Psalms 41:3-4

“LORD, be merciful unto me”

Psalms 41:3-4, “The LORD will strengthen him upon the bed of languishing: thou wilt make all his bed in his sickness. I said, LORD, be merciful unto me: heal my soul; for I have sinned against thee.” Psalms chapter 41 begins by talking about how the law of sowing and reaping applies to doing good to other men. In this world for the most part people will not treat you better than you treat them. However regardless of how other men treat you you should do your best to live for Christ if you want to live as long as you should on this earth.

Psalms 41:1-2 teaches the about the principles of giving. When you think of giving in terms of the Biblical teachings on giving do not think of tithing. Tithing, or giving 10%, is an Old Testament teaching which applied only to the nation of Israel in the days of the law and served as an illustration to teach them a spiritual lesson. To understand God’s attitude about giving consider these verses in the Bible: 2 Corinthians 9:7-8 says, “Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work.”

What is God’s attitude when it comes to giving? Jesus said in John 16:24, “.Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.” John 4:1-14, “.When therefore the LORD knew how the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John, (Though Jesus himself baptized not, but his disciples,) He left Judaea, and departed again into Galiliee. And he must needs go through Samaria. Then cometh he to a city of Samaria, which is called Sychar, near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. Now Jacob’s well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with his journey, sat thus on the well: and it was about the sixth hour. There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink. (For his disciples were gone away unto the city to buy meat.) Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? For the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans. Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water. The woman siath unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water? Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself and his children, and his cattle? Jesus answered and said unto her, Whoseover drinketh of this water shall thirst again: But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life. ”

What is God’s attitude towards giving? Jesus said, ask and ye shall receive. Jesus also said, Whoseover drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life. God is able and willing to give grace and mercy. There is the grace of the forgiveness of sins. 1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” And there is the grace to be able to live for Christ each day. God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work.

Now what is Psalms 41 talking about when it says blessed is he that considereth the poor the LORD will not deliver him unto the will of his enemies? Life is a spiritual warfare. You are either on the side of Jesus or you are on the side of the devil. How great is the opposition against the truth of the Word of God. In talking about spiritual warfare and the battle of light against darkness and the Word of God against all the false teachings of the world what is talked about in Psalms chapter 41 is giving. God gives. God gives saving grace and serving grace. God gives physical blessings and provides for the needs of men. God gives love and light. God gives mercy. God gives man time on this earth. God gives man abilities. God gives opportunity. God gives the forgiveness of sins through Christ. God is a giver. Here are some more great verses on God’s giving: 1 Corinthians 15:57, “But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory though our Lord Jesus Christ.” Revelation 22:5 says of heaven, “And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.” What does God give? God gives victory and light to those that turn to Christ.

Psalms 41:3-4, “The LORD will strengthen him upon the bed of languishing: thou wilt make all his bed in his sickness. I said, LORD, be merciful unto me: heal my soul; for I have sinned against thee.” What is the bed of languishing? These verses are talking about the fact that human life on this earth is temporary. All men grow old and die. You will die either of old age, or sickness, or war, or something else. All men die. Young or old we all die. Psalms 38 says man at his best state is vanity. Hebrews 9:27 says, “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.”

What is the bed of languishing? This is referring to the fact that all men die. The strength of men will fail. There is no worse situation for a human being in life than to live their life giving only to themselves, to live a selfish life and then at the end of their life when they are on their death bed to realize they never lived for Christ or did anything to help in the preaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ. What is the burden of the LORD? The burden of LORD Jehovah Jesus is to touch the hearts of sinful men and lead them to repent of their sins. The burden of the LORD is the giving of the water of life, the giving of eternal grace and eternal life through Jesus Christ. The LORD will strengthen him upon the bed of languishing. This is why it says in Psalms 23:4, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil. For thou art with me.”

Psalms 41:3-4, “The LORD will strengthen him upon the bed of languishing: thou wilt make all his bed in his sickness. I said, LORD, be merciful unto me: heal my soul; for I have sinned against thee.” Lord be merciful unto me, heal my soul. For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. It is appointed unto man once to die but after this the judgment. Psalms 23:1-2 says, “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. ”

How confused this world is when the world thinks of giving. Some Christians when they think of giving are so legalistic they only think of tithing in terms of Old Testament law and not even that because they only think of giving money and only giving 10%. The lost people of the world when they of giving think so temporary in terms of basic human needs. When you think of giving think of giving your life to Christ who gave his life for you by dying on the cross for your sins. The Apostle Paul said in Philippians 1:21, “For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” Every day is a day to give. You can give to God by giving to the poor both to meet the physical and the spiritual needs of others. Because all men have needs. All men are lost in sin and in need of Jesus Christ.

Psalms 41:3-4, “The LORD will strengthen him upon the bed of languishing: thou wilt make all his bed in his sickness. I said, LORD, be merciful unto me: heal my soul; for I have sinned against thee.” Lord, be merciful unto me: heal my soul. In the day when I am old and lay upon my death bed and my physical strength and health are gone and the day of my death is upon me, Lord willing I will be able to say that I did not live only for myself giving only to myself but rather I will by the grace of God be able to say yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil for thou art with me Jesus. Be merciful unto me: heal my soul. For me to live is Christ and to die is gain Jesus has given me life and time and days upon this earth and I have given them back to God by using those days to give to the poor of what God has given me so that the Word of God might be preached for all that ask and seek the water of eternal life. What is the burden of the LORD? The burden of the LORD is to strengthen men upon the bed of languishing by touching their hearts to repent of their sins and turn to Christ. God is a giver and God has given his only begotten Son Jesus Christ. Repent of your sins today and turn to Jesus.

$Description: C:\BibleGemsDoc\Image37.gif$

___________________________________________________