“I know that the LORD will maintain the cause of the afflicted, and the right of the poor.”
My Notes
What Does Psalms 140:12 Mean?
The psalmist declares a certainty: "I know that the LORD will maintain the cause of the afflicted, and the right of the poor." Not hope. Not believe. Know. The conviction is settled: God will advocate for the afflicted and defend the rights of the poor. The verb is future and certain.
The word "maintain" (asah — to do, to make, to execute) means God will actively handle the cause — not just sympathize with it or observe it. He will execute justice for the afflicted. He will do the legal work. The maintaining isn't passive supervision. It's active prosecution on behalf of the powerless.
"The right of the poor" (din — legal case, judgment, cause) means the poor have rights that God will defend. The poor aren't charity cases to God. They're legal cases. They have rights. And God will ensure those rights are upheld — acting as their attorney when no human advocate steps forward.
Reflection Questions
- 1.Does 'I know' (certainty, not hope) describe your confidence that God will defend the afflicted and the poor?
- 2.How does God 'maintaining the cause' (active legal advocacy) differ from God 'hearing the cause' (passive awareness)?
- 3.Do you treat the poor as charity cases or as people with rights that God will defend?
- 4.Where is present injustice testing your confidence that 'the LORD will maintain' — and how do you hold on?
Devotional
I know. Not hope. Not think. Know. The LORD will defend the afflicted. The LORD will uphold the rights of the poor.
The psalmist ends Psalm 140 with a statement of absolute confidence: the LORD will maintain — actively execute, personally handle, practically administer — the legal cause of the afflicted and the rights of the poor.
"I know" — the certainty is settled. Not wishful thinking. Not optimistic theology. Knowledge. Based on experience. Based on character. Based on the God who has been defending the afflicted since Egypt and hasn't changed since.
"Maintain the cause" — the word means do. Execute. Make happen. God doesn't just hear the cause of the afflicted. He maintains it — the way a lawyer maintains a case: actively, persistently, with intention to win. The afflicted person's cause is in God's docket. And He doesn't lose cases.
"The right of the poor" — the poor have rights. In a world that treats poverty as disqualification, the psalmist says: the poor have legal standing before God. Their case isn't dismissed because they can't pay a filing fee. Their rights aren't waived because they lack influence. God takes their case pro bono. And He wins.
The confidence isn't based on what the psalmist sees in the world. The world shows the afflicted crushed and the poor ignored. But the psalmist knows something the world doesn't: the LORD will maintain. Present injustice doesn't cancel future vindication. The cause is being maintained. The rights are being upheld. By the only advocate who never loses.
The afflicted have a lawyer. The poor have a champion. And the case is being maintained by the LORD Himself.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
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Cross References
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