THE NUMBERLESS PROOFS OF THE GOODNESS OF THE LORD.
Psalm 40:5-10.
The Psalmist is at great pains to demonstrate how “numberless” are the proofs of the LORD’s goodness (Psalm 40:5). What the LORD has done for us ‘hitherto’ (cf. 1 Samuel 7:12) becomes more and more difficult to enumerate: His mercies are ‘new every morning’ (Lamentations 3:22-23). As one songwriter put it: ‘Count your blessings, name them one by one, And it will surprise you what the Lord has done.’
Psalm 40:6 is not a polemic against the sacrificial system. After all, the Temple cultus was established by the LORD. However, ‘to obey is better than sacrifice’ (1 Samuel 15:22; cf. Psalm 51:16-17).
So the Psalmist speaks of his “open ears” (Psalm 40:6) - an interesting term which embraces:
(i) an open ear to God’s word (cf. Matthew 11:15; Matthew 13:9; Mark 4:23; Revelation 2:7);
(ii) the ‘pierced’ ear of the willing slave, who surrenders his whole body to a well-loved master (Deuteronomy 15:16-17);
(iii) This in turn becomes, in the Greek translation of the Old Testament, “a body thou didst prepare for me” - and is placed upon the lips of Jesus in Hebrews 10:5.
With the words of Psalm 40:6-8 upon His lips, Jesus was already on His way. He was heard announcing the incarnation: “a body You have prepared for me … Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of me” (Psalm 40:7). His name is, in effect, the heading of the scroll: and after the resurrection Jesus opened up the Scriptures to show His disciples ‘the things concerning Himself’ (Luke 24:27; Luke 24:44-45).
He added, “I delight to do your will, O my God” (Psalm 40:8). Jesus taught us to pray, ‘Thy will be done’ (Matthew 6:10) - yet it was also His prayer. He echoed this in the Garden of Gethsemane: ‘not my will, but yours be done’ (Luke 22:42).
The Psalmist reminds the LORD of his faithful preaching of righteousness in “the great congregation” (Psalm 40:9). Yet this also applies to Jesus, who is the subject of another acknowledged Messianic Psalm (cf. Psalm 22:25). It should also be true of us, that we should “not refrain our lips” (Psalm 40:9) from telling forth the LORD’s goodness (Psalm 40:10).
