Sunday Scripture

 

Time for another Sunday Scripture!  Again today we're continuing my simple study of Psalms.  You can see a copy of the journal I'm using here: The Book of Psalms 1-50 or you can find all the resources simply by scrolling down on the same page.  I'm attempting to SOAP each Psalm too, though some of them are longer so I will likely only do a selected passage from many of them. [Quick reminder that S stands for Scripture; O stands for for observation; A stands for application, and P stands for prayer.]  Each psalm's study also includes a reflection question, which I've been attempting to journal an answer to.  Today we're looking at Psalm 40.  We were to zero in on verse 1, but I chose to SOAP verses 2-3. 

S= "He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings.

"And He hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God; many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the LORD."  (Psalm 40:2-3)

O= C.I. Scofield, in the Scofield Study Bible,  titles this psalm "God's song in our mouths".  My copy of the ESV gives Psalm 40 the title "My Help and My Deliverer". 

The biblical superscription is "“To the Chief Musician, a Psalm of David".  Joseph Exell notes, "The psalm is addressed to “the Chief Musician,” that he might set it to music for use in public worship. We have no means of determining on what occasion the psalm was written."

Cross-reference for "an horrible pit" -- "Then took they Jeremiah, and cast him into the dungeon ... that was in the court of the prison, and they let down Jeremiah with cords.  And in the dungeon there was no water, but mire; so Jeremiah sunk in the mire."  (Jeremiah 38:6)

Cross-references for "the miry clay" -- "Save me, O God, for the waters are come in unto my soul.  I sink in deep mire, where there is no standing; I am come into deep waters, where the floods overflow me."  (Psalm 69:1-2)

"Deliver me out of the mire, and let me not sink; let me be delivered from those who hate me, and out of the deep waters."  (Psalm 69:14)

Cross-reference for "set my feet upon a rock" --  "For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion the secret of His tabernacle shall He hide me; He shall set me up upon a rock."  (Psalm 27:5)

Cross-reference for "established my goings" -- "The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD; and He delighted in his way."  (Psalm 37:23)

Cross-reference for "a new song" -- "Sing unto Him a new song; play skillfully with a loud noise."  (Psalm 33:3)

Cross-reference for "see it, and fear" -- "And all men shall fear, and shall declare the work of God; for they shall wisely consider concerning His doing."  (Psalm 64:9)

A= "This passage has been used with great frequency as the expression of the experience of the people of God, and I think it has been very rightly so used. It is a very accurate picture of the way in which sinners are raised up from despair to hope and salvation, and of the way in which saints are brought out of deep troubles, and made to sing of divine love and power." -- Charles Spurgeon

Many scholars (and Spurgeon seems to be one of them, though he first makes the above point) believe that Psalm 40 is a Messianic psalm -- but for our purposes here we will look at the application he makes in the quote above.

The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary gives the following outline:

1. A sad situation.

2. A great salvation.

3.A hearty celebration.

I would love to quote some of the reams of information and detail concerning Psalm 40:2 from this commentary (and I could, since it's from 1876 and in the public domain) but honestly I don't have time.  You can read for yourself here: Psalm 40:2 commentary if you are interested.

I have seen God work in my life by drawing me out of the muck and mire of sin.  He brought me up out of a horrible pit and He set my feet upon the solid Rock of His Son.

"On Christ the solid Rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand!" -- from the hymn The Solid Rock, by Edward Mote

No only this, but He established my goings: He orders my steps and gives me direction and guidance for my life.  Even more, He has put a new song in my heart -- a song of praise to Him that can be a testimony to all that hear it.  The "new song" of a believer's life may even cause others to put their faith and trust in Him.

Bible Gateway notes, "David's praise is meant to spread. The purpose of the 'new song'( v.3) is testimony."

P= "Lord, how thankful I am for how You have worked in my life.  You drew me up out of the horrible pit of sin and gave me a rock-solid faith in Your Son.  You order my steps and establish my goings, giving me clear guidance and direction for my life.  I'm so grateful for the new song you have put in my mouth - a song of praise and testimony.  I pray that You will use my testimony of a changed life to draw others to You.  And I thank You for how You will do this, in Jesus' name, Amen."

Reflection Question: David praised God for meeting his needs during difficult trials.  

How have you seen God work in your life, by drawing you up from a pit of despair?

My response: I have considered these verses for many years to be my life verses.  I was in a pit, a horrible pit, of sin and destruction.  My life had no real foundation,  Through some painful, life-altering events, God showed me that I could not do life without Him.  I needed that sure foundation that only He can provide.  So he drew me up out of that pit of destruction and set my feet upon the solid rock of Himself.  He has helped me to become established and strengthened and settled in Himself and has given me a new song with which to praise Him and impact the lives of othersl

Sometimes over the course of my Christian life I have struggled with depression, often for no apparent reason.  Reminding myself of the biblical truths about God and His love and care for me, as well as His purposes for my life, has been the key to getting out of the pit of depression.

Psalm 40 is one of those psalms that is simply drenched with truth and meaning.  Please take some time to look into this psalm more deeply for yourself.  I know you will be blessed!