Psalms 40

Hebrews 10:5–9 quotes 40:6–8 and applies the passage to Christ, which makes this a messianic psalm. Some see the birth of Christ in verse 7, His sinless life in verse 8, and His sacrificial death in verse 6. However, it was first of all a psalm about David and his needs and how the Lord met them, but the historical setting is obscure. David may have written it during his difficult exile years or perhaps during the early years of his reign. It’s unusual for a psalm to have a prayer for mercy following praise and dedication. However, if verses 1–5 picture his deliverance during the dangerous exile years, and verses 6–10 describe his dedication as the new king, then verses 11–17 could be a record of his prayer for personal forgiveness (v. 12; see 38:3–5; 39:8–9) and victory over his enemies following his coronation. It does seem that verse 16 is a royal prayer for God’s blessing on the nation. You find verses 13–17 repeated in modified form in Psalm 70. From whatever experiences led to the writing of this psalm, David learned some valuable lessons and gave us three important instructions to follow in the difficult times of life.

No matter what our trouble or trial, it’s always good to look back and recall the goodness of the Lord. David remembered how long he had waited before the Lord delivered him from his enemies and from Saul, but the day came when God inclined His ear (31:3), heard his cries, and lifted him up from the pit. If David learned anything from his exile years, it was that ultimate success depends on faith in the Lord and patience during His providential working (5:3; 33:20; 37:34; 38:15; Heb. 6:12). We are not to take the description of the pit literally (slime, mud, mire), but figuratively, as a picture of those difficult years David endured. “The pit” is also a term for sheol, the realm of the dead, and David’s life was certainly in danger. A quaint country preacher used verses 2–3 for a sermon text, and his “points” were: God brought him up, God stood him up, and God tuned him up! David had a new beginning with a new song of praise in his mouth (18:49; 22:22; 33:3). God helped David because he trusted the Lord, did not show respect to the arrogant who opposed God, and remained true to the God of Israel. “Lies” in verse 4 refers to idols. Unlike David, King Saul was a proud man who trusted in himself and made himself more important than God. In looking back on those years as an exile and a hunted man, David saw the greatness of God’s works (wonders) and the wisdom of His plans (v. 5). This is his version of Romans 8:28.

David has moved from the pit to the rock, and now he goes to the sanctuary of God. After all God had done for David, how could the king express to the Lord his appreciation for His mercies? He could bring sacrifices to the altar, but that wasn’t God’s first desire. This doesn’t mean that such sacrifices were wrong, or that God didn’t want His people to offer them, but that God wanted their hearts first of all. Throughout the Old Testament, the Lord made it clear that He could not accept sacrifices unless the worshipper showed sincere devotion, dedication, and obedience. No doubt David heard how Saul learned that important lesson— too late (1 Sam. 15:22). (See 50:8–15; 51:16–17; Prov. 21:3; Isa. 1:11–17; Jer. 7:22–23; Hos. 6:6; Mic. 6:6–8; Mark 12:32–33.)

In verse 6, sacrifice means any animal whose blood was offered at the altar, followed by a communal meal. Offering refers to the meal offering that could accompany the sacrifices, and the burnt offering symbolized total dedication to the Lord. The sin offering was given to cover specific offenses and bring reconciliation between the offender and God. All of these were fulfilled in Jesus Christ whose sacrifice on the cross satisfied the justice of God once and for all, for time and eternity (Lev. 1—7; Heb. 10:1–17). The “open ears” refer to his readiness to hear and obey God’s will (1 Sam. 9:15; 20:2; Isa. 48:8; 50:4–5; Matt. 3:9, 43; Acts 7:51, 57). This is not a reference to the servant in Exodus 21:1–6. The passage is paraphrased in Hebrews 10:5–10 as “a body you have prepared for me,” i.e., the body in which Messiah served the Father here on earth. An open ear means a yielded will and a surrendered body. When the heart delights in God’s law, the will has no problem obeying (119:11; Deut. 6:6; 11:18; Prov. 3:3; 7:3; Jer. 31:33). “Lo, I come” means “Here I am, ready to obey” (see 1 Sam. 3:4, 6, 8; Isa. 6:8). The scroll may be a reference to Deuteronomy 17:14–20, and see 2 Kings 11: and 22:13. The Old Testament predicts the coming of the Messiah (Luke 24:27).

David was enthusiastic about telling others what the Lord had done for him, and he is a good example for us to follow (22:25; 26:12; 35:18; 111:1; 149:1). Among the worshippers at the sanctuary, the king gave glory to the Lord. This reminds us of our Lord’s resurrection praises (22:31; Heb. 2:12).

When the worship service was ended and David had returned to his royal duties, he discovered that there were new battles to fight and fresh problems to solve, so he turned again to the Lord for help. Worship is not an escape from life but the opportunity to honor God and be equipped to face life and live for His glory. David had his own personal problems to deal with (vv. 11–13), for he had a sensitive conscience and knew that he was a sinful man. He also had enemies who wanted to dethrone him (vv. 14–15), and so he prayed for victory. (See 25:4, 21–27.) Most of all, David wanted the Lord to be magnified and His people to be blessed as they served Him (vv. 16–17). David couldn’t see what lay ahead (v. 12; 31:9; 38:10), but God knew the future and had everything under control. As he often did (7:1, 5; 22:19; 38:22; 71:12), David prayed for speedy deliverance. “I am—you are” (v. 17) says it all. The great I AM is adequate for every need.