Psalm 40:17 Komentář

It should seem David penned this psalm upon occasion of his deliverance, by the power and goodness of God, from some great and pressing trouble, by which he was in danger of being overwhelmed; probably it was some trouble of mind arising from a sense of sin and of God's displeasure against him for it; whatever it was, the same Spirit that indited his praises for that deliverance was in him, at the same time, a Spirit of prophecy, testifying of the sufferings of Christ and the glory that should follow; or, ere he was aware, he was led to speak of his undertaking, and the discharge of his undertaking, in words that must be applied to Christ only; and therefore how far the praises that here go before that illustrious prophecy, and the prayers that follow, may safely and profitably be applied to him it will be worth while to consider. In this psalm, I. David records God's favour to him in delivering him out of his deep distress, with thankfulness to his praise (Psa 40:1-5). II. Thence he takes occasion to speak of the work of our redemption by Christ (Psa 40:6-10). III. That gives him encouragement to pray to God for mercy and grace both for himself and for his friends (Psa 40:11-17). If, in singing this psalm, we mix faith with the prophecy of Christ, and join in sincerity with the praises and prayers here offered up, we make melody wit our hearts to the Lord. To the chief musician. A psalm of David.

INTRODUCTION TO PSALM 40 To the chief Musician, a Psalm of David. Jarchi interprets this psalm of the Israelites, and of their deliverance and song at the Red sea. The title of it, in the Syriac version, is, "A psalm of David according to the letter, when Shemaiah brought the names of those who minister in the house of the Lord;'' see Ch1 24:6; according to Kimchi, the subject of this psalm is the same with that of the two preceding; and R. Obadiah thinks it was composed by David, when he was recovered of a leprosy; but though it might be written by David, it was not written concerning himself, or on his own account, but of another. The title of this psalm is somewhat different from others in the order of the words; whereas it is usually put "a psalm of", or "for David"; here it is, "for David, a psalm"; and may be rendered, as Ainsworth observes, "a psalm concerning David"; not literally, but typically understood; not concerning David himself, but concerning his antitype and son, who is called by his name, Eze 37:24; and that it is to be interpreted of him is evident from the application of Psa 39:6, unto him by the apostle in Heb 10:5; and the whole of it is applicable to him; some apply it to Jeremiah in the dungeon, and others to Daniel in the den, as Theodoret observes.

But I am poor and needy,.... As Christ was literally, Co2 8:9; and in a spiritual sense, when deserted by his Father, forsaken by his disciples, and surrounded by his enemies; and had the sins of his people, the curse of the law, and the wrath of God upon him; yet the Lord thinketh upon me; thinketh good for me, as the Targum; or thinks highly of me; has me in great esteem though despised of men, and in such a suffering state; thou art my help and my deliverer; he believed he should have what he prayed for, Psa 40:13; see Isa 50:7; make no tarrying, O my God; which is a repetition of the request in Psa 40:13. Next: Psalms Chapter 41

"But I" [Psalm 40:17]. I for whom they were seeking evil, I whose "life they were seeking, that they might take it away." But turn you 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 my own. Let Him rend my sackcloth in sunder, and cover me with His robe. For, "Now I live, not I myself; but Christ lives in me." [Galatians 2:20] If it is Christ that "lives in you," and all that you have is Christ's, and all that you are to have hereafter is Christ's also; what are you in yourself? "I am poor and needy." Now I am not rich, because I am not proud. He was rich who said, "Lord, I thank You that I am not as other men are;" [Luke 18:11] but the publican was poor, who said, "Lord, be merciful to me a sinner!" The one was belching from his fullness; the other from want was crying piteously, "I am poor and needy!" And what would you do, O poor and needy man? Beg at God's door; "Knock, and it shall be opened unto you." [Matthew 7:7] — "As for me, I am poor and needy. Yet the Lord cares for me."— "Cast your care upon the Lord, and He shall bring it to pass." What can you effect for yourself by taking care what can you provide for yourself? Let Him who made you "care for you." He who cared for you before thou were, how shall He fail to have a care of you, now that you are what He would have you be? For now you are a believer, now you are walking in the "way of righteousness." Shall not He have a care for you, who "makes His sun rise on the good and on the evil, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust"? [Matthew 5:45] ... "You are my Help, and my Deliverer; make no tarrying, O my God" [Psalm 40:17]. He is calling upon God, imploring Him, fearing lest he should fall away: "Make no tarrying." What is meant by "make no tarrying"? We lately read concerning the days of tribulation: "Unless those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved." [Matthew 24:22] The members of Christ— the Body of Christ extended everywhere— are asking of God, as one single person, one single poor man, and beggar! For He too was poor, who "though He was rich, yet became poor, that you through His poverty might be made rich." [2 Corinthians 8:9] It is He that makes rich those who are the true poor; and makes poor those who are falsely rich. He cries unto Him; "From the end of the earth I cried unto You, when my heart was in heaviness." There will come days of tribulations, and of greater tribulations; they will come even as the Scripture speaks: and as days advance, so are tribulations increased also. Let no one promise himself what the Gospel does not promise....

Truly, what higher or holier poverty can there be than this, that a person knowing he is defenseless of his own, asks help for daily life from another’s generosity and realizes his life and being to depend every moment on God’s help. Such a one truly confesses himself “the beggar of the Lord,” like the psalmist, who said, “I am a beggar and a poor man, and God helps me.”

"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. 2 Cor. 8: "You know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, who, though he was rich, became poor for our sake, so that by his poverty you might become rich." A beggar is one who seeks sustenance from another; a poor man is one who is not self-sufficient. And both of these are said of Christ. Lk. 9: "The Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head." Or, spiritually, I necessarily beg from God the help of grace, and I am poor because the things I have are not sufficient for me. And therefore, because I recognize this, the Lord is solicitous for me. And because I am in need, "You, O Lord, be my helper." And because of the danger, "Do not delay." Mt. 15: "Lord, help me."

In this Psalm a celebration of God's deliverance is followed by a profession of devotion to His service. Then follows a prayer for relief from imminent dangers, involving the overthrow of enemies and the rejoicing of sympathizing friends. In Heb 10:5, &c., Paul quotes Psa 40:6-8 as the words of Christ, offering Himself as a better sacrifice. Some suppose Paul thus accommodated David's words to express Christ's sentiments. But the value of his quotation would be thus destroyed, as it would have no force in his argument, unless regarded by his readers as the original sense of the passage in the Old Testament. Others suppose the Psalm describes David's feelings in suffering and joy; but the language quoted by Paul, in the sense given by him, could not apply to David in any of his relations, for as a type the language is not adapted to describe any event or condition of David's career, and as an individual representing the pious generally, neither he nor they could properly use it (see on Psa 40:7, below). The Psalm must be taken then, as the sixteenth, to express the feelings of Christ's human nature. The difficulties pertinent to this view will be considered as they occur. (Psa. 40:1-17) The figures for deep distress are illustrated in Jeremiah's history (Jer 38:6-12). Patience and trust manifested in distress, deliverance in answer to prayer, and the blessed effect of it in eliciting praise from God's true worshippers, teach us that Christ's suffering is our example, and His deliverance our encouragement (Heb 5:7-8; Heb 12:3; Pe1 4:12-16). inclined--(the ear, Psa 17:6), as if to catch the faintest sigh.

A summary of his condition and hopes. thinketh upon--or provides for me. "He was heard," "when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears, unto Him that was able to save him from death" [Heb 5:7]. Next: Psalms Chapter 41

On Psa 40:17 compare Psa 35:27. David wishes, as he does in that passage, that the pious may most heartily rejoice in God, the goal of their longing; and that on account of the salvation that has become manifest, which they love (Ti2 4:8), they may continually say: Let Jahve become great, i.e., be magnified or celebrated with praises! In Psa 40:17 with ואני he comes back to his own present helpless state, but only in order to contrast with it the confession of confident hope. True he is עני ואביון (as in Psa 109:22; Psa 136:1, cf. Psa 25:16), but He who ruleth over all will care for him: Dominus solicitus erit pro me (Jerome). חשׁב in the same sense in which in Psa 40:6 the מחשׁבות, i.e., God's thoughts of salvation, is conceived of (cf. the corresponding North-Palestinian expression in Jon 1:6). A sigh for speedy help (אל־תּאחר, as in Dan 9:19 with a transition of the merely tone-long Tsere into a pausal Pathach, and here in connection with a preceding closed syllable, Olshausen, 91, d, under the accompanying influence of two final letters which incline towards the a sound) closes this second part of the Psalm. The first part is nothing but thanksgiving, the second is exclusively prayer.