Psalm 41
Sickness (vv. 8,10) and sin (v. 4) again unite to put David into distress and danger as his enemies plot against him and wait for him to die. These factors seem to place this psalm in the time of Absalom's rebellion. David's illness prevented him from leading the nation as he wanted to (2 Sam 15:1–6), and Absalom took advantage of this to promote himself as king. If the "dear friend" of verse 9 is David's counselor Ahithophel, then the matter of the historical setting is settled (2 Sam. 16:15ff.). Jesus quoted verse 9 in the upper room when referring to Judas (John 13:38), so the psalm has messianic overtones. When we find ourselves in difficulty, we may use this psalm to take an inventory of our spiritual condition by asking and answering four questions.
Jesus used verse 9 when referring to the traitor Judas (John 13:18–19; and see 55:12–14; 69:25; 109:8; Matt. 26:63; Mark 14:18; Luke 22:21; Acts 1:16–20). Note that our Lord didn't quote the phrase "whom I trusted" from verse 9, for He knew that Judas had no saving faith (John 6:70–71). This psalm opens with a statement about the poor, and Judas tried to identify himself with the poor (John 12:4–6; 13:26–30). David's enemies wanted the king's name to perish, but it was Judas who destroyed a good name—"Judah," which means "praise." We call our sons David but we would never call a son Judas. (See 2 Sam. 16:15–17:23 for Ahithophel's part in the rebellion.) The phrase "lifted up his heel" pictures a deceptive and underhanded attack, but see Joshua 10:4 and Romans 16:20.
Integrity: How Do We Treat Others? (vv. 1–4) Before we can claim God's promises, we must examine our own hearts to see if we have sincerely met the conditions the Lord has laid down. David no doubt based his prayer on the stipulations given in the covenant (Lev. 26:1–13; Deut. 7:13–16; 28:1–14). He knew that he had no right to claim mercy from the Lord if he himself had not shown mercy to others. But David had fully obeyed the Lord's rules and had shown mercy to King Saul, to Saul's grandson Mephibosheth, and to the needy in the land. (See Matt. 5:7; Luke 6:37–38.) "Poor" refers to the helpless, the miserable people whose lot was difficult and who depended on the help of others. To "consider" these pitiable people meant being attentive to their needs and assisting them. It also meant not judging and blaming them, as Job's friends blamed him and the disciples blamed the blind man
Mercy: How Does God Treat Us? (vv. 10–12) God in His mercy doesn't give us what we do deserve, and God in His grace gives us what we don't deserve, and He does this because of Jesus Christ His Son who died for us on the cross. David prayed for mercy,