Verse 1 “I waited patiently for the Lord; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry.” The saviour's prayers among the midnight mountains and in Gethsemane expounded this verse. The “Son of David” was brought very low, but He rose to victory; and here He teaches us how to conduct our conflicts so as to succeed after the same glorious pattern of triumph. Let us arm ourselves with the same mind; and panoplied in patience, armed with prayer, and girt with faith, let us maintain the Holy War.
Charles Haddon Spurgeon
Verse 3 “And he hath put a new song in my mouth … many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the Lord.” The terms “ear”, and “hope” (or “trust”), do not seem at first view to harmonise; but David has not improperly joined them together, for no man will ever entertain the “hope” of the favour of God but he whose mind is first imbued with the “fear” of God.
John Calvin
Verse 5 “… and thy thoughts which are to us-ward …” My dear brethren, if God hath been thinking thoughts of mercy from everlasting to them that are His, what a stock and treasury do these thoughts amount to. God hath studied mercies – mercies for His children – even from everlasting, and then, “He reneweth his mercies every morning.” Not that any mercies are new, but He actually thinketh over mercies again and again, and so He brings out of His treasury mercies both new and old, and the old are always new. What a stock, my brethren, must this needs amount to.
Thomas Goodwin
Verses 6 and 7 “Sacrifice and offering thou didst not require; mine ears hast thou opened … Then said I, Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of me.” In these words an allusion is made to a custom of the Jews to bore the ears of such as were to be their perpetual servants, and to enrol their names in a book. “Sacrifice and burnt-offering thou wouldst not have,” but because I am Thy vowed servant, saith Christ, bored with an nail, and enrolled in Thy book, “I said, Lo, I come … I delight to do thy will.”
Joseph Mede
Verses 7 and 8 “Then said I, Lo, I come … I delight … thy law is within my heart.” We see here with what a full consent the heart of Christ rebounded to His Father's call – like some echo that answers the voice three times over. Thus when the Father speaks to Him to undertake the work of saving poor lost man, He doth not give a bare assent to the call, but trebles it – “I come … I delight … I delight to do thy will … Yea, thy law is within my heart.”
William Gurnall
Verse 8 “I delight to do thy will, O my God …” There are three wills active in this world in the matter of our soul's salvation: The devil's will, man's will, and God's will. The devil's will is to see all men destroyed; man's will is to turn away from Christ – “Ye will not come to me,” said Jesus; but, the believer may rejoice that if he is saved at all, then he is saved by God “according to the good pleasure of His will,” and it was this will that Christ came and delighted to do. “I came not to do mine own will but the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of the Father, that of all that he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.” Glorious and sovereign will of God!
Verses 9 and 10 “I have preached righteousness in the great congregation …” Our Lord Himself is our model for preaching. (1) “I have not hid thy righteousness within my heart.” The doctrine of God's righteousness to the sinner whereby the sinner is justified is not a tit-bit of the study, or even our own hearts, but the very warp and woof of our gospel; Justification by faith is still the watchword of the gospel church and her ministers. (2) “I have not refrained my lips.” Blessed conscience void of offence that has not shunned to declare the whole counsel of God (3) “I have declared thy faithfulness and thy salvation.” (4) “I have not concealed thy loving kindness and thy truth."” “I have preached … I have not hid … I have not refrained … I have declared … I have not concealed.” When such a banner can hang from our pulpits, then, may we call ourselves ministers of God and servants of Jesus Christ.
Verses 9 and 10 “I have preached … Thy righteousness etc.” The adding of “Thy” to every one of them is emphatic; it was Thy righteousness I had commission to declare, Thy faithfulness I had order to proclaim, Thy mercy I had charge to publish. Since it was Thy rule I declared and observed, and Thy glory I aimed at, disgrace not Thyself and me in reusing the petition of such a suppliant, who believes in my word which I gave out at Thy authority.
Stephen Charnock
This Page Title – Gleanings In the Psalms – Psalm 40 The Wicket Gate Magazine "A Continuing Witness". Internet Edition number 80 – placed on line September 2009 Magazine web address – www.wicketgate.co.uk |