mh_parser/scraps/Ps_41_5-Ps_41_13.html

<p>David often complains of the insolent conduct of his enemies towards him when he was sick, which, as it was very barbarous in them, so it could not but be very grievous to him. They had not indeed arrived at that modern pitch of wickedness of poisoning his meat and drink, or giving him something to make him sick; but, when he was sick, they insulted over him (<a class="bibleref" title="Ps.41.5" href="/passage/?search=Ps.41.5">Ps. 41:5</a>): <i>My enemies speak evil of me</i>, designing thereby to grieve his spirit, to ruin his reputation, and so to sink his interest. Let us enquire,</p>
<p class="tab-1">I. What was the conduct of his enemies towards him. 1. They longed for his death: <i>When shall he die, and his name perish</i> with him? He had but an uncomfortable life, and yet they grudged him that. But it was a useful life; he was, upon all accounts, the greatest ornament and blessing of his country; and yet, it seems, there were some who were sick of him, as the Jews were of Paul, crying out, <i>Away with such a fellow from the earth</i>. We ought not to desire the death of any; but to desire the death of useful men, for their usefulness, has much in it of the venom of the old serpent. They envied him his name, and the honour he had won, and doubted not but, if he were dead, that would be laid in the dust with him; yet see how they were mistaken: when he had served his generation he did die (<a class="bibleref" title="Acts.13.36" href="/passage/?search=Acts.13.36">Acts 13:36</a>), but did his name perish? No; it lives and flourishes to this day in the sacred writings, and will to the end of time; for <i>the memory of the just is</i>, and shall be, <i>blessed</i>. 2. They picked up every thing they could to reproach him with (<a class="bibleref" title="Ps.41.6" href="/passage/?search=Ps.41.6">Ps. 41:6</a>): “<i>If he come to see me</i>” (as it has always been reckoned a piece of neighbourly kindness to visit the sick) “<i>he speaks vanity</i>; that is, he pretends friendship, and that his errand is to mourn with me and to comfort me; he tells me he is very sorry to see me so much indisposed, and wishes me my health; but it is all flattery and falsehood.” We complain, and justly, of the want of sincerity in our days, and that there is scarcely any true friendship to be found among men; but it seems, by this, that the former days were no better than these. David’s friends were all compliment, and had nothing of that affection for him in their hearts which they made profession of. Nor was that the worst of it; it was upon a mischievous design that they came to see him, that they might make invidious remarks upon every thing he said or did, and might represent it as they pleased to others, with their own comments upon it, so as to render him odious or ridiculous: <i>His heart gathereth iniquity to itself</i>, puts ill constructions upon every thing; and the, when he goes among his companions, he tells it to them, that they may tell it to others. <i>Report, say they, and we will report it</i>, <a class="bibleref" title="Jer.20.10" href="/passage/?search=Jer.20.10">Jer. 20:10</a>. If he complained much of his illness, they would reproach him for his pusillanimity; if he scarcely complained at all, they would reproach him for his stupidity. If he prayed, or gave them good counsel, they would banter it, and call it <i>canting</i>; if he kept silence from good, when the wicked were before him, they would say that he had forgotten his religion now that he was sick. There is no fence against those whose malice thus gathers iniquity. 3. They promised themselves that he would never recover from this sickness, nor ever wipe off the odium with which they had loaded him. They <i>whispered together against him</i> (<a class="bibleref" title="Ps.41.7" href="/passage/?search=Ps.41.7">Ps. 41:7</a>), speaking that secretly in one another’s ears which they could not for shame speak out, and which, if they did, they knew would be confuted. Whisperers and backbiters are put together among the worst of sinners, <a class="bibleref" title="Rom.1.29,Rom.1.30" href="/passage/?search=Rom.1.29,Rom.1.30"><span class="bibleref" title="Rom.1.29">Rom. 1:29</span>, <span class="bibleref" title="Rom.1.30">30</span></a>. They whispered, that their plot against him might not be discovered and so defeated; there is seldom whispering (we say) but there is lying, or some mischief on foot. Those whisperers devised evil to David. Concluding he would die quickly, they contrived how to break all the measures he had concerted for the public good, to prevent the prosecution of them, and to undo all that he had hitherto been doing. Th
<p class="tab-1">II. How did David bear this insolent ill-natured conduct of his enemies towards him?</p>
<p class="tab-1">1. He prayed to God that they might be disappointed. He said nothing to them, but turned himself to God: <i>O Lord! be thou merciful to me</i>, for they are unmerciful, <a class="bibleref" title="Ps.41.10" href="/passage/?search=Ps.41.10">Ps. 41:10</a>. He had prayed in reference to the insults of his enemies, <i>Lord, be merciful to me</i>, for this is a prayer which will suit every case. God’s mercy has in it a redress for every grievance, “They endeavour to run me down, but, Lord, do thou raise me up from this bed of languishing, from which they think I shall never arise. Raise me up <i>that I may requite them</i>, that I may render them good for evil” (so some), for that was David’s practice, <a class="bibleref" title="Ps.7.4,Ps.35.13" href="/passage/?search=Ps.7.4,Ps.35.13"><span class="bibleref" title="Ps.7.4">Ps. 7:4</span>; <span class="bibleref" title="Ps.35.13">35:13</span></a>. A good man will even wish for an opportunity of making it to appear that he bears no malice to those that have been injurious to him, but, on the contrary, that he is ready to do them any good office. Or, “That, as a king, I may put them under the marks of my just displeasure, banish them the court, and forbid them my table for the future,” which would be a necessary piece of justice, for warning to others. Perhaps in this prayer is couched a prophecy of the exaltation of Christ, whom God raised up, that he might be a just avenger of all the wrongs done to him and to his people, particularly by the Jews, whose utter destruction followed not long after.</p>
<p class="tab-1">2. He assured himself that they would be disappointed (<a class="bibleref" title="Ps.41.11" href="/passage/?search=Ps.41.11">Ps. 41:11</a>): “<i>By this I know that thou favourest me</i> and my interest, <i>because my enemy doth not triumph over me</i>.” They hoped for his death, but he found himself, through mercy, recovering, and this would add to the comfort of his recovery, (1.) That it would be a disappointment to his adversaries; they would be crest-fallen and wretchedly ashamed, and there would be no occasion to upbraid them with their disappointment; they would fret at it themselves. Note. Though we may not take a pleasure in the fall of our enemies, we may take a pleasure in the frustrating of their designs against us. (2.) That is would be a token of God’s favour to him, and a certain evidence that he did favour him, and would continue to do so. Note, When we can discern the favour of God to us in any mercy, personal or public, that doubles it and sweetens it.</p>
<p class="tab-1">3. He depended upon God, who had thus delivered him from many an evil work, to <i>preserve him to his heavenly kingdom</i>, as blessed Paul, <a class="bibleref" title="2Tim.4.18" href="/passage/?search=2Tim.4.18">2 Tim. 4:18</a>. “As for me, forasmuch as thou favourest me, as a fruit of that favour, and to qualify me for the continuance of it, <i>thou upholdest me in my integrity, and</i>, in order to that, <i>settest me before thy face</i>, hast thy eye always upon me for good;” or, “Because thou dost, by thy grace, uphold me in my integrity, I know that thou wilt, in thy glory, set me for ever before thy face.” Note, (1.) When at any time we suffer in our reputation our chief concern should be about our integrity, and then we may cheerfully leave it to God to secure our reputation. David knows that, if he can but persevere in his integrity, he needs not fear his enemies’ triumphs over him. (2.) The best man in the world holds his integrity no longer then God upholds him in it; for by his grace we are what we are; if we be left to ourselves, we shall not only fall, but fall away. (3.) It is a great comfort to us that, however weak we are, God is able to uphold us in our integrity, and will do it if we commit the keeping of it to him. (4.) If the grace of God did not take a constant care of us, we should not be upheld in our integrity; his eye is always upon us, else we should soon start aside from him. (5.) Those whom God now upholds in their integrity he will set before his face for ever, and make happy in the vision and fruition of himself. <i>He that endures to the end shall be saved</i>.</p>
<p class="tab-1">4. The psalm concludes with a solemn doxology, or adoration of God as <i>the Lord God of Israel</i>, <a class="bibleref" title="Ps.41.13" href="/passage/?search=Ps.41.13">Ps. 41:13</a>. It is not certain whether this verse pertains to this particular psalm (if so, it teaches us this, That a believing hope of our preservation through grace to glory is enough to fill our hearts with joy and our mouths with everlasting praise, even in our greatest straits) or whether it was added as the conclusion of the first book of <i>Psalms</i>, which is reckoned to end here (the like being subjoined to <a class="bibleref" title="Ps.41.13,Ps.72.19,Ps.89.52,Ps.106.48" href="/passage/?search=Ps.41.13,Ps.72.19,Ps.89.52,Ps.106.48"><span class="bibleref" title="Ps.41.13">Ps. 41:13</span>; <span class="bibleref" title="Ps.72.19">72:19</span>; <span class="bibleref" title="Ps.89.52">89:52</span>; <span class="bibleref" title="Ps.106.48">106:48</span></a>), and then it teaches us to make God the Omega who is the Alpha, to make him the end who is the beginning of every good work. We are taught, (1.) To give glory to God as the <i>Lord God of Israel</i>, a God in covenant with his people, who has done great and kind things for them and has more and better in reserve. (2.) To give him glory as an eternal God, that has both his being and his blessedness <i>from everlasting and to everlasting</i>. (3.) To do this with great affection and fervour of spirit, intimated in the double seal set to it—<i>Amen, and Amen</i>. Be it so now, be it so to all eternity. We say <i>Amen</i> to it, and let all others say <i>Amen</i> too.</p>