Psalms 40 · The Lantern

To the choirmaster. Of David. A psalm. I waited, I waited for the LORD, and he bent down to me and heard my cry for help.

I Waited Patiently for the LORD

And he brought me up from the pit of roaring, from the miry clay, and he set my feet on a crag; he made my steps firm.

Christ has heard the prayer of his own servants and has brought us out from the pit of misery and from the mire of dregs. We were drowning there; our whole flesh was clinging to the mire, trapped in the whirlpool of our sins. Our soul was powerless to save itself; fallen and ruined as it was by the multiplicity and dreadfulness of our offenses.

And what hath He accomplished for thee? What hath He done for thee? "He brought me up also out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings" (ver. 2).

Here he presents in particular the efficacy of confidence in the things in which he was heard. And he touches upon three things. First, deliverance from evils. Second, the bestowal of goods, at "And he set." Third, thanksgiving for both, at "And he put." Now there is a twofold evil from which men flee: namely the evil of misery and of punishment.

And he put in my mouth a new song, praise to our God. Many will see and fear, and they will trust in the LORD.

After we are made free from all unbridled emotion, we sing a new song, having been renewed in our home.

In place of the impious worship of the idols I was taught to sing the praises of the true God and offer a song—not an old one but a new one, suited to the new favors. I no longer make supplication in dirges, you see; instead, I sing of the favors. So this is related, as I said, to the sufferings of David as a type and to the favors done to him.

Next he gives thanks: as if to say, this very thing--that we praise--is beyond my powers, because it is greater than all praise; hence to praise God worthily is from God, that is, he himself "put a new song in my mouth": 2 Cor. 13: "Do you seek proof of Christ who speaks in me?" "A new song," that is, about new benefits; and these are: namely the work of the incarnation: Jer.

Happy is the man who has made the LORD his trust, and has not turned to the proud, or to those who fall away to a lie.

"Blessed is that man that makes the name of the Lord his trust, and has not respected vanities or lying madnesses" [Psalm 40:4]. Behold the way by which you would fain have gone. Behold the "multitude that fill the Broad way." It is not without reason "that" road leads to the amphitheatre. It is not without reason it leads to Death.

Among other things, the Lord's name is eternal Savior. The one who puts his trust in the Lord's name is the one who believes that he must be saved by the Lord's grace rather than by his own merits.

The fruit will be beatitude; hence he says, "Blessed is the man whose hope is the name of the Lord." And first the fruit is presented, which is beatitude, and to whom it is owed, namely to those who cling to God. And therefore he first presents the true opinion and excludes the false. The true opinion is that beatitude is only in those who have hope in him: Is.

Many things you have done — you, LORD my God — your wonders and your thoughts toward us; there is none to compare with you. I would declare and speak them; they are more than can be counted.

We will give him other sights in exchange for such sights as these. And what sights shall we present to the Christian, whom we would fain divert from those sights? I thank the Lord our God; He in the following verse of the Psalm hath shown us what sights we ought to present and offer to spectators who would fain have sights to see?

Hence through the Psalmist the Lord says: "I have declared and spoken, they have multiplied beyond number." For when the Lord calls, the faithful are multiplied beyond number, because sometimes even those come to faith who do not attain to the number of the elect.

"You have done many things." Above, the Psalmist, on behalf of Christ or the Church, set forth his confidence and its effects, namely the manifold benefits of God; here, however, he shows the cause of this confidence: namely the source from which he was moved to confess and the hope arising from merits.

Sacrifice and grain offering you did not desire; ears you dug open for me; burnt offering and sin offering you did not ask.

For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect. For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins.

WHY IS IT THAT IN THE LAW EVEN AARON HIMSELF IS TOLD THAT HE MUST OFFER BURNT OFFERINGS FOR HIS SINS, WHEN DAVID SAYS, “FOR FAULTS YOU HAVE NOT REQUIRED A BURNT OFFERING” (Ps. 39:7), AND LATER, “YOU WILL NOT TAKE PLEASURE IN BURNT OFFERINGS” (Ps. 50:18)? HOW DID HE COMMAND THAT THERE BE OFFERED WHAT HE DOES NOT TAKE PLEASURE IN?

"Sacrifice and offering you did not desire." Here he assigns the reason why he renders this recompense to God for his benefits, or why he preached. And he assigns this cause in two ways. First, he presents the divine will as the cause.

Then I said, “See, I have come; in the scroll of the book it is written of me.

To do your will, my God, I have desired, and your instruction is within my inward parts.”

Because there is one will, there is one substance, there is inseparable majesty and the power of the Trinity. But there is another voice, that of the flesh; and yet, it too consents to God's will.… Christ accepted death and crucifixion so as to crucify the flesh. For my sake he took on himself the combat, so that he might conquer me.

"In the head of the Book it is written of me, that I should fulfil Thy will: O my God, I am willing, and Thy Law is within my heart" [Psalm 40:8]. Behold! He turns His regards to His members. Behold! He hath Himself "fulfilled the will" of the Father. But in what "beginning of a Book" is it written of Him? Perhaps in the beginning of this Book of Psalms.

Next he shows his resolve to obey, according to his humanity. Now there are two things principally in a person: namely the will and the intellect. The will of a person ought to be subjected to the divine will, and the intellect ought to be directed according to the law of God. And therefore he says, "O my God," Father, insofar as God.

I have proclaimed righteousness in the great assembly; see, I do not restrain my lips — LORD, you yourself know.

What does he mean when he says, "I have declared your justice"? He did not simply say, "I have given," but "I have declared." What does this mean? That he has justified our race not by right actions, not by toils, not by barter and exchange but by grace alone.

Blessed David promises to preach God's righteousness, the truth of inspired composition, the admirable salvation and immeasurable mercy in a great assembly gathered by divine grace throughout the whole world.

"I have proclaimed your justice in the Church." Here the manner of proclaiming is presented. Three things, therefore, we ought to proclaim about divine matters: namely the works of justice, the teachings of truth, and the benefits of divine mercy; and these three things he says he has proclaimed.

Your righteousness I have not covered within my heart; your faithfulness and your salvation I have spoken; I have not concealed your loyal love and your truth from the great assembly.

A person can speak of his own justice without arrogance, … if he has faith in God and believes that on account of his faith he will be reckoned as just. … It was for this reason that Christ came, to establish faith and to grant us forgiveness of sin.

"I have not hid my righteousness within my heart" [Psalm 40:10]. What is meant by "my righteousness"? My faith. For, "the just shall live by faith." As suppose the persecutor under threat of punishment, as they were once allowed to do, puts you to the question, "What art thou?

With regard to Christ, when he says, "I have not hidden your justice in my heart." He confesses the teachings of truth when he says, "Your truth." This Christ confessed before Pilate. Jn. 18: "For this I was born and for this I came into the world, that I might bear witness to the truth": Prov.

You, LORD, will not restrain your compassions from me; your loyal love and your faithfulness will continually preserve me.

"Remove not Thou Thy mercies far from me, O Lord" [Psalm 40:11]. He is turning his attention to the wounded members. Because I have not "concealed Thy mercy and Thy Truth from the great congregation," from the Unity of the Universal Church, look Thou on Thy afflicted members, look on those who are guilty of sins of omission, and on those who are guilty of sins of commission: an…

The "mercy" was that he saved human nature, wounded by the vice of transgression, by his holy incarnation; the "truth" was that through the blessing of the promised resurrection, he sits at the right hand of the Father and from there he will come to judge the living and the dead.

"But you, O Lord." Above, the Psalmist commemorated the confidence he has in God with regard to past things; here, however, he presents the confidence he has in God with regard to future things, expressing it through prayer. And concerning this he does two things. First, he proposes the prayer in general.

For evils beyond number have enveloped me; my iniquities have overtaken me, and I am not able to see; they are more than the hairs of my head, and my heart has left me.

"Innumerable evils have compassed me about" [Psalm 40:12]. Who can number sins? Who can count his own sins, and those of others? A burden under which he was groaning, who said, "Cleanse Thou me from my secret faults; and from the faults of others, spare Thou Thy servant, O Lord." Our own are too little; those "of others" are added to the burden.

The church of God, buffeted by billows from the godless, in its struggles is not carried away but attributes developments to sins and failings and begs to enjoy assistance from the Savior.

Another cause is the necessity of evils. And he presents a twofold evil: namely evils inflicted from without, and evils from within, at "My iniquities have overtaken me." As to the first he says, "For evils without number have surrounded me," namely evils that are inflicted upon me both by the world and by enemies: Ps.

Be pleased, LORD, to rescue me; LORD, hurry to my help.

Let them be ashamed and disgraced together, those who seek my life to sweep it away; let them be turned back and humiliated, those who delight in my harm.

Let them be appalled because of their shame, those who say to me, “Aha! Aha!”

Let all who seek you exult and be glad in you; let those who love your salvation say continually, “Great is the LORD.”

But I am afflicted and needy; may the Lord take thought for me. You are my help and my deliverer; my God, do not delay.

"But I" (ver. 17). I for whom they were seeking evil, I whose "life they were seeking, that they might take it away." But turn thee to another description of persons. But I to whom they said, "Well done! Well done!" "I am poor and needy." There is nothing in me that may be praised as mine own.

Likewise, this same thing is shown by the example of Christ. Psalm: But I am a beggar and poor: Gloss: "Christ says this of Himself: I am a beggar in the form of a servant.

"But I." Here the cause of the petition is presented. And first he proposes his need; second, the help of God against it is presented. He says therefore, I ask all these things because by myself I can do nothing, because I am a beggar. And this can be read in two ways. In one way, literally of Christ in his own person, who in this world, living, was both a beggar and poor.

Psalms40

I Waited Patiently for the LORD