Through Psalm 40 David expresses his reliance on the Lord, confidence in His provision, (cf. verses 6-8 with Hebrews 10:5-7) commitment to Him, and his prayer for deliverance from his enemies. Then wrapping up the Psalm the last verse begins by saying “But I am poor and needy; Yet the Lord thinks upon me …” The Hebrew word for poor in this verse is Ani which is one lowly in status, afflicted, lowly, needy, poor, and humble; it can apply to outward conditions that put one in such a place, but also to the person who is humble and lowly inwardly, and not self-exalting. David maintains that the Lord thinks upon this one, and is their help and deliverer. In Psalm 140:12 the same David says, “…the Lord will maintain the cause of the afflicted, And justice for the poor.” The Hebrew for maintain here seems difficult to ascertain but the English is “to hold in the hand” and could be translated as, keep, defend, or provide for. In Matthew 5:3 Jesus said, “Blessed are the poor in spirit”, the word denoting a beggar or a pauper. Luke 6:20 does not say in spirit, and it has been disputed whether it means poor in the things of this life or the humble. The answer seems to be both, as God “has chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith …” James 2:5, but Matthew makes it clear that Jesus spoke of the poor or humble in spirit, yes those that have a humble opinion of themselves admitting that they are “wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked” before God; these are the ones He invites to partake of His riches, and be clothed with His garments, Revelation 3:17-18. Remember Jesus came to preach to the poor, Isaiah 61:1; Luke 4:18.
My Wonderful Lord
By Rose Hill
When from some trouble I need set free,
The Lord takes thought and is mindful of me.
I will delight to do His will,
And wait in His presence very still.
Then the Lord will show His mercy to me,
And from the evil attack set me free.
In His word I put all my trust,
And praising Him is surely a must.
Then in my mouth will be a new song,
And praise to Him will flow loud and long.
Scripture quotations are from the New King James Version copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson Co. used by permission.