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December 10/11, 2017
Jason Meyer | Psalms 40:1-17
I waited patiently for the LORD;
he inclined to me and heard my cry.
He drew me up from the pit of destruction,
out of the miry bog,
and set my feet upon a rock,
making my steps secure.
He put a new song in my mouth,
a song of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear,
and put their trust in the LORD.
Blessed is the man who makes
the LORD his trust,
who does not turn to the proud,
to those who go astray after a lie!
You have multiplied, O LORD my God,
your wondrous deeds and your thoughts toward us;
none can compare with you!
I will proclaim and tell of them,
yet they are more than can be told.
In sacrifice and offering you have not delighted,
but you have given me an open ear.
Burnt offering and sin offering
you have not required.
Then I said, “Behold, I have come;
in the scroll of the book it is written of me:
I delight to do your will, O my God;
your law is within my heart.”
I have told the glad news of deliverance
in the great congregation;
behold, I have not restrained my lips,
as you know, O LORD.
I have not hidden your deliverance within my heart;
I have spoken of your faithfulness and your salvation;
I have not concealed your steadfast love and your faithfulness
from the great congregation.
As for you, O LORD, you will not restrain
your mercy from me;
your steadfast love and your faithfulness will
ever preserve me!
For evils have encompassed me
beyond number;
my iniquities have overtaken me,
and I cannot see;
they are more than the hairs of my head;
my heart fails me.
Be pleased, O LORD, to deliver me!
O LORD, make haste to help me!
Let those be put to shame and disappointed altogether
who seek to snatch away my life;
let those be turned back and brought to dishonor
who delight in my hurt!
Let those be appalled because of their shame
who say to me, “Aha, Aha!”
But may all who seek you
rejoice and be glad in you;
may those who love your salvation
say continually, “Great is the LORD!”
As for me, I am poor and needy,
but the Lord takes thought for me.
You are my help and my deliverer;
do not delay, O my God!—Psalm 40:17
Introduction
Waiting maybe one of the hardest things anyone is called upon to do. As a kid, I can remember having to wait to open the presents. It felt like torture. I even cheated one time and tore a little bit of wrapping paper off so I can peek at what it was. It was a brown box so I was totally foiled and couldn’t figure it out.
It is hard to wait for something good. It’s even harder to wait for something good when you are in the midst of something really bad—really hard—really painful. Time seems to stand still and life moves in slow motion. A week can feel like a month. Some of you don’t need me to say anymore, you are in a painful season of waiting. Did you know that the world itself is in a season of waiting as well? I will say more about that at the end of the message.
The theme of waiting is a thread that connects Psalms 37, 38, 39, and 40. Literally, verse 1 doubles the word “wait” for emphasis: Waiting, I waited. When these psalms are read together the waiting has become intense—starting in Psalm 37 and even while in the dark valleys or deep pit of Psalms 38–39. The desperate waiting made the deliverance even more dramatic. I think we could even say that Psalm 40 gives us a theology of waiting. How can we wait well? Here is the point of Psalm 40.
Main Point: All our hope rests safely upon the solid rock of God’s steadfast love.
Another way to say the same thing is this: Past grace (displays of God’s steadfast love) is the foundation for faith in future grace. We can confidently wait for future grace because we are standing on the solid rock of past grace.
What are you waiting for, and what is the basis for hoping in what you are waiting for? Many people are waiting for things to change (circumstances, financial situation, marriage situation, parenting situation, work situation, singleness/relationship situation). What is the hope for that change? Are you hoping that you will change, they will change, your job/boss will change, your circumstances will change? Are you really hoping in a better future version of you, them, or it? As you wait for change, you don’t hope in change, you hope in what cannot change—God’s steadfast love.
Almost everyone agrees that the Psalm has two basic movements: Praise for past deliverance and a desperate prayer for a new deliverance.
The first (vv. 1–10): Praise for Past Grace
The second (vv. 11–17): Prayer for Future Grace
1. Praise for Past Grace (vv. 1–10)
There are four smaller movements in this first section of the Psalm: (1) praise for deliverance (vv. 1–3), (2) public declaration (vv. 4–5), (3) personal dedication (vv. 6–8), and (4) public declaration (vv. 9–10). First, David begins with praise for past deliverance.
I waited patiently for the LORD;
he inclined to me and heard my cry.
He drew me up from the pit of destruction,
out of the miry bog,
and set my feet upon a rock,
making my steps secure.
He put a new song in my mouth,
a song of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear,
and put their trust in the LORD.
David waited patiently for the Lord while he was in the pit (Psalms 38–39 seem like a dark pit). This is a common experience for God’s people. In fact, the prophet Jeremiah was in a literal pit.
So they took Jeremiah and cast him into the cistern of Malchiah, the king’s son, which was in the court of the guard, letting Jeremiah down by ropes. And there was no water in the cistern, but only mud, and Jeremiah sank in the mud.—Jeremiah 38:6
The cistern had no water in it or Jeremiah would have drowned. There, Jeremiah stood sinking down into the mucky mess. David uses two synonyms to tell the story: a pit of mud and mire. He is not in a literal pit of mud—he is in a pit filled with his own mess—the slimy pit of his own sin. He couldn’t climb out. He was stuck. Without God’s help he would sink into destruction.
The pattern is instructive: We cry out, God pulls us out, and we point it out. This is a life of praise. The purpose of the praise? Draw others in so that they will see what the Lord did, fear the Lord, and trust the Lord.
Second, David makes that testimony into a public declaration (vv. 4–5). God’s act of deliverance leads David to declare a lesson he wants everyone to embrace eagerly. David’s experience reinforces this truth: Those who trust in the Lord are the only people who have found the path of true happiness. He must boast in the Lord so that others will hear and put their trust in him.
Blessed is the man who makes
the LORD his trust,
who does not turn to the proud,
to those who go astray after a lie!
You have multiplied, O LORD my God,
your wondrous deeds and your thoughts toward us;
none can compare with you!
I will proclaim and tell of them,
yet they are more than can be told.
Verse four presents the two paths: Turn to the Lord (confidence in him) or turn to the proud (self-confidence—loud mouths strutting their stuff trying to get you to trust in them). The path of trusting in the Lord is true; the other life is one big lie. Verse five also declares that God has multiplied the evidence of how wondrous and trustworthy he is. God has lit up the black sky of our lives with a fireworks display of mercy. The sheer multitude of wondrous works of mercy testifies to who he is: full of mercy!
Third, the next movement is personal dedication (vv. 6–8). The psalmist speaks of a personal dedication and devotion to obedience, which is what delights God—not sacrifices. I will come back to verses 6–8 because there are some amazing and perplexing details found there.
Fourth, David returns to the theme of public declaration (9–10). He did not keep the deliverance private and hidden. He shared it with the great congregation of God’s people.
I have told the glad news of deliverance
in the great congregation;
behold, I have not restrained my lips,
as you know, O LORD.
I have not hidden your deliverance within my heart;
I have spoken of your faithfulness and your salvation;
I have not concealed your steadfast love and your faithfulness
from the great congregation.
What would tempt someone to hide or conceal God’s great work of deliverance? We have a spiritually allergic reaction to talking about things that make us look weak or portray us in a negative light. Before we can testify to God’s mercy in pulling us out of the pit, we need to be willing to talk about the mess we made that put us in that position in the first place.
Verse 10 is a shout-out to Exodus 34:6. God has revealed himself as a God abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness. He has put that truth on display again and again and again. David wants all of God’s people to see it, know it, savor it, believe it.
Watch the turn now as David uses the same two words in verse 11 as he moves from praise to prayer.
2. Prayer for Future Grace (vv. 11–17)
As for you, O LORD, you will not restrain
your mercy from me;
your steadfast love and your faithfulness will
ever preserve me!
For evils have encompassed me
beyond number;
my iniquities have overtaken me,
and I cannot see;
they are more than the hairs of my head;
my heart fails me.
God does not show mercy to us because we are full of morality, but because at the core we are a mess and at the core He is full of mercy. Our need for mercy never exceeds his supply of mercy.
Your steadfast love will preserve me (v. 11) because (“for”) evils surround (encompassed) and my sin abounds (overtaken me). My head has sunk below my sins—my sins are so many—they outnumber the hairs on my head. He was pulled out of the pit only to fall into it again. We are not hoping in our ability to stay out of the pit; we are hoping in God’s loving willingness to keep pulling us out. We see our own sin problem and we know that we cannot be our own saviors. We are not hoping in our ability to stay out of the pit. We make a mess and then we fall into it. We constantly need to be rescued.
The first half of the psalm made the point that David delights in God’s deliverance. Now David asks for God to delight in deliverance (be pleased, O LORD, to deliver me, v. 13). Be pleased to deliver again. Do it again God and please do it in a hurry.
Be pleased, O LORD, to deliver me!
O LORD, make haste to help me!
Let those be put to shame and disappointed altogether
who seek to snatch away my life;
let those be turned back and brought to dishonor
who delight in my hurt!
Let those be appalled because of their shame
who say to me, “Aha, Aha!”
God’s deliverance will disappoint David’s enemies and put them to shame because it shows that they were on the wrong side of God. If David is on God’s side, then they are not only the enemies of David but the enemies of God.
But those who are on the Lord’s side with David will rejoice. There will be no shame, just rejoicing and gladness. More reasons to rejoice for those who love God’s salvation. Another opportunity to see God’s greatness and thus to speak of God’s greatness: Great is the LORD!
It doesn’t say anything about me—but the Lord. There is no pride. This is humble praise. We are poor and needy. The Lord takes thought for me not because I am anything. The fact that he takes thought for me makes much of him, not me.
But may all who seek you
rejoice and be glad in you;
may those who love your salvation
say continually, “Great is the LORD!”
As for me, I am poor and needy,
but the Lord takes thought for me.
You are my help and my deliverer;
do not delay, O my God!
Verses 6–8 Speak of the Coming of Christ
Now we come back to verses 6–8. The previous verses spoke at length about what David’s delight is: God’s deliverance. Now these verses tell us about what God’s delight is: obedience.
In sacrifice and offering you have not delighted,
but you have given me an open ear.
Burnt offering and sin offering
you have not required.
Then I said, “Behold, I have come;
in the scroll of the book it is written of me:
I delight to do your will, O my God;
your law is within my heart.”
These verses feature a contrast with two uses of delight. First, God does not delight in sacrifice and sin offering. Second, there is a person who delights in obedience. Who is this person? The Psalm does not make the point that sacrifices were no longer needed in the sense that David stopped offering animal sacrifices. Burnt offerings were to be offered every morning and evening (Exodus 29:40–42). Sin offerings were also a regular part of worship (Leviticus 4:1–35). They were offered on the Day of Atonement (Leviticus 16). Some would read Psalm 40 historically so that David is simply saying that these offerings are meaningless without obedience and commitment to the Lord. Religious ritual without a heart change does not please God.
One question that is hard to answer is what scroll David would be referencing. What scroll has David read that testifies to himself? These words are not about David, but about great David’s greater Son. The New Testament reads these verses as speaking of David’s greater Son, the Messiah.
Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said,
“Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired,
but a body have you prepared for me;
in burnt offerings and sin offerings
you have taken no pleasure.
Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come to do your will, O God,
as it is written of me in the scroll of the book.’”—Hebrews 10:5–7
This is a magnificent reading of Psalm 40. Look at the phrase “I have come” in Hebrews 10:7. Which coming? Hebrews says it refers to the coming of Christ at Christmas (the Incarnation. Look at verse 5. The “I have come” is a reference to the time “when Christ came into the world” (v. 5).
Now other details that seem small now make so much sense. Notice how much the author of Hebrews makes of the word “then” in verse 10:7 as he explains it in verse 10:9.
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.”—Hebrews 10:8–9
Then the author of Hebrews drives home the point: “He does away with the first in order to establish the second” (v. 9b). Christ came to replace the sacrifices. God did not take pleasure in them—he desired something else. Namely, the coming of his Son. The sacrifices were temporary because they were meant to be imperfect. Their imperfections pointed to the need for a perfect sacrifice.
Look back to how he introduced that point at the start of Hebrews 10 (vv. 1–4):
For since the law has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities, it can never, by the same sacrifices that are continually offered every year, make perfect those who draw near. Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, since the worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have any consciousness of sins? But in these sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.
The sacrifices of the law could cause a remission of sin; it could only cause a constant reminder of sin. No sacrifice ever perfectly cleansed anyone to the point that they didn’t need another sacrifice. They pointed perpetually to the need for a permanent sacrifice if people were every going to be cleansed perfectly. Each sacrifice begged the same question: “Is there any such sacrifice that is so perfect that it perfectly cleanses people so that they don’t need any other sacrifices?” It is impossible for animal sacrifices to take away sin. If not a bull or goat, then whose blood can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
Do you see the staggering fulfillment here? A substitutionary sacrifice takes place when an innocent animal takes the place of a guilty person—the animal is slaughtered so that the person doesn’t need to be. You can see that principle already in Genesis 22. God provided the sacrifice for the burnt offering: a ram in place of Abraham’s own son (Genesis 22:13). The sacrifices in Leviticus continued this theme of animal sacrifice. The sinner would lay his hand on the animal to drive home the connection of substitution—the substitute animal is the sin bearer so that the sinning person can go free.
But now something has become crystal clear. The sacrifices happened over and over and over again. Why? Was there something wrong with the principle of substitution? No. There was something wrong with the substitute. Ultimately, only a person can substitute for a person. As sinners, we willingly rebelled against God. That is not the case with animals. They did not will to obey or disobey. They obey as a matter of instinct, not will and choice. The animal cannot fully choose to be the substitute – it does not understand or consent. (Note: I am indebted to Alec Motyer for some key ideas in the last two paragraphs. Please see his work, Psalms by the Day, p. 110).
But everything changes now that a sinless person has come. He obediently accepts the call to give himself as a sacrifice—willingly, consciously, fully. Psalm 40 testifies that Christ came to do the will of God just like the Old Testament said he would. And he did. God gave him a body to be that sacrifice so that we could be cleansed once and for all. Listen to verse 10: “And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.” It was the Father’s will to send the Son to become the perfect sacrifice to perfectly cleanse us so that no other sacrifice is needed.
Perhaps some of you are hung up by that word “body.” How did Hebrews get “body” from Psalm 40 when it says “ears”? This is a simple case of one part (the ear) standing for the whole (the body). God gave his Son a whole body. Not just ears to listen, a tongue to speak, but a back to be flogged, hands, side, and feet to be pierced. A head for the crown of thorns.
I believe that Hebrews was reading not only Psalm 40, but also Isaiah 50.
The Lord GOD has given me
the tongue of those who are taught,
that I may know how to sustain with a word
him who is weary.
Morning by morning he awakens;
he awakens my ear
to hear as those who are taught.
The Lord GOD has opened my ear,
and I was not rebellious;
I turned not backward.
I gave my back to those who strike,
and my cheeks to those who pull out the beard;
I hid not my face
from disgrace and spitting.
But the Lord GOD helps me;
therefore I have not been disgraced;
therefore I have set my face like a flint,
and I know that I shall not be put to shame.
He who vindicates me is near.—Isaiah 50:4–8
Does God want this servant to offer animal sacrifices? No. He becomes the sacrifice. Isaiah 53:5–6 makes this point so clearly:
But he was pierced for our transgressions;
he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
and with his wounds we are healed.
All we like sheep have gone astray;
we have turned—every one—to his own way;
and the LORD has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.
Isaiah 53:7 says that he was like a lamb led to the slaughter and is silent.
Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him;
he has put him to grief;
when his soul makes an offering for guilt,
he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days;
the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.
Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied;
by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant,
make many to be accounted righteous,
and he shall bear their iniquities.—Isaiah 53:10–11
It was the will of God for the Lamb of God to be slain. The Lamb of God willingly obeyed the will of God for us and our salvation. He is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. The deliverance that Jesus brought is so much better than the deliverance referenced in Psalm 40:1–3. David waited patiently and then God heard their cry and reached down to pull him out of the muddy pit.
At Advent, we celebrate the way that God heard our groaning and crying, but he didn’t just reach down—he came down. The king left his throne and the courts of glory and became a baby sleeping in a manger. He went all the way down into the pit and rescued us through his death. He was not ashamed to have the mud of sin swallow him up. He purchased our freedom.
Conclusion
Three Hope-Filled Graces Purchased by the Blood of Christ
Christ’s obedience purchases much more than the removal of our sin. The blood of Christ purchases (1) our delight in God and (2) his perpetual delight in us. First, the blood of Jesus purchased the new covenant promise to provide us with a new heart with a new delight. His blood purchased the new covenant. We celebrated it last week: “this cup is the new covenant in my blood” (1 Corinthians 11:25). He purchased a new heart for us (willing heart, not hard) that delights in his demands because they come from within. Two texts here.
And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.—Ezekiel 36:26–27
The blood of Christ bought our obedience. We now delight in God’s demands from the inside. The blood of the new covenant purchases the gift of a heart that has the Law written upon it.
“Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the LORD. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts.—Jeremiah 31:31–33
Second, the blood of Jesus in the new covenant also purchased God’s permanent perfect delight in us—so we will persevere. Listen to the new covenant promise of Jeremiah 32:
I will make with them an everlasting covenant, that I will not turn away from doing good to them. And I will put the fear of me in their hearts, that they may not turn from me. I will rejoice in doing them good, and I will plant them in this land in faithfulness, with all my heart and all my soul.—Jeremiah 32:40–41
The good news gets even better when we see that Christ also purchased every promise—and therefore purchased our future hope as we wait. Romans 8 connects these themes together:
For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.—Romans 8:19–25
The sin of the first Adam brought the world into a state of groaning and longing. The Last Adam paid for that sin and the sins of all those who are saved and adopted into this family. The first Adam’s disobedience led to worldwide groaning. The last Adam’s obedience leads to worldwide rejoicing. The trees clap their hands. The desert blossoms. It all sings for joy when he comes. All the sin of the world, the pain of the world, all that is wrong, will one day be removed. And we have the promise that God will even take the wrong in our lives now and turn it for good.
Sermon Discussion Questions
Outline
Main Point: All our hope rests safely upon the solid rock of God’s steadfast love. Another way to say it: Past grace is the foundation for faith in future grace. We can confidently wait for future grace because we are standing on the solid rock of past grace (displays of God’s steadfast love).
Discussion Questions
Application Questions
Prayer Focus
Pray for a grace to confidently wait for God’s help in any and every situation as we hope in his steadfast love revealed so stunningly and supremely in Christ.