Today, we have the privilege of working through Psalm 40. Let's start by reading verses 1-4 (Hebrew numbering throughout, my apologies):
Of/for the director. Of/for David. A Psalm.
(1) Surely, I waited for Yahweh,
and He stretched out to me,
and He heard my cry for help,
(2) and He brought me up from the pit of destruction,
from the mud of the mire,
and he caused my feet to stand on a rock.
He secured my steps,
(3) and He set in my mouth a new song-- praise to our God/Elohim.
May many see,
and may they fear/revere,
and may they trust in Yahweh.
The psalmist begins by reminding himself of a dark moment in his past. He recalls a time when life fell apart for him. He was living in something like a mud pit. Imagine being trapped in a mud pit, even 20 feet below ground, after it's rained. It's cold, and wet, and filthy. But the worst part of mud pits, is that there's no real way out. You try to climb up, and out, and you get halfway, before sliding down again. It's hopeless, and gross.
What you need, in that situation, is help. You need someone with a rope, or a long arm, who can rescue you.
And the psalmist reminds himself of what he did, when he was in that mud pit. He knew he needed help, and what did he do? Who did he turn to? Verse 1:
"Surely, I waited for Yahweh, and He answered me."
We talk a lot about having "faith" in God. We say that we trust him to provide for us, and protect us, and rescue us. But when we find ourselves in hardship, there is nothing automatic about faith. Faith makes a conscious decision, to trust God, and rely on Him. Faith chooses to call on God, instead of something or someone else.
And after you call out to Yahweh, there is something else that faith has to do. Faith has to decide, did God hear? Is help coming?
The psalmist here is reminding himself of two things, really. First, he reminds himself of what he did, in placing his trust in God. And second, he reminds himself of what God did in response-- God heard, and answered, and rescued him. He pulled him out of the pit, and set him on solid ground.
God proved himself to be utterly reliable.
And when God rescued the psalmist, He also did something else at the same time. In verse 4, the psalmist says that God put a song in his mouth.
When you trust God to rescue you from something, and then He does it, you will want to thank him. And you'll find that a simple prayer isn't enough. Words, by themselves, will feel inadequate. What you need, is a song.
God knows that's how you'll feel. And so God, in a second act of grace and kindness, will also place a song in your mouth. You walk around, after God has rescued you, in constant praise. Singing words to a song that you don't know, to a tune that's unfamiliar to you. Where did that come from? That song, is God's gift to you. And so the psalmist is thankful, not just for God's rescue, but for the song, as well.
The psalmist ends verse 3 with a prayer for his people. I'll reread it:
"May many see,
and may they fear/revere,
and may they trust in Yahweh."
When you go through hard times in life, the people around you will often know about it. Maybe they know, because you told them. You are fighting some disease or sickness. You have marital problems, or job problems, or money problems. You have a powerful enemy, who won't stop harassing you. And you can't help but tell people, when you see them. You are hoping someone will show sympathy, even if they can't help.
At other times, you suffer alone. You don't want anyone to know what you're going through. You're ashamed, maybe. Or too proud to admit life is falling apart, maybe. But even then, sometimes, people can see through you, and they know something is wrong. They know you are very obviously caught in a mud pit, of one type or another.
What's less obvious, sometimes, is when your life comes back together. You are freed from cancer. You get more hours at work, or a better job. Your mortal enemy moves away, or you make peace with him/her. Or if it's your marriage, you find yourself looking at your spouse one day, and thinking, "I kind of like you." Whatever your problem was, God rescued you, when you called on him, and waited for him to help.
So here you stand, on solid ground. Life is good. The psalmist prays that many people will look at his life, and realize what God did for him. These problems didn't just go away, or fix themselves. God did this. So in verse 3, the psalmist prays that many people will do three things:
(1) that they will see what God did.
(2) that they will fear/revere God.
(3) that they will trust Yahweh.
When God rescues you, it's not a private thing. It's not something you keep secret. Everyone around you should know that God is good-- and how God has been good. So the psalmist prays that this would happen.
Verse 4-5:
(4) Blessed is the man who has made Yahweh his trust/reliance,
and he hasn't turned to proud ones/Egyptians,
nor the ones going astray after a lie.
(5) Many things you have done--You-- Yahweh, My God/Elohim-- your wonderful deeds and your thoughts toward us.
There is no one to compare to you.
I shall proclaim,
and I shall speak.
They are too numerous to count.
When you find yourself in a mud pit, you have to make a decision. Who will you trust? Who will get you out?
You can either choose to trust in God, or... Or, in what?
The psalmist here specifically talks about who you shouldn't trust in. The first group of people you shouldn't rely on for help, are "Egyptians." Imagine that you are King David, and you are threatened by a neighboring kingdom. How do you know that you can successfully defend yourself? You could turn to one of your neighbors, like Egypt, and make a defensive pact. The psalmist says, don't do this. Don't rely on foreigners, people outside of God's covenant community, when you need help.
The second group of people you shouldn't rely on, are the ones going astray after a lie. Probably, he is talking about idolaters here. Don't rely on people who worship other gods.
So when you find yourself in a mud pit, who will you turn to? One of the hardest things to learn in life, is that God is actually reliable, and trustworthy. We find ourselves in a jam, and we look around, wondering how we will get out. We're not sure God will actually help us. We want to hedge our bets. We think that something else, or someone else, can give us something that God can't.
If you're a king, what can Egypt give you, that God won't?
If your crops need rain, what can a priest of Baal offer you, that God won't?
If you need advice, what can a medium or necromancer offer you, that God won't?
If you're sick, [ ]? (Psalm 103:3)
Many are the deeds that God has done for his people. Many are his thoughts toward us. We don't serve a God who neglects us. No one is going to call social services on God, and find a better Father for us. No one compares to God.
Blessed is the man who has made Yahweh his trust.
So, through verse 5, the psalmist has talked about what God does for his people-- and specifically, what God has done for him.
Now, in verses 6-8, the psalmist talks about what God wants from us:
Verse 6-8:
(6) Sacrifice and offering you have not desired.
Ears you have dug/opened for me.
A burnt offering and a sin offering you have not asked for.
(7) So then , I have said,
"LOOK! I have come with the scroll of the book written concerning me.
(8) To do your will, my God/Elohim, I have delighted,
while your instruction/Torah is within my belly.
What does God want? God wants us to delight in doing His will. It's a joy to serve God-- a privilege. God's instruction isn't something we hold at a distance from ourselves. It's something we eat (Ezekiel 3:3). It's at the very core of who we are. And the psalmist says, this is exactly how I've lived. He tells God, "If you had wanted sacrifices, I'd have given that. But I know that what you really want, is me. My obedience. And it's my delight, to do this." Yahweh is an easy God to serve. It's no hardship, serving a God who is this good to us.
Verse 9-10:
(9) I have proclaimed righteousness in the great assembly/congregation.
LOOK! My lips, I have not restrained.
Yahweh, you know.
(10) Your righteousness I have not hidden in the midst of my heart/mind;
Your faithfulness and your salvation/deliverance, I have spoken.
I have not concealed your loyalty,
nor your reliability to the great assembly/congregation.
Earlier, the psalmist had prayed that many would see what God had done for him, and revere God, and follow his example in trusting God. He had asked God to do this.
But the psalmist knows that he also has a responsibility here. When God rescues you, you have an obligation to tell others about what He's done.
In the big picture, this means talking about what God for you through Jesus. God freed you from sin, and darkness, and gave you light, and life. God made you part of his family. And because you value what God has done for you, you freely, publicly, openly, tell others about Jesus. "Your" testimony, is about what God has done for you.
But when we talk about God's rescue, we know it's not just about our eternal life and salvation. God gives life to those who trust in Him, through Jesus. Life, is life. And when God rescues you from sickness, or financial ruin, or an enemy, you have an obligation to tell others about it. And when you tell others, you tell it in a God-centered way. You don't say, "I got to keep my job." You say, "God saved my job." You don't say, "My marriage is doing better." You say, "God healed my marriage."
A lady I know was dying from heart failure. She was going to need a heart transplant. And what she did, instead, is trust God.
And God healed her.
From that day forward, she has been happy to tell anyone who will listen, what God does for people when they trust in Him. She tells everyone who will listen, about God's reliability, and loyalty, and dependability. God is a rock, and He has been a rock to her. And so the psalmist's words here, could just as well be her words. The psalmist tells God, "I have declared your loyalty to everyone. Everyone should know, at this point, what you will do for your people when they rely on you."
In verse 11, the tone of the psalm changes, in a way that surprises us. I'll just read through to the end:
(11) You, Yahweh, must not restrain your compassion from me;
Your loyalty and your reliability, may they constantly preserve/protect me.
(12) For evils have surrounded me without number;
my sins/guilts have reached/overtaken me,
and I'm not able to see;
they are more than the hairs of my head,
while my heart/mind has abandoned/failed me.
(13) Be pleased, Yahweh, to deliver me;
Yahweh, for my help, may you hurry.
(14) May they be ashamed,
and may they be humiliated altogether-- the ones seeking my life to sweep it away.
May they be turned back,
and may they be dishonored-- the ones delighting in my evil/disaster.
(15) May they be appalled because of their humiliation -- the ones saying to me, "Aha! Aha!"
(16) May they rejoice,
and may they delight in you-- all the ones seeking you.
May they say, always/continuously,
"May He be great-- Yahweh"-- the ones loving your salvation/deliverance,
(17) while I am poor and needy.
My Lord, May He pay attention.
For me, my Help and my Deliverer, You [are].
My God/Elohim, may you not delay.
The easiest way to understand these verses, is to think about that lady whose heart God healed. Think about these verses from her perspective. She knows that God is good. She knows that God is utterly reliable, and dependable, and loyal. No one needs to tell her these things. She's seen them.
But now, starting at verse 11, she needs God's help again. Something else has happened. She's surrounded by enemies. By human standards, things look bad for her. And so she finishes by crying out to God, again, for her rescue.
Each time we find ourselves in the mud pit in life, we have to make a decision about who we will trust. In Psalm 40, the psalmist sits at the bottom of the pit, but in some ways-- spiritually-- he's in a good place. He is like that lady-- he has a history, at this point, of trusting in God, and seeing God's faithfulness shine through. He knows that God is compassionate, and loyal, and incomparable. He knows that he serves a God who stretches out, and reaches down, and plucks people out of their misfortune-- when they trust in Him.
----------------------------------------------------
It hit me recently, why some Christians struggle to really place their faith in God. What is it that keeps them from making verse 1 their own?: Surely, I waited for Yahweh, and he answered me."
Most of you believe that God loves you. Most of you believe that God is powerful. Your struggle, if you have one, is with whether or not God is reliable. When you're in a mudpit in life, will God actually stretch out his arm, consistently, and pull you out? Or will there be times when you will call, and call, and no one answers?
For some of you, that's your real fear. You don't fear that God can't help you. You fear that He won't.
Imagine that your dad is a mechanic. He's very good at what he does. He's ASE certified. There's nothing he doesn't know about cars, and he gives you the family discount. You know your dad loves you. You know he's perfectly capable of fixing cars.
But when your car breaks, you know you can't go to him. Maybe, your dad is unreliable. Maybe, your father is constantly getting distracted. He's busy. He's got a lot of other things going on. Maybe he has a lot of children.
And so you've learned, over time, that when you need help, you have to go somewhere else. It's not that you don't love your dad, or that he doesn't love you. But he's not reliable.
Now, let's suppose there's another mechanic in town. He went to the "Garrett" school of car fixing. He's not nearly as talented. He charges an arm and a leg. But he has one quality about him, that makes you always turn to him: he's reliable. His work stinks, comparatively. But he's reliable.
My guess is that, for some of you, this is how you view God. You hear stories about what God has done for other people, or you read about them in the Bible, and you think, "God proved himself to be very good at helping that lady." You know God rescued King David, over and over.
But how about for you?
You're afraid God will leave you stranded.
The psalmist here begins Psalm 40 like he does, because he needs to remind himself that this is not the kind of God we serve. God is utterly reliable. God can be trusted to pull you out of the mud pit, when you put your trust in Him, and call on him, and wait in faith for him to answer.
And the reason God put this psalm in the Bible, is because He wants you to understand that He is reliable. This psalm is God's gift to you, to help you truly trust God. Turn to God, and He will help.
[And if I haven't convinced you, and you still find yourself doubting, go talk to Ellen :) ]
Of/for the director. Of/for David. A Psalm.
(2) Surely I waited for Yahweh,
and He stretched out to me,
and He heard my cry for help,
(3) and He brought me up from the pit of destruction,
from the mud of the mire,
and he caused my feet to stand on a rock.
He secured my steps,
(4) and He set in my mouth a new song-- praise to our God/Elohim.
May many see,
and may they fear/revere,
and may they trust in Yahweh.
(5) Blessed is the man who has made Yahweh his trust/reliance,
and he hasn't turned to proud ones/Rahabians/Egyptians,
nor the ones going astray after a lie.
(6) Many things you have done--You-- Yahweh, My God/Elohim-- your wonderful deeds and your thoughts toward us.
There is no one to compare to you.
I shall proclaim,
and I shall speak.
They are too numerous to count.
(7) Sacrifice and offering you have not desired.
Ears you have dug/opened for me.
A burnt offering and a sin offering you have not asked for.
(8) So then , I have said,
"LOOK! I have come with the scroll of the book written concerning me.
(9) To do your will, my God/Elohim, I have delighted,
while your instruction/Torah is within my belly.
(10) I have proclaimed righteousness in the great assembly/congregation.
LOOK! My lips, I have not restrained.
Yahweh, you know.
(11) Your righteousness I have not hidden in the midst of my heart/mind;
Your faithfulness and your salvation/deliverance, I have spoken.
I have not concealed your loyalty,
nor your reliability to the great assembly/congregation.
(12) You, Yahweh, must not restrain your compassion from me;
Your loyalty and your reliability, may they constantly preserve/protect me.
(13) For evils have surrounded me without number;
my sins/guilts have reached/overtaken me,
and I'm not able to see;
they are more than the hairs of my head,
while my heart/mind has abandoned/failed me.
(14) Be pleased, Yahweh, to deliver/preserve me;
Yahweh, for my help, may you hurry.
(15) May they be ashamed,
and may they be humiliated altogether-- the ones seeking my soul/life to sweep it away.
May they be turned back,
and may they be dishonored-- the ones delighting in my evil/disaster.
(16) May they be appalled because of the wages of their low status/humiliation -- the ones saying to me, "Aha! Aha!"
(17) May they rejoice,
and may they delight in you-- all the ones seeking you.
May they say, always/continuously,
"May He be great-- Yahweh--"-- the ones loving your salvation/deliverance,
(18) while I am poor and needy.
My Lord, May He pay attention.
For me, my Help and my Deliverer, You [are].
My God/Elohim, may you not delay.
