myself. For I am not aware of anything against myself, but I am not thereby acquitted. It is the Lord who judges me. Therefore, do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart. Then each one will receive his commendation from God.—1 Corinthians 4:3–6
May the Lord’s judgment loom large in your mind so that human judgments seem like “a very small thing.”
Don’t turn earthly vindication into a god. God has promised to vindicate you in the world to come. Is that enough?
One last pastoral word for those living in the darkness in which it looks like the darkness is winning and waiting is difficult. New York pastor Tim Keller spoke of facing the darkness of death in a personal way (The King’s Cross, pp. 210–211):
The only time I ever faced death personally was when I had thyroid cancer. From the beginning the doctors told me it was treatable. Still, when I was going under anesthesia for the surgery, I wondered what would happen. You may be curious about what passage from the Bible came to my mind. True confession. What I thought of was a passage from Lord of the Rings. It comes near the end of the third book, when evil and darkness seem overwhelming. Here is what Tolkien tells us about the thoughts of Sam, one of the heroes.
Sam saw a white star twinkle for a while. The beauty of it smote his heart, as he looked up out of the forsaken land, and hope returned to him. For like a shaft, clear and cold, the thought pierced him that in the end the Shadow was only a small and passing thing: there was light and high beauty beyond its reach...
I remember thinking at that moment: It’s really true. Because of Jesus’ death evil is a passing thing—a shadow. There is light and high beauty forever beyond its reach …. It didn’t matter what happened in my surgery—it was going to be all right. And it is going to be all right.
Conclusion: The One Who Was Betrayed Will Never Betray
Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel,
from everlasting to everlasting!
Amen and Amen.—Psalm 41:13
Verse 13 reminds us that we can live a life of praise. God is to be blessed and worshipped. That is true even when many of you are walking in the midst of darkness: pain and tears and trials. If you have been betrayed and deeply wounded, let me speak to you. Yes, it is true that you did not really know the person who betrayed you—you thought they were someone you could trust and it turns out that you were wrong to trust them. But hear me! That doesn’t mean that no one can be trusted. You may not have really known them, but Jesus is different. You didn’t really know the person that hurt you like you thought you did, but you can really know Jesus. He is who he says he is. And he is trustworthy because he is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
All who put their trust in him will never be put to shame and never betrayed and never abandoned. I am praying that you will taste true gospel hope this Christmas and that it will be sweeter than the bitter aftertaste of betrayal. Christ, the one who was betrayed, will never betray you. Christ, the one who was abandoned, will never abandon you. Christ the one who was forsaken, was forsaken so that you would never be forsaken by God. There is a light that the darkness can put out. There is a candle that the cold waters of this world cannot douse. Hope in him.
Sermon Discussion Questions
Main Point: If God delights in you, he will defend you.
Outline
Discussion Questions
Application Questions
Prayer Focus
Pray for a grace to believe that the Lord delights in you because of his perfect delight in Christ. Pray for a grace to rest in your identity as a child of God who will be defended by God.