Psalm 40— The New Song Part 1 of 2 To the Chief Musician. For David, a Psalm. 1 I waited patiently for Yahweh; and He inclined to me, and heard my cry. 2 He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my steps. 3 He has put a new song in my mouth—Praise to our God. Many will see it and fear, and will trust in Yahweh. 4 Blessed is that man who makes Yahweh his trust, and does not respect the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies. 5 Many, O Lord my God, are Your wonderful works which You have done; and Your thoughts toward us cannot be recounted to You in order; if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered. Remember that David had been silent before men but now God answered his cry and gave him a new song, that of deliverance. He was restored to the throne of Israel. “The title of this psalm is somewhat different from others in the order of the words; whereas it is usually put ‘a psalm of’...; here it is, ‘for David, a psalm’.” (John Gill) “‘I waited patiently for Yahweh; and He inclined to me, and heard my cry. He also brought me up out of a horrible pit,’— literally, the sounding pit; where nothing was heard except the howlings of wild beasts...—‘out of the miry clay,’ Where the longer I stayed the deeper I sank, and was utterly unable to save myself. The Syriac and Arabic translate ‘The pit of perdition, and the mud of corruption.’ These are figurative expressions to point out the dreary, dismal, ruinous state of sin and guilt, and the utter inability of a condemned sinner to save himself either from the guilt of his conscience, or the corruption of his heart.— ‘and set my feet upon a rock,’ Thou hast changed my state from guilt to pardon; from corruption to holiness; in consequence of which my goings are established. I have now power over all sin, and can walk steadily in the way that leads to God's kingdom.” (Adam Clarke)— “‘And He has put into my mouth a new song’— By God’s putting ‘a new song into his mouth’ he denotes the consummation of his deliverance. In whatever way God is pleased to succor us, He asks nothing else from us in return but that we should be thankful for and remember it. As often, therefore, as He bestows benefits upon us, so often does He open our mouths to praise His name..... ‘Many shall see it and fear, and will trust in Yahweh.’ Here the Psalmist extends still farther the fruit of the aid which he had experienced, telling us, that it will prove the means of instruction common to all.” (John Calvin) “‘Blessed is that man who makes Yahweh his trust, and does not respect the proud,’ who are set in opposition to believers, as they are also, Habakkuk 2:4. Self-justitiaries especially, and meritmongers: faith is a humbling grace.— ‘nor such as turn aside to lies,’ as do heretics and idolaters.” (John Trapp) As our sin-bearer, Jesus came and went “into the horrible pit (Hebrew: the pit of destruction) and the miry clay, and the power of God brought Him out, raised Him from the dead, set His feet upon a rock and established His goings (His ascension). A new song is put into His mouth, ‘even praise unto our God.’ It is the song of redemption which He sings first and all who believe on Him join in that song. That is why we read ‘Praise to our God.’ The many who shall see it are those who trust in Him who was delivered for our offenses and raised again for our justification. And who can tell out the wonderful works He has done in redemption; ‘they are more than can be numbered.’ Psalm 40:5.” (Arno Gaebelein) Many will likewise be delivered. 6 Sacrifice and offering You did not desire; My ears You have opened. Burnt offering and sin offering You did not require. 7 Then I said, “Behold, I come; in the scroll of the book it is written of me. 8 I delight to do Your will, O my God, and Your law is within my heart.” Paul quotes Psalm 40:6-8. But he does not attribute the words to David but to the Lord Jesus. Contrasting the sacrifices of the Levitical priesthood with those after the order of Melchizedek, Paul says “But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins. Therefore, when He came into the world, He said: Sacrifice and offering You did not desire,— Instead of “My ears did You open (or digged)” (6a), the apostle by the authority of the Holy Spirit says “but a body You have prepared for Me.” (Septuagint version of Psalms, Hebrews 10:3-5) In Exodus 21:1-6: "The Hebrew servant was entitled to, ‘go out free’ at the end of the sixth year, but… If the servant shall plainly say: ‘I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free; then... his master shall bore his ear through with an aul, and he shall serve him forever.’ His ear was digged and His body consecrated for service.” (A. W. Pink) “Mine ears hast thou opened, Heb. bored. The sense [pertains to Jesus first and then David].… 1. Whereas many men have no ears to hear, as is implied, Revelation 2:7,11,17, or stop their ears, as Psalms 58:4 Zechariah 7:11, thou hast given me open ears to hear and obey thy precepts, as this phrase is used, Isaiah 1:5, although indeed there is another verb in that text, which much alters the case. 2. I have wholly devoted myself to thy perpetual service, and thou hast accepted of me as such, and signified so much by the boring of mine ears, according to the law…” (Matthew Poole) Paul continues: “In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin You had no pleasure.” (Hebrews 10:5) (Cp. Psalm 40:6a— “Burnt offering and sin offering You did not require.”) “Then I [Jesus] said, ‘Behold, I have come— In the volume of the book it is written of Me— To do Your will, O God.’ (Psalm 40:7)— The book mentioned here must be the Pentateuch, for in David's time no other part of divine revelation had been committed to writing. This whole book speaks about Christ, and his accomplishing the will of God.” (Adam Clarke)— Previously saying, ‘Sacrifice and offering, burnt offerings, and offerings for sin You did not desire, nor had pleasure in them’ (which are offered according to the law), then He said, ‘Behold, I have come to do Your will, O God.’ He takes away the first that He may establish the second. By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.” (Hebrews 10:7-10) “In a proper and literal and full sense they [these words] belong only to the person and times of the Messias, in whose name David uttereth these words. And so the sense of the place is, God did not desire or require them for the satisfaction of His own justice, and the expiation of men’s sins, which could not possibly be done by the blood of bulls or goats, as is said, Hebrews 10:4-6; but only by the blood of Christ, which was typified by them, and which Christ came into the world to shed, in pursuance of his Father’s will, as it here follows, Psalms 40:7,8. So here is a prediction concerning the cessation and abolition of the legal sacrifices, and the substitution of a better instead of them.” (Matthew Poole) 9 I have proclaimed the good news of righteousness in the great assembly; indeed, I do not restrain my lips, O Lord, You Yourself know. 10 I have not hidden Your righteousness within my heart; I have declared Your faithfulness and Your salvation; I have not concealed Your lovingkindness and Your truth from the great assembly. The risen Lord proclaims the Good News in the Great Assembly, as did David in Israel. “For both He who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified are all of one, for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren, saying: ‘I will declare Your name to My brethren; in the midst of the assembly I will sing praise to You.’ (Psa 22:22) And again: ‘I will put My trust in Him.’ (Isa 8:17, Septuagint version) And again: ‘Here am I and the children whom God has given me’ (Isa 8:18)." (Hebrews 2:11-13)
Psalm 40— To the Chief Musician. For David, a Psalm. Part 2 of 2 11 Do not withhold Your tender mercies from me, O Lord; let Your lovingkindness and Your truth continually preserve me. 12 For innumerable evils have surrounded me; my iniquities have overtaken me, so that I am not able to look up; they are more than the hairs of my head; therefore my heart fails me. 13 Be pleased, O Lord, to deliver me; O Lord, make haste to help me! 14 Let them be ashamed and brought to mutual confusion who seek to destroy my life; let them be driven backward and brought to dishonor who wish me evil. 15 Let them be confounded because of their shame, who say to me, “Aha, aha!” 16 Let all those who seek You rejoice and be glad in You; let such as love Your salvation say continually, “Yahweh be magnified!” 17 But I am poor and needy; let Yahweh think upon me. You are my help and my deliverer; do not delay, O my God. David had seen a vision of Christ declaring the names of the saints to the Father in Heaven. “Having been transported by the Spirit of God to the commemoration of the great mystery of the Messiah, of whom he was an illustrious type, he now seems to be led back by the same Spirit to the consideration of his own case.” (Joseph Benson) Or that of others. “‘Don’t restrain your mercies,’ says David. The Hebrew verb is kala. ‘To restrain, to hinder, to close, to hold back.’ I can feel the sense of it in its very sound. The cry that says, ‘Lo-hikala!’ A plaintive call to the God of all. ‘Do not forsake me. Do not restrain your favor. Do not turn your back on me.’ I want to cry with David. ‘Lord, I love you. Don’t leave me!’ How many days must I fall to my knees and ask God not to hinder His gracious favor to me! How often am I compelled to offer up a prayer of petition, asking Him to show His blessing in my life!... He will grant it, not because I am here crying lo-hikala, but because He is merciful. He is loving. He is gracious. Even when I fail, God does not falter.” (Ray Steadman) Remember, Jesus is the Substitute for those with a proper regard for the blood of His Sacrifice, making the curse resting upon them His own. Draw near by faith. In his new song, David is victorious. “Depend upon it, God will take care of us, if we take care of His truth. If we, from cowardly reasons, keep back any part of the Gospel, God may leave us to defend ourselves; but if we conceal nothing that He has revealed to us, if we are faithful to the truth committed to our charge, that truth will itself preserve us, and we shall know more and more of the loving-kindness of the Lord. But what a sad verse is the next one, if it describes the experience of any one of you who have known the Lord!” (C. H. Spurgeon) “‘For innumerable evils have surrounded me; my iniquities have [had] overtaken me.’ This cannot be understood of Christ. For although our sins were said to be laid upon Him, Isaiah 53:6, and upon that account He is said to be made sin for us, 2 Corinthians 5:21; yet the Scripture everywhere represents Him as one that never knew or did any sin; and, therefore, it is not probable that the Holy Ghost would use such an expression concerning Him, as is never used in Scripture…” (Joseph Benson) These evils flooded me “that I am not able to look up; they are more than the hairs of my head; therefore my heart fails me.” (12) These were “complicated evils, which were consequent to his iniquities in the matter of Uriah.” (Thomas Scott) Be comforted David, a Greater than David “has been along that dark road where you now are found, and follow His example in praying to the Lord to deliver you.” (C. H. Spurgeon) "Be pleased, O Lord, to deliver me; O Lord, make haste to help me!' because of such depths of oppression. “Thus did David cry unto the Lord ‘out of the depths,’ Imitate his example if you are in similar circumstances. Say, with good John Ryland,— Out of the depths of doubt and fear, Depths of despair and grief, I cry; my voice, O Jesus, hear, And come to my relief!’” (C. H. Spurgeon) “’Let them be ashamed and brought to mutual confusion who seek to destroy my life;’ etc. “All their attempts to do so result but in their own downfall.” (Paul E. Kretzmann) But we are done with Ebal and have turned to Gerizi — from the Mount of Cursing to that of Blessing. On the Cross Christ, prayed for His enemies, that they might seek Him. Let us agree with Him, “Let all those who seek You rejoice and be glad in You.” “Here our Lord pronounces benedictions on His people. Note who the blessed objects of His petition are: not all men, but some men, ‘I pray for them, I pray not for the world.’ He pleads for seekers: the lowest in the kingdom, the babes of the family; those who have true desires.” (Treasury of David) “Those who have found Christ, are still seekers; for, after finding Christ, they do their souls inflame to seek Him more and more. So that our prayer also is, ‘Let such as love Your salvation say continually, ‘Yahweh be magnified!’ But I am poor and needy; let Yahweh think upon me. You are my help and my deliverer; do not delay, O my God’ The Lord bless to us the reading of this precious portion of his Word, for his name’s sake! Amen.” (C. H. Spurgeon)