Blessed is the one who considers the poor!
In the day of trouble the LORD delivers him;
the LORD protects him and keeps him alive;
he is called blessed in the land;
you do not give him up to the will of his enemies.
The LORD sustains him on his sickbed;
in his illness you restore him to full health.
As for me, I said, “O LORD, be gracious to me;
heal me, for I have sinned against you!”
My enemies say of me in malice,
“When will he die, and his name perish?”
And when one comes to see me, he utters empty words,
while his heart gathers iniquity;
when he goes out, he tells it abroad.
Comment: When I read poetry I’m often left with questions about the true meaning of what is being said. I think that the introduction is that David is stating what he really knows from his life lived with God as his friend and helper over many years. God blesses the person who cares for the poor (weak) and He blesses those who help the weak. God doesn’t allow the poor man’s enemy to trample on him. His hope is that God will raise the weak man up to perfect health. My observation, for what it is worth, is that God in the long run will make things right but the poor are often down trodden and in the short term evil men are often victors!
Then David turns to the real point of the psalm. He is the poor man. He has committed some sin. He is not experiencing help but rather is being spitefully treated by visitors (often enemies) who use false words in his presence and spread false rumours behind his back. Tomorrow we’ll look at the second half of the psalm.
Prayer: Help me to be honest with You, but never lose my trust in You.
As I read it! 