Catholic Commentary on Psalm 40

"I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry." (Psalm 40:1)

Out of the Slimy Pit

Psalm 40 begins with one of the most powerful testimonies of answered prayer in the Psalter: I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry. 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. The slimy pit is a vivid image of the place of no traction, where every attempt to escape only sinks you deeper. The one who has been there knows exactly what this describes. And the testimony is not that the person climbed out by their own effort. He lifted me. God is the agent of deliverance.

He put a new song in David's mouth, a hymn of praise to God. The testimony of deliverance becomes the testimony that leads others to trust: Many will see and fear the Lord and put their trust in him. The purpose of telling your story of deliverance is not self-promotion. It is evangelism. The testimony creates trust in those who hear it. Your Psalm 40 is meant to be someone else's Psalm 3 or Psalm 13 or Psalm 27: the word that gives them permission to trust.

Sacrifice and Obedience

The Letter to the Hebrews quotes the middle section of this psalm in reference to Christ: Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but my ears you have opened; burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not require. Then I said, Here I am, I have come. I desire to do your will, my God; your law is within my heart. The one who speaks these words in Hebrews is the Son coming into the world, offering not animal sacrifice but the sacrifice of perfect obedience. Psalm 40 is the interior voice of the Incarnation: here I am, I have come to do your will.

Living the Word

Brothers and sisters, share your Psalm 40. Tell someone this week about the slimy pit you were in and the rock on which God set your feet. Not as a performance, but as testimony. Many will see and fear the Lord and put their trust in him. Your story of deliverance is someone else's invitation to hope.

Prayer

Lord God, you lifted me out of the pit and set my feet on a rock. Put a new song in my mouth. May many see and put their trust in you. I come to do your will. Your law is in my heart. Do not withhold your mercy from me; let your love and faithfulness always protect me. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

40
I Waited Patiently for the LORD
(Psalms 70:1–5; Hebrews 10:1–18)
For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.
 
1 I waited patiently for the LORD;
He inclined to me and heard my cry.
2 He lifted me up from the pit of despair,
out of the miry clay;
He set my feet upon a rock,
and made my footsteps firm.
3 He put a new song in my mouth,
a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear
and put their trust in the LORD.
 
4 Blessed is the man
who has made the LORD his trust,
who has not turned to the proud,
nor to those who lapse into falsehood.* 40:4 Or who turn aside to false gods or who run after lies
5 Many, O LORD my God,
are the wonders You have done,
and the plans You have for us—
none can compare to You—
if I proclaim and declare them,
they are more than I can count.
 
6 Sacrifice and offering You did not desire,
but my ears You have opened.† 40:6 Hebrew; some LXX manuscripts but a body You prepared for me
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 delight to do Your will, O my God;‡ 40:8 Cited in Hebrews 10:5–7
Your law is within my heart.”
 
9 I proclaim righteousness in the great assembly;
behold, I do not seal my lips,
as You, O LORD, do know.
10 I have not covered up Your righteousness in my heart;
I have declared Your faithfulness and salvation;
I have not concealed Your loving devotion and faithfulness
from the great assembly.
 
11 O LORD, do not withhold Your mercy from me;
Your loving devotion and faithfulness will always guard me.
12 For evils without number surround me;
my sins have overtaken me, so that I cannot see.
They are more than the hairs of my head,
and my heart has failed within me.
13 Be pleased, O LORD, to deliver me;
hurry, O LORD, to help me.
 
14 May those who seek my life
be ashamed and confounded;
may those who wish me harm
be repelled and humiliated.
15 May those who say to me, “Aha, aha!”
be appalled at their own shame.
16 May all who seek You
rejoice and be glad in You;
may those who love Your salvation
always say, “The LORD be magnified!”
 
17 But I am poor and needy;
may the Lord think of me.
You are my helper and deliverer;
O my God, do not delay.

*40:4 40:4 Or who turn aside to false gods or who run after lies

†40:6 40:6 Hebrew; some LXX manuscripts but a body You prepared for me

‡40:8 40:8 Cited in Hebrews 10:5–7

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