SCRIPTURE: Psalm 41
OBSERVATION/APPLICATION:
Even my best friend, the one I trusted completely, the one who shared my food, has turned against me. Lord, have mercy on me. Make me well again, so I can pay them back! [Psalm 41:9-10]
There is something Jesus-like in this psalm: David, a merciful and kind king and a friend to the poor, is not being supported by those who benefited from His help; instead his friends betray him and hope he will die.
David’s words remind me of how Jesus was betrayed by his friend: Judas walked over to Jesus to greet him with a kiss. But Jesus said, “Judas, would you betray the Son of Man with a kiss?” [Luke 22:47-48]
Where David and Jesus should have expected support, they were betrayed.
He came to his own people, and even they rejected him. [John 1:11]
But there is also something unlike Jesus in this Psalm.
David is often presented as a type of the coming Messiah; Jesus was called the Son of David, a king like David.
But Jesus was more than David, greater than David [Matthew 22:41-46].
David asks to be healed so that he can pay back his betrayers… though not with kindness!
David wants to teach them a lesson, but Jesus offers them forgiveness.
This shows the other difference: David is suffering for a sin he committed (Psalm 41:4], but Jesus suffered for everyone else’s sin.
He willingly surrendered Himself to rejection, cruelty and judgment and accepted the curse of the death penalty as a substitute for sinners.
We can be thankful that Jesus is something like David, yet so much more; David was a good king, but not a perfect king, and he had his shadow side as well.
But Jesus is a good and perfect king; He made the ultimate sacrifice for His people.
He is not waiting to “pay us back” but pays the price Himself.
Think about all of the ways that you have failed God and others, think about how we have failed to show concern for the poor, how we have at times taken advantage of others, said or done hurtful things to others, been selfish and ignored the suffering of others.
If we all got what we deserved, we would all be in trouble.
But this King is not like that: when worldly rulers come to power, they often seek out their opponents to pay them back; but Jesus does not want to pay us back, He wants to pay for us.
Thank God Jesus is a king like THAT!
PRAYER:
Lord, You experience betrayal, cruelty, indifference… also from me. Thank You for paying the price for me; help me to become a person, a king like You!