Psalm 41 Devotional
By Pastor Lawrence

Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount, “Blessed are the merciful for they shall receive mercy.” This seems to be the primary argument that David uses in this prayer when asking the Lord to forgive him his sin and to heal him of his sickness. Again, we don’t know all the specifics of what is going on in the royal palace at this time, but clearly David has been severely ill lying in his chambers, and some have been using his sickness against him undermining his kingdom by suggesting that he will never recover. And unexpectedly, some of these gossipers and whisperers are his closest friends.

Likely it was this sickness that caused David’s closest advisor and friend Ahithophel to counsel the young Absalom’s uprising against his own father at this time in 2 Samuel 16.20-17.23, for that text alludes to David’s weakness, which would explain why he was quick to leave Jerusalem during this attempted coup rather than to stand and fight. This would also explain the original application of the betrayer who ate bread with him and lifted up his heel against him. Ahithophel was still speaking kind words to the face of David, but then secretly plotting against him the minute he walked out of the bedroom.

In the midst of great weakness and helplessness, David turns to the Lord in prayer for healing and for protection from his enemies. Because he himself has been merciful to the poor and the weak, he cries out with expectation to the Lord to grant him mercy in his time of need knowing that the Lord pours out his blessings upon the meek in spirit. At the same time, David begins to confess his sin asking for the Lord’s forgiveness. It is not certain which sin or sins David is confessing at this moment, but it is important to understand that David believes there may be a correlation between his sin and his ensuing sickness (For other examples of this see: Ps 6.1-2; 32.3-5; 39.1-8). Even in the New Testament in James 5:14-16 the servant of the Lord teaches us that sickness may at times—though not always—come upon a believer as an act of God’s discipline. The good news is that if a sickness is disciplinary in nature, reconciliation with God should remove it from the believer, so David prays confidently in hope.

Part of David’s rationale in praying for restoration is so that he can repay those who have betrayed him. In petitions like this, we must remember that David bears a role that most of us do not have within our society today. We are not kings or governors or judges entrusted with power and authority to mete out justice to the wicked but David was. And in a real sense, the safety and the well-being of the whole nation of Israel depended upon David’s health and well-being. If he were to remain weak, the wicked would run amuck, and if he were to suddenly die, chaos would likely ensue, so David prays for his own restoration not merely to pursue a personal vendetta but to ensure the integrity of his kingdom.

As much as we may wonder or even envy at times the rich and powerful, clearly it wasn’t always a bed of roses for them. In fact, if we were to consider David’s psalms as a whole, there seem to be as many, if not more, lamentations than notes of praise. Nevertheless, we all know what it’s like to be betrayed, to be on the receiving end of gossip and to feel all alone in this world. And it is comforting to know that the Lord hears the prayer of the humble and the merciful. It is even more comforting to know that the Lord hears the prayers of his own son Jesus who was betrayed unto death by his close friend Judas in the Garden of Gethsemane. In John 13.18 Jesus quotes from this psalm at the Last Supper when referring to the one who would betray him at the feast. If anyone can sympathize with us in prayer in the midst of our weakness, surely it is the Lord Jesus, who was abandoned by all of his friends in the Garden in his darkest hour. And this one has promised that he will never leave us nor forsake us.