He also pointed to Gods desire for a relationship with humans. Which was to die, and that a most shameful, and painful, and cursed death (see Luke 12:50; John 10:18; Heb. Words, therefore, are insufficient; and some better return than mere words must be found. It falls into two sections. Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but Gods kindness to you, provided you continue in his kindness. When you need them the most, they will let you down. David sees his need for God to take care of his sins. If you have known the Lord for any length of time, you can think back to many times when you were brought low and the Lord delivered you. In verse 2, David brings out some imagery of what it is like to be in sin and paying the punishment for sins. In verse 5, he extols God for His many wonders and His thoughts towards us. For pardon, righteousness, communion, larger measures of grace, and for honor, glory, immortality, and eternal life. Then, the recompence, reward, wages, as being the end, the result, or issue of a certain course of conduct. PDF | The concept of God by the Hebrew mind is not projected in pompous psychological, philosophical, and theological complex terms. The help we need is not simply one another, because we are in our own slimy pits of sin. The great congregation is the world and all who are in it. 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. May 2021 Many in the world either ignore God or think of Him as small and distant with regard to their lives. But understood as a wish or prayer, it could not be improper. November 2022 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. Messianic What are the different kinds of imagery? Good actions are not what God is looking for. Applied to Jesus, that obedience was unto the cross (see Isa. This is the reverse of that. We need to see that there is nothing we can do for our sins. Perhaps as with Pauls thorn in the flesh, we are not told so that we can relate all of our trials to Davids situation. They dont recognize or admit any personal weakness. Either by weeping, or by the mere pressure of suffering, he was so affected as to be almost deprived of the power of seeing. Ive been thinking about some of the Psalms that use imagery from nature to describe Gods power. Naomi Keeping this in mind can certainly help us get through the times when we are in the slimy pit. Verse 6 says 2 things God did not desire, what are they? And shall trust in the Lord: Shall confide in God. Let us never take for granted the salvation we have in the Lord. David expresses in this, that he had so many iniquities, it even kept him from looking up. In the fulfilment of which the lovingkindness, truth, and faithfulness of God, would appear. Otherwise, you too will be cut off (Romans 11:20-22). 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". Then, to be laid waste, or made desolate. Why does David repeat himself so determinedly? WebThere are five main types of imagery, each related to one of the human senses: Visual imagery (sight) Auditory imagery (hearing) Olfactory imagery (smell) Gustatory imagery (taste) Tactile imagery (touch) Some people may also argue that imagery can be kinesthetic (related to movement) or organic (related to sensations within the body). Rather, God wants us to desire to do His will and have His law in our hearts (vs. 8). As always, David was weighed down with the knowledge of his own sinfulness. We will be able to sing the new song of victory when God lifts us up. Jesus told the disciples to expect trials. I heard recently that a meteorite came uncomfortably close to earth. Or that in respect to success they might be like a waste and desolate field where nothing grows. Blakes Therefore, either David was prophesying and not speaking of himself in psalm 40, or the writer of Hebrews by inspiration applies Davids words to Christ also. As used here, it refers to their purposes, and the wish or prayer is that they might be wholly unsuccessful. The first is between the theocratic king as an individual and the community of the theocratic people. And heard my cry: The cry or supplication which I made for help. The benefits of which believers share in, and so have reason to love it. Aha, aha: The exclamation of malicious pleasure at anothers misfortune (compare Psalms 35:21; 35:25). But God has lifted us out of that mire, set us on stable ground, and made us victorious. Yet in spite of these words and many other similar Scriptures (John 15:18; Acts 14:22; 1 Thess. David loved nothing more than to speak and sing of God in the great assembly.. He forgave us of our sin and washed us in His precious blood. And respecteth not the proud: Such as the Pharisees, and all self-righteous persons, who trust in themselves and their own righteousness. He can take the mud of our sinful clothes and give us holy, white robes. I have said before that possibly, that is why the temple in Jerusalem was destroyed. But these requirements of the law do not take away sins. March 2021 David begins this psalm declaring that he is waiting patiently for the Lord. Let thy loving-kindness and thy truth continually preserve me: As he had promised; of which promise some notice is given (Isa. Ember Days How can we determine the balance between trusting completely in the Lord versus using legitimate means or methods? 50:5-7). beyond number; my iniquities have overtaken me, and I cannot see; they He can be the replacement to help us overcome our destructive habits. 10:5-10). Horrible pit the miry clay: The imagery describes his past hopeless and helpless situation; compare the language of (Psalm. David understood that sacrifices were not going to be enough. Nor such as turn aside to lies: To idols, the lying vanities of the Gentiles. A psalm. Of their shame. Of their shameful act or purpose; their act as deserving of disgrace. This idea of innocence leads naturally into the lament and petition section of the psalm (verses 11-17). We will look at where these metaphors come from, how they have shaped biblical poetry, and what they reveal about God himself. For a reward: The word used here eqeb means the end, the last of anything. Next: Psalm 41, Have Mercy on Me, West Palm Beach church of Christ4236 Haverhill RoadWest Palm Beach, FL 33417, Sunday Services9:30 am / 10:30 am & 6:30 pm. It does not mean that they could not repent. February 2021 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. After saying that God did not desire sacrifices and offerings, Jesus says that he came to this earth to do the will of God. WebImagery is a literary device that refers to the use of figurative language to evoke a sensory experience or create a picture with words for a reader. (See notes on Psalms 35:4; 35:26). But we need God to help us out of these pits. King Asa was a classic example of a good man who fell into this trap. David not only told everyone he saw about God and His goodness, but he even wrote these Psalms proclaiming to all future generations the goodness of the Lord. Confidence for deliverance. One reason we often do not cry out to God for deliverance is that we do not see ourselves as afflicted and needy. 22:20). David beseeches God, whose loving-kindness is so great (verse 10), not to withhold from him those tender mercies which he lavishes so freely. In verse 11, some versions translate it as a prayer. But youve got to direct your mind to think about the right things. For the choir director. Furthermore, the last 5 verses of Psalm 40 are nearly identical to Psalm 70. David never ceased telling others of the wonderful things the Lord had done. Which he agreed to, had it in his mind, his heart was set upon it, and he cheerfully complied with it (John 10:18). 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. His petition is a plea for deliverance from his enemies, but it is wider than that. ), Jesus told the disciples to expect trials. Nature 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. Psalms 40 Actually, it is the number that your angels are sending to you in order to tell you something that could be very important. If youre going to persevere with Christ, you must know in advance that you will face times when you are in the pit, and you must know what to do when youre there. November 24, 2019. Go to the Previous Section | Go to Next Section, Other Books of the Bible (This takes you to our new 66 books of the bible menu). And he inclined unto me: That is, ultimately, he heard and answered me. January 2023 Psalm 40:4-6 is a 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. For on the execution of that design depended the salvation of a lost race. If you think, Oh no, God has abandoned me! 5:17) in His believers have a new direction and joy. The Church follows the example set, when she says O God, make speed to save us.. 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. November 2020 17:11). We have been on His mind from the beginning. Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams.. Holy Week To others also, to all his friends, this is a source of unspeakable comfort. Verse 5 says, The things you planned for us no one can recount to you (NIV). Kingdom Of God David continues his cry to the Lord by declaring his need for Gods mercy, love, and truth to always be around him. Psalm 40:14 Let them be ashamed and confounded together that seek after my soul to destroy it; let them be driven backward and put to shame that wish me evil.. Why does God make His choice servants wait, especially when they could accomplish so much if they were free? God will turn to us and hear our pleas when we draw near to him. It would be of little advantage to us who should think on us, if he did not. He placed the earth at the proper distance from the sun, so that we do not burn up or freeze. We want to do better and we have great intentions to improve our lives, but it just is not working out how we would like. So its a psalm about what to do when youre in the pit. Our faith in God will move mountains. 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. We have another Psalm in our readings Of one who had no resource but in God, and who was passing through scenes of poverty and sorrow. Not only can God get us through, God can make things better than they were before. Psalm 40:6 Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire; mine ears hast thou opened: burnt offering and sin offering hast thou not required.. The idea is, that his prayer was not answered at once, but that it was answered after he had made repeated prayers. The synecdoche is a figure of speech in which a part is made to represent the whole or vice versa. 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. But he did not then live happily ever after. This may be understood here rather as a confident expectation than a wish or desire. And, in accordance with the interpretation which has been given of the other parts of the psalm. Your pit could be poor health, the loss of your job, former friends that turned against you, an unfaithful mate, rebellious children, or any other overwhelming problem. Do ungodly methods sometimes work? Second, these acts toward God are not the full requirements of God, according to verse 6. 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.. David says (Ps. I wonder if Jeremiah meditated on this passage and found hope when he was literally put into a pit of mud (Jeremiah 38:1-6; Lamentations 3:55-57). Or, if youre in a jam and it looks like a little white lie will get you out of the jam, you can be tempted to use it. Psalms 40:5 (KJV) Square Portrait Landscape 4K UHD. What does it mean that the Lord set my feet upon a rock (Psalm 40:2)? He has the ability to help us become better people, living in better circumstances, and giving the stability to our lives that we yearn for daily. It is a song of praise. God can get us through the pits of life today as well as he could in the past. We must see that we have the same need as David. Praise and worship songs prepare the heart to receive the sermon. Psalm 40 is a psalm of David that continues the same line of thinking as psalms 38 and 39. In the volume of the book it is written of me: Either in the book of divine predestination, in the purposes and decrees of God (Psalm 139:16). The writer of Hebrews now explains how these words apply to Jesus: When he said above, You have neither desired nor taken pleasure in sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sin offerings (these are offered according to the law), then he added, Behold, I have come to do your will. He abolishes the first in order to establish the second. The proud are those that boast in their own abilities. Margin, as in Hebrew, In waiting I waited. That is, I continued to wait. It was not a single, momentary act of expectation or hope; it was continuous; or was persevered in. Join us together in a reading of Psalms and let us life each other up during this troublesome time. Many, O LORD my God, are thy wonderful works which thou hast done, and thy thoughts which are to us-ward: they cannot be Lets dive in. This private commitment of the psalmist was also revealed publicly (verses 9-10). , . Or to any doctrines injurious to the person, office, blood, righteousness, receive the But it would be far more applicable to the circumstances in which the Redeemer was placed. David realizes, however, that the sacrifices and burnt offerings are not going to remove his sins from him. Each of us must call to the Lord for help us out of our mess. He waters the earth, providing crops for our food. We can find ourselves caught in the muddiness of sin. Revelation 21 Seems To Be After The Millennium Where It Says There Will Be No Pain Or Tears. Shall put their trust in him and shall become his true worshippers and friends. God by His grace had taken him from no footing to sure footing. How many times do we find Paul in terrible circumstances? But if you think about Gods many wonders and how He has worked in the past to deliver His people, you will wait with expectant hope in Him. The proud and liars are just about in the same boat. The first section of the psalm describes God delivering David. But the idea here is that God opened the ear of His servant so that he would be obedient to His Word, which was in Davids heart. Psalm 48 is an even more mythological hymn, representing Zion to be the meeting place of heaven and earth. 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). 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Pharisees, and what they reveal about God himself came uncomfortably close to earth see ourselves as and...
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