Psalm 40: 3 and 4 - part 3

Here's the final installment on the study on verses 3 and 4 of Psalm 40.

All other parts of this and the first and second study can be found here.

Read Psalm 40 here.

The trust


“Blessed is that man that maketh the LORD his trust, and respecteth not the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies”

So we can see what or even who the ‘new song’ is and also how this new song changes us and the importance of how we tell people about it.

The second half of this verse actually reflects what we’ve just looked at. ‘Nor such as turn aside to lies’ indicates the error and the sorrow that lies in straying from the narrow path and being seduced and distracted by idols and hankering after our personal ‘Egypt’.

When we focus on the cross and mortify the flesh we can remain undistracted by man ‘the proud’. Those who seek to undermine Holy scripture with their vain glorious ideas which promote themselves and science as the new gods.

It is so easy to get drawn so into apologetics and defence of the bible against the foreign gods of this day and age we forget to go on the offence with the gospel. Instead of trying to fend off such criticisms and attacks shouldn’t we unashamedly profess the gospel instead.

It is a weak church that apologises for Jesus Christ and the God of creation. There is nothing to apologise for.

We should instead take our new song, and profess it to all. The apologising should come from the repenting sinner. Romans 1: 16 “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.”


But it is the first half of this verse which sums up this study.

“Blessed is that man that maketh the LORD his trust...”

Happy is the man who trusts. Blessed means ‘happy’. Utter trust in the Lord produces happiness. Afflictions, persecution and trials are all part of God’s purposes – “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”

There are many references to the ‘blessed’ in the psalms. David was a man seeking happiness in the things of the Lord, as was Asaph. The formula can seem complicated. But it is simple, oh so simple.

Trust in the Lord.

We make it so hard for ourselves don’t we? When the answer is so straightforward.

Do you ever kick yourself spiritually for not trusting the Lord? Do you ever get frustrated by your doubts? Do you ever say “...I believe, help thou my unbelief”

He is the creator God. He is omnipotent (all powerful), omniscient (all knowing), omnipresent (in all things). His promises are perfect. He is perfect. He is salvation. He is love. His word became flesh and saved us from an eternity of punishment.

Do you feel stupid for not trusting Him!? I know I do!!! We trust other people, we trust science, we trust in ‘fate’. We even trust ourselves more than the God who created us!

It is simple, don’t make it more complicated than it is. Trust in the Lord, sing the new song, mortify the flesh, repent, be saved and be truly, wonderfully saved and eternally happy.

In John Henry Sammis’ words “Trust and obey, for there’s no other way, to be happy in Jesus but to trust and obey.”
Amen

Psalm 40: 3 and 4 - part 2

Previous posts on Psalm 40 can be found here.

Psalm 40 can be read here, I'd again suggest reading the first 8 verses at least.

The witness


“many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the LORD.”

When we are saved, when we have truly repented of our sins and turned our lives to the cross then things change. This cannot be denied. We’ve seen already what Paul said to the Galatians. If you hear anyone’s testimony one thing is certain. There has been a change.

The change of regeneration. We are reborn. We die to the world and live in Christ. Sometimes, as we have seen in verse 2, we can err. We can turn briefly back to Egypt and our sins. But the change is eternal and irreversible.

Many see this change. Those who knew us in our unsaved condition see us in our new light. They detect the change of heart, the change of manner and attitude. We talk differently, we behave differently.

Some don’t like it, some do. But the change is stark and clear. My own testimony is just that. Shortly after conversion I stuck 1 Timothy 1: 13 “Who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief.”

I knew and recognised a change in myself. Consequently things looked different. I had different motivations, some temptations and distractions remained awaiting mortification, but they didn’t hold the thrall they did before. And you too I am sure can see this in your own life. We have a duty do we not to strive to strain the black soot of sin out of our lives, to kill, to mortify those sins of the flesh.

Romans 8: 13 “For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.”

Colossians 3: 5 “Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:”

The Lord also directs us in Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians. – 1 Corinthians 9 : 25 – 27 “And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air: But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.”

This ‘striving for mastery’ in temperance, this ongoing mortification of sins and separation from ungodly things is what people will see, what they will recognise. It is not only instruction for us in our sanctification. It is a witness, a testimony to the Lord in our lives. So we should be conscious of our tongues, our conversation, our manner, our jokes, our habits. They reflect our love of, or even ignorance of the Christ like values we should seek to project.

There is a peace which others should see, love or loathe it. Whether they detest you for it or are drawn to it. The work of Christ Jesus’ saving grace in our lives is visible.

When I was still training in martial arts the gym owner and I had a conversation during which he asked about my beliefs. In reply to my basic testimony he said "you're a born again Christian?" my reply was obviously 'yes', he then commented "That makes sense now...". 'Why?' I asked. "Because you seem so at peace."

This was a great encouragement to me as clearly my manner, my speech, or something else had testified to my God given sense of peace and assurance. It was I might add not always a conscious witness on my part, the wonder working power of Jesus Christ takes all the glory here!

Errors we make are errors we correct – we aren’t sin free. So we should be conscious to correct ourselves publically. This requires great humility.

As an example of this I'll refer again to my own life - I often in work find myself talking to two of the guys I manage quite openly and can be over crticial of work colleagues and irritable and most un-Christian in my speech and manner. Often I will return to their room later that same day, or the next morning convicted that I have said things I really shouldn't have - I then apologise for what I'd said "I shouldn't have said X, Y and Z, so sorry, it was wrong of me." Suffice to say they really don't get my motivations and give me the strangest of looks waving me away and suggesting I'm being over critical. But it is important to sustain an objective eye on not just the content of what comes out of your mouth but the tone and motivation for saying it. It reflects what is in your heart after all!
Such things increase humility, which is no bad thing. Christ Jesus calling us to be ‘last’ and to serve with humility. “But many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be first.” Matthew 20: 16

We should not be naive as to how much this calling to be an example is important. It can be the thing that turns people away from the doors of a church, just as a self righteousness or religious piety in ourselves. Humility and grace are qualities which even if they irritate the unbeliever cannot be denied as being positive traits.

All these things testify – the Holy Spirit can use such things to prick hearts. To draw people. We are called to spread the gospel, to testify to the Lord Jesus Christ. This needn’t be from a pulpit or a soap box. All the things listed thus far are as important, if not more so than a bible punching sermon.

The heart must be right or the words and actions are empty. If we are truly doing as we are instructed with love being our primary motivation, then that is what reaches a man. If we give the Lord pre-eminence in our lives and do these things then ‘many will see it and fear and trust in the Lord.’

Next post: 'The Trust'

Psalm 40: 3 and 4 - Part 1

Ok here is the first part of the third study in Psalm 40, concentrating on verses 3 and 4. The other studies can be found here.

Again I'd recommend reading the first 8 verses at least. You can do so here.

Psalm 40: 3 – 4


“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. Blessed is that man that maketh the LORD his trust, and respecteth not the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies.”

Context

• Recalling the first verse David had cried out to the Lord in his distress, we saw that this reflected the prayers too of the Lord Jesus at Gethsemane and our own yearning for God’s ear. We also saw the certainty of God’s inclination to us.

• The second verse gave a context to the sinners cry and Jesus’ calling and lifting us from the pit, establishing a safe and solid footing on Him, the rock, and our direction after we have been cleansed of the sticky, cloying mud of sin.

• We then saw how in our pilgrimage to that city on the hill we sometimes stray from the solid path and get ourselves dirtied again. But faithfully we are picked up, replaced on the path of faith and washed in the blood of the lamb anew.

• So we arrive here at verse 3 with a picture of repentance, salvation and the first steps of our sanctifying journey to Zion. We cried from the pit, Jesus picks us up pulls from the mire. He establishes our direction and we set off up that hill to the heavenly mansion Jesus has gone to prepare for us.

In the following verses then we will look at:

1. The song.

2. The witness

3. The trust

__________________________________________________________________________________

The New Song

“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."

So what is the new song? The new song is seen and heard throughout scripture. It is the song the saved soul cannot help but sing, that he cannot forget and every time he hears it, it brings such peace and joy. The song is salvation. It is trust and strength in the Lord. It is faith and love and hope in Jesus’ saving grace.

It is Moses’ song of salvation we see in Exodus 15 after the Lord delivered Israel from the Egyptians and from Egypt itself. This is s perfect foreshadowing of the individual salvation Jesus Christ has afforded each believer.

Exodus 15: 1 - 2 “Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song unto the LORD, and spake, saying, I will sing unto the LORD, for he hath triumphed gloriously: the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea. The LORD is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation: he is my God, and I will prepare him an habitation; my father's God, and I will exalt him.”

This song is indelible. It becomes a part of us; it is impressed deeply into our souls and reflects our creative purpose – to worship. God’s Genesis design was for Man to have fellowship with and praise and worship Him. When we are saved, when we come to knowledge of His saving grace we cannot but thanks, praise and worship Him in fellowship with Him.

Paul puts is very simply in Galatians 2: 20 (possibly my favourite verse). ”I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.”

Christ indeed is the new song on our lips. We no longer sing the funeral dirge of the condemned sinner, stuck in the pit. Instead we have a hymn, a psalm which lifts and encourages. A song of hope and praise. A song which will be repeated in Glory:

Revelation 15: 3 “And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints.”

It is a song the prophets sang also.

Isaiah 12: 2 “Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the LORD JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation.”

Habakkuk 3: 18, 19 “Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation. The LORD God is my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds' feet, and he will make me to walk upon mine high places. To the chief singer on my stringed instruments.”

It is undeniable. The song we should sing, the song we will sing is one of the Lord as our strength and our salvation. When we are weak, then we are strong... but only through Him. Through Christ Jesus our Lord and Saviour. The Word is in our hearts and that is the driving force behind the song, the new song.

So in our salvation our hearts are filled with this new song. The new song is Jesus. He is our strength. He is our salvation. As in Moses’ song we will ‘prepare Him an habitation’. His dwelling place is our penitent, sinner’s heart. Where Jesus moves in and washes the dross away. Making a clean habitation, a place fit for King Jesus to live and reign in.

So let Jesus reign, let His song fill your heart and emanate from your mouth, your manner, your actions, your very being.

Remember it is Christ who liveth in you!

You can listen to a recording of the whole of the study on Psalm 40: 3 - 4 presented by yours truly here.

Psalm 40: 2 - part 3

Here's the third and final part to the study on Psalm 40: 2. Next part covers verses 3 and 4.

Read Psalm 40: 1 - 8 first. The other posts on verse 2 (and prior to that verse 1) can be found here.

3. Firm Footing


You may have guessed the 3rd and final point I want to make, especially following the illustrations I’ve given already about Christ the rock and the solid narrow path to Zion.

Indeed its clear to see that following the first and second points that the firm footing can be found at the end of the verse – “...and set my feet upon a rock and established my goings.” Or as the ESV tells us, “...and set my feet upon a rock making my steps secure.”

Here is why I have used the 2 versions. You may have noticed I have referenced both versions – the ‘pit of destruction/despair’ in the ESV, the ‘clay’ of the AV and the ‘bog’ of the ESV and here the ‘established goings’ and the ‘secure steps’.

When our feet are set on the rock of the Lord Jesus they are utterly secure. There is no firmer foothold or ground on which we can stand. He is utterly faithful, immovable and steadfast.

The ESV conveys this in saying that David’s/our steps become secure. Each and every step on that path is grounded in God’s faithfulness and steadfastness. The grip is perfect, there are no obstacles, and the path will never become slippery or unstable as long as we don’t stray from it.

The AV words it differently and in my opinion it reflects the lasting purposes of being set on that rock. Our ‘goings are established’ – in other words our feet are set in the right direction, we are set on the path to Zion and Jesus points the way. We aren’t just placed in safety; we are pointed and guided each step of the way in our sanctifying journey to heaven. The Lord not only saves us, cleanses us and makes us secure, He also establishes our right direction, he corrects our errors, redirects us when we wander and shows us His ways.

Proverbs 4: 11 - 15 tells us “I have taught thee in the way of wisdom; I have led thee in right paths. When thou goest, thy steps shall not be straitened; and when thou runnest, thou shalt not stumble. Take fast hold of instruction; let her not go: keep her; for she is thy life. Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men. Avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away.”

Vs 18 and 19 continue “But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day. The way of the wicked is as darkness: they know not at what they stumble.”



Jesus said “...I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” John 14: 6

And this is never truer in establishing our goings. Jesus is the only way to heaven. He is the only way out of that pit; he is the only way to be cleansed of sin.

No works, no traditions, no acts or words or any other path can offer the truth, the life or access to God.

‘But by me’ – Jesus’ actions at Calvary have made it possible for sinners like you and me to escape that pit of destruction. Make no mistake, without him, without Jesus we cannot, YOU cannot be saved.

Romans 10: 9 says “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.”

If you are saved, if you have confessed and believe that Jesus is Lord and that He was raised from the dead then understand your ways have been established and in this God’s own word he is directing you and guiding you to his heavenly mansion. Use it, be guided. Do not stray or be distracted and drawn from the path by idols and things or the world and the flesh. Stay the course and walk on solid ground, don’t be the house built on sand which will crumble and fall in the storm.


Without Jesus you stand in the pit wallowing and blind in your sin headed only for destruction and eternal despair. Your idols cannot save you, like Jeremiah you cannot climb out unaided. You are utterly condemned and it is due only to your personal sin, your very state and being.

If you can sense that blackness, if you can feel that heavy burden leaning on you, if you can hear the voice of Jesus calling you, don’t delay, don’t stare into the black well of your own soul for salvation.

Hear him and turn, take the hand that is offered and believe that He alone, Jesus, is the way out, THE WAY. He is the truth; there are no lies in Him. He is life eternal.

Don’t live and die in the pit. Be like David – see your sins for what they are, see your circumstances for what they are and see Jesus for the Saviour He is.

So whatever your condition - Be lifted and rescued and be given life by the Lord Jesus Christ the living Son of the Living God and confess Him now as your Saviour.

Deuteronomy 30: 19 says “I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life,”


Amen.

Psalm 40: 2 - part 2

Here is part 2 from the study on Psalm 40. You can read the first part here.

Part 2. Muddy feet.


David is conscious of the stickiness of sin (see vs 2 ‘the clay’). He is aware that sin can stick to you and cling. For example he had to live his life with the stains left by the incident with Bathsheba . If you play in the mud you’ll get dirty and there’s no washing powder strong enough to shift some stains. Sure Jesus will wash us fully clean one day, but for now we need to be careful how our sin can colour our lives, how it can muddy our souls and stain our spiritual clothing.

David’s sins had at times nearly suffocated him. They had squeezed the breath of God from him to the point where he cried out, as in verse 1. Verse 2 is, again, a reflection of David’s sense of being bogged down by his sins. We have all felt, haven’t we, those times when we can sense the muddy waters of sin seeping into our lives and the cloying mud that slows our footsteps sucking at our feet. If you picture wet clay and its slippery qualities one can also imagine how hard it would be to maintain your footing on such a surface. In some respects this clay (sin) is sticky, yet slippery.


But David trusts in the Lord in his anxiety. He cries out as the stench of the bog burns his nostrils and as he lifts his arms in expectation the Lord once again pulls him from the mire.

We can see in Psalm 51: 2 David’s consciousness of his sin of adultery with Bathsheba and he asks the Lord to wash him and cleanse him from his sins once again. “Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.”

We in our lives must do this too of course. Sometimes we stray from the solid rock onto the bog’s edge. Flirting with sin and muddying our feet. The further we stray the dirtier we get and that clay clings tightly to us again and begins sucking at our feet trying to slow our progress, trying to pull us back to the pit.

The only cleaning agent of course is the living Word. The Lord Jesus and the gospel. It cleans, it freshens and it restores our soul. Some sinful stains need more washing than others; however nothing can resist the cleansing power of the Lord. 1 John 1: 7b “the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.”

David’s psalms often reflect this flirting with sin, subsequent guilt and repentance and a deep desire for cleansing. Then when the Lord obliges David sings praises for his unworthy sanctification and the power of God’s saving, faithful, immutable faith and grace.

We can see this in Psalm 69: 2 and 14, 15 where again David references the mire, the pit and the sense of being overwhelmed by his sins. But as in many of his psalms he reflects too on the Lord’s faithfulness and salvation, setting him “up on high” (v29).

We are clean if we believe; the Lord has promised us just this John 15: 3 tells us of that cleansing power of the Word. “Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.”

The path is narrow on that journey to Zion. And we need only stray one step for our spiritual clothing to be muddied and stained once again. There are many attractive idols waiting on that path to lure us once again into sin. We cannot walk on the path and off it. We are at any given time on the path or wandering. It may be seconds; it may be minutes, hours, days or even years. But we cannot attend an idol and the Lord at the same time. 1 Corinthians 10: 21 “Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord's table, and of the table of devils.”

Stay on the path, focus on the cross, focus on Zion in the distance, don’t be lured by idols and keep yourself clean of that sticky, muddy sin that surrounds the narrow path.

Next post: Firm Footing