Psalm 40 - Already, Not Yet
- Chad Werkhoven
- Aug 1
- 5 min read
God has Saved you, and continues to Save you.
Psalm 40
For the director of music. Of David. A psalm.
1 I waited patiently for the LORD;
he turned to me and heard my cry.
2 He lifted me out of the slimy pit,
out of the mud and mire;
he set my feet on a rock
and gave me a firm place to stand.
3 He put a new song in my mouth,
a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear the Lord
and put their trust in him.
4 Blessed is the man
who trusts in the LORD,
who does not look to the proud,
to those who turn aside to false gods.
5 Many, LORD my God,
are the wonders you have done,
the things you planned for us.
None can compare with you;
were I to speak and tell of your deeds,
they would be too many to declare.
6 Sacrifice and offering you did not desire—
but my ears you have opened—
burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not require.
7 Then I said, “Here I am, I have come—
it is written about me in the scroll.
8 I desire to do your will, my God;
your law is within my heart.”
9 I proclaim your saving acts in the great assembly;
I do not seal my lips, LORD,
as you know.
10 I do not hide your righteousness in my heart;
I speak of your faithfulness and your saving help.
I do not conceal your love and your faithfulness
from the great assembly.
11 Do not withhold your mercy from me, LORD;
may your love and faithfulness always protect me.
12 For troubles without number surround me;
my sins have overtaken me, and I cannot see.
They are more than the hairs of my head,
and my heart fails within me.
13 Be pleased to save me, LORD;
come quickly, LORD, to help me.
14 May all who want to take my life
be put to shame and confusion;
may all who desire my ruin
be turned back in disgrace.
15 May those who say to me, “Aha! Aha!”
be appalled at their own shame.
16 But may all who seek you
rejoice and be glad in you;
may those who long for your saving help always say,
“The LORD is great!”
17 But as for me, I am poor and needy;
may the LORD think of me.
You are my help and my deliverer;
you are my God, do not delay.
Canons of Dordt
Point 4 - Irresistible Grace
Article 8: The Earnest Call of the Gospel
Nevertheless, all who are called through the gospel are called earnestly.
For urgently and most genuinely God makes known in the Word what is pleasing to him:
that those who are called
should come to God.
God also earnestly promises rest for their souls and eternal life to all who do come and believe.
Summary
David begins today's psalm in a dark place, mired in a muddy, slimy pit. His sin with Bathsheba had recently been made public. David confessed this sin, and beautifully repented of it (Psalm 51). Now he finds himself patiently waiting for the LORD. He doesn't say how long he waited - maybe a couple of hours, a day or a week, maybe longer. However long it was, it probably felt like an eternity.
But the LORD turned and heard David's cry. After all of David's patient waiting, the LORD suddenly lifted David out of the slimy pit and set his feet on a rock, giving him a firm place to stand. But his salvation was more than just external. The LORD put a new song in David's mouth, a hymn of praise to our God.
David had come to realize that the LORD doesn't respond to those who just go through religious motions, that the LORD doesn't desire sacrifice and offering. Rather, the LORD delights in those who truly desire to do His will, and in whom His law is written upon their hearts. Those are not attributes you can attain on your own; they can only be achieved by the Holy Spirit's regenerating power.
David had come to personally understand the doctrine that's summarized in this article of the Canons of Dordt that we've been focused on this past week: that God also earnestly promises rest for their souls and eternal life to all who do come and believe.
Dig Deeper
Psalm 40 doesn't conform to our pattern and expectations. We want a psalm to begin with lament, go on to tell of God's salvation, and then end with several proclamations of praise. The first half of Psalm 40 seem to follow this formula - it begins with a slimy pit, it tells of God's wonders, things He's planned, and saving wonders, and wraps up in v10 with David's commitment to speak of the LORD's faithfulness and saving help.
But v10 is only the halfway point for Psalm 40, and in the second half David once again notes that troubles without number surround him, and that his sins have overtaken him. Once again, David cries out to the LORD for mercy, protection, and salvation. Not only that, but David seems done with patiently waiting; now his prayer - his demand, even - is for the LORD to come quickly to help me.
Psalm 40 encapsulates the key Christian doctrine formally known as eschatological tension, but better understood by the phrase already / not yet. It means that one one hand, your salvation is already fully accomplished - you are completely saved. But on the other, we've not yet fully experienced it. Bad things keep happening. Right after God lifts you up out of one slimy pit, you fall right back into shame, confusion, and disgrace.
We understand salvation in two senses. Capital 'S' Salvation refers to the finished work of Christ, which justifies you and gives you peace with God. But until Christ returns, you must keep praying for small 's' salvation from life's continual problems. Like David, realize that you are poor and needy and that the LORD is your help and your deliverer.
ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, whose love and faithfulness always protect us;
ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray the final line of Psalm 40: You are my God, do not delay;
ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED:
Read the New Testament in a year! Today: 1 Corinthians 2
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