Psalm 40 is a difficult psalm to understand at one level and that is because some of its verses are applied to Jesus in the Book of Hebrews. Not every verse can be applied to him, however. In verse 12, the author complains of his iniquities and that could not be said of Jesus.
In verses 1-4, the psalmist describes a great deliverance he had experienced as a result of prayer. The Lord had not answered his prayer immediately and the psalmist had been left in a situation that was like a pit (impossible to get out off without help and no solid standing while in it). But once he was delivered, the psalmist thanked God for his rescue. His words are an acknowledgement of divine sovereignty and divine wisdom regarding the timing of God’s action. His deliverance through answered prayer would also be an encouragement to others to fear the Lord and trust in him.
Although David had experienced a wonderful personal deliverance, he also recognised that there was a communal benefit linked to it, probably connected to him being the chosen king of God’s people. David determined to tell them about the greatness and favour of God, that he constantly works wonderful things on behalf of his people. At the same time, he confessed that the number of the Lord’s works was so great that it was not possible to mention all of them (vv. 4-5).
Verses 6-8 are the verses that are applied to Jesus by the author of Hebrews. They do not seem to be applicable to David because he was required to offer burnt offerings and sin offerings. Even in this statement we see a difference between Jesus and everyone else in that it points to his sinlessness. Verse 7 could be a reference to the Old Testament, or it could refer to a special book such as the book of divine decrees or similar. Only the first line of verse 8 is applied to Jesus in Hebrews, and it describes his remarkable dedication to fulfilling his Father’s will.
Two other details can be mentioned. In verses 6-8, we have a conversation between persons of the Trinity, although only Jesus speaks (the author of Hebrews says the conversation occurred when Jesus was coming into the world, at his incarnation). The second detail is a reminder that descriptions of and references to Jesus are found throughout the Old Testament.
In verses 9-10, a preacher describes his style of preaching. Some see this as a continuation of the previous verses about Jesus, although that would mean that he moves on thirty years from the reference to his incarnation to describe his public ministry. The verses could merely refer to David as to his manner of preaching and verse 9 could indicate that he had already told the people about his deliverance described at the start of the psalm. When he described it, he said everything that should be said, and did so from his heart, which is what true preaching must be.
David knew that, since he was still a sinner, there would be constant need of divine deliverance. But he knew that he could depend on the covenant faithfulness of God, even although his sins, from his point of view, were innumerable and overpowering. As described in previous psalms, David saw a connection between his sins and the activities of his enemies, and therefore he prayed to be delivered from the attacks of both (vv. 11-15).
And as with previous psalms, he wanted his experience of deliverance to be an encouragement to God’s people (vv. 16-17). When that happens, they and he would have reasons for praising God for his deliverances. And he wanted his own experience of divine rescue to happen as soon as possible.
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