Psalm Category: Psalm of Deliverance

Central Thought: Psalm 40 tells the tale of three kings—one who failed to obey, one who desired to obey, and one who obeyed perfectly.

Key Phrase: “My ears you have pierced” (v. 6). This phrase is difficult to translate. The NIV employs the concept of piercing, which suggests the idea of a liberated slave continuing in willing service to his master (Ex. 21:5-6). Alternatively, this phrase could be translated as “my ears you have opened,” which suggests the idea of a king who has ears to hear God’s law (Isa. 50:5). Finally, the phrase could be translated as “my ears you have dug,” which suggests the idea of creation, with the ear serving as a synecdoche for the whole body. This last translation was adopted by the Greek version of the Old Testament (LXX), which also explains its use by the writer to the Hebrews (Heb. 10:5).

Psalm 40

As the king goes, so goes the nation. This is a true saying. Think about how many people have suffered due to the leadership of men like Hitler, Stalin, and Milosevic. This principle was also true for ancient Israel. Good kings brought blessing to the nation, while wicked kings brought curses upon the people.

There was one standard to determine whether a king of Israel was a good king. That standard was established in Deuteronomy 17:18-20, which declares that the reign of the king, and thus the prosperity of the kingdom, is directly connected to the king’s obedience to God’s law. As the king goes, so goes the nation. Psalm 40 tells the tale of three kings.

The King Who Failed to Obey. The first king is implied by the text. In verses 6-8, the psalmist reveals a basic principle—obedience is better than sacrifice. Here the psalmist is recalling a principle learned by Israel’s first king, Saul. In 1 Samuel 15 we learn that after Saul was anointed king, God, through the Prophet Samuel, assigned him the task of obliterating the Amalekites. Saul was commanded to destroy every person and even the animals. Saul disobeyed. He took the king of the Amalekites as his prisoner, and he saved the best animals. God was grieved by Saul’s disobedience, as was Samuel. Samuel eventually confronted Saul at Gilgal, where Saul was sacrificing the sheep to God. It was there that Samuel informed King Saul, “To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams” (1 Sam. 15:22). Saul was the king who failed to obey.

The King Who Desired to Obey. The second king in our tale is explicitly referred to in Psalm 40. David is the author of this psalm; he is the one who has been delivered from the slimy pit and the mud and the mire (vv. 1-2). David responds to this great deliverance by yearning to yield to God that which most pleases him—obedience. “I desire to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart” (v. 8). David was a man after God’s own heart; he desired to obey God. However, David lacked the ability to fulfill these words. He committed adultery with Bathsheba, he murdered Uriah, and he sinfully numbered the people of Israel against God’s command. David was unable to do God’s will, and he testifies to this fact in this psalm. “My sins have overtaken me… .They are more than the hairs of my head, and my heart fails within me” (v. 12). David was the king who desired to obey, but could not.

The King Who Obeyed Perfectly. The third king in Psalm 40 is referred to typologically and prophetically. While verses 6-8 are hyperbolic when applied to David, they are prophetically accurate when applied to Jesus. Jesus is the king who offered the perfect obedience that God required.

The New Testament confirms this interpretation. The writer to the Hebrews provides us with a glorious and detailed commentary on Psalm 40. In Hebrews 10:5-14, we learn that Jesus is the king who came and fulfilled the will of the Father. It was His perfect obedience that qualified Him as the acceptable sacrifice for our sins. “We have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all” (Heb. 10:10). Jesus not only offered His body as a perfect sacrifice for our sins, but He also imputes His perfect obedience to us so that we are construed as forensically perfect in the judgment of God (Rom. 4:1-6, 5:12-21; 2 Cor. 5:21).

As the king goes, so goes the nation. It is a true saying. The good news is that we serve the finest of kings. We serve the King of kings. We serve the King who obeyed perfectly!

—Anthony Selvaggio