Psalm 41:1-6 (7-9) 10-13
Dignify those who are down on their luck; you’ll feel good – that’s what God does. God looks after us all, makes us robust with life - Lucky to be in the land, we’re free from enemy worries. Whenever we’re sick and in bed, God becomes our nurse, nurses us back to health. I said, “God, be gracious! Put me together again - my sins have torn me to pieces.” My enemies are wishing the worst for me; they make bets on what day I will die. If someone comes to see me, he mouths empty platitudes. All the while gathering gossip about me to entertain the street corner crowd. . . God, give grace, get me up on my feet. I’ll show them a thing or two. Meanwhile, I’m sure you’re on my side - no victory shouts yet from the enemy camp! You know me inside and out, you hold me together, You never fail to stand me tall in your presence so I can look you in the eye. Blessed is God, Israel’s God, always, always, always. Yes. Yes. Yes. Amen Psalm 41:1-6 (7-9) 10-13 (MSG)
This is the strangest psalm I have ever reflected on and from more than one version. I encourage you to do the same. The KJV and the NIV begin with a blessing on the one who helps the poor; the NRSV proclaims their happiness. And reading The Message version we are struck by a deeper understanding of a relationship with the poor….to give them dignity. As we are able, we are to lift them up because that is what God wants us to do, to enable them to also experience being “robust with life” as we do.
After that what follows is both praise to God with unfailing confidence in God’s grace and then a very personal lament. The author confesses they have sinned. And the lament continues for 5 verses (5-9): Everyone and everything has turned against them. Why? What sin has the psalmist committed? Is it in not caring for the poor? Or is it something else? We do not know. But what we do know is that God is listening very closely to the heart of the sinner. God knows this person intimately, everything about the sins and the deepest needs and desires of the psalmist.
So, by beginning with the admonition to “bless” the poor, we are reminded that that is the best way to get out from under our own sin, to look outside ourselves and truly see and care for another. We then will also be blessed as our perspective on our life expands and includes so much that we were ignoring or that was unknown to us. We will be able to name our sins and our blessings.
Questions for Reflection:
- When and how have you “dignified” the poor? When have you been able to see in a needy person the dignity that God has given to them as one of God’s children? What were you able to do?
- What sin might you have committed that would have made enemies out of friends, perhaps because they simply did not understand your words or your actions? And how did you respond?
- When has your life been enlarged and changed by doing something for someone else?
Prayer:
Our gracious and merciful God: Thank you that you have provided us with a way out of ourselves, our despair and our guilt, by showing us we ought to turn to others who are in need, perhaps with a helping hand, a kind word, a gracious presence or something else. Thank you that you hear our cries and know how we get caught up in ourselves. The world is full of wondrous things, life that abounds, and blessings beyond measure. Thank you again. May we find many different ways to share this with others. In Jesus’ name,
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