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THE PENTATEUCH

GENESIS ---EXODUS--- LEVITICUS 1.1-7.38 --- 8.1-11.47 --- 12.1-16.34--- 17.1-27.34--- NUMBERS 1-10--- 11-19--- 20-36--- DEUTERONOMY 1.1-4.44 --- 4.45-11.32 --- 12.1-29.1--- 29.2-34.12 --- THE BOOK OF JOSHUA --- THE BOOK OF JUDGES --- PSALMS 1-36--- ECCLESIASTES--- SONG OF SOLOMON --- ISAIAH --- EZEKIEL --- DANIEL 1-7 ---DANIEL 8-12 --- MICAH ---

NAHUM--- HABAKKUK---ZEPHANIAH --- HAGGAI ---ZECHARIAH --- MALACHI --- THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW ---THE GOSPEL OF MARK--- THE GOSPEL OF LUKE --- THE GOSPEL OF JOHN --- THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES --- READINGS IN ROMANS --- 1 CORINTHIANS 1-7 --- 8-16 --- 2 CORINTHIANS 1-7 --- 8-13 -- -GALATIANS --- EPHESIANS --- COLOSSIANS --- 1 THESSALONIANS --- 2 THESSALONIANS --- 1 TIMOTHY --- 2 TIMOTHY --- TITUS --- HEBREWS 1-6 --- 7-10 --- 11-13 --- JAMES --- 1 & 2 PETER --- JOHN'S LETTERS --- JUDE --- REVELATION

--- THE GOSPELS & ACTS

Psalm 37.

Heading.

A Psalm of David.

This Psalm is another one that is based on the Hebrew alphabet, with each stanza beginning with a different letter commencing at aleph, and follows a 6 6 5 5 pattern (22 letters). Exceptions are verses 28b and 39 where in the MT a Lamed precedes the Ayin and a Waw precedes the Tau.

In the Psalm the Psalmist speaks almost as a wisdom teacher as he encourages God’s people to have full trust in YHWH in the confidence that all will then finally turn out for good. If they find themselves in the midst of puzzlement and despair because the unrighteous appear to triumph let that not turn them aside from themselves trusting in YHWH and doing good. For if they do trust Him and continue to do good then they will enjoy His blessing indeed.

The Psalm split up into a number of sections:

1). The Wise Thing To Do Is Not To Fret When The Wicked Appear To Prosper, But Rather To Trust And Rest In YHWH (Aleph to Waw - 37.1-9) .

Those who are wise will not allow fretting or anger to possess them in the face of the behaviour of the unrighteous, but will instead trust in YHWH, commit their way to Him, and then confidently rest in Him, for they can know that what they have is permanent, while what the unrighteous have is temporary and will pass away (compare Matthew 6.19-20).

37.1-2

A ‘Do not fret yourself because of evildoers,
Nor be you envious against those who work unrighteousness.
For they will soon be cut down like the grass,
And wither as the green herb.’

It is often so easy to look around at the prosperity of evildoers and find it a great burden on the heart. It all seems so strange. Why do the wicked prosper, and the good suffer? Why does evil appear to triumph? However, the Psalmist tells us not to fret at such things, nor to be envious of those who work unrighteousness. Rather than fretting we are to turn to trusting prayer, rather than being envious we are to consider all the blessings that are ours in God.

For he reminds us that the unrighteous are not really to be envied. We should remember that their time is but short in the light of eternity. They may appear to be prospering, but the truth is that they will soon be cut down like mown grass, and will wither like the green herb subjected to the burning sun. For them there is no future, and their ‘blessings’ are but temporary. After that before them lies only darkness and emptiness.

37.3-6

B ‘Trust in YHWH, and do good,
Dwell in the land, and feed on his faithfulness.
Delight yourself also in YHWH,
And he will give you the desires of your heart.
G Commit your way to YHWH,
Trust also in him, and he will bring it about.
.
And he will make your righteousness to go forth as the light,
And your justice as the noonday.’

Notice the threefold command in verses 3-7, ‘trust in YHWH’, ‘commit your way to YHWH’, ‘rest in YHWH’. Here is the secret of the spiritual life. First trust and response to God, then commitment of our ways to God resulting in confidence in Him and obedience, and finally rest and contentment as we do trust in Him.

“Peace perfect peace, in this dark world of sin?
The blood of Jesus whispers peace within.”
Peace perfect peace, the future all unknown?
Jesus we know and He is on the throne.

The first thing that we note is that the one who trusts in YHWH and delights in Him, and thus ‘does good’, the One Who dwells in the Lord’s land and walks in His presence and feeds on His faithfulness, and delights himself in YHWH, will receive the desires of his heart. And what are the desires of his heart? They are that he might know YHWH better and rejoice in the light of His countenance and presence, and that he himself might be enabled to shine as a light in a dark world, that men might see his good works and glorify his Father Who is in Heaven (Matthew 5.16). And these blessings he knows that he will receive in all their fullness.

‘Delight yourself in YHWH.’ Certainly it is good for us to meditate on Who He is and on His love, and to delight in Him as our Father and our God, but in parallel with the next foursome (compare also Isaiah 58.14) perhaps we should translate (equally permissibly) as ‘So shall you delight yourself in YHWH’, linking more directly with trusting in YHWH. Then the thought is that our trust in Him is what results in our delight in Him. Both ideas are of course equally true and valuable. We should delight in Him because we trust Him and rely on Him, and we should also delight in Him for His own sake.

‘Feed on His faithfulness.’ Just as the contented sheep enjoy the green pastures provided by Him (Psalm 23.2), so should they feed on His faithfulness, knowing that as a result they are safe from all their enemies and will receive all that they need (compare John 10.27-28).

And as he trusts in YHWH and delights in Him, he is also to commit his way to YHWH. This is literally ‘roll your way on YHWH’. The burden may be too heavy to lift, but it can be rolled onto YHWH. Then the Christian can know that in response to his trust and commitment, YHWH will take over responsibility for his burden and will bring about His will with regard to it. He will indeed bring him in the way that his hearts seeks. He will make his righteousness go forth as the light, shining forth on men so as to enlighten others and enable them to rejoice in the glory of God. And he will make the Christian’s ‘justice’, his truth and rightness, to be like the noonday, glorious and unshadowed in any way. ‘Reflecting as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, they will be changed from glory into glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord’ (2 Corinthians 3.18) as they walk in God’s light (1 John 1.5-7).

37.7-9

D ‘Rest in YHWH, and wait patiently for him,
Do not fret yourself because of him who prospers in his way,
Because of the man who does craft things.
H Cease from anger, and forsake wrath,
Do not fret yourself, it tends only to evildoing.
For evildoers will be cut off,
But those that wait for YHWH,
They will inherit the land.’

So rather than fretting at what they cannot understand, they are to rest in YHWH. They are to wait patiently for Him to intervene and Himself bring about His purposes and His will, confident that all is in His hands.

The literal Hebrew is ‘be silent to YHWH’, that is, be still before Him in the calmness and certainty of faith. ‘In returning and rest you will be saved, in quietness and confidence will be your strength’ (Isaiah 30.15; compare Isaiah 7.4).

What they are not to do is fret at the prospering of the wicked, the men who bring about wicked devices, and do crafty things, even though God allows such people to have their evil way for a time. They must wait patiently for God and not allow themselves to be gripped by anger. If it arises within them they must quell it. They must ‘cease from anger, and forsake wrath’. For the only person whom they will harm by their anger is themselves. They must not fret themselves, for the only result of that will be that they also do evil. And then they will be just as bad as those about whom they are fretting.

This does not mean that we should not be concerned about injustice against others, especially the weak and the poor. It is the building up of passions within ourselves that is to be rejected. Where we can actually intervene and bring about good in love and righteousness we should certainly do so. But we must remember that ‘the wrath of man does not work the righteousness of God’ (James 1.20). And meanwhile we must ‘bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, pray for those who use you badly’ (Luke 6.27-28).

Indeed we must rather remember that such evildoers will be ‘cut off’, and must therefore ourselves steer clear of such a catastrophe by living for Him and in His ways. For in the end it is those who wait for YHWH, those who are patient because their trust is in Him, who will finally ‘inherit the land’, that is, will receive all the good that God has promised. The wicked may appear to hold sway for a time, but in the end it is God’s people who will triumph and who will indeed one day possess all things.

Probably in mind here is what happened when God’s redeemed people entered Canaan. Their enemy were cut off from among them. But then they dallied in the ways of the Canaanites and in the end they lost out on the land. In contrast those who waited for YHWH did finally inherit the land. God’s ways might move forward slowly, but in the end they are very sure.

37.10-11

W ‘For yet a little while, and the wicked will not be,
Yes, you will diligently consider his place, and he will not be.
But the meek will inherit the land,
And will delight themselves in the abundance of peace.’

For the time will certainly come when the unrighteous will wither and die, they will cease to be. Though such a man be sought for with great diligence, he will have vanished. He will have gone to face his judgment (consider the rich man in Luke 16.22-24).

But the ‘meek’, those who are trusting God and refusing to be stirred to anger, will ‘inherit the land’ (compare Matthew 5.5). They will delight themselves in an abundance of peace. Good will triumph because God will triumph. And those who are trusting in Him will receive the fullness of His promises and of His blessings.

The idea of ‘inheriting the land’ had in mind God’s promises to Abraham, that one day the land to which God had called him would one day belong to his seed (Genesis 12.2-3, 7). And in the days of David and Solomon it did happen. The land was theirs from one end to the other. But the writer to the Hebrews reminds us that Abraham was not actually looking for that. He was actually looking for a better land than that. He did not seek a ‘continuing city’ in this world, he sought one above, a city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God (Hebrews 11.10). He looked for a better country, which is a heavenly. He looked for a city which God has provided for those who love Him (Hebrews 11.14). For in his heart he was looking for what this world could not offer. And there in that land there will indeed be an abundance of peace.

2). The Triumphs Of The Unrighteous Are Temporary, And For Them Retribution Will Come, While The Righteous Have An Eternal Inheritance To Be Enjoyed Both Now And In The Future (Zayin to Lamed - 37.12-22).

In a series of contrasts the Psalmist now brings out the activities of the unrighteous and what will finally result from them, and contrasts this with the activities of the righteous and the confidence that can be theirs. The emphasis is on the fact that God ensures in the end that righteousness triumphs and unrighteousness does not go unpunished.

37.12-13

Z ‘The wicked plot against the righteous,
And gnash on him with his teeth.
The Lord will laugh at him,
For he sees that his day is coming.’

The Psalmist first makes clear that for the unrighteous to plot against the righteous and bare his teeth against him, is for him to do the same to God. God is mindful of what is done to His people. But the Lord’s response is simply to laugh at such folly, for He can see ahead and He knows that the day of retribution for the unrighteous is coming. Then they will gnash their teeth in another way. Thus His people also can have the confidence that, however badly they behave against them, the unrighteous will in the end receive their just reward. Their sin will find them out.

The point here is to emphasise the folly of those who go against God. It is not to suggest that God treats His people’s sufferings lightly. He is not laughing at those. Nor is it to suggest that God enjoys punishing the unrighteous. We read elsewhere that ‘The Lord has no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that he might turn from his wickedness and live’ (Ezekiel 33.11). The warning is rather that rebellion against God is futile, and that if men will not repent then only judgment awaits them. For the kind of laughter described here compare 2.4.

37.14-15

CH ‘The wicked have drawn out the sword,
And have bent their bow,
To cast down the poor and needy,
To slay such as are upright in the way.
Their sword will enter into their own heart,
And their bows will be broken.’

In this further contrast the unrighteous are seen as priming their weapons in order to cast down the poor and needy, and slay the upright in heart (note the parallel between the poor and needy and the upright, bringing out that when the Psalmists speak of ‘the poor’ they often simply mean the righteous). How different they are to God’s Servant Whose sword and bow are intended only to do good (Isaiah 49.2).

But God’s response is to turn the swords of the unrighteous on themselves, so that they enter their own heart, while their powerful bows He simply breaks. Such weapons are futile against God. It is a reminder to us that whatever ‘weapons’ people bring to bear on God’s people, they will in the end be turned back on themselves.

37.16-17 T ‘Better is a little that the righteous has,

Than the ostentatious abundance of many wicked.
For the arms of the wicked will be broken,
But YHWH upholds the righteous.’

We now have an explanation as to why the righteous are so much better off than the unrighteous. The unrighteous may have abundance of wealth, about which they make a great show, but they can be sure that in the end their arms will be broken. They will be rendered powerless and disabled. Meanwhile although the righteous may only have a little wealth, and walk in quiet humility, they can rejoice in the fact that they are upheld by YHWH. They are secure within His care.

37.18-20

Y ‘YHWH knows the days of the perfect,
And their inheritance will be for ever.
They will not be put to shame in the time of evil,
And in the days of famine they will be satisfied.
K But the wicked will perish,
And the enemies of YHWH will be as the fat of lambs,
They will consume,
In smoke will they consume away.’

For everything about the righteous, those who are mature in God, is known to God. He knows their days, and He guarantees their eternal inheritance. And what is more, when the hard times come they will not be put to shame, and when famine arrives God will ensure that their needs are met. For they are ever in His hands. As Jesus reminded us, ‘Your Heavenly Father knows that you have need of these things’ (Matthew 6.32).

In contrast the unrighteous have no future. They will simply perish and will be consumed like the fat of animal sacrifices that is burned up on the altar and is no more, rising up in smoke and evaporating into nothingness.

37.21-22

L ‘The wicked person borrows,
And does not repay,
But the righteous person deals graciously,
And gives.
For such as are blessed of him will inherit the land,
And those who are cursed of him shall be cut off.’

The unrighteous are contrasted with the righteous by the way in which they approach their possessions, In the one case they obtain it by greed and unfairness and are cut off and in the other they dispense their possessions freely and thus ‘inherit the land’, that is, enjoy all God’s future provision.

The one who borrows and does not repay is a common phenomenon, especially in the case of private debt. he is careless about his responsibilities, and threats other people’s losses lightly, especially when he can gain by it.

How great is the contrast with the righteous man who sees his possessions as a means of blessing and helping others, especially the poor.

‘For such as are blessed of him will inherit the land, and those who are cursed of him shall be cut off.’ Verse 9 demonstrates that the ‘He’ in these verses is referring to YHWH. As a result of the righteous blessing them they too will inherit the land because they will respond by righteousness and God will bless them (they will be blessed of Him and inherit the land, compare verse 9; Matthew 6.5). They respond to the righteous man’s beneficence by responding to God. However, those whom God curses are those who do not dispense their possessions, but rather obtain the possessions of others by deceit. They are the undeserving who gather for themselves ‘unrighteous mammon’. They are thereby ‘cursed’ and are thus cut off.

3). The Reward And Ways Of The Righteous Are Sure And Abiding (Mem to Pe - 37.23-31).

The Psalmist goes on to point out God’s care for those who are truly His. All their ways are in His hands, and He upholds tham and keeps them and provides for them all that they need.

37.23-24

M ‘A man’s goings are established of YHWH,
And he delights in his way.
Though he fall, he will not be utterly cast down,
For YHWH upholds him with his hand.’

The ways of a righteous man (a true believer) are in the hands of YHWH, and God establishes all his goings. Indeed He delights in his way. He watches over him and cares for him, He strengthens him and upholds him, He has great joy of heart when His people walk in obedience to Him, and delights in their desire to do His will. And though sometimes they may stumble, and even fall, His promise is that they will never be utterly cast down. For He will uphold them with His hand. He will lift the fallen, carry His lambs in His arms, and gently lead His troubled and burdened sheep (Isaiah 40.11; compare John 10.27-28).

Alternately we may see it as ‘he (the believer) delights in His way’. The true Christian rejoices in all the ways of God. Both are of course true.

37.25-26

N ‘I have been young,
And now am old,
Yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken,
Nor his seed begging bread.’
All the day long he deals graciously, and lends,
And his seed is blessed.’

The Psalmist thinks back to his own experience, and what he has seen of life. And he declares that although he has lived long years, he has never seen the truly righteous forsaken by God, he has never seen their children begging bread. Rather the righteous have been able to deal bountifully with others, have been able to lend to them when they were in need, and his offspring, far from having to beg, have been blessed.

Of course, exceptional circumstances do arise in life when all without exception do go in hunger and experience the privations of life. War and natural disasters do not pick and choose. But His promise is that even in such times He will watch over His own and proved for them in accordance with their need, and many a Christian has experienced deliverance in such circumstances.

37.27-28

S ‘Depart from evil, and do good,
And dwell for evermore.
For YHWH loves justice,
And does not forsake his saints,
GH They are preserved for ever,
But the seed of the wicked will be cut off.
The righteous will inherit the land,
And dwell in it for ever.’

In response to God’s love for them, the Psalmist calls on believers, and indeed on all men, to depart from evil and do good, and God’s promise is that if they do so they will ‘dwell for evermore’. That is, they will enjoy long life and security through Him. The departure from evil and doing of good is necessary because God loves justice and righteousness, and the dwelling for evermore results because God never forsakes His ‘holy ones’ (saints, the true people of God). Rather He preserves them for ever. It is only the seed of the wicked which will be cut off. In contrast the righteous will inherit all God’s promises (as typified in ‘the land’) and will dwell in the place of His blessing for ever. Their everlasting future is certain.

37.30-31

P ‘The mouth of the righteous talks of wisdom,
And his tongue speaks justice.
The law of his God is in his heart,
None of his steps will slide.’

The Psalmist closes this section with a positive statement about those who truly love God and trust in His Name, describing the kind of people that they are. Their mouths speak wisdom (compare Proverbs 10.31), the true wisdom; their tongue speaks what is right and true. In their hearts they hold firm to God’s Instruction, and the result is that none of their steps will slide. These are promises and ideas that we must each one take for ourselves, and ensure that they are true of us. It is because of this that man will be judged by his ‘idle words’ (Matthew 12.36). For those who are truly Christ’s speak words which are glorifying to Him, while those who are not soon reveal their folly in what they say.

4). The Contrast Between The Behaviour And Destinies Of The Righteous and Of The Unrighteous (Tsade to Tau - 37.32-40).

The Psalmist concludes his Psalm by making contrasts between the lives and destinies of the righteous and the unrighteous.

37.32-33

TS ‘The wicked watches the righteous,
And seeks to slay him.
YHWH will not leave him in his hand,
Nor condemn him when he is judged.’

It is one of the traits of the unrightous that they cannot bear those who are ‘too righteous’. Thus they seek to do them harm, and even get rid of them. But God’s promise is that He will not leave His righteous ones in the hands of the unrighteous. Nor will He Himself condemn those who are His, simply because they are falsely declared guilty by men. He is not bound by men’s verdicts, and knows how often they are perverted. This is especially so in countries where bribery and influence can be brought to bear on the sourcs of ‘justice’.

37.34

Q ‘Wait for YHWH, and keep his way,
And he will exalt you to inherit the land,
When the wicked are cut off,
You will see it.’

So the righteous must wait patiently for YHWH and walk truly in His way. Then they can be sure that in His own good time God will lift them up and will cause them to ‘inherit the land (or earth)’. That is, He will give them the full desire of their heart. To ‘inherit the land’ was the dream of every Israelite. It was to gain all that they could want. As for the unrighteous, they will be cut off, and the tighteous will see it. In other words, in the end all will see God’s justice fulfilled.

37.35

R I have seen the wicked in great power,
And spreading himself like a green tree in its native soil.
But one passed by, and, lo, he was not,
Yes, I sought him, but he could not be found.’

An example is now given. The ageing Psalmist looks back over his life and can think of many times when the unrighteous have been in positions of great power and influence. They had spread themselves like a green tree does in its natural environment. But one day passers by notice that they have gone. They cannot be found anywhere. They have been ‘cut off’.

37.37-38

SH ‘Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright,
For there is a happy end to the man of peace.
As for transgressors, they will be destroyed together,
The end of the wicked will be cut off.’

So let men observe those who are true to their God and are upright, those who walk in His ways. To these ‘men of peace’, men who do not love violence but prefer mediation and amity, there is a happy end, and a joyous destiny. But as for the unrighteous, for transgressors against God’s ways, they will all be destroyed together, for their destiny is to be ‘cut off’.

37.39-40

T But the salvation of the righteous is of YHWH,
He is their stronghold in the time of trouble,
And YHWH helps them, and rescues them,
He rescues them from the wicked, and saves them,
Because they have taken refuge in him.’

The Psalm closes with and assurance for the righteous, that is, for all true believers. They do not have to live lives of worry and concern for their salvation is in the hands of YHWH. Indeed their whole lives are in the hands of YHWH. When the time of trouble comes He is their stronghold. In Him they can find refuge. He is ever there to help them and to rescue them and to deliver them. Thus He rescues them from the unrighteous, and saves them as a result of the fact that they have taken refuge in Him and that their trust is in Him. They know that He will never let them down.

‘My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me, and I give to them eternal life, and they will never perish, and none will pluck them from My hand’ (John 10.27-28).

Psalm 38.

Heading.

‘A Psalm of David, to bring to remembrance.’

Compare the same description in Psalm 70. The thought may be that he wanted to bring to God’s remembrance the sufferers, whom He seems to have forgotten. Or it may refer to the fact that the Psalm would bring sinners to remembrance of their true deserts, were it not for the grace of God. Or it may have in mind that he wants to remember how God was with him in his extremity. Or it may have in mind that the Psalmist wants to bring men to remembrance of their own sinfulness. Consider how the verb is regularly used with reference to penitent self-recollection on the part of sinners. See for example 1 Kings 17.18: Ezekiel 21.24; 29.16; Numbers 5.15.

The Psalm is often described as a ‘penitential Psalm’, because if contains the idea of deep repentance at the thought of sin. It divides into three sections.

  • 1). In the first section he addresses God as ‘YHWH’, the covenant God, the One against Whom he has offended by not walking in accordance with His requirements.
  • 2). In the second he addresses God as ‘Lord’ (Adonai), the sovereign Lord, the One Who rules all the world and those who are in it.
  • 3). In the third he addresses God in terms of ‘O YHWH’ and ‘O Lord (Adonai) my God’, titles given in parallel, thus combining the two names and signifying both his covenant God and his sovereign Lord. And he finally ends the Psalm with ‘O YHWH’, ‘O my God’ and ‘O Lord’ (Adonai), bringing to mind the whole range of what YHWH is as his covenant God, as the God of creation (19.1-6) and as his sovereign Lord.

Analysis.

  • 1). The Psalmist describes the chastening that he is experiencing and acknowledges the heinousness of his sin that has brought this chastening on him (38.1-8).
  • 2). He looks to his sovereign Lord for help amidst his own desertion by even his friends and loved ones (38.9-14).
  • 3). He calls on YHWH his Lord for deliverance from his enemies in view of his own deep repentance and his confidence in the true faithfulness of YHWH, Who is his God and Lord (38.15-22).

1). The Psalmist Describes the Chastening that He is Experiencing and Acknowledges the Heinousness of His Sin (38.1-8).

He commences with a prayer that, while God may rebuke and chasten him as he deserves, He will not do it so much in anger as in grieved love (38.1). He cannot bear the thought that God could be wholly at odds with him. And he then goes on to describe the experience that he is going through, the depths of his spiritual anguish (38.2), his deep sense of sin (38.3-4), and the consequent spiritual chastening which he is enduring (38.5-8), because of what he has done. It is clear that he is going through a period of deep conviction of sin.

Whether he was actually physical experiencing fever and illness, or was simply describing his spiritual darkness of spirit in similar terms is debatable. But either way it was making him search out his heart before God. He was experiencing the chastening of God for the good of his soul (Hebrews 12.3-11).

38.1-2

‘O YHWH, rebuke me not in your wrath,
Nor chasten me in your hot displeasure.
For your arrows stick fast in me,
And your hand presses me sore.

Initially his prayer is to his covenant God, the One Whom he knows watches over him and cares for him. But he does not pray on the basis of a cosy relationship, for he knows that he has sinned, and sinned deeply. He knows that he must thus endure God’s displeasure. He does, however, know that he does it to One Who will welcome his repentance, and has the remedy for his sin. Chastening may be his lot, but he does not want it to turn out to be condemnation.

So as one who is enduring the hand of God pressing heavily on him, and as one who is aware of God’s arrows being fired at him, and ‘piercing his body’, an apt picture of the ways in which God brings home conviction of sin, he yet prays that God will deal with him in mercy and chastening rather than in wrath. Acknowledging fully that he is receiving his just deserts, he does not want to feel that God is dealing with him only in judgment. He accepts God’s rebukes, and God’s manifestation of displeasure, as just, but he wants to be able to see them in terms of the chastening of a stern Father, rather than as evidence that he is cut off from God’s mercy. Let YHWH then remember that He is his God, and not treat him as one for whom there is no forgiveness. Let Him rather have compassion on him in his failure.

38.3-4

There is no soundness in my flesh,
Because of your indignation,
Nor is there any health in my bones,
Because of my sin.
For my iniquities are gone over my head,
As a heavy burden they are too heavy for me.’

He describes the state in which he finds himself as God’s chastening strikes home. His chastening may have been spiritual chastening which is being described here in vivid pictorial language, or it may well have included physical illness as one of God’s means of chastening (1 Corinthians 11.30), but either way he is finding it difficult to cope with, not because of the fact of the spiritual pressure or the illness, but because of the deep underlying sense of the sin that was responsible for it. And this is because he is aware of God’s indignation against his sin, and feels totally corrupt. He feels as though his flesh is rotten, and that he has no vestige of life within him, no ‘life in his bones’. (The bones of a man were often seen as representing his inner man). He feels that he is ‘dead in his sin’. Indeed he feels that his iniquities are so heavy that they are weighing him down, and that they are so many that they are overwhelming him. They are flowing over his head as though he were drowning in a river of them. For the truth is that he has seen himself as he really is in God’s sight.

Thus in Paul’s words he could say, ‘in me, that is in my flesh, there is no good thing, for to will is present with me, but how to do what is good I cannot discover’ (Romans 7.18). And he really meant it. That is why he feels totally lost and unworthy, even though he knows in his heart that a merciful God will offer him hope.

Note the two contrasts, ‘because of Your indignation --- because of my sin’. Both are bringing home to him the poverty of his spiritual condition, something which he now describes in more detail.

38.5-8

My wounds are loathsome and corrupt,
Because of my foolishness.
I am pained and bowed down greatly,
I go mourning all the day long.
For my loins are filled with burning,
And there is no soundness in my flesh.
I am faint and sore bruised,
I have groaned by reason of the disquietness of my heart.’

He is so overwhelmed by his sense of sin that he sees himself as wounded, with wounds that are putrefying and becoming loathsome. And he knows that all this because of his own folly. He does not try to hide from the truth. He has been very foolish, and now he is being made conscious of his own utter unworthiness. Thus he feels within himself a terrible pain at the thought of how sinful he is, and the result is that he is utterly bowed down by it to the earth. All day long he mourns over his sin, unable to obtain a sense of being forgiven, and his very loins are filled with a sense of burning as though gripped with fever (which, in fact, he may well have been). He feels that his flesh is unsound, and he feels continually faint and sore bruised. To him at that moment it is as though he cannot escape from his sin, and as though there can be no forgiveness for it (although happily, deep within him, he knows that there is such forgiveness, simply because of the compassion and mercy of God. That is why he is praying). Thus he groans within himself because his heart is so disquieted. He is a man filled with a sense of his own unworthiness. Such is what happens to a man or woman when they come to a full awareness of the truth about themselves.

Some who have known such a sense of their sinfulness will recognise the picture only too well. Others may not have experienced such a deep sense of sin. But all must recognise that the pictures are describing the truth about our sins, whoever we are, whether we are conscious of it or not.

Thus we see that sin:

  • Results in our inner beings being unsound and unhealthy (verse 3).
  • Results in our being loathsome and corrupt because of our foolishness (verse 5).
  • Results in the destruction of our inner peace and confidence because of what we are (verses 6-8).

And this is true of us all even when we do not ourselves sense its awful effects. Men love darkness rather than light, because their deeds are evil (John 3.19). They do not want to be reminded of their sinfulness. But those who do the truth come to the light, even when it reveals to them what they are, because by coming to the light they can have their sins dealt with, while at the same time manifesting their true condition of heart.

So as we come to His light (1 John 1.5-6) our sinfulness must be recognised by us all, some to a greater extent than others, although happily in our case being then followed by thankfulness that the blood of Jesus Christ God’s Son, cleanses us from all sin (1 John 1.7). For the Psalmist that experience of such forgiveness still lies ahead.

  • 2). He Looks to His Sovereign Lord Amidst Even the Desertion of His Friends and Loved Ones (38.9-14).

    Up to this point the Psalmist’s emphasis has been on his own personal state. It is his state of heart that is the concern of his covenant God. But now he turns his thoughts outwards towards the outer world and its attitude towards him, and it is therefore to his ‘Sovereign Lord’ (adonai) that he now looks, the One Who rules over the affairs of men (although still as the One Who loves him and is concerned about him).

    He knows that his Lord knows what is happening to him, and he reminds Him of the number of people who are against him, even those whom he knows should be there to support him, all adding to his sense of sin. And they have deserted him and he is left friendless apart from his Lord. However he refuses to condemn them. Indeed he will not even rebuke them, for he knows that YHWH his Sovereign Lord is with him, and He will be his help.

    38.9-10

    ‘Lord, all my desire is before you,
    And my groaning is not hid from you.
    My heart throbs,
    My strength fails me,
    As for the light of my eyes,
    It also is gone from me.

    Almost at the end of his tether he yet knows that his Lord is aware of his situation. It is this that sustains him. He can say to Him, ‘You know the way that I take’ (Job 23.10), and be aware that it is true. For he is confident that his Sovereign Lord knows all his desires, and is aware of all his groanings. He recognises that God is aware how fast his heart is beating, and that God knows that his strength is failing him. Indeed God must surely recognise that the light has gone from his eyes and that he is, as it were, struggling in the darkness.

    38.11-12

    ‘My lovers and my friends stand aloof from my plague,
    And my kinsmen stand afar off.
    Those also who seek after my life lay snares for me,
    And those who seek my hurt speak mischievous things,
    And meditate deceits all the day long.’

    He knows that God is aware that his friends and relations have deserted him. That those who had professed to love him, including even his own kinsmen, are standing at a distance, not wanting to be associated with him because they see him as a political hazard, or even as being plague-ridden (whether really or symbolically). No one is ready to step in, in order to protect him. No one wants to be involved in a ticklish situation. It is an experience that many a man of God engaged in controversy has had to face when others have been fearful of standing with him.

    And meanwhile his enemies are laying snares in order to entrap him. And they have as their aim the taking of his life. He knows that they are slandering him, and speaking mischievous things about him. That lies and false rumours abound on their lips. And he is aware that all day long they plan their deceitful tactics in order to discredit him. It is clear that they are out to get him, no matter what evil methods they have to use.

    38.13-15

    ‘But I, as a deaf man, hear not,
    And I am as a dumb man who opens not his mouth.
    Yes, I am as a man who hears not,
    And in whose mouth are no reproofs.
    For in you, O YHWH, do I hope,
    You will answer, O Lord my God.’

    But the Psalmist refuses to be alarmed. He is not concerned by their lies and deceit, so his ears are deaf to their subtle words and calumnies. He will say nothing in his own defence, as though he was a man who had heard nothing, and had therefore nothing to reprove, or to plead in his own defence. While they may rail at him he will not retaliate against them. (This may suggest that had he wished to do so he could have gained vengeance on them). And why is he behaving in this magnanimous way? It is because his confidence is in his covenant God, and because he is confident that his Sovereign Lord will answer him in his need, and will bring him through his trial. All his attention is on his God, and thus his ears are deaf to all else.

    3). He Calls on YHWH his Lord for Deliverance from his Enemies in View of his Own Deep Repentance and his Confidence in the True Faithfulness to Him of YHWH, his God and Lord (38.15-22).

    As we have seen verse 15 concludes his previous thoughts and makes sense of them. But it also prepares the way for his further thought, and so we include it again here. It is because his hope is in his covenant God, and because he is sure that his Sovereign Lord will answer him, that he has such confidence in spite of his sin and his desertion by those around him. And we should note also that at the root of his confidence is the fact that, in spite of his admitted sinfulness, he basically follows the thing that is good (verse 20). Thus he knows that, while he may have been weak and foolish, his God knows that the set of his heart is true (verse 20). It is because God knows the underlying state of his heart that he can have such confidence in His mercy.

    38.15-18

    For in you, O YHWH, do I hope,
    You will answer, O Lord my God.’
    ‘For I said,
    Lest they rejoice over me,
    When my foot slips,
    They magnify themselves against me.
    For I am ready to fall,
    And my sorrow is continually before me.
    ‘For I will declare my iniquity,
    I will be sorry for my sin.

    And it is because of his confidence that YHWH is with him, and that his Sovereign Lord and God will answer him, that he can stand there without fear. That is why he can speak lightly of men rejoicing over him when his foot slips. For he knows that they will never really be able to rejoice over his final downfall because his God is with him.

    Nevertheless at present they speak boldly against him with their accusations, thinking that they really are about to bring about his downfall. They are sure that YHWH is on their side. But there is something that they are overlooking, and that is his genuine repentance before YHWH. For while they are making themselves so big against him and are ‘strutting their stuff’, he on his part is humbling himself before his God. He is openly declaring his iniquity, and expressing regret for his sin. Thus he is sure that in the end they can only fail, because God will be on his side.

    38.19-20

    But my enemies are lively, and are strong,
    And those who hate me wrongfully are multiplied.
    Those also who render evil for good, are adversaries to me,
    Because I follow the thing that is good.

    Nevertheless his enemies appear lively and strong. And now we come to the nub of the matter. While his enemies are lively and strong, those who hate him wrongfully are numerous, and they include among their number those who render evil for good. This reveals the fact that in the last analysis all their hatred is directed at him because he follows ‘the thing that is good’ (literally ‘for my following of good’). Now we know why he is confident that through YHWH he will triumph. It is because he is the one who alone is upholding YHWH’s truth and righteousness. He alone has the good of all in his mind. How then can YHWH not step in on his side?

    38.21

    ‘Forsake me not, O YHWH,
    O my God, be not far from me.
    Make haste to help me,
    O Lord, my salvation.

    And so he finishes his Psalm by calling confidently on his covenant God to help him, and not to forsake him. It is in this that his assurance lies, that YHWH at least will not forsake him. So although his friends and relatives might stand afar off from him (verse 11), and his enemies might act against him, he knows that God will not be far from him, and that He will act for him. Indeed, he is confident that He even then stands there ready to help him.

    That is finally why he knows that he can call on Him to make haste to help him as the One Who is Sovereign Lord, and especially as the One Who is Lord over his very much needed deliverance. He is the Lord, his salvation. And he knows therefore that his request will be answered. For his sovereign Lord is also his Saviour, He is his salvation, and his salvation is thus wholly of the Lord. And in view of that it cannot therefore fail.

    Psalm 39.

    Heading.

    ‘For the Chief Musician, for Jeduthun. A Psalm to/for David.’

    This Psalm is offered to the person responsible for the sacred music, or the choirmaster, and is of the Davidic collection. ‘To (or ‘for’) David’ may indicate that it was dedicated to David, written for the Davidic house, or even written by David himself.

    Jeduthun’s name appears also in the headings of Psalms 62 and 77. He is mentioned in 1 Chronicles 16.41ff; 25.1ff; 2 Chronicles 5.12; 35.15, along with Heman and Asaph, as one of the directors of the music in the Temple, and his descendants continued to officiate after the Exile (Nehemiah 11.17). His other name Ethan was probably his name before he was appointed (1 Chronicles 6.44ff; 15.17, 19).

    The Psalm appears to have been written while the Psalmist is going through a ‘near death’ illness, and divides into four sections:

    • 1). The Psalmist is determined not to say anything in the presence of the unrighteous that might give him occasion to criticise God. Once he is alone, however, he cannot keep silent (39.1-3).
    • 2). His concern is with his awareness of his own frailty and of the fact that life appears on the whole to be vain and that a man does not know what will happen to the possessions that he has built up once he is dead. Thus as he lies on his sickbed it raises the question of the very meaning of life (39.4-6).
    • 3). His solution lies in hoping in YHWH and walking rightly before Him, being delivered from all his transgressions. Meanwhile therefore he prays that YHWH will restore him to health, while recognising that he himself through his illness experience is being corrected for his own sins (39.7-11).
    • 4). Recognising the brevity of a man’s life on this earth in comparison with God’s he prays that he may be restored and given a little more time before his life is finally over so that he can make good use of it.

    1). The Psalmist is determined not to say anything in the presence of unrighteous people that might give them occasion to criticise God. Once he is alone, however, he cannot keep silent (39.1-3).

    39.1

    ‘I said, I will take heed to my ways,
    That I sin not with my tongue,
    I will keep my mouth with a bridle,
    While the wicked person is before me.’

    The Psalmist declares that he will ‘keep his ways’. That is, he will watch over them and control them. And his aim and purpose is in order that he might not sin with his tongue by bringing his doubts about life before the unrighteous while they are in his presence, or alternatively by bringing his doubts about the unrighteous who are in his thoughts, before men. The latter problem was a constant one in the Psalms. Why did the unrighteous flourish?

    So he determines to keep a bridle on his tongue, lest he say anything that brings dishonour on God. Wise is the man or woman who keeps a watch over what comes from their mouths.

    39.2-3

    ‘I was dumb with silence,
    I held my peace, even from good,
    And my sorrow was stirred.
    My heart was hot within me,
    While I was musing the fire burned,
    Then spoke I with my tongue.’

    Thus he was ‘dumb with silence’, saying nothing, even about what was good, lest he slip up with his tongue. But such was the force of the thoughts that were flowing into his mind, that his sorrow was stirred, and his heart was hot within him. His meditations were so powerful that they were too much for him to hold in. And thus while he was musing a fire burned in his heart, and in the end he could no longer keep silence.

    2). His concern was with his awareness of his own frailty and of the fact that life appears on the whole to be vain and that a man does not know what will happen to the possessions that he has built up once he is dead. Thus as he lies on his sickbed it raises the question of the very meaning and purpose of life (39.4-6).

    39.4-5

    ‘YHWH, make me to know my end,
    And the measure of my days, what it is,
    Let me know how frail I am.
    Behold, you have made my days as handbreadths,
    And my lifetime is as nothing before you,

    He calls on YHWH to bring home to him how short his life is, what the measure of his days is, and how frail he is. Indeed he recognises that each of his days are but a handsbreadth, a tiny length of time in the great ocean of time, and that his whole life from start to finish is as nothing before God.

    39.6

    Surely every man at his best estate,
    Is altogether vanity.’ Selah.
    Only in an image does a man walk,
    Only (for) a breath do they make a noise,
    He heaps up riches,
    And knows not who will gather them.

    And meanwhile what value does that life have? Even at a man’s very best it is simply vanity. Man’s life is like a dream, a passing image, only for a fleeting breath can men make a noise and enjoy themselves. And during this passing dream he builds up wealth and possessions only for them to fall into other hands in a way which is out of his control. And who knows what they will do with them? Such is life without God.

    3). His solution lies in hoping in YHWH and walking rightly before Him, being delivered from all his transgressions. Meanwhile therefore he prays that YHWH will restore him to health, while recognising that he himself through his illness experience is being corrected for his own sins (39.7-11).

    39.7-8

    ‘And now, Lord, what do I wait for?
    My hope is in you.
    Deliver me from all my transgressions,
    Make me not the reproach of the foolish.

    His solution lies in hoping in YHWH. He recognises that that is what he is waiting for. If there is any solution it is to be found in God, and in living for Him. So he prays that he might be delivered from all his transgressions, and might live a life that cannot be reproached by the foolish (those who themselves ignore God - Psalm 14.1), a life pleasing to God.

    39.9

    ‘I was dumb, I opened not my mouth,
    Because you did it.

    Here the suggestion appears to be that he was struck dumb with wonder as he recognised that God had done what he asked. He had delivered him for his transgressions and from all reproach, and had responded to his hope. He had brought him peace and rest in the recognition that his life was in God’s hands.

    39.10-11

    Remove your stroke away from me,
    I am consumed by the blow of your hand.
    When you with rebukes correct man for iniquity,
    You make his beauty to consume away like a moth,
    Surely every man is vanity.’ Selah.

    So he now prays that he might recover from his illness. For his illness had dragged him down and almost devoured him, as by a blow from God’s hand. The result of this rebuke from God, which had been in order to correct him from his sinful ways, was that he had become but a shadow of his former self. He had become, as it were, moth-eaten. And it had revealed to him how vain life in itself was.

    4). Recognising the brevity of a man’s life on this earth, in comparison with God’s, he prays that he may be restored and given a little more time before his life is finally over so that he can make good use of it.

    39.12

    Hear my prayer, O YHWH,
    And give ear to my cry,
    Hold not your peace at my tears,
    For I am a stranger with you,
    A sojourner,
    As all my fathers were.
    Oh spare me, that I may recover strength,
    Before I go hence, and am no more.

    The idea behind these words is that the earth is God’s, and we enter into it but briefly, as though we were mere immigrants with only a short time to dwell on the earth, before finally going on our way from here and being no longer on it, God being the only One Who has permanence here.

    This idea of being a sojourner is applied by Abraham to himself (Genesis 23.4), by Moses to all Israel, considered as the feudal subjects and dependents of YHWH (Leviticus 25.23) and by David to himself and his contemporaries (1 Chronicles 29.15). All saw themselves as just ‘passing through’.

    Thus he prays for the restoration of his strength so that he might fulfil his days on earth, before he must finally depart from it. He wants to be able to make the best use of the time he has left. The Psalm gives no indication of what lies beyond (unlike, for example Psalms 16.11; 17.15; 23.6), but it does exude a confidence and faith in God that is in line with those ideas. He simply rests his hope in God. Peter applies this idea of the ‘stranger and sojourner’ to the Christian as he goes through life towards his heavenly home (1 Peter 2.11).

    Psalm 40.

    Heading.

    ‘For the Chief Musician. A Psalm to/for David.’

    This Psalm is offered to the person responsible for the sacred music, or the choirmaster, and is of the Davidic collection. ‘To (or ‘for’) David’ may indicate that it was dedicated to David, written for the Davidic house, or even written by David himself.

    The Psalm in its final form appears to have been presented by David to the Chief Musician for use in the worship in the Tabernacle. It very much reflects a certain period in his life, when he experienced God’s merciful deliverances only to find himself then plunged into even worse troubles. (See 1 Samuel 19.1-27.12). It divides into a number of sections, the last of which (40.13-17) is paralleled in Psalm 70. But the letter may well be an extract from the Psalm for use in public worship.

    The Psalm commences with a cry of triumph as he is delivered from some predicament, which has resulted in his being inspired to compose and sing a new song (40.1-3), and it continues with a period of consolidation in which he can rejoice in God’s works (40.4-5) leading up to his dedication of himself to follow God’s will as revealed in His Instruction (40.6-8), something which results in his declaring God’s faithfulness to all the assembled people (40.9-10).

    But then comes a period of trouble in which he is very much aware that his own sins are overwhelming him, a period in which his enemies are seeking to take full advantage of him, and he brings the Psalm to its conclusion in the confidence that God will deliver him out of it, in spite of his undeserving, because He is his Helper and Deliverer.

    It is a reminder that there are many ups and downs in life, and of our need in the midst of them to give ourselves wholly to God, whatever the future holds. It is a reminder that while such dedication might lead us into even more troubles, it also certain that through such troubles we will learn that God is our Helper and Deliverer too. The idea that God’s people must rejoice in such tribulation, that is tribulation that brings them closer to God, is prominent in the New Testament (see Romans 5.1-5; Hebrews 12.2-13; James 1.2-12; 1 Peter 1.6-7).

    The Psalm follows a regular pattern found in many prayers, especially those of spiritual people facing severe difficulties who do not just want to be seen as launching straight into a begging session. It is a pattern of true prayer. It begins with a consideration of God’s mercies, accompanied by an expression of gratitude for them, followed by a statement of confidence in His faithfulness. It then results in a rededication to His service, and an assertion by the worshipper that he will give faithful testimony to others about what God has done, before launching into a declaration of an awareness of present sin and into a plea for help in the particular difficulties being faced. And it ends with a call for God not to delay in acting in mercy, but to help him in spite of his undeserving. It is thus a well rounded prayer.

    We can analyse it as follows:

    • David Rejoices In His Past Deliverance Because He Believes That It Will Cause Many To Trust In YHWH (40.1-3).
    • He Declares That The Man Who Does So Trust In YHWH, And Lives Accordingly, Will Experience God’s Wonderful Working On His Behalf (40.4-5).
    • He Recognises That In Order For A Man To Express His Gratitude to God Religious Observances Are Not Enough, And That What God Requires Of Him Is Total Obedience to His Will, Something To Which He Gladly Accedes (40.6-8).
    • He Assures God That He Has Been Faithful In His Testimony Towards His Fellow Believers About God’s Goodness And Faithfulness Towards Them, Which Is Of Course An Essential Part Of His Obedience (40.9-10).
    • Having Thereby Established His Gratitude And Loyalty And The Faithfulness Of His Testimony With Regard to God, He Now Seeks God’s Aid In Helping Him With Regard To His Own Sinfulness And Prays Also For Assistance Against Those Who Are His Enemies (40.11-15).
    • He Ends Up By Depicting Who Are The Truly Righteous, To Whom He Knows YHWH Will Provide Help, And While Not Seeing Himself As Comparing With Them, Nevertheless Looks To God For Him Also To Help Him (40.16-17).

    David Rejoices In His Past Deliverance Because He Believes That It Will Cause Many To Trust In YHWH (40.1-3).

    40.1-3

    ‘I waited in patient waiting for YHWH,
    And he inclined to me, and heard my cry.
    He brought me up also out of a horrible pit,
    Out of the miry clay,
    And he set my feet upon a rock,
    And established my goings.’
    And he has put a new song in my mouth,
    Even praise to our God.
    Many will see it, and fear,
    And will trust in YHWH.’
    .

    As David looks back to past trial he describes how he had waited patiently and trustingly for YHWH, and how YHWH had bent down to him and had heard his cry. He had lifted him from the ‘pit of tumult’ and from the miry clay, and had set his feet on a rock and had established his goings.

    The picture is a vivid one of a man struggling in a quagmire and being rescued from it by being drawn out onto a rock. But the quagmire is a quagmire of worldly problems, being faced up to in a tumultuous world that would seek to drag us down. It can however be seen as any troubles with which we might be beset as we struggle to face up to the quagmire of life. And the promise is that, as He did with David, God will lift us out from them to a place of safety and security. He will set our feet on a rock, where the ground is firm beneath our feet, so that we might continue on securely.

    The result was that David, ‘the sweet Psalmist of Israel’, found himself with a new song on his mouth, a song of praise to ‘our God’. The use of ‘our’ indicates that he wants all to join with him in praise. For his purpose in the song is that men may see what has happened and be filled with reverent awe and love, and may thus learn to trust in God.

    He Declares That The Man Who Does So Trust In YHWH, And Lives Accordingly, Will Experience God’s Wonderful Working On His Behalf (40.4-5).

    40.4-5

    ‘Blessed is the man who makes YHWH his trust,
    And respects not the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies.
    Many, O YHWH my God, are the wonderful works which you have done,
    And your thoughts which are to us-ward,
    They cannot be set in order to you,
    If I would declare and speak of them,
    They are more than can be numbered.’

    David now outlines the blessedness of those who do so trust in God, and thus turn from all sinful ways. They do not listen to those proud men who in their pride ignore God and would lead them astray, nor do they listen to those who would lead them into dishonesty and deceit, for God has made their thoughts pure.

    For such people God performs many wonderful things, and His thoughts and purposes are continually loving towards them. Indeed what He will do for them is so vast and so manifold that it cannot be tabulated or numbered. It is more than can possibly be sorted out into some sort of sequences in order that it can be described. For one thing multiplies and tumbles over on another, and then another, so that His actions towards them are beyond listing or counting.

    He Recognises That In Order For A Man To Express His Gratitude to God Religious Observances Are Not Enough, And That What God Requires Of Him Is Total Obedience to His Will, Something To Which He Gladly Accedes (40.6-8).

    40.6-8

    ‘Sacrifice and offering you have no delight in,
    My ears have you provided (literally ‘dug for me’),
    Burnt-offering and sin-offering you have not required.
    Then said I, Lo, I am come, in the roll of the book it is written of me,
    I delight to do your will, O my God,
    Yes, your law is within my heart.’

    He affirms that he has used his God-provided ears (the ears that God has dug for him) in order to listen to what God has to say, and has recognised that God requires not simply religious observance, but an obedient heart. He had no doubt heard of the words of Samuel to Saul, which would have echoed throughout the land. ‘Has YHWH as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of YHWH. Behold to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams’ (1 Samuel 15.22). And he wants YHWH to know that he will use the ears that He has given him in order to listen.

    The whole range of offerings and sacrifices are in mind. Both the blood sacrifices and the meal offerings, and including those most important of offerings, the wholly offered burnt offerings and the sin offerings. All are required by YHWH for the purposes of atonement, but they are not sufficient in themselves. What is more important than all is an obedient heart (compare Isaiah 1.11-18).

    And he wants YHWH to know that his obedience is such that the guarantee of it is in writing, for it is written in a book, ‘Lo I am come, I delight to do your will O my God, yes, your Instruction is in my heart’.

    The reference may be to his own private record of his own dedication of himself, including some of his psalms, or to the Book of Deuteronomy, or indeed to the whole of the Instruction of Moses (the Pentateuch). But the fact that it is recorded in writing is seen as giving it more force. (For ‘roll of a book’ compare Jeremiah 36.2, 4; Ezekiel 2.9. In both cases what was written was of immense import).

    What is written, however is more important than where it is written. And what is written is that he will come to God, and will with great delight obey Him fully from the heart. This is what is required of all men, to do the will of God (compare Psalm 19.7-14), and have His Instruction written in their heart (compare Jeremiah 31.33). And when the words are applied to our Lord Jesus Christ, great David’s greater son, the book is the Scriptures, and the obedience is according to the eternal will of God, but carried out through suffering by our Lord Himself in order that He might be a perfect and complete sacrifice (Hebrews 10.5-14).

    He Declares to God That He Has Been Faithful In His Testimony Towards His Fellow Believers About God’s Goodness And Faithfulness, Which Is Of Course An Essential Part Of His Obedience (40.9-10).

    40.9-10

    ‘I have proclaimed glad tidings of righteousness in the great assembly,
    Lo, I will not refrain my lips, O YHWH, you know.
    I have not hid your righteousness within my heart,
    I have declared your faithfulness and your salvation,
    I have not concealed your lovingkindness,
    And your truth from the great assembly.’

    He declares that in the assembly and worship of the people of God he has proclaimed glad tidings of ‘righteousness’. In mind here are probably God’s righteous acts in delivering His people from Philistine oppression through him (e.g. 1 Samuel 6.6-9, 30). We must remember here that the ideas of ‘righteousness’ and ‘salvation’ are regularly seen in parallel. And he assures God that he will not refrain from doing so, so that all the glory might go to YHWH, something that he is assured God already knows.

    Thus he can quite honestly declare that he has not hidden the truth about God’s righteous activity in his heart, but has faithfully declared his faithfulness and deliverance to all. Nor has he concealed God’s covenant love or His truth from them in the great assembly. In other words he assures God that he has made quite clear to the people how much they owe to God in His faithfulness and love, for their deliverance.

    Having Established His Gratitude And Loyalty And The Faithfulness Of His Testimony With Regard to God, He Now Seeks God’s Aid In Helping Him With Regard To His Own Sinfulness And Prays Also For Assistance Against Those Who Are His Enemies (40.11-15).

    40.11-12

    ‘Do not withhold your tender mercies from me, O YHWH,
    Let your lovingkindness and your truth continually preserve me.
    For innumerable evils have compassed me about,
    My iniquities have overtaken me, so that I am not able to look up,
    They are more than the hairs of my head,
    And my heart has failed me.’

    It is one of David’s outstanding characteristics that when he faces trouble he recognises how many of his problems are due to his own sinfulness. Thus he does not just blame Saul or the world for his problems, or even God, but acknowledges that much of his trouble stems from his own behaviour.

    So as he prays for the help of a gracious and merciful God, and in doing so acknowledges His compassion and truth in all that He does, he recognises that much of his trouble results from his own iniquities. If only he had been more humble, and not so willing to encourage the plaudits of the crowds (1 Samuel 18.6-8), if only he had not made such great demands in the face of what God had accomplished through him, by wanting to marry the king’s daughter (1 Samuel 18.27-28), if only he had been more thoughtful in his behaviour, if only he had not been so proud, and so vain, and so greedy, perhaps he might not have been in this position in which he found himself. Thus he recognises how much his own sins have multiplied and rebounded on himself. And his heart fails within him.

    40.13-15

    ‘Be pleased, O YHWH, to deliver me,
    Make haste to help me, O YHWH.
    Let them be put to shame and confounded together,
    Who seek after my soul to destroy it.
    Let them be turned backward and brought to dishonour,
    That delight in my hurt.
    Let them be desolate by reason of their shame,
    Who say to me, Aha, aha.’

    Nevertheless the greater sin is with his opponents. And so he calls on YHWH to deliver him and hurry to his aid. Let those who seek after him to destroy him find themselves confounded. Let those who delight in his hurt be driven back and brought to dishonour. Let those who mock him and seek to shame him, themselves be desolate because of their own shame. For YHWH will be aware how much of it is their own fault, and indeed is what they deserve. His confidence lies in the fact of his own trust in God, and in his own faithfulness and obedience to God previously revealed (verses 1-10). He is sure that YHWH will be on his side because he is faithful to His covenant requirements and always grateful to Him for His help.

    He Ends Up By Depicting Who Are The Truly Righteous, To Whom He Knows YHWH Will Provide Help, And While Not Seeing Himself As Comparing With Them, Nevertheless Looks To God For Him Also To Help Him (40.16-17).

    He closes the Psalm by turning men’s attention away from him to YHWH. He wants them to look at God and honour Him, and recognise that their safety, security and blessings came from His hands. And he hopes that there will be a little left for himself.

    One of the tests of a truly righteous man is that he does not see himself as righteous. He is deeply aware of his own failings. And so it was with David. He was one of the most moral and righteous men of his times (in spite of the black spots) and yet he saw himself as simply ‘poor and needy’, and indeed could not fully understand why the Lord bothered about him. But he knew that He did and he rejoiced in it.

    40.16-17

    ‘Let all those who seek you rejoice,
    And be glad in you.
    Let such as love your salvation say continually,
    “YHWH be magnified”.
    But I am poor and needy,
    Yet the Lord thinks upon me,
    You are my help and my deliverer,
    Make no tarrying, O my God.’

    He closes by calling on God to ensure that the righteous receive what they ‘deserve’, God’s security, protection and provision. Let those who see Him, be glad in Him (because He has faithfully provided for them), let those who love his salvation constantly be able to say, ‘YHWH be magnified’ (because they know and are aware that YHWH has truly saved them).

    And then his humility comes out in that he, the chosen of YHWH, is so surprised that his Sovereign Lord (Adonai) thinks on someone so poor and needy as he is. But in his heart he knows that He does, and so he calls on Him as his God not to delay, but to come to him, bringing him help and deliverance, and he does so with full confidence in his heart (‘yet the Lord thinks on me’).

    Psalm 41.

    Heading.

    For the Chief Musician. A Psalm to/for David.

    This Psalm is offered to the person responsible for the sacred music, or the choirmaster, and is of the Davidic collection. ‘To (or ‘for’) David’ may indicate that it was dedicated to David, written for the Davidic house, or even written by David himself.

    The Psalm opens with David bewailing an illness which has left him in a weak state, and declaring that those who have consideration for him in that state will be blessed by YHWH. Indeed, he declares that it is YHWH Who will support him on his sickbed, and is in process of restoring him (‘has turned his lying down in his sickness’).

    He frankly admits that his suffering is partly due to his sinfulness, and asks for God’s mercy to be shown to him, but at the same time he bewails the fact that his enemies are taking advantage of the situation and are speaking against him, hoping for his death. They come to see him, as befits a king, but it is clear that it is all a false front, and is simply so that they can talk glibly to him, and then take lying tales about his situation to the outer world, where there is much whispering and expectation of his death.

    What saddens him most is that even one who was close to him, whom he had trusted, and who had eaten bread with him, had proved false.

    He prays that YHWH will raise him up from his sickbed, and enable him to requite himself on such enemies. Indeed he is so certain that this will be so that he considers that it demonstrates that YHWH delights in him, something further proved by the assurance that he has that YHWH will not allow his enemies to triumph over him. And he closes the Psalm by expressing his confidence that God will uphold him in his integrity, and will indeed set him before His face for ever.

    Many relate it to the machinations and plottings of Absalom as being at a time when David was going through a severe illness. Such an illness would explain why he was caught so totally unawares. The treacherous friend is then seen as being Ahithophel. But the very dedication of the Psalm to the Chief Musician gives it a ‘universal’ application to believers.

    Blessing Is Pronounced On The One Who Considers The Sick King In His Illness, And A Prayer Is Made For The Deliverance And Recovery Of The Sick King (41.1-3).

    41.1-3

    ‘Blessed is he who considers the weak,
    YHWH will deliver him in the day of evil.
    YHWH will preserve him,
    And will keep him alive,
    And he will be blessed on the earth.
    And do not deliver him to the will of his enemies.
    YHWH will support him on the couch of languishing,
    You have turned his lying down in his sickness.’

    This first section of the book of Psalms commenced with a declaration of blessedness, on those who meditate in God’s Instruction day and night, and here it ends with a description of the blessedness of those who give consideration to the weak. We may think in terms of, ‘blessed are the merciful, for they will obtain mercy’ (Matthew 5.7).

    That David sees himself as one of the weak and needy has already come out in 40.17, so that in the first instance it is David who is in mind. He was clearly going through a severe illness, severe enough for his enemies to hope that it would bring about his end.

    God’s blessing on those who consider the weak and helpless is considered to be threefold:

    • He will deliver him in the day of evil so that he might escape the worst of that evil, in the same way as he himself seeks to deliver the weak and helpless from evil.
    • He will preserve him and keep him alive, just as he seeks to keep alive the weak and helpless.
    • Such a one will be blessed on the earth, because he has been a blessing.

    ‘And do not deliver him to the will of his enemies. YHWH will support him on the couch of languishing. You have turned his lying down in his sickness.’ This may be seen as continuing the thought of the first line (with lines 2-5 being seen as an interjection), thus being a prayer for the weak and helpless that he might not be delivered to the will of his enemies, and confidently asserting YHWH’s support for him on his sick bed, and declaring that the illness has turned so that he will soon now recover from his sickness. Or the sixth line may be seen as a prayer for the one being blessed, and a request that he too might be helped when he is ill.

    Thus we have here a prayer of gratitude for the aid provided to a person in their illness by those who have their interests at heart, which includes the desire that they might be blessed. Such people were very important in David’s case because they were maintaining the kingdom and keeping his throne safe.

    The Psalmist Acknowledges That His Problems Partly Arise Because Of His Own Sinfulness, And Then Explains To YHWH About The Behaviour Of His Enemies (41.4-9).

    41.4

    ‘I said, O YHWH, have mercy on me,
    Heal my soul, for I have sinned against you.

    Lying on his sick bed the Psalmist has been made to face up to his own sins. And he confesses his sin to God and prays that He will have mercy on him and heal him wholly within. There is nothing like an illness for making us face up to the truth about ourselves.

    41.5-8

    My enemies speak evil against me, saying,
    “When will he die, and his name perish?”
    And if he come to see me,
    He speaks falsehood,
    His heart gathers iniquity to itself,
    When he goes abroad, he tells it.’
    ‘All who hate me whisper together against me,
    Against me do they devise my hurt.
    “An evil disease,” say they, “cleaves fast to him,
    And now that he lies he will rise up no more.”

    He explains to God the behaviour of his enemies towards him;

    • They are looking forward to his death, constantly asking how soon it will come.
    • They come to see him, pretending to be loyal, when all the time he knows very well that once they leave his sick room they spread abroad anything that is derogatory to him and continually add to the rumours of his soon demise.

    Behind his words there clearly lies a plea that God will observe their behaviour and counteract it.

    ‘An evil disease.’ Literally ‘a thing of Belial’. They might have intended by this that in their view David was stricken because of his wickedness. Thus his death must be seen as certain.

    41.9

    ‘Yes, my own familiar friend, in whom I trusted,
    Who did eat of my bread,
    Has lifted up his heel against me.’

    What grieves him most is that one of his closest friends, to whom he has demonstrated such love and generosity, even inviting him to the king’s g’s table, has taken the part of his enemies and has acted against him.

    In John 13.18 these words are applied by Jesus to the behaviour of Judas. He was saying that what had happened to David himself, had also now happened to great David’s greater son. It was the fate of all who truly served God.

    He Prays For Healing And Expresses His Certainty That God Will Help Him Against His Enemies, Confident Also That God Upholds His Integrity And Has Indeed Set Him Before His Face For Ever (41.10-12).

    41.10-12

    ‘But you, O YHWH, have mercy on me, and raise me up,
    That I may requite them.
    By this I know that you delight in me,
    Because my enemy does not triumph over me.’
    ‘And as for me, you uphold me in my integrity,
    And set me before your face for ever.’

    The Psalmist prays that God will heal him and raise him up so that he might deal with his enemies as they deserve and maintain the throne for YHWH (we must remember that they were seeking to introduce the dreadful evil of civil war into his kingdom), and expresses his joy in recognising that his deliverance reveals that God delights in him. It demonstrates that God is upholding him in his integrity, and has set him before His face for ever.

    We should note that the reason that he does expect God to uphold him is because of his integrity. It is not simply because he is God’s ‘favourite’ as such, but because he is also loyal and true to YHWH and walks in His ways. That indeed is why He sets him before His face for ever. To be ‘set before His face for ever’ is to be living in His presence and under His protection, knowing that His eye is ever upon him, both now and for ever. We note here again David’s assurance of God’s eternal interest in him (compare 16.11; 17.15; 23.6). This is especially emphatic in the light of the following reference to ‘from everlasting to everlasting’. He has at this moment eternity in his heart.

    41.13

    Blessed be YHWH, the God of Israel,
    From everlasting and to everlasting. Amen, and Amen.

    The Psalm then ends with words which not only conclude the Psalm but also the whole section. They declare a blessing on YHWH the God of Israel from everlasting to everlasting. May He be blessed and praised for ever! Amen and amen.

    Final Thoughts On The Psalm.

    It is interesting how much of this Psalm might be seen as applying to the life of our Lord Jesus Christ.