By Adam Winn, Ph. D.
Chair and Professor, Department of Biblical and Religious Studies at Samford University
THE ATTITUDE IN WORSHIP
Psalm 40:1–11
Worship with a humble and trusting heart. (1–5)
The opening line of this Psalm evokes the theme of the previous lesson — that of waiting on the Lord. Yet while Psalm 25 expressed the psalmist’s willingness to wait on the Lord for help without any resolution to his trouble, this Psalm is written from the perspective of the Lord responding to the psalmist’s waiting and bringing the longed-for aid and blessing.
The psalmist, who here is David, has been rescued by God from his troubles (the pit) and placed in a good and secure place (the rock). The psalmist immediately connects his deliverance with praise for the God who delivered him, claiming that God placed a new song of praise in his mouth.
As a result, others will see God’s faithfulness and place their trust in the Lord. Thus, we see the praise and worship of God having a missional result.
The author now contrasts his trust and reliance on the Lord, which took patient endurance, with those who trust in other gods for deliverance. It cannot be stressed enough that ancient people closely connected the events of their lives — the good they experienced and the evil — with the work of supernatural beings. If one god was not bringing them the result they desired, they would turn to other gods for aid. Those who worshipped only one God and waited on that one God for deliverance would be viewed as foolish.
The psalmist declares that God’s deliverance proves His greatness over all other supernatural powers, claiming that none can compare to the God of Israel. God’s deliverance of David leads to effusive praise.
Worship with willing obedience. (6–8)
Here David reflects on the true desire of God for His people. He claims that God does not desire sacrifice or offering. Instead, God desires His people to do His will, for the law of God to be one with the will of the people. This verse might seem odd in that it is God who set up the sacrificial system, and it is the very law of God that demands sacrifice.
There are two ways of looking at this text. First, from the vantage point of the author, these verses likely do not mean that sacrifices should be abandoned but rather that sacrifices are meaningless if one is not truly seeking to do the will of God. In other words, by comparison, the latter is far more significant than the former.
Yet this text also seems to foreshadow a future reality, namely one in which the sacrifices are no longer necessary and the people of God are transformed by the law of God written on their hearts (Jer. 31:31–34), a reality brought about by the death of Jesus and the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Worship unashamed. (9–11)
In these verses, the psalmist shows evidence of his gratitude through his proclamation to everyone about the salvation that God has brought to him. He is not keeping silent, but he is telling everyone of God’s greatness and goodness.
Again, his worship is both missional and evangelistic. It seeks to draw others to the God of Israel, to abandoning anything else they might be placing their faith in and waiting on the Lord alone for deliverance.
Verse 11 ends with a request that the salvation the psalmist is now experiencing not end and that the love and faithfulness of God remain with him forever.
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