From a Pit to Praise (Psalm 40:1-3)

This psalm can function at different levels. Some regard it as a Messianic psalm because some of its verses (6-8) are applied to Jesus in the Book of Hebrews (10:5). But there is a reference to personal sin in the psalm which make that interpretation unlikely, even although some famous names have held to the interpretation. Others regard the opening verses as describing an unknown incident in David’s life, and with that interpretation we can apply it to situations in which the Lord delivers his people from difficult circumstances. What can be said about these verses is that they provide a sequence of divine deliverance that we can use as a model for ourselves when we face problems. A third way of considering the opening verses is to see the sequence as illustrative of conversion and that is how I would like to consider them. 

Many years ago, I heard an evangelist preach on these verses and I can still recall his outline. It was (1) out of the mire, (2) taken by higher, (3) into the choir and (4) set on fire. Maybe that will help you remember the thrust of the verses. 

 

Human inability

The psalmist says that he was in a pit of destruction and a miry bog. Both illustrations are very clear as to their intent – they indicate that he was unable to deliver himself from where he was. A pit of destruction was very deep, and such were used to imprison people. A biblical example of this is Joseph when he was sent by Jacob to see how his sons were getting on – Joseph’s brothers put him into a pit while they decided what to do with him. They knew that he could not escape. 

 

A miry bog is also a trap for someone who finds himself in it – he cannot go anywhere except down. Perhaps what is mind here is a cistern such as the one that Jeremiah was put in by the king. A cistern could be a deep pit with a miry bog at the bottom. A person in those situations needs help from someone outside. 

 

This is how the Bible describes an unconverted person. Their sins have trapped them, and they cannot escape from them. They may try all kinds of methods to escape, even religious ones, but they get nowhere. Their rescue can only come from outside. They learn that only God can be their deliverer, therefore they turn to him.

 

Prayer for deliverance (v. 1)

We should note the name of God that David uses. He did not use the general name of God, even although that name would highlight his power as Creator. There would be nothing wrong with doing so, depending on the circumstances. But here the psalmist wanted something more than creation can reveal. So he used the special name of God that was associated with the deliverance of Israel from Egypt. He called on Yahweh, the God who had helped others when they were in a situation of deep distress, and he delivered them. Remember how he revealed himself to Moses as the One who was concerned about his suffering people and had come to deliver them. Using the most appropriate name of God can help us a lot in time of distress. We can pray to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the One who will give all things along with Jesus.

 

So the psalmist knew that the only One who could rescue him was the Lord. Not only did he know that the Lord could help him, David knew also that the Lord would deliver him at the best time, the time of his choosing. David’s attitude was one of waiting whether the Lord took five minutes or five days or five weeks to rescue him. Although he was waiting, he was not silent. He cried expectantly to the Lord about his situation. His waiting was not passive, which the word patiently could suggest. Literally, he was waiting with waiting. So he was putting everything into his prayer. Some suggest he was anxious in his outlook, which would not be surprising. Yet, since he continued, it is more likely that he was waiting eagerly and longingly.

 

Why does the Lord wait before answering a person’s request for mercy? To know the answer to that question requires asking where we wait patiently, anxiously or eagerly. I would suggest that we wait in those ways by considering the gospel until we understand it. Christians may think John 3:16 is easy to understand, but most non-Christians would not understand any of it. Most of our message is alien to them. Faith in Jesus involves enlightenment by the Holy Spirit, and that process takes longer with some individuals than with others. They cry to the Lord to enable them to understand the gospel. They persevere in their desire because God is drawing them to himself. They read the Bible and search the scriptures and ask him for divine insight and deliverance. Often, they turn to the accounts of the cross, or to the promises connected to divine mercy, and ponder and pray over them.

 

Although it might seem that the Lord was not listening to David’s prayer, the reality was very different. We should note the way that the Lord is described. It is possible to hear something without inclining our ear, so why is he described in that way? When we incline our ear, it indicates that we are interested in what we are hearing. The Lord loves to hear someone who is lamenting their circumstances, but who is also determined to wait before him for divine illumination through understanding what the Bible says. That is the case with sinners seeking salvation and saints seeking deliverance from a situation of trouble (as in Malachi 3:16).

 

Divine rescue (v. 2)

David describes his Deliverer as being like a person who throws a rope into a pit in order to pull out a trapped person (that is what happened to Jeremiah when friends came to his aid). With regard to the moment of spiritual deliverance, the Lord knows when to send down his rope. God has many ropes through which he can give deliverance, and I would suggest that the ropes are his promises. He uses one rope for this person, and another rope for another person. With one person, the rope may be ‘him that comes to me I will never cast out’. With another person, the rope may be ‘come unto me and I will give you rest’. Whichever rope the Lord decides to use, whichever promise he deems best, it will be effective as far as the trapped person is. 

 

We must remember that the rescue by the rope is connected to the depth of the pit. If a pit was fifteen feet deep, the experience of deliverance might be much quicker than the person in a pit that was thirty feet deep. Those of us who have had a particular rope should not assume that God is always using the same rope with another person. That is a real danger from testimonies, which at times can divert people away from the rope that God plans to use for them. A verse from the Bible may have been so vivid in our experience that we imagine it will be equally vivid in another person’s. But often it is not. God has a particular rope designed for each.

David then says that God placed him on a rock. A rock is not the same as level ground. Rather it is elevated above the ground. People would often climb a high rock for safety from enemies or wild animals. In using this illustration, David says that his deliverance was remarkable – he went immediately from the depths to the heights. Is this not what happens at conversion when a sinner is delivered from their lost condition?

 

A converted person is not like a person taken from a deep pit and put back where he was before. This can happen to some people who seem to be in the same pit. They are impressed by the gospel for a while, may struggle intensely in a pit in which they are concerned about their sins, but after a period of time they find another way out of the pit and resume their previous lifestyle. They may even become antagonistic against the gospel. There are many who imagine they have tried Christianity and found it not to work, but all they have done is used the wrong rope to get away from being aware of their sinfulness. After all, God is not the only One with ropes. Other sources will have other means of deliverance and they may remove the sense of sin that a person has.

 

Instead of such a tragic response, experiencing the gospel results in being raised to a very high position by God. What happens when we are drawn from the pit of sin by a divine promise and have become believers in Jesus? We experience justification and adoption, and we cannot get any higher that what is given to sinners in those divine actions. In justification, we are made right with God and forgiven our sins, and are allowed to remain in his presence forever; and in adoption we become children of God, members of his family, and become joint heirs with Jesus of the inheritance. What we can say about the deliverance is that it is very high.

 

David was not only set on a rock, he was also given a path on which his steps would be secure. I suppose we could see the path as a picture of sanctification, the road that takes us safely from the pit of destruction to the heavenly destination. Although he is no longer in the pit, the delivered psalmist is on a journey with many dangers and still requires the constant help of the Lord. But the Lord has a secure path for his people.

 

A new song from the Lord

Maybe David only means that a familiar song had become new to him because he now understood the words that he was singing. Or since David was a composer, he could be referring to Psalm 40 as the new song he wrote on the occasion of his deliverance. If that is what he means, then we are reminded of the divine inspiration of the Bible, even when the passages are referring to personal experience. 

 

He also seems to have written the song for the benefit of others because it was ‘a song of praise to our God’. This is a reminder that we are to use our gifts for the glory of God. We are not to be like those who bury their talents out of sight. That is not a sign of humility, but of disobedience.

 

What would be the style of this new song? It would be marked by expressions of gratitude to the Lord for such a great deliverance, of deep amazement at the extent of the divine deliverance, of eager dedication to serve such a great God. He would also have an awareness that the Lord wanted him to sing about the amazing deliverance he had experienced and share it with others. The Lord loves the praises of the righteous because they reveal the evidence of his grace in their lives.

 

We can contrast this man with the nine lepers whom Jesus cured but who failed to return to thank him. David and the solitary thankful leper recognised the importance of praising God for his mercy. It is good to do so frequently because his mercies are new every morning and there will always be something to thank God for with regard to his salvation.

 

The outcome (v. 3)

It is extraordinary how God’s arithmetic works. In verse 1, the psalmist is alone and in verse 3 he is influencing others to such an extent that they trust in the Lord. They observed the grace of God and this led them to sense that the power of God was being seen. It would be better to have such a powerful God on their side rather than against them, so they ‘put their trust in the Lord’. Everyone in the line of salvation is a link in a chain, even if at times we cannot see the chain. But sooner or later we will, and may even discover that we are the first link in other chains. When the psalmist saw the outcome, he might not regret the place where it started for him.