Good Literature Review On Psalm 40

Psalm 40 continues a set a Psalm’s by King David, as he is the one listed as writing this Psalm. Therefore, it was either written directly by him or as part of the Davidic tradition in the Psalms. This Psalm is given the title “For the director of music” which means that this was intended for worship in the temple. Therefore, the general audience is all of Israel, for the use during worship. The occasion and timing of the letter is harder to determine. David is clearly in distress during this Psalm, however it is unknown whether this is due towards his sin or foreign enemies. It could be that both circumstances influence David’s writing of this Psalm. Nevertheless, the theme of Psalm 40 is to depend fully on God in times of need.
The Psalm is really divided into three main sections. Verses 1-5 describe David’s praise of God for his past mercy and deliverance. Verses 6-10 describe David’s prayer of thankfulness for God’s faithfulness, and verses 11-17 are David’s plea for help and future deliverance. This Psalm touches on many of crucial themes to the Gospel, such as prayer, praise, thankfulness, and deliverance, so it shows a lot about God’s nature and how dependent humans are on Him. Yet, above all these themes, Psalm 40 includes many direct references to Jesus and his sacrifice in the New Testament. This is a Psalm of foreshadowing the purpose of Jesus (“Coffman’s Commentaries on the Bible”).
The key phrase to the first section of the passage is in verse two where David writes, “He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire (Ps. 40:2 NIV).” This is the first clue towards the circumstances under which David is writing this, and he appears to be in some spiritual or physical hell. He is distressed, and this analogy towards being in the pit foreshadows the third section of the Psalm where David asks for God’s deliverance. David continues by showing how God has time and time again helped him from these times of despair, as verse two also shows. The key image of deliverance from a pit is also a foreshadowing of Christ and future sacrifice of deliverance and there will be more foreshadowing of Christ in further verses of this passage. Verses four and five are the primary verses of praise for deliverance as David writes, “Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord Many, Lord my God, are the wonders you have done None can compare with you (Ps. 40:4-5a).” David is praising God for working wonders throughout his life, and this sets up the next section where David specifically mentions how God has been faithful to him, despite his distress.
Verses 6-10 David details God’s continued faithfulness. He shows how God is faithful in spite of burnt offerings, and how David is eager to proclaim this message to all of the people. While on its surface, David is referring to the Mosaic law in referencing burnt offerings, verses 6-10 also again are foreshadowing the work of Christ because he is greater than any burnt offering, which is likely why verse six ends by saying, “burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not require (Ps. 40:6).” Jesus is the only sacrifice that can fully pay for sin, and this is an early reference to the New Testament. Verse seven also builds on this theme as it says, “Here I am, I have come- it is written in the scroll.” This is all New Testament imagery, showing a larger purpose for this Psalm.
Finally, verses 11-17 include David’s plea for help from God, as he is in some kind of trouble. David writes that, “Troubles without number surround me; my sins have overtaken me, and I cannot see (Ps. 40:12).” This again speaks to the distress David is currently in and needs God’s deliverance. That is why he is so quick to praise God in the previous verses, because David is ultimately calling on God to act on his behalf. David calls for God to save him from his enemies as well. Verses 14-16 suggest that David is also in some sort of physical trouble from his enemies, not just his own spiritual struggle. David wants God to deal with these enemies harshly. The Psalm ends with David humbling himself before God, saying he is “poor and needy,” and that God needs to deliver him without delay. This deliverance can also be a direct reference to the work of Jesus, as he does specifically mention the poor and needy throughout his ministry. Therefore, there is a higher purpose to this Psalm which points to God’s redemptive work in Christ, not just his faithfulness and deliverance shown to David.
In light of this passage, Christian’s today should be reminded about the saving nature of God and that through all things Jesus saves. It does not matter how distressed the situation is, God is faithful and Jesus’ sacrifice is real. There will be times when everyone gets down and has times of struggle. Psalm 40 shows how to deal with these times by showing the importance of prayer and praise to God. Reminding oneself of how God never fails his people is crucial into getting through times of despair. In light of Christ’s sacrifice, Christians are never alone and always have someone to depend on in all things.

Works Cited

Coffman, James. "James Burton Coffman Commentaries on the Bible: Psalm 40." StudyLight.org. Web. 10 Mar. 2015. <http://www.studylight.org/commentaries/bcc/view.cgi?book=ps&chapter=040>.
Barker, Kenneth L. Zondervan NIV Study Bible: New International Version. Fully Rev. ed. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan, 2002. Print.