I heard recently that a meteorite came uncomfortably close to earth. Boaz Second, by Christ fulfilling the law, he was able to set aside the first covenant with its condemnation for our sins and establish a new covenant that does take away our sins (sanctifies us). Compare both external persecution and internal perversity (in Psalm 38). 40:9; 41:27; 52:7 60:6; 61:1), is the precursor of the New Testament terminology for the gospel and preaching the gospel, i.e., announcing the good news. This is especially true in the case of those who do not see their own need for salvation from Gods judgment. Yea, thy law is within my heart: I do not only understand it, but receive it with heartiest love. One of the more difficult pits to extract ourselves from are destructive habits. If the Lord does not deliver us, there is no hope. But now I realize that what You really desire is an obedient heart that delights to do Your will. In other words, David is affirming what Samuel told the disobedient King Saul (1 Sam. They will do and say things for their own benefit. We will sing a new song of praise and thanksgiving around the throne of God in heaven. The Church follows the example set, when she says O God, make speed to save us.. David does not specify exactly what the trials of the first pit entailed. I would spend the rest of my life naming them. In times past, I might have thought that an offering was the proper thing to do. We have ears to hear and He has made us understand in our ears of our heart. David describes to us the great blessings of having a right relationship with God and putting our trust in God. David described it as a slimy pit, mud, and mire. All of us have and will endure times that are truly the pits, just as David describes. The new direction His way led us was rock solid (Psalm 40:2) and will never let us down. It is continued supplication and hope when there seemed to be no answer to prayer, and no prospect that it would be answered. December 2021 If It Is During The Millennium How Will There Not Be Pain And Tears When The Devil Is Released To Deceive The Nations? We should also tell others about how the Lord rescued us from other trials, so that they will join us in saying continually, The Lord be magnified!. Psalm 40 is primarily a psalm of thanksgiving, although it does include petition toward the end as well. The imagery indicates that the Lord rescued David from his enemies and provided security for him. Clearly this was one of the reasons why David was a man after Gods own heart. Psalm 40: When Youre in the Pit Related Media The late Supreme Court Justice, Louis Brandeis, said to his frustrated, impatient daughter, My dear, if you would only recognize that life is hard, things would be so much easier for you. (Source unknown.) Body This beautiful biblical imagery of sheep found throughout Scripture is humbling and profoundly insightful into humanitys need for an intimate relationship with God. If I would declare and speak of them: They are more than can be numbered. Psalm 48 is an even more mythological hymn, representing Zion to be the meeting place of heaven and earth. The rest of the psalm describes how David was praying for the deliverance before he received it. Man leaves me to poverty and sorrow, but he will not. Specifically, David showedhow God blesses those who serve him faithfully. He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to an idol or swear by what is false (Psalm 24:4). If you think, Oh no, God has abandoned me! I believe singing is a vital part of church services. When He spoke the words, I am He, they fell backward to the ground. 40:6) is literally, My ears You have dug. It has wrongly been interpreted to refer to the masters piercing the servants ear with an awl (a different Hebrew word; Exod. October 2022 In verse 11, some versions translate it as a prayer. The application for us is that when were in a pit, we must focus on continuing to obey the Lord, even if He does not deliver us quickly. The patriarch Joseph experienced the calamity of being thrown into a pit, in a very literal sense. O Lord, make haste to help me: Literally, Lord, make haste to my help (compare Psalms 22:19; 31:2; 38:22). And which those who believe in Christ and have no respect to, but hates both them and the encouragers of them. (6-10) Prayer for mercy and grace. He waters the earth, providing crops for our food. Say continually, the Lord be magnified: i.e., Give them constant occasion to say, and give them the grateful heart to say, The Lord be praised for his mercies (compare Psalm 35:27). We read of Paul being beaten, stoned, imprisoned, shipwrecked, persecuted, and finally sacrificed his life before the emperor of Rome. In quoting psalm 40, the writer of Hebrews has made two important points. He is concerned about the triumph of all righteous people (verse 16). August 2022 So waiting on the Lord is not just a passive biding your time. December 2020 We can do good deeds, be good moral people, and have changed lives, but that does not remove our sins. Imagery is a literary device that uses figurative language to describe objects, actions, and ideas in a way that appeals to the physical senses and helps readers to picture the scene as if it were real. To wait on the Lord is blessed. It gets on your shoes and you cant walk. God by His grace had taken him from no footing to sure footing. Otherwise, you too will be cut off (Romans 11:20-22). He offered Himself and fulfilled all offerings and sacrifices. , . Psalm 40:1-3 have been used by many songwriters over the years as the basis for their own praise because of its imagery of sinking helplessly into a pit of mud. And with the explication thereof in the New Testament, (in which those mysteries which were darkly and doubtfully expressed in the Old Testament are fully and clearly revealed), must be set apart to Christ. Keeping this in mind can certainly help us get through the times when we are in the slimy pit. He can change our circumstances. Let them be driven backward, and put to shame, that wish me evil: Turned backward, as they are who are unsuccessful, or are defeated (compare John 18:6). Then, David hammers this theme throughout this psalm. He preserves us from many catastrophes that we dont even know about. David never ceased telling others of the wonderful things the Lord had done. Psalm 23 is one of the most well-known and beloved passages in the Bible. That is, that they would not be successful, or would be foiled in their purposes. Isaiah 12:2 Behold, God [is] my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the LORD JEHOVAH [is] my strength and [my] song; he also is become my salvation., Psalm 40:5 Many, O LORD my God, [are] thy wonderful works [which] thou hast done, and thy thoughts [which are] to us-ward: they cannot be reckoned up in order unto thee: [if] I would declare and speak [of them], they are more than can be numbered.. He also pointed to Gods desire for a relationship with humans. Partly by giving me new matter or occasion for a song; and partly by inspiring me with the very words of it. This is speaking of Jesus. Psalm 40:13 Be pleased, O LORD, to deliver me: O LORD, make haste to help me.. And thy thoughts which are to us-ward: Gods thoughtfulness for man, his consideration and providential care, deserve praise and thanks equally with his wondrous acts. The supplicatory portion of the psalm here commences. We want it done instantly, but God has other purposes. Contemporary Israel, and later Israel, and the Church which has succeeded to the place of the original Israelites. Where did David say God had put a new song? 12:1-2). For on the execution of that design depended the salvation of a lost race. Taking the body, or human nature, prepared for him, and uniting it to himself. Have surrounded me, or have beset me on every side. Psalm 40 Commentary - Explaining the Book In the slightly different numbering system used in the Greek Septuagint and Latin Vulgate translations of the Bible, this psalm is Psalm 39 . In the midst of all that pain and mess, Paul could say, We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed (2 Corinthians 4:8-9). May those who love your salvation always say, The Lord be exalted. So, when the fullness of time was come for his appearance in human nature, he repeated the same. Or the salvation he is the author of, which is loved by those that know it. Turn to the Lord. But, a prophet rebuked Asa for relying on the king of Syria instead of relying on the Lord (2 Chron. The blood of Christ takes away the reminder of sin because our sins have been fully dealt with by Christ and we are now sanctified. 26:18). And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all (Hebrews 10:8-10). Of whom it is eminently true, and is here observed as an act of obedience. A new song (see note on Psalm 33:3). Commentary for Psalms 40 . Righteousness is identified as Gods righteousness in the next verse (verse 10). 38:6). 40:6-8 predicts). He placed the earth at the proper distance from the sun, so that we do not burn up or freeze. As used here, it refers to their purposes, and the wish or prayer is that they might be wholly unsuccessful. Vision-based. You may not feel like youre in that pit. Q. It implies the certainty that they would thus be ashamed and confounded. This is one of the great blessings we miss in this text. ), Jesus told the disciples to expect trials. He especially takes note when you are trying to get others into the kingdom of God. Why He loved us so much is impossible to explain. I cry for the Lord to help the church today. We should all know by now that, we cannot trust the world or the people in it. How imagery has been used in literature, movies, songs, and everyday speech. It is a pleasure, not a chore, to do the will of the Lord. Our first point of interest in the quotation is that the writer of Hebrews states the quotation as Christ speaking these words, not David. If they had, God would desire sacrifice and burnt offerings. As applied to the Redeemer, this would refer to the fact that in his sorrows, in the deep sorrows connected with the work of redemption, he persevered in calling on God, and that God heard him, and raised him up to glory and joy (see Matt. Psalm 40:2 He brought me up also out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, [and] established my goings.. October 2021 Psalm 40:4 Blessed [is] that man that maketh the LORD his trust, and respecteth not the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies.. 1 Answers. Psalm 40 is the 40th psalm of the Book of Psalms, beginning in English in the King James Version: "I waited patiently for the LORD". Hands and heart represent the whole of ones life. We can find ourselves caught in the muddiness of sin. A Psalm of David. With a telescope, astronomers know that many of those stars are anything but little. But youve got to direct your mind to think about the right things. This is not necessary, since the man of God can present his lament and petition to God, while at the same time offering his thanksgiving. Scripture is layered with images of sheep. This imagery is expressed in two books, the book of life and the book of deeds. Prayers for a Present Situation (40:11-17). No doubt, David was rejoicing and glad about his deliverance when it came, but he makes the point here to rejoice and be glad in You (in the Lord). Imagery is the art of creating mental images through descriptive words. Truly, up to the Lord is the only place to look in time of need and time to repent. What a wonderful Savior is Jesus our Lord. All ____________ in the Lord preach righteousness to the unsaved world. How many iniquities did David say he had? Because he did not have the indwelling Holy Spirit, he was genuinely concerned that God could finally reject him, something that Christians never have to fear, so he prayed for Gods grace and mercy to be poured out to him again. Why does the author believe the temple in Jerusalem was destroyed? Through language, imagery does not only paint a picture, but aims to portray the sensational and emotional experience within text. Aha, aha: The exclamation of malicious pleasure at anothers misfortune (compare Psalms 35:21; 35:25). For such are safe and secure in him and are possessed of all blessings of grace through him. Previous: Psalm 39, The Brevity of Life Davids psalms furnish a running commentary on these statements. David also was probably thinking about Gods many wonderful acts of delivering His people from trouble. March 2022 The second pit clearly involved the consequences of Davids sins (40:12) and many enemies that were trying to destroy him (40:14-15). You do not have to be an ordained minister to preach the gospel. There is no sin in the wish that the wicked may not be successful in their plans, and may not be suffered to injure us. It is earnest, persevering prayer that is referred to. Since He has delivered us, we are to be like telescopes. Beyond this, from the vantage point of New Testament revelation, an association with the Greater David is contained in seed form (in verses 6-8; compare Heb. That he not only resolved to do, but delighted in doing, the will of God, or what God had commanded him and he had promised to do. Let us never take for granted the salvation we have in the Lord. Psalm 40:10 I have not hid thy righteousness within my heart; I have declared thy faithfulness and thy salvation: I have not concealed thy lovingkindness and thy truth from the great congregation.. Whether this psalm is connected to any of the previous psalms where David asked for Gods deliverance is unknown, but it does say that God did deliver him at one time, and David was sure to express his gratitude in the best method he knew: a song of praise. April 2021 Registration confirmation will be emailed to you. 13:11; 17:13; 19:20; 21:21), where the phrase, all Israel shall hear and fear, is used of the effect produced by the capital punishment of a high-handed transgressor of the Law. 69:2, 14; Jer. Psalm 40:1 I waited patiently for the LORD; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry.. (Verse 3 above), leaves no doubt what this song is about. David loved nothing more than to speak and sing of God in the great assembly.. April 2022 As in the council and covenant of peace, when and where he declared his willingness to come into the world, and make satisfaction for the sins of his people. January 2021 This psalm is simply titled To the Chief Musician. 49:8). When it says that he came to do Gods will, it is speaking about Gods covenant or testament. 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