Salmi 40:3 Commento

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.

And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise to our God,.... Sung by him in the midst of the great congregation of angels and saints, upon his resurrection, ascension, and session at the right hand of God; see Psa 22:22; when he went to his God and ours, to his Father and ours; and in which song he is joined by all his people above and below, Rev 5:9; many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the Lord; even all the elect of God, as many as are ordained to eternal life; the many whose sins Christ bore, for whom he became a ransom, whom he justifies and brings to glory: these all "see" him in the horrible pit and miry clay, in his state of humiliation, as bearing their sins, and the punishment due unto them; as wounded, bruised, and crucified; as rising again for their justification; and as on Mount Zion crowned with glory and honour; and a multitude of harpers with him, singing the new song; these see the salvation he has wrought out, the glory, fulness, and suitableness of it, and their interest in it; and they "fear" not with a fear of hell and damnation, which is inconsistent with the trust after mentioned; but with a godly and filial fear, which arises from and is encouraged by the grace and goodness of God, their faith in the sufferings, death, and resurrection of Christ Jesus, and which render him a proper object of trust and confidence; for he is so both as suffering, crucified, and slain, and as risen again, and exalted at the Father's right hand, Gal 2:20.

"And He has put a new song in my mouth." What new song is this? "Even a hymn unto our God" [Psalm 40:3]. Perhaps you used to sing hymns to strange gods; old hymns, because they were uttered by the "old man," not by the "new man;" let the "new man" be formed, and let him sing a "new song;" being himself made "new," let him love those "new" things by which he is himself made new. For what is more Ancient than God, who is before all things, and is without end and without beginning? He becomes "new" to you, when you return to Him; because it was by departing from Him, that you had become old; and had said, "I have waxed old because of all mine enemies." We therefore utter "a hymn unto our God;" and the hymn itself sets us free. "For I will call upon the Lord to praise Him, and I will be safe from all mine enemies." For a hymn is a song of praise. Call on God to "praise" Him, not to find fault with Him....

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. And it is related in particular to the human race sunken to the very depths of sin and consigned to death but retrieved through the incarnation of our Savior and given the hope of resurrection.

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

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. 31: "The Lord has created a new thing upon the earth: a woman shall compass a man." Likewise, a new mode of liberation: Heb. 9: "By his own blood he entered once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption." And the Lord put a new song in my mouth, because a new song, that is, the new covenant: Is. 55: "I will make with you an everlasting covenant, the faithful mercies of David": Rev. 14: "No one could sing the song except those hundred and forty-four thousand," because a new king, a new law, new joys. The people of the old covenant sang old songs: an eye for an eye, a life for a life. They also descended to the underworld, because the gate of the kingdom was closed to them, with the Cherubim forbidding entry to Paradise, in whose hand was a sharp sword. But all people of the new law sing a new song, which the new man Christ brought: Rev. 21: "Behold, I make all things new." The new people, therefore, sing new things: namely of the incarnation of the Lord, of the resurrection, of the ascension, of the nativity, and other things of this kind. Hence at these principal solemnities, the ministers of the Church, vested in white or silken vestments, sing and read, so that no one who has not been made new should presume to sing the new song. A song, I say, not of vanity, not of shameful things, but one that pleases God; hence he says, "A hymn," or a song that pleases "our God," that is, praise to God: Ps. 64: "A hymn is fitting to you, O God, in Zion": Eph. 5: "Singing and making melody in your hearts to God." "Many shall see." Here the benefit in others is presented, namely in the conversion of others. And first he presents the benefit itself. Second, he presents its fruit, at "Blessed is the man." Here is the order of conversion. First, it is necessary that a person see that to which he ought to be converted; hence he says, "Many shall see," namely Christ born. Many of the earlier peoples who awaited him saw: Bar. 3: "Afterward he was seen upon the earth and conversed with men." Simeon saw him, who received him in the temple, and many others: Lk. 2: "My eyes have seen your salvation." And Lk. 10: "Many kings and prophets desired to see what you see, and did not see." Or, many saw the miracles of Christ: Lk. 5: "We have seen marvelous things today." And this either through faith or through the eyes. Second, it is necessary that one fear him to whom one ought to be converted; hence he says, "And they shall fear": Sir. 1: "He who is without fear cannot be justified, because the fear of the Lord drives out sin." Third, there is hope: Rom. 8: "For in hope we have been saved." For unless hope accompanied fear, a person would flee from God. And therefore it is necessary that there be a fear by which one flees sin, and a hope by which one draws near to God.

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 new song--(See on Psa 33:3). fear, and . . . trust--revere with love and faith.