These are the words of David: they are the words of all God's tried and believing people; but above all they are the words of the Lord Jesus Christ himself. So complete is the union between Christ and the believer that it is possible to describe them both at the same time. The experience of a child of God, sin alone excepted, is very like the experience of the great Firstborn. But Christ is ever above us, so you will find words in this Psalm which belong to nobody but Jesus in all their fullness. Yet the title of it is «A Psalm of David.»
Psalms 40:1. I waited patiently for the LORD; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry.
You and I can say that, so could our Divine Master. Oh the wondrous patience of the Lord Jesus Christ in prayer! In that agony in the garden when the bloody sweat showed how great were the wrestlings of his spirit he could then say, «I waited patiently for Jehovah, and he inclined unto me and heard my cry.»
Psalms 40:2. He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings.
We can say that too. We remember when we were deep down in the mire, when we found it impossible to rise, for the more we struggled the more we sank. It was clay under us, miry clay. We could not hope for a rescue, but the arm of Jehovah lifted us out of the deep and set us on a rock, and there we stood to sing his praises. Jesus Christ could say the same. He said, «My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even unto death,» and he cried, «My God, my God why hast thou forsaken me!» What a very different frame of mind he was in a few minutes afterwards when he said, «Father, unto thy hands I commend my spirit,» and shouted, «It is finished!» all his travail was over. Well it is a great thing for us to have fellowship with Christ in his suffering which we could not have had if we had not ourselves been brought up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay.
Psalms 40:3. And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the LORD.
Well, God has done that for you and for me; he has put a new song into our mouth which Satan cannot take out of it, and we are singing it today, and others who hear it shall be encouraged to trust in God. But is this true of Christ? Listen to those words at the end of the 22 nd Psalm, where beyond all doubt it is the Saviour who speaks; -- «My praise shall be of thee in the great congregation; I will pay my vows before them that fear him.» So the Saviour is the chief leader of the holy song which goes up to God on account of redemption. He sings because God has delivered him and delivered us. Both the Surety and the sinner are now free, and the song goes up from both of them. Again you see what sympathy, what fellowship, we have with Christ.
Psalms 40:4. Blessed is that man that maketh the LORD his trust, and respecteth not the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies.
Jesus knew the blessedness of faith. Remember how Paul quotes it, «I will put my trust in him,» as the language of the Redeemer himself. As man he had his fears; as man there was wrought in him a wondrous faith in God. Oh that you and I might have the same trust, and have no respect to the proud nor such as turn aside to lies!
Psalms 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.
We are not dealing with a God who never deals with us. Faith in God is no fiction. We have already had from God the most wonderful displays of power. We have been the recipients of great mercy springing from his thoughts of love toward us. It ought to be an easy thing for experienced saints to trust in God and I hope it has become so with us.
Psalms 40:6-8. Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire; mine ears hast thou opened: burnt offering and sin offering hast thou not required. Then said, I, Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of me, I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart.
Now we get the words of Christ undoubtedly. Our Lord said these words and therefore he came to fulfill the Father's will and present on our behalf an acceptable sacrifice, with blood better than that of bulls or of goats. You and I have to say this in a very humble measure. We do not bring to God now any sacrifice of bulls or goats but we do bring our whole heart to him, trusting to be accepted, for he has written on those heart his own law, and it is our delight now to do the will of God. This it the kind of sacrifice that God accepts; true, fervent, obedient hearts. God grant us always to present it.
Psalms 40:9-10. I have preached righteousness in the great congregation: lo, I have not refrained my lips, O LORD, thou knowest. I have not hid thy righteousness within my heart; I have declared thy faithfulness and thy salvation: I have not concealed thy lovingkindness and thy truth from the great congregation.
What a preacher Christ was! How he told out what he had learned of the Father! How fully, how constantly was he the witness for God to men! Some of us following far behind, with unequal footsteps, nevertheless can say «I have preached righteousness in the great congregation.» It is a great comfort in feeling if you are called to present the gospel that as far as you know, you have preached it and have kept back nothing that God has taught to you. It will be a thousand mercies if any one of God's servants shall be found clear at the last. When we have done all, we are unprofitable servants, we have only done what it was our duty to do; but still there is a sweet peace about fidelity when in the integrity of one's heart we can say that we have not refrained our lips as God knows. Then comes the prayer
Psalms 40:11. Withhold not thou thy tender mercies from me, O LORD: let thy lovingkindness and thy truth continually preserve me.
If you have dealt honestly with God's word you may expect that God will deal graciously with you. Surely he would not send us to proclaim a message of mercy and then deny mercy to us. That cannot be. But brethren when we have done our best for God and before God, yet we cannot boast, we still want mercy and we fall back upon the lovingkindness of God just as the sinner must do when he first of all comes to God. May we ever be in that true and humble frame of mind which looks for nothing but mercy.
Psalms 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.
Now here is a passage in which the Master is not to be seen but only the servant. This is the man that said than God had put a new song into his mouth. He is a true child of God to whom God had had respect and whose prayer God had heard, yet see what a plight he has come in to. Dear friends, you and I may have to undergo this trial. Happy shall we be if we have such faith in God that even when innumerable evils compass us about we shall remember the innumerable mercies of God, such mercies as the Psalmist had spoken of in the fifth verse. When our iniquities take hold upon us what a mercy it is to think that Christ has taken hold upon us too, and will never let us go. When our sins seem more than the hairs of our head and our heart is failing us, it is very sweet to feel that the depths of eternal love and of atoning merit have drowned even our innumerable sins; they are cast upon the head of him that said «Lo, I come to do thy will;» they are carried away and they have ceased to be, through him whose precious blood and glorious righteousness have made us accepted before God.
Psalms 40:13. Be pleased, O LORD, to deliver me: O LORD, make haste to help me.
You may pray like that and yet be a true believer, the man that is not in haste to be saved does not want to be saved at all. He that can put it off till tomorrow knows nothing about it. True believer when he is crying for mercy cries «My case is urgent, help me now, make haste to help me;»
Psalms 40:14-17. 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. Let them be desolate for a reward of their shame that say unto me, «Aha, aha.» Let all those that seek thee rejoice and be glad in thee: let such as love thy salvation say continually, The LORD be magnified. But I am poor and needy; yet the LORD thinketh upon me: thou are my help and my deliverer; make no tarrying, O my God.
«But I am poor and needy; yet» oh blessed «yet» «Yet the Lord thinketh upon me.» He does not throw me a penny and pass on as we often do to the poor and needy, but He stops and thinks. Yet He makes no tarrying. He answers the cry of his people and comes in haste to deliver them.