Friday, August 16 – Psalms 41, 42
1. How does God vindicate the integrity of the righteous? (Psalm 41:12)
2. Where do the afflicted righteous find comfort and hope? (Psalm 42:1-2)
3. What role do mercy, praise, and prayer play in affliction?
Commentary and Reflection:
Psalm 41 describes how blessed those who have compassion are. David assures that God will deliver those who act in this way, preserve them, and keep them alive. They will be blessed on earth, and the Lord will not deliver them to the will of their enemies. The Lord will strengthen them and sustain them in their sickbed. God does not always promise healing but promises relief and comfort in pain.
David goes through a period of significant illness. His suffering is exacerbated by realizing that those once his friends are now traitors. In his condition, David again admits his sin. However, his pseudo-friends, when they visit him, are not sincere and do not wish for his recovery but for his death. When they leave, they speak ill of him, thinking he suffers because of his sins and saying, “An evil disease clings to him; and now that he lies down, he will rise no more.” His enemies were convinced there was no hope for him. This experience is like Job’s, whose friends also accused him of suffering because of gross sins.
Verse 9 prophetically describes what would happen to Jesus at the hands of one of His disciples. The psalmist’s observation of betrayal by a friend reminds us of Judas’s betrayal of Jesus. Christ quoted this verse to anticipate what Judas would do, “He who eats bread with Me has lifted his heel against Me” (John 13:18, Psalm 41:9).
Psalm 42 is another Maschil psalm meant for meditation and instruction. The psalmist laments being separated from God’s presence. This is a poetic lament of David. We can identify with him when, for some reason, we are deprived of going to the House of the Lord. The psalmist reaffirms his faith in God, repeating three times, “Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me?” (Psalm 42:5, 11; 43:5).
Verse 1 has inspired millions with the beautiful image of a deer panting for streams of water. Similarly, the poet expresses that his soul thirsts for God. The soul’s thirst for God is underscored by the dry lands where David wandered as a fugitive. The heat was scorching, and water was scarce during the summer. His words are vivid: “My tears have been my food day and night.”
Our comfort in recalling God’s providences gives us great strength. The repeated phrase “Why are you cast down, O my soul?” is a self-reproach from David for being depressed and forgetting the sweet memories of worshiping God in His sanctuary. Matthew Henry rightly said,
“When the soul rests on itself, it sinks; if it catches hold on the power and promise of God, the head is kept above the billows. And what is our support under present woes but this, that we shall have comfort in Him.” Matthew Henry Bible Commentary, Psalm 42:5
Undoubtedly, in God’s time, all will be well if we continue trusting in Him. Although David momentarily sinks into despair and discouragement, like someone drowning, he immediately rises by faith, trusting that God will work for his good in those circumstances: “The LORD will command His lovingkindness in the daytime, and in the night His song shall be with me” (Psalm 42:8).
We can identify with the psalmist as we meditate on these two psalms. Just as he was transparent enough to express his doubt and frustration amidst unjust persecution, he never lost faith and trust in his God. May this be our attitude as we go through our trials. May the Lord help us in this way!
Blessings to all.