Posted inCounsel the Word Counseling Psalms

A Plea from the Pit (Psalm 40)

October 31, 2023
A Plea from the Pit (Psalm 40)

Read Psalm 40:

A Psalm of David.

1 I waited patiently for the LORD; he inclined to me and heard my cry. 2 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. 3 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. 4 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!

5 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. 6 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. 7 Then I said, “Behold, I have come; in the scroll of the book it is written of me: 8 I delight to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart.” 9 I have told the glad news of deliverance in the great congregation; behold, I have not restrained my lips, as you know, O LORD. 10 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.

11 As for you, O LORD, you will not restrain your mercy from me; your steadfast love and your faithfulness will ever preserve me! 12 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. 13 Be pleased, O LORD, to deliver me! O LORD, make haste to help me! 14 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! 15 Let those be appalled because of their shame who say to me, “Aha, Aha!” 16 But may all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you; may those who love your salvation say continually, “Great is the LORD!” 17 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!

To the choirmaster.

Understand Psalm 40:

David’s troubles (Pss 37-39) lead to triumph (Ps 40) as he recalls a previous time when God rescued him (vv. 1-4), testifies to his personal faithfulness (vv. 5-10), then calls for the Lord to save him once again (vv. 11-17). David’s plea from the pit can be echoed by any believer who faces difficult circumstances today.

A.    Previous Salvation (vv. 1–4)

During a previous trial, David “waited patiently for the LORD” (v. 1a; 37:34; 38:15; 39:7) until Yahweh heard his cry and bent down to face him like a Father who loves his child (40:1b).[1] Thus, Yahweh blessed his servant with both deliverance and delight: “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” (vv. 2-3a). This pit remains deliberately ambiguous to represent both physical and metaphorical dangers. David would then introduce this “new song” to Israel, including Psalm 40 and other expressions of praise.[2]

As David rejoices in God’s salvation, “many will see and fear, and put their trust in the LORD” (v. 3b). Sinners cannot follow the Lord unless first they fear him. Thus, David proclaims, “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!” (v. 4; see 1:1).

We, likewise, testify to God’s marvelous attributes and actions as we praise him for saving us from sin and all its consequences. We magnify his glory when we turn to him instead of human pride and false gods of our own making. Remembering how God rescued us from the “pit” will place a new song in our heart to carry us through the day.

B.    Personal Faithfulness (vv. 5–10)[3]

David marvels at Yahweh’s many wonders: “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” (40:5). Forgiven sinners become faithful witnesses to a faithful God.

David also magnifies the priority of heart obedience before outward rituals: “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” (v. 6).[4] Sacrifice is necessary to make provision for sinners, but heartfelt obedience is God’s first choice. So, instead of slaughtering animals, David offers himself as a willing bondservant to the Lord.[5] His undiminished praise and delight to do God’s will springs forth from a transformed heart (v. 8; see Prov 4:23). Five more times, he will testify, “I have told. . . . I have not restrained my lips. . . . 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” (vv. 9-10). The good news of salvation must be proclaimed as surely as it is received.

David points to Christ as the servant of the Lord and the fulfillment of the messianic prophecies: “Behold, I have come; in the scroll of the book it is written of me” (v. 7; 2 Sam 7). Jesus is the One of whom Moses wrote—the new and better David—the eternal King of Israel (John 5:46; Luke 24:27, 44-45). Jesus alone could perfectly say that he waited patiently on the Lord: “I delight to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart” (Ps 40:8; John 6:38). Jesus alone offered himself as the once for all sacrifice for sin (Lev 1-4; Heb 10:10). Jesus alone descended into that pit of death on our behalf until his Father drew him up and set him firmly on the rock. In Christ Jesus, then, we sing his new song of praise within our hearts, so that “many will see and fear, and put their trust in the LORD.”

C.     Plea for Deliverance (vv. 11-17)

David concludes Psalm 40 by pleading once again for God’s deliverance from sin and all its consequences: “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!” (vv. 11-13).[6] David cries out for justice against his enemies (vv. 14-15) and gladness for God’s people: “But may all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you; may those who love your salvation say continually, ‘Great is the LORD!’” (v. 16). He acknowledges his need before the Lord with a humble plea: “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!” (v. 17).

Apply Psalm 40:

  1. What kind of “pit” has God rescued you from in the past?
    • Life dominating sin and all its consequences
    • Despair or personal defeat
    • Physical or emotional distress
    • Difficult circumstances
  2. Meditate on the marvelous plans, words, and deeds of the Lord. What makes him more worthy of your trust than human pride or the false gods of your own making (vv. 4-5)?
  3. Why does the Lord delight in heart obedience more than external rituals (vv. 6-7)? What then is the purpose for offerings and sacrifices? Do your words and actions in worship rightly reflect the state of your heart?
  4. How did Jesus “do away” with the Law in order to usher in the new covenant (Heb 5:5-10). How did Jesus fulfill the messianic prophecies as a new and better David?

Counsel Psalm 40:

Counselees often find themselves mired in the “pit” of either personal sin or circumstantial suffering. God’s Word will transform their hearts with the worshipful joy of a “new song” and the fearful reverence needed to trust and obey. We can point them both to David’s testimony and to our Savior’s perfect example.

Projects for Growth (Psalm 40)

  1. Describe a season of suffering when you waited patiently on the Lord and he delivered you. What does your past experience teach you about your present circumstances?
  2. Memorize Psalm 40:1-4 and meditate on its truths. Are you actively waiting, patiently praying, and fully trusting in the Lord?
  3. Dwell on Psalm 40 and delight in every facet of God’s glory:
    • Righteousness (vv. 9, 10)
    • Faithfulness (vv. 10, 11)
    • Salvation/Preservation/Deliverance (vv. 10, 11, 13, 16, 17)
    • Steadfast Love/Mercy (vv. 10, 11)
    • Help (vv. 13, 17)
    • Justice (vv. 14, 15)
    • Joy (v. 16)
  4. This week, as you worship the Lord and fellowship with his church, examine your heart motives to make sure they fully align with the words you sing and the way you act toward God.
  5. Read Psalm 40 one more time as words from the mouth of Jesus. How does Hebrews 10:5-10 shed greater light on Psalm 40:6-8?
  6. Devote time today to write an original prayer, song, or poem about God’s wondrous deeds and thoughts toward you. Then, search out loved ones and fellow church members to tell of God’s glories in your life (vv. 8-10).
  7. Pray Psalm 40:
    • Teach me to wait patiently for what you deem as good (v. 1).
    • Fill my heart, O God, with a brand new song of praise (v. 3).
    • Bless me, Lord, as I trust and obey your Word (vv. 4, 6-8).
    • Embolden me to proclaim your gospel to others (vv. 5, 9-10).
    • Cause me to delight in joyful obedience to you (vv. 6-8, 16).

[1] The verbal form expresses an active, intensive kind of waiting.

[2] Such “new songs” or “hymns of praise” (tehillim) provide the Hebrew title for the book of Psalms.

[3] The transition from third-person pronouns to direct address identifies verse 5 as the start of a new section. David will keep his promise to “proclaim and tell” of Yahweh’s “wondrous deeds.” The Hebrew word basar means “to publish good news” like the Greek equivalent of the gospel (euangelion).

[4] David seems to echo the Lord’s rejection of king Saul (1 Samuel 15:23, 26) who had offered sacrifices to the Lord despite deliberately disobeying the Lord’s command (vv. 1-3, 9, 15). Samuel rebuked Saul’s actions along with his rebellious heart using themes which David would pick up in Psalm 40: “Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams” (1 Sam 15:22; Ps 40:6-8). God then tore the kingdom from Saul and anointed a new and better king (1 Sam 15:28; 16:13-14).

[5] “Open” or “unclogged” ears likely refers to a listening posture before God’s Word (Isa 50:4-6), but could also describe an ear “pierced” or “dug out” with an awl to identify a willing bondslave who chooses to permanently serve his master (Exod 21:1-6). Hebrews 10:5 substitutes Christ’s “body” as that which would be pierced.

[6] The emphatic pronoun, “You, O LORD,” declares the focus of David’s trust (vv. 5, 9, 11).

Last updated on October 31, 2023