Sunday, September 14, 2008

Sunday Meditation: Consider the poor

Blessed is he who considers the poor;
The LORD will deliver him in time of trouble.

The LORD will preserve him and keep him alive,
And he will be blessed on the earth;
You will not deliver him to the will of his enemies.

The LORD will strengthen him on his bed of illness;
You will sustain him on his sickbed.

Psalm 41:1-3 (New King James Version)New King James Version (NKJV)
Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.

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3 comments:

Anonymous said...

A nerdy question... what is the specific connotation of the original (Greek?) word "consider" in that first line?

What precisely did the Lord mean to tell us to do?

Larry James said...

Good question, Anon 11:25. While I don't have my Hebrew Bible with me at present, a comparison of various English translations can get us close. To "consider" includes having "regard for," or "concern for" something--in this case, poor people. The sense has to do with paying attention, not ignoring, but rather attempting to place oneself in the position of being poor. In short, the text means that a person who is awake to, paying attention to those in need is blessed.

Cheryl Russell said...

Amen!