Psalm 40- Salvation

Psalm 40 New King James Version (NKJV)

Faith Persevering in Trial

To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.

40 I waited patiently for the Lord;
And He inclined to me,
And heard my cry.
2 He also brought me up out of a horrible pit,
Out of the miry clay,
And set my feet upon a rock,
And established my steps.
3 He has put a new song in my mouth—
Praise to our God;
Many will see it and fear,
And will trust in the Lord.

4 Blessed is that man who makes the Lord his trust,
And does not respect the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies.
5 Many, O Lord my God, are Your wonderful works
Which You have done;
And Your thoughts toward us
Cannot be recounted to You in order;
If I would declare and speak of them,
They are more than can be numbered.

6 Sacrifice and offering You did not desire;
My ears You have opened.
Burnt offering and sin offering You did not require.
7 Then I said, “Behold, I come;
In the scroll of the book it is written of me.
8 I delight to do Your will, O my God,
And Your law is within my heart.”

9 I have proclaimed the good news of righteousness
In the great assembly;
Indeed, I do not restrain my lips,
O Lord, You Yourself know.
10 I have not hidden 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.

11 Do not withhold Your tender mercies from me, O Lord;
Let Your lovingkindness and Your truth continually preserve me.
12 For innumerable evils have surrounded me;
My iniquities have overtaken me, so that I am not able to look up;
They are more than the hairs of my head;
Therefore my heart fails me.

13 Be pleased, O Lord, to deliver me;
O Lord, make haste to help me!
14 Let them be ashamed and brought to mutual confusion
Who seek to destroy my life;
Let them be driven backward and brought to dishonor
Who wish me evil.
15 Let them be confounded because of their shame,
Who say to me, “Aha, aha!”

16 Let all those who seek You rejoice and be glad in You;
Let such as love Your salvation say continually,
“The Lord be magnified!”
17 But I am poor and needy;
Yet the Lord thinks upon me.
You are my help and my deliverer;
Do not delay, O my God.

I read this and can't help but meditate on how great a gift salvation is. Nothing we can do can earn us or obtain for us salvation. It is completely by God's will for us, by God's way for us, His gift of love, grace and mercy to us. We cry out and He hears, He heals, He forgives, He redeems, He saves. Nothing in my hand I bring only to Your cross I cling. 

All His work: He inclined to me, He heard my cry, He brought me up out of the pit, He set my feet upon the rock, He established my steps, He put a new song in my mouth. 

That new song is the Spirit in us that sings out Praise to our God, which we can only say when we are redeemed, forgiven and saved. No one can say Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit (1Cor.12:3). And why does He do this? So others will see it and fear and trust in the Lord. How will they know if nobody goes, How will they hear if nobody speaks? (Romans 10:14). 

How vital to recognize the importance in following only the Lord, to put no man, woman, sect, denomination, organization or other idols above God and His Word (verse 4).

Again the Psalmist stresses there is nothing he can do to earn salvation. Verse 5 his way sacrifices and offerings. "My ears You have opened...Then I said..." God brings us to repentance, the free gift of faith. Not by any works we can do only by His will.

Then the regenerate, saved heart delights to do God's will. Not to earn anything from God, not for selfish motives, but for the joy of knowing the Lord. 

The Spirit within cannot be silenced. It delights to declare God's righteousness, faithfulness and lovingkindness to all. As on the day of Pentecost when the Spirit arrived with tongues of fire to do one thing- declare the wonders of God for all to hear in their own languages.

Still with all the boldness of the Lord within Him the Psalmist knows he is a sinner and unworthy of God's love and mercy, and bowing in humbleness before God pleads for forgiveness (vs 12 my iniquities).

My favorite verse 16 emphasizes the Lord's working of salvation in life. An ongoing process of sanctification. The "purpose driven life" is all about this, to continually say "The Lord be magnified." Not about me, not any work I could ever do no matter how great it might seem in man's eyes. It could never be greater than this one thing "The Lord be magnified." 

While we are here on this earth we will always be poor and needy. What amazing grace that God still thinks upon us and delivers us. 

It is said we live in an age of instant gratification, but even on this point the eagerness of the heart for God to intervene immediately was a cry in David's heart just as it has been in all hearts throughout time. This one thing never changes. Even so, come Lord Jesus (Rev. 22:20).