Originally posted: 10/16/2020

How blessed is he who considers the helpless;
The Lord will deliver him in a day of trouble, (41:1).

King David writes from a king’s perspective; from one in power with the authority to govern as he so chooses. And from his own place of power he recognizes the blessing upon a king who Considers the Helpless. For the king who does so is acting in the very character of God.

And as David looks around and Considers those in a lower state than himself, he looks up to the One Who is above all, to the One Who has all authority to govern as He so chooses, to the One Who in fact, Considers the Helpless.

Consider: “7919. שָׂכַל sāḵal,  שָׂכַל sākhal: A verb meaning to act with insight, to be prudent, to give insight, to teach, to prosper, to consider, to ponder, to understand, to act prudently, to act with devotion. The primary meaning of the word is to be prudent,” Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance.

I’ve heard it said that prudence is best described as applied wisdom. It is not enough to amass knowledge, it’s not even enough to comprehend it; one must understand and apply what one knows, being careful to do it.

So, when one Considers the Helpless, he would ponder to understand their plight; he would act with insight and devotion to apply wisdom to their situation.

In other words, he would be acting like the Father.

Just as a father has compassion on his children,
So the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him, (Psalm 103:13).

And David, once again, in his place of need, appeals to the Father, his King, to Him Who Considers the Helpless; and David recognizes and acknowledges that although he is king, he, in fact, is Helpless.

Helpless to deliver himself from his sin.

As for me, I said, “O Lord, be gracious to me;
Heal my soul, for I have sinned against You,” (41:4).

Helpless to deliver himself from his enemies.

My enemies speak evil against me,
“When will he die, and his name perish?” (41:5).

And this is the reality for every human being who has ever lived.

And because the Lord is perfectly prudent, when He Considers the Helpless, He is moved to act with devotion that is in keeping with His righteousness and truth, perfectly revealed in His Son, our Savior.

Consider Him Who Considers the Helpless

• He Considers the Helpless, and He is moved to act.
  • How blessed is he who considers the helpless… (41:1).
  • For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly, (Romans 5:6).

• He Considers the Helpless, and He is moved to deliver us in the day of trouble.
  • …The Lord will deliver him in a day of trouble, (41:1).
  • For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord, (Romans 6:23).

• He Considers the Helpless, and He is moved to protect us and to keep us alive.
  • The Lord will protect him and keep him alive… (41:2).
  • But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, ⁵ even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), (Ephesians 2:4-5).

• He Considers the Helpless, and He is moved to bless us with His incomparable blessings.
  • …And he shall be called blessed upon the earth… (41:2).
  • Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, (Ephesians 1:3).

• He Considers the Helpless, and He is moved to shelter us from the enemy.
  • …And do not give him over to the desire of his enemies, (41:2).
  • …for He Himself has said, “I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you,” ⁶ so that we confidently say,
    “The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid.
    What will man do to me?” (Hebrews 13:5-6).

• He Considers the Helpless, and He is moved to restore us to health.
  • The Lord will sustain him upon his sickbed;
    In his illness, You restore him to health, (41:3).
  • If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness, (1 John 1:9).

How do we respond to Him Who Considers the Helpless?

We need to understand… His Word does not say He Considers the self-sufficient, the proud, the self-righteous. As a matter of fact, His Word reveals quite the contrary.

But He gives a greater grace. Therefore it says, “God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble,” (James 4:6).

And nowhere in Scripture does it say, that God helps those who help themselves. Again, quite the contrary. The only help we have is from Him, Who Considers the Helpless.

I will lift up my eyes to the mountains;
From where shall my help come?
² My help comes from the Lord,
Who made heaven and earth, (Psalm 121:1-2).

If we have come into relationship with God through faith in Jesus Christ for the payment of our sins, it is because we came to the place of realizing we were absolutely Helpless to save ourselves, and placed our faith in what only He could do for us.

For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly, (Romans 5:6).

But after we are brought into the family of God through faith, we must never forget that in and of ourselves, we are still Helpless. Recognizing this truth puts us in the perfect place to be Considered by Him. And when He Considers the Helpless, He is moved to act on our behalf.

Preserve me, O God, for I take refuge in You.
² I said to the Lord, “You are my Lord;
I have no good besides You,” (Psalm 16:1-2).

For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not… ²⁴ Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death? ²⁵ Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! (Roman 7:18, 24-25).

May we so grow in our faith that we would truly apprehend that we are completely incapable of helping ourselves. May we never rely on the efforts of our own flesh to live for Him. And by the way, our flesh has been crucified with Christ, so why would we ever ask help from a corpse? Let us learn to live as Paul, totally reliant on Him Who Considers the Helpless, and Who now lives in us.

I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me, (Galatians 2:20).

And as we live by faith in Him Who Considers the Helpless, we can rest assured that He will provide every bit of strength and help we need.

I can do all things through Him who strengthens me, (Philippians 4:13).

Let’s Grow Together!