We want it done instantly, but God has other purposes. Much of the imagery of the Psalms is built upon a handful of core images found in Genesis that appear again and again in the Psalter and throughout Scripture. Kingdom Of God David does not specify exactly what the trials of the first pit entailed. November 2022 To be assured in our own minds that one so great as God is, the infinite and eternal One, will never cease to think on us and may well sustain us in all the trials of life. Yet in spite of these words and many other similar Scriptures (John 15:18; Acts 14:22; 1 Thess. Membership Many, O LORD my God, are thy wonderful works which thou hast done, and thy thoughts which are to us-ward: they cannot be When we failed through sin, He became our ___________. He had told them fully of Himself and the Father. Jesus cried out unto the Father in the Garden of Gethsemane, and God heard His cry. Nor such as turn aside to lies: To idols, the lying vanities of the Gentiles. He is the Rock that the builders rejected. When sacrifice and offering God would not have any longer continued, and when a body was prepared him, then he said. The following notes will help to follow Davids mental movements through these 17 verses: Two situations constitute the framework for the psalmists publicized expressions of worship in Psalm 40. Holy Week My sins nailed Jesus to the cross. We have another Psalm in our readings Psalm 40 The Servant Comes to Do Gods Will. David says (Ps. Psalm 40: The poles of thanksgiving and lament are so distinct in this psalm that some divide it into two separate psalms. 16:7-9). They dont recognize or admit any personal weakness. He offered Himself and fulfilled all offerings and sacrifices. If it had hit, it would have wreaked major damage. And this verse, wherein he passeth from the singular number to the plural, may seem to be interposed as a wall of partition, between that which David speaks in his own person. Rather, God wants us to desire to do His will and have His law in our hearts (vs. 8). He is concerned about the triumph of all righteous people (verse 16). Many times one sin leads to another sin and we have great difficulty trying to extract ourselves from the mire. He is Second, these acts toward God are not the full requirements of God, according to verse 6. And become the Israel of God, are alike indebted to him for the wonderful strains in which he has shown forth and magnified these qualities of the Almighty. Mine ears hast thou opened: Literally ears or two ears You have dug for me. It matters little who does forsake us, if he does not. How great it is to be washed in the blood of the Lamb! As the language of the Messiah, it was in every way an appropriate prayer that the purposes of those who would defeat his design in coming into the world might be foiled. But these requirements of the law do not take away sins. In times past, I might have thought that an offering was the proper thing to do. Sacrifice and meal offering You have not desired; my ears You have opened; burnt offering and sin offering You have not required. For which I and the rest of thy people, included in the pronoun plural us, have abundant cause to praise thee, and to trust in thee, as was said (Psalm 40:3). To others also, to all his friends, this is a source of unspeakable comfort. 2 He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. In verse 1, David mentions his cry, which may have been as simple as, Help, Lord! In verse 13, he directly cries out, Be pleased, O Lord, to deliver me; make haste, O Lord, to help me. In verse 17, he repeats, Since I am afflicted and needy, let the Lord be mindful of me. 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.. Of David. In verses 9 and 10, he again affirms, I have proclaimed glad tidings of righteousness in the great congregation; behold, I will not restrain my lips, O Lord, You know. It is earnest, persevering prayer that is referred to. You can tell from the two ahas, that they felt that through their wit they have destroyed Him. Without a telescope, people either ignore the stars or maybe look up and think, Twinkle, twinkle little star. Little star? Human like cognitive Yet Ryries Notes Say Otherwise. Of their shame. Of their shameful act or purpose; their act as deserving of disgrace. Many a person has been saved by singing and hearing songs sung in praise and worship. When He spoke the words, I am He, they fell backward to the ground. It is through this second will (covenant) that we are sanctified (made holy) through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ. 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.1. Easter Missions And Outreach We are a nondenominational congregation of Christians located in West Palm Beach aiming to be faithful in every way to Jesus Christ. perception. October 2021 But here, the reason that David waits on the Lord and seeks Him is so that He will be magnified, or glorified. What are the different kinds of imagery? 15:22-23). He is the Rock of my salvation. Copyright 2002-2023 Got Questions Ministries. 17:11). These elements constitute only a part of the richness of Psalm 40. The Hebrew text (of Ps. But, also, the consequences involved wicked people who were wrongly intent on destroying David (40:14). Rather, it is an intently active time when your situation in the pit tunes your heart to the Lord in ways that you would not normally experience. For example, Psalm 37:7: Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him; do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who carries out wicked schemes. Again, Psalm 37:9: For evildoers will be cut off, but those who wait for the Lord, they will inherit the land. And again, Psalm 37:34: Wait for the Lord and keep His way, and He will exalt you to inherit the land; when the wicked are cut off, you will see it. But, what does it mean to wait on the Lord? But, a prophet rebuked Asa for relying on the king of Syria instead of relying on the Lord (2 Chron. By seeking the Lord alone, when the Lord answers, He gets the credit. Psalm 30:5 Meaning of Verse and Simple Commentary Psalm 119, like most of the psalms, was originally composed as a song to be sung in praising God. First, good actions do not take care of our sins. As used here, it refers to their purposes, and the wish or prayer is that they might be wholly unsuccessful. It does not mean that they could not repent. He can be the replacement to help us overcome our destructive habits. David is trying to tell us that doing good deeds does not appease God. We should all know by now that, we cannot trust the world or the people in it. Psalm 40 New International Version Psalm 40[ a] For the director of music. Emmanuel The great congregation is the world and all who are in it. Psalm 40:6 Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire; mine ears hast thou opened: burnt offering and sin offering hast thou not required.. Writers use either literal or figurative language to help readers picture or imagine a scene by engaging their senses and evoking emotions. The Book of Psalms is part of the third section of Psalm 40:11 "Withhold not thou thy tender mercies from me, O LORD: let thy And it has respect not to (Deut. Jesus formally preached three and one half years while He was on the earth. Immediately, at once, without any delay; and he himself, and not another. Praise God! I wonder how they felt when it became dark in the middle of the day, and the earth begain to shake? He brought them out of Egypt in the Exodus. The only one worthy of our trust is the Lord. 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.. That he should die at the time which had been proclaimed by the prophets, and in such a mode as to make an atonement for sin. The first sentence of this psalm shows us that David is practicing what he has been preaching in the past two psalms. As always, he had enemies who wanted him dead so they could rule. December 2020 5:17) in His believers have a new direction and joy. Rejoice and be glad in thee: As their covenant God, the Father of their mercies, the God of all comfort and salvation. Attitudinally, David understood the importance of what would be explicitly commanded through Paul (in Rom. Rather than turning away from the Lord, you must learn to turn to Him to rescue you from lifes pits. In himself, the essential Word, in whom there is always grounds and reason for joy and gladness; because of his person, blood, righteousness, and sacrifice. He says (v. 5), Many, O Lord my God, are the wonders which You have done, and Your thoughts toward us; there is none to compare with You. The Targum is, they shall, or let them rejoice, and be glad in thy word. Jesus had no iniquities. Registration confirmation will be emailed to you. 10:5-7). What happened to the soldiers, when Jesus answered them (I am He)? We will be able to sing the new song of victory when God lifts us up. The imagery indicates that the Lord rescued David from his enemies and provided security for him. How true this was of the Redeemer, that the Lord, the Father of mercies; thought on him. May those who love your salvation always say, The Lord be exalted. December 2021 David describes to us the great blessings of having a right relationship with God and putting our trust in God. The idea here is, not that he was unable to look up, but that the calamities which came upon him were so heavy and severe as to make his sight dim, or to deprive him of vision. We may be in a pit of hell, but Jesus will lift us up out of that pit and establish our goings, if we will only repent of our sins and receive Him as our Savior. He is the hub, that all must revolve around. He never turns a deaf ear to us either. Hands and heart represent the whole of ones life. Man leaves me to poverty and sorrow, but he will not. 26:18). 1. The time supposed to be referred to, is after his sufferings were closed. If we have set our heart to desire to be like God, it is a devastating thing to continue to fail. This beautiful biblical imagery of sheep found throughout Scripture is humbling and profoundly insightful into humanitys need for an intimate relationship with God. Let us never be like the Jews we read about in the days of Jesus who assumed that they had done something special that God took notice of them over others. The idea is that they were innumerable, the hairs of the head, or the sands on the seashore; being employed in the Scriptures to denote what cannot be numbered (see Psalm 69:4; compare Gen. 22:17; 32:12; Joshua 11:4; 2 Sam. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture Quotations are from the New American Standard Bible, Updated Edition The Lockman Foundation, Related Topics: Spiritual Life, Suffering, Trials, Persecution, Steve served as the pastor of Flagstaff Christian Fellowship from May, 1992 through his retirement in December, 2018. He graduated from Dallas Theological Seminary (Th.M., 1976 in Bible exposition) and Califo More, Getting Spiritually Fit 1 ( Corinthians 9:24-27), Steps to Biblical Reconciliation (Luke 17:1-4; 2 Corinthians 5:15-21). Let us always be mindful and thankful for the forgiveness of sins that has been extended to us despite our sins. Seek, and ye shall find., Psalm 40:12 For innumerable evils have compassed me about: mine iniquities have taken hold upon me, so that I am not able to look up; they are more than the hairs of mine head: therefore my heart faileth me.. Then I said, Behold, I come; in the scroll of the book it is written of me. The incarnation of Christ being a wonderful affair, and of the utmost importance. The lesson is, it is always wrong to trust in anything or anyone other than the Lord to get out of your pit, even if it works. September 2020 That seek after my soul to destroy it: That seek after my life; that would destroy me. At first, he seemed as one that would not hear; as one that throws his head backward or turns his head away. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.. I delight to do Your will, O my God; Your Law is within my heart., The thought of verses 6-8 in the context is (I am following J. J. S. Perowne, The Book of Psalms [Zondervan], p. 335), My heart is full of Your abundant goodness towards me. God established the earth so that it is hospitable for us to live here. Because our tendency, even after salvation, is to think that we can do it ourselves, the Lord graciously keeps putting us in one pit after another, so that we cry out to Him. If you think, Oh no, God has abandoned me! Some commentators have trouble seeing the connection between the last section of this psalm and these final verses. Compare both external persecution and internal perversity (in Psalm 38). But youve got to direct your mind to think about the right things. Why was he tempted. 17:7). Our faith in God will move mountains. I think that he is not referring to sins that he was currently committing, but rather to the consequences of past sins that were now coming home to roost. November 24, 2019. Be pleased, O Lord to restore the church unto Yourself. Study Genesis 41:1 and Acts 24:27 in their contexts. November 2020 As we examine this psalm, we will notice a layout that some may consider backward. Contemporary Israel, and later Israel, and the Church which has succeeded to the place of the original Israelites. It is a pleasure, not a chore, to do the will of the Lord. David loved nothing more than to speak and sing of God in the great assembly.. Therefore my heart faileth me: Margin, as in Hebrew: forsaketh. The idea is that he sank under these sufferings; he could not sustain them. I cry for the Lord to help the church today. March 2021 The king of Israel had to abandon his invasion of Judah to defend his northern flank. These will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power. Its the worst of all pits to be in! 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. There never was a more horrible place to be, than when our Lord took our sin upon His body on the cross. It falls into two sections. 40:6-8 predicts). I have not hidden Your righteousness within my heart; I have spoken of Your faithfulness and Your salvation; I have not concealed your lovingkindness and Your truth from the great congregation.. Crucial associations surface throughout this psalm. For a reward: The word used here eqeb means the end, the last of anything. Why does God make His choice servants wait, especially when they could accomplish so much if they were free? 10:5-10). There, the author quotes the LXX, which translates the second line of verse 6, a body You have prepared for Me. This was apparently an interpretive paraphrase, where they used a part (the ear) and expanded it to the whole body (F. F. Bruce, Commentary on the Epistle to the Hebrews [Eerdmans], p. 232). We can find ourselves caught in the muddiness of sin. When it says that he came to do Gods will, it is speaking about Gods covenant or testament. As David turns his cries to the Lord, the Lord responds by turning to David, noticing his plight and hearing his cry. We have all failed. Even though he was being disciplined by the Lord and describing his suffering as receiving blows from a hand, David is patiently waiting for these things to end. Of David. We should all know by now that, we cannot trust the world or the people in it. 26:36-46 and compare the notes at Heb. But God has lifted us out of that mire, set us on stable ground, and made us victorious. All believers in the Lord preach righteousness to the unsaved world. This could also, be a prophecy of the soldiers who came for Jesus in the garden. Church 1:10-15; Jer. Not only can God get us through, God can make things better than they were before. They chart a profound and vital relationship with God, with all the ups and downs that Imagery is the art of creating mental images through descriptive words. September 2021 Or rather in the book of the law, the five books of Moses, since these were the only books or volumes that were composed at the writing of this psalm. It would be of little advantage to us who should think on us, if he did not. Imagery is a literary device that evokes the five senses to create a mental image. They chart a profound and vital relationship with God, with all the ups and downs that this relationship implies. 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. He will not lie. Then, the recompence, reward, wages, as being the end, the result, or issue of a certain course of conduct. Psalm 40:8 I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law [is] within my heart.. Verses 6-8: The author of Hebrews dramatically applies these verses to the Greater David (10:5-7). Ember Days 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. 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. Our psalm gives us at least seven clues: (1). Waiting on the Lord is intently active, not passive (40:1). The Heb r ew of verse 1 is an intensified form of the verb, literally, Waiting, I waited. The New English Bible translates it, I waited, waited for the Lord. In Psalm 40:7-10 David shifted to himself, recounting the things that he had done for God. For the choir director. Constant situational awareness. Boaz Mine iniquities have taken hold upon me: On this passage, as constituting one of the main objections, and the strongest objection, to the application of the psalm to the Messiah. SPECIAL TOPIC: THE TWO BOOKS OF GOD 40:8 "I delight to do Your will" What a radical change from Asas final days were plagued with painful gout. David realizes, however, that the sacrifices and burnt offerings are not going to remove his sins from him. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.. In verse 11, some versions translate it as a prayer. I blame the Medio Fire and Psalm 104 for that. Jesus said it all when He said, Not my will but thine be done. Verse 6 says 2 things God did not desire, what are they? What is Imagery? And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all (Hebrews 10:8-10). But David is telling us it happened to him and it can happen to us. If the Lord does not deliver us, there is no hope. The first is between the theocratic king as an individual and the community of the theocratic people. Gods timing often does not coincide with our timing. Some read these words as expressive of faith in these things, thou wilt not withhold, etc. The Rock of our Salvation is Jesus Christ. 3 He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Or that in respect to success they might be like a waste and desolate field where nothing grows. Sadly, many use God like Aladdins Genie and put Him back on the shelf when they get what they want. January 2022 Interestingly, his ploy worked. How does God make me to know the measure of my days (Psalm 39:4). David has offered counsel to those in similar circumstances as David to wait for the Lord (38:15; 39:2). The proud are those that boast in their own abilities. Waiting on Him means crying out to Him; trusting Him; recounting His many wonders; obeying Him; seeking Him; and rejoicing in Him. Verse 5 concludes, they would be too many to declare.. David expresses in this, that he had so many iniquities, it even kept him from looking up. He will whisper, God isnt meeting your needs. April 2022 Jesus He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God; many will see and fear and will trust in the Lord. If I would declare and speak of them: They are more than can be numbered. ), Jesus told the disciples to expect trials. What a wonderful Savior is ________ _____ _______. Do ungodly methods sometimes work? Rather, it is evident from the second half of the psalm (40:11-17) that he is in another pit, crying out to the Lord to deliver him from this one. 9 though we are commanded to love our enemies (Matt. He sent His Son to offer Himself obediently on the cross on our behalf (as Ps. 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 . Let such as love thy salvation: Either Christ, who is Gods salvation (Gen. 49:18); and who is loved by his people, universally, superlatively, and sincerely. Psalm 40:17 But I am poor and needy; yet the Lord thinketh upon me: thou art my help and my deliverer; make no tarrying, O my God.. (See notes on Psalms 35:4; 35:26). Psalm 40 continues to describe the despair David feels as the result of his own This can be used to give context to the events of your story, to immerse your reader in an unfamiliar setting, to communicate mood and tone for a particular scene, or to create an emotional response in your reader. , . We will sing a new song of praise and thanksgiving around the throne of God in heaven. David is speaking in the verse, but the verse is probably prophetic in speaking of the great patience of our Lord Jesus in the preceding paragraph. Community 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). What He has promised, He will do. To wait on the Lord is blessed. God does not desire good deeds when we have violated His law. This book is called a volume, or roll, alluding to the manner of writing formerly. This was not intended to boast or simply inform but to verbalize his loyalty to God in gratitude for Gods loyalty to him. This is the reverse of that. Turn to the Lord. What a wonderful Savior is Jesus our Lord. Yet the Lord thinketh upon me: The Lord cares for me; he has not forgotten me. (11-17) 1-5 Doubts and fears about the eternal state, are a horrible pit and miry clay, and have been so to many a dear child of God. Man forsakes me, but he will not. That is, that they would not be successful, or would be foiled in their purposes. February 2021 So that I am not able to look up: This is not the exact idea of the Hebrew word. Delighting both to meditate on it, and to yield obedience to it. He forgave us of our sin and washed us in His precious blood. Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams.. Imagery adds to the reader's understanding of a text and its themes. 10:5). 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. After his work was done and after he rose from the dead. For if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will he spare you. David also was probably thinking about Gods many wonderful acts of delivering His people from trouble. He also pointed to Gods desire for a relationship with humans. I heard recently that a meteorite came uncomfortably close to earth. We must not build upon shifting sand, but on the solid Rock who is our Lord. Web1 a : pictures produced by an imaging system b : the product of image makers : images also : the art of making images 2 : figurative language 3 : mental images especially : the products of imagination Example Sentences The book contains a great deal of sexual imagery. So its a psalm about what to do when youre in the pit. Psalm 40 is a psalm of David that continues the same line of thinking as psalms 38 and 39. That is, they seek to kill me; they would take my life before the full time is come. 40 I hoped [ a]earnestly for Yahweh; And He inclined to me and heard my cry for help. Applied to Jesus, that obedience was unto the cross (see Isa. 21:6; Deut. imagery in psalm 40; The first section of the psalm describes God delivering David. Dont turn to the world for answers. Or the salvation of him, his deliverance from the grave, resurrection from the dead, and exaltation. And he inclined unto me: That is, ultimately, he heard and answered me. You dont need a Savior unless you are helpless at the bottom of a slimy pit. We were hiking in the rain in Nepal when Marla slipped and hurt herself. Prayer Request David never ceased telling others of the wonderful things the Lord had done. 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. David cries for the Lord to make haste to help him.
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