PSALM 41 - Messiah: Betrayed by a friend

41:1 To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David.
  Like Psalm 3, this Psalm may have been written by David, during the rebellion led by his son Absalom.
    However, the Lord Jesus Himself quoted from this Psalm in reference to His betrayal (see v.9). Therefore, we can expect that the balance of the Psalm also speaks of Him.
    As His spoken word applies this Psalm to a specific event, so, likewise, numerous passages, of God's written Word, shed so much light on the text of this Psalm, that very little explanatory commentary is necessary. By a comparison of Scripture with Scripture, the Lord opens His Word to His children. Therefore, the cross reference links are of central importance, to every study.
Blessed [is] he that considereth the poor:
the LORD will deliver him in time of trouble.
  the poor {the needy, the sick, the feeble}
  he that considers...- Christ impoverished Himself,
    in order to bless us with the riches of God.
    Psa 40:17; Mat 5:3; 9:12; 2Cor 8:9
41:2 The LORD will preserve him, and keep him alive; {cp. Psa 16:1}
[and] he shall be blessed upon the earth: {cp. Psa 40:4}
and thou wilt not deliver him unto the will of his enemies. {cp. Psa 22:20-21,24}
41:3 The LORD will strengthen him upon the bed of languishing:
thou wilt make all his bed in his sickness. {cp. Psa 22:19; Luk 22:41-44}
41:4 I said, LORD, be merciful unto me: heal my soul;
for I have sinned against thee. {cp. Psa 40:11-12; Isa 53:6; 2Cor 5:21}
41:5 Mine enemies speak evil of me,
When shall he die, and his name perish? {cp. Psa 22:6-8}
41:6 And if he come to see [me], he speaketh vanity:
his heart gathereth iniquity to itself; [when] he goeth abroad, he telleth [it].
  cp. Luk 11:53-54; 20:20-23
41:7 All that hate me whisper together against me:
against me do they devise my hurt. {Mat 22:15; 26:3-5}
41:8 An evil disease, [say they], cleaveth fast unto him:
and [now] that he lieth he shall rise up no more.
  an evil disease - lit., a thing of belial {belial = satan}.
    Mat 12:24; Joh 10:20
  he shall rise up no more.- Mat 27:41-43, 62-66
41:9 Yea, mine own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, which did eat of my bread,
hath lifted up [his] heel against me.
  David experienced betrayal by a friend- 2Sam 15:12,31; Psa 55:12-14,20-21
  Christ quoted this verse as fulfilled in Judas' betrayal: Joh 13:"18-19", 26-27
    Note, however, that He omitted the portion of the verse which refers to his friendship.
    Jesus knew from the beginning who would betray Him (Joh 6:64,70). Judas was never so familiar with Jesus as at the moment of betrayal. Even then, it was Jesus who addressed him as "friend" (Mat 26:48-50).
41:10 But thou, O LORD, be merciful unto me,
and raise me up, that I may requite {ie., repay, reward} them.
  Psa 40:14,15; 109:21-31; Luk 19:27
41:11 By this I know that thou favourest me,
because mine enemy doth not triumph over me.
  Psa 102:8-13; Col 2:15
41:12 And as for me, thou upholdest me in mine integrity,
and settest me before thy face for ever.
  Psa 16:10,11; 73:23-24; Joh 17:24
41:13 Blessed [be] the LORD God of Israel
from everlasting, and to everlasting. Amen, and Amen.
  cp. Rev 5:9-14

This Concludes the study in Psalm 41.
Click here to begin the study in Psalm 45
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