Psalms 41:1-13 (NRSV) 1 Happy are those who consider the poor; the LORD delivers them in the day of trouble. 2 The LORD protects them and keeps them alive; they are called happy in the land. You do not give them up to the will of their enemies. 3 The LORD sustains them on their sickbed; in their illness you heal all their infirmities. 4 As for me, I said, "O LORD, be gracious to me; heal me, for I have sinned against you." 5 My enemies wonder in malice when I will die, and my name perish. 6 And when they come to see me, they utter empty words, while their hearts gather mischief; when they go out, they tell it abroad. 7 All who hate me whisper together about me; they imagine the worst for me. 8 They think that a deadly thing has fastened on me, that I will not rise again from where I lie. 9 Even my bosom friend in whom I trusted, who ate of my bread, has lifted the heel against me. 10 But you, O LORD, be gracious to me, and raise me up, that I may repay them. 11 By this I know that you are pleased with me; because my enemy has not triumphed over me. 12 But you have upheld me because of my integrity, and set me in your presence forever. 13 Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. Amen and Amen.
I have been thinking about the whole idea of blessing. Happy (or blessed) are those who consider the poor. To be blessed is to manifest the presence of God. Those who pay attention to the poor are those who are living the blessed life, who are manifesting and cooperating in the work of Yahweh. Caring for the poor is not the job of some impersonal government. Caring for the poor is something that should interest those who consider themselves church people. And those who are cooperating with the interests of God are promised God’s attention.
It is interesting to me that the promise is not that you will not suffer or get sick. Jesus cares for the poor and he does not escape suffering or death. I wonder what it means to be healed. Healing and salvation seem to be seriously linked. Is it a cop-out to say that salvation is a matter of wholeness, of the ability to overcome brokenness? Salvation is a matter of re-integration, the sewing back together of that which has dis-integrated?
Some of us have a tendency to say that the sick are un-blessed. We might think, “Oh I escaped getting sick! What a blessing! God was looking out for me.” Those who do get sick…well they deserve what they get. They are reaping what they have sown, right?
Have you ever had the experience of being left by a friend who cannot bear your suffering? I have not felt that sting, but I believe that it happens. “A deadly thing has fastened on me.” A thing of Belial…a demonic thing, that is what the text says. Verse ten has an interesting little poetic twist. The Hebrew for “repay” has the same consonants as “bosom friend” in verse nine. It is also interesting that this prayer asks for permission to exercise vengeance. I think that is an honest response from a hurting heart. I suspect that God’s answer would be, “I think not. That is not your task.”
Why would God uphold this sufferer, if I were that sufferer? It would not be because of my integrity. I only have integrity if I have had some help (getting sewn back together). It is a mystery to me. God wants to bless, to set us in God’s Presence forever. That is the blessing, from ever-lasting to ever-lasting. Amen.
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