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Psalm Forty
New King James Version (NKJV)
INTRODUCTION TO PSALM 40
To the chief Musician, a Psalm of David. Jarchi
interprets this psalm of the Israelites, and of their deliverance and song at
the Red sea. The title of it, in the Syriac version, is,
"A
psalm of David according to the letter, when Shemaiah brought the names of
those who minister in the house of the Lord;'
see
1 Chronicles 24:6;
according to Kimchi, the subject of this psalm is the same with that of the two
preceding; and R. Obadiah thinks it was composed by David, when he was
recovered of a leprosy; but though it might be written by David, it was not
written concerning himself, or on his own account, but of another. The title of
this psalm is somewhat different from others in the order of the words; whereas
it is usually put "a psalm of", or "for David"; here it is,
"for David, a psalm"; and may be rendered, as Ainsworth observes,
"a psalm concerning David"; not literally, but typically understood;
not concerning David himself, but concerning his antitype and son, who is
called by his name, Ezekiel 37:24; and
that it is to be interpreted of him is evident from the application of Psalm 39:6, unto
him by the apostle in Hebrews 10:5; and
the whole of it is applicable to him; some apply it to Jeremiah in the dungeon,
and others to Daniel in the den, as Theodoret observes.
Psalm 40:1 I
waited patiently for the Lord;
And He inclined to me, And heard my cry.
YLT
1To the Overseer. -- A Psalm
of David. I have diligently expected Jehovah, And He inclineth to me, and
heareth my cry,
I waited patiently for the Lord,.... Or "waiting I
waited"F9קוה קויתי
"expectando expectavi", Pagninus, Montanus, Vatablus Musculus,
Rivetus, Gejerus, Michaelis; so Ainsworth. ; which denotes continuance,
constancy, and patience; and which Christ exercised in the garden, when he
submitted himself entirely to the will of God; and on the cross, when he
continued in sure hope and firm expectation of his help and assistance, though
he was for a while forsaken by him; see Isaiah 50:7;
and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry; both in the
garden, by delivering him from fear of death; and on the cross, by upholding,
helping, and assisting him, by carrying him through his sufferings and death,
and raising him from the dead; see Isaiah 49:8.
Psalm 40:2 2 He also brought me up out
of a horrible pit, Out of the miry clay, And set my feet upon a rock, And
established my steps.
YLT
2And He doth cause me to
come up From a pit of desolation -- from mire of mud, And He raiseth up on a
rock my feet, He is establishing my steps.
He brought me up also out of an horrible pit,.... Which,
with the following phrase,
out of the miry clay, expresses the state and
condition Christ was in at the time of his bloody sweat, his crucifixion, and
his lying in "sheol", the pit or grave, sometimes rendered hell,
which these figurative phrases fitly signify; when it is observed, that he was
made sin, and had the sins of all his people on him; and, as the type of
Joshua, was clothed with their filthy garments; he might be truly said to be in
the miry clay; and also that he was made a curse for them, and bore the wrath
of God in their room and stead; and was forsaken by his God and Father, and so
endured both the punishment of loss and sense, and what was tantamount to the
sufferings of the damned in hell; see Psalm 69:1; to
which may be added the noisy insults of malignant men, and the infernal fiends,
who surrounded him on the cross; when he was in an horrible, or "noisy
pit", as the words may be renderedF11מבור
שאון "e cisterna sonitus", Pagninus,
Montanus; "strepitus", Vatablus, the Targum & Kimchi; and to the
same purpose Musculus, Cocceius, Junius & Tremellius, Piscator; "out
of the pit of sounding calamity", Ainsworth. , the allusion being to
subterraneous caverns or pits, in which the falls of water make so horrible a
noise as is intolerable; or to deep pits, into which anything cast makes a
great sound: and the issue of all this was, that he was laid in the pit of the
grave, and held under the power and with the cords of death; from all which he
was delivered when he was raised from the dead, justified in the Spirit, and
glorified in the human nature by his God and Father;
and set my feet upon a rock; on Mount Zion in heaven,
whither he was carried up after his resurrection; where he will remain until
his second coming, being set down at the right hand of God, in a most stable,
firm, and unalterable state, as well as an honourable one; for he will die no
more, and death shall no more have dominion over him;
and established my goings; in treading
the path of life, which was shown him at his resurrection; in passing through
the air, the territory of Satan, at his ascension; and in his entrance into his
glory, and making his way to his Father's right hand and throne.
Psalm 40:3 3 He has put a new song in
my mouth—Praise to our God; Many will see it and fear, And will trust in
the Lord.
YLT
3And He putteth in my mouth
a new song, `Praise to our God.' Many do see and fear, and trust in Jehovah.
And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise to our
God,.... Sung by him in the midst of the great congregation of angels
and saints, upon his resurrection, ascension, and session at the right hand of
God; see Psalm 22:22; when
he went to his God and ours, to his Father and ours; and in which song he is
joined by all his people above and below, Revelation 5:9;
many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the Lord; even all the
elect of God, as many as are ordained to eternal life; the many whose sins
Christ bore, for whom he became a ransom, whom he justifies and brings to
glory: these all "see" him in the horrible pit and miry clay, in his
state of humiliation, as bearing their sins, and the punishment due unto them;
as wounded, bruised, and crucified; as rising again for their justification;
and as on Mount Zion crowned with glory and honour; and a multitude of harpers
with him, singing the new song; these see the salvation he has wrought out, the
glory, fulness, and suitableness of it, and their interest in it; and they
"fear" not with a fear of hell and damnation, which is inconsistent
with the trust after mentioned; but with a godly and filial fear, which arises
from and is encouraged by the grace and goodness of God, their faith in the
sufferings, death, and resurrection of Christ Jesus, and which render him a
proper object of trust and confidence; for he is so both as suffering,
crucified, and slain, and as risen again, and exalted at the Father's right
hand, Galatians 2:20.
Psalm 40:4 4 Blessed is that man
who makes the Lord
his trust, And does not respect the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies.
YLT
4O the happiness of the man
Who hath made Jehovah his trust, And hath not turned unto the proud, And those
turning aside to lies.
Blessed is the man that maketh the Lord his trust,.... For such
are safe and secure in him, are possessed of all blessings of grace through
him, have peace in their own souls now, and shall enjoy eternal happiness with
him hereafter;
and respecteth not the proud; such as the Pharisees,
and all self-righteous persons, who trust in themselves and their own
righteousness, submit not to the righteousness of Christ, and despise others;
to these such who trust in Christ have no respect; they neither esteem them,
nor imitate them;
nor such as turn aside to lies; to idols, the lying
vanities of the Gentiles; or to any doctrines injurious to the person, office,
blood, righteousness, sacrifice, and grace of Christ; which are no other than
lies, and which those who believe in Christ have no respect to, but abhor both
them and the abettors of them.
Psalm 40:5 5 Many, O Lord my God, are
Your wonderful works Which You have done; And Your thoughts toward us Cannot
be recounted to You in order; If I would declare and speak of them, They
are more than can be numbered.
YLT
5Much hast Thou done,
Jehovah my God; Thy wonders and Thy thoughts toward us, There is none to
arrange unto Thee, I declare and speak: They have been more than to be
numbered.
Many, O Lord my God, are thy wonderful works which
thou hast done,.... This is the "new song", as Aben Ezra rightly
observes, which is said in Psalm 40:3, to be
put in the mouth of the Messiah; who sometimes speaks in the plural number,
being the representative of his people, and sometimes in the singular; for it
is the same person that speaks here who is continued speaking in Psalm 40:6, and
following; and which are applied to Christ, Hebrews 10:5; the
"works" here said to be done, and to be "many" and
"wonderful", are not the creation of the world, the dividing of the
sea, and feeding the people of Israel forty years in the wilderness, as Jarchi
interprets them; but the incarnation of Christ, redemption by him, the
resurrection of him from the dead; regeneration and conversion, and the
preservation of the saints from the evil of the world, safe to the kingdom and
glory of God; all which, as they are many and various, and display the manifold
wisdom and grace of God, so they are marvellous, and will be the subject of the
wonder of saints to all eternity;
and thy thoughts which are to us-ward; that is, the
decrees of God, as Aben Ezra truly explains them; the purposes, counsels, and
intentions of God; which, though mentioned last, are before his works, and are
the spring of them: these were in the mind of God from everlasting, were
unknown till revealed, were thoughts of peace, and not of evil, and are
unfrustrable, and ever fulfilled, and are manifold, precious, and amazing, Psalm 139:17; and
these were concerning all the elect of God as considered in Christ, and members
of his; and therefore he says to us-ward; and all the works before mentioned
were done to them, or for them, and on their account; and so Jarchi and Aben
Ezra interpret the phrase, "because of us", or "for our
sakes"; even the incarnation, sufferings, death, and resurrection of
Christ, and the thoughts of them, were for them;
they cannot be reckoned up in order to thee; or
"there is none can order them unto thee"F12אין ערוך אליך
"non est qui ordinet apud te", Pagninus; "none can count them in
order to thee", Ainsworth. ; there is no power in man to do it, as Aben
Ezra observes; or "there is none like unto thee", as Jarchi and the
Oriental versions; see Exodus 15:11;
though this sense seems to break in upon the account of the wonderful works and
thoughts of God, which are still designed in the following clause;
if I could declare and speak
of them, they are more than can be numbered; that is, by
men: from this general account of, the many and wonderful works and thoughts of
God, the Messiah passes on to take notice of one particular design and work of
the Lord, the redemption of his people by the sacrifice of himself.
Psalm 40:6 6 Sacrifice and offering You
did not desire; My ears You have opened. Burnt offering and sin offering You
did not require.
YLT
6Sacrifice and present Thou
hast not desired, Ears Thou hast prepared for me, Burnt and sin-offering Thou
hast not asked.
Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire,.... These
were desired, willed, and appointed by God, and that very early, even from the
times of our first parents; and, when performed aright, were acceptable to God,
quite down to the times of the Messiah: indeed, when offered without faith in
Christ, and with a wicked mind, to merit any thing at the hand of God, they
were always abominable to him; and he likewise ever preferred love to himself,
and of the neighbour, obedience to the commands of the moral law, and works of
mercy to men, before all the sacrifices of the ceremonial law, 1 Samuel 15:22; nor
were these ever in such esteem with him as the sacrifices of a broken and
contrite heart, or of praise and thanksgiving, Psalm 51:16; nor
were they ever regarded by him but as they respected Christ; nor were they ever
designed to cleanse from sin, and take it away, but to lead to the propitiatory
sacrifice of Christ: but none of these senses have place here: the meaning of
the words is, that it was not the will of God, at the time this passage refers
to, that legal sacrifices should continue any longer; and that they should not
be offered up, even by good men, in the best manner, and to the best ends and
purposes; the time being come that a better sacrifice should be offered, which
was the sum and substance of them, and was prefigured by them;
mine ears hast thou opened; or "dug", or
"bored"F13כרית
"fodisti", Pagninus, Montanus, Vatablus, Gejerus, Michaelis;
"perfodisti", Tigurine version, Musculus, Junius & Tremellius,
Piscator; "perforasti", Cocceius. ; in allusion, as is thought by
many, to Exodus 21:6; though
the phrase rather signifies the formation and excavation of the ear; or the
preparing and fitting it for its use; that is, to hearken to the will of his
heavenly Father, to become man, offer himself a sacrifice, and suffer and die
in the room of his people; to which he became obedient, taking upon him the
form of a servant, when found in fashion as a man; and was obedient unto death,
even the death of the cross; see Isaiah 50:4; in Hebrews 10:5, the
words are rendered as by the Septuagint, "but a body hast thou prepared
me"; and with it the Arabic and Ethiopic versions agree; and so
Apollinarius,
"flesh
of mortal generation;'
a
part of the body being put for the whole; and which, indeed, is supposed: for
unless a body had been prepared for him, his ears could not have been opened;
and it was in the body, in human nature, that he was the obedient servant; and
this is to be understood, not only of a preparation of this body, in the
purposes, counsel, and covenant of God; but chiefly of the formation of it in
the womb of the virgin, where it was curiously wrought and prepared by the
Holy, Ghost, that he might have something to offer, and in it become, as he
did, an offering and a sacrifice to God, of a sweet smelling savour;
burnt offering and sin offering hast thou not required; any longer;
this body being prepared for the Messiah to be offered up in.
Psalm 40:7 7 Then I said, “Behold, I
come; In the scroll of the book it is written of me.
YLT
7Then said I, `Lo, I have
come,' In the roll of the book it is written of me,
Then said I,.... As in the council and covenant of peace, when and where he
declared his willingness to come into the world, and make satisfaction for the
sins of his people; so when the fulness of time was come for his appearance in
human nature he repeated the same; for of the time of his coming into the world
are these words interpreted, Hebrews 10:5; when
sacrifice and offering God would not have any longer continued, and when a body
was prepared him, then he said,
Lo, I come; O Father; as Apollinarius, in his metaphrase, adds; that is,
freely, and without compulsion; immediately, at once, without any delay; and he
himself, and not another; and this not by change of place, but by assumption of
nature; taking the body, or human nature, prepared for him, and uniting it to
himself; to which the word "lo" is prefixed as a note of attention
and admiration; the incarnation of Christ being a wonderful affair, and of the
utmost moment and importance;
in the volume of the book it is written of me; either in the
book of divine predestination, in the purposes and decrees of God, Psalm 139:16; or in
the book of the Scriptures; either in general, John 5:39, Luke 24:27; or
particularly in the book of the Psalms, Psalm 1:1; or
rather in the book of the law, the five books of Moses, since these were the
only books or volumes that were composed at the writing of this psalm; and it
has respect not to Deuteronomy 18:15;
nor Deuteronomy 17:18;
nor Exodus 21:6; but
rather Genesis 3:15; and
seeing the coming of Christ into the world was not only appointed of God,
agreed unto by Christ, but was prophesied of, and penned down in the sacred
writings; therefore at the appointed time he came, freely and willingly. This
book is called a volume, or roll, alluding to the manner of writing formerly;
when what was written was finished, it was rolled about a stick in the manner
of a cylinder; and in this form is the book of the law with the Jews to this
day; See Gill on Luke 4:17.
Psalm 40:8 8 I delight to do Your will,
O my God, And Your law is within my heart.”
YLT
8To do Thy pleasure, my God,
I have delighted, And Thy law [is] within my heart.
I delight to do thy will, O my God,.... This he came down
from heaven to do, and this he did do, by preaching the Gospel, and working
miracles; and above all by obtaining eternal redemption for his people, which
he effected by fulfilling the law, becoming a sacrifice, and suffering and
dying in their room; all which were the will of God, and grateful to him, and
in doing which Christ took the utmost delight and pleasure, John 4:34;
yea, thy law is within my heart; either the
whole moral law, under which he was, as man, and the surety of his people; and
which was written upon his heart, and which he perfectly obeyed; or that
particular law, injunction, and command laid upon him by his Father, to offer
himself a sacrifice, and lay down his life for men; which he agreed to, had it
in his mind, his heart was set upon it, and he cheerfully complied with it, John 10:18.
Psalm 40:9 9 I have proclaimed the good
news of righteousness In the great assembly; Indeed, I do not restrain my lips,
O Lord,
You Yourself know.
YLT
9I have proclaimed tidings
of righteousness In the great assembly, lo, my lips I restrain not, O Jehovah,
Thou hast known.
I have preached righteousness in the great congregation,.... Not the
righteousness which the law requires men to do; but the righteousness which
Christ himself wrought out, for the justification of them that believe; this he
was a preacher, as well as the author of, and is part of the glad tidings he
was anointed to preach, Isaiah 61:1; and
the wordF14בשרתי ευηγγελισαμην Sept. "evangelizavi", Schmidt,
Michaelis; "I have preached the glad tidings of justice", Ainsworth.
here used signifies, for the most part, the publishing of good tidings; and
this our Lord did publicly, before all the people, in the synagogues of the
Jews, and in the temple, whither the people in great numbers resorted;
especially at the three great festivals in the year; the feasts of passover,
pentecost, and tabernacles, when all the males were obliged to appear, and made
up a great congregation indeed; see John 2:23;
lo, I have not refrained my lips, O Lord, thou knowest; Christ
appeals to his divine Father, the searcher of hearts, and trier of reins, for
the truth of this; that he had not laid any restraint upon his lips, nor kept
back anything in his ministry that was profitable; but had taught the way of
God in great integrity and sincerity; had opened his mouth, and spoke freely
and fully, and used great plainness of speech.
Psalm 40:10 10 I have not hidden Your
righteousness within my heart; I have declared Your faithfulness and Your
salvation; I have not concealed Your lovingkindness and Your truth From the
great assembly.
YLT
10Thy righteousness I have
not concealed In the midst of my heart, Thy faithfulness and Thy salvation I
have told, I have not hidden Thy kindness and Thy truth, To the great assembly.
I have not not hid thy righteousness within my heart,.... Meaning
not the essential righteousness of God, though that was abundantly declared in
the wounds, sufferings, and death of Christ; and which was the end indeed of
his being a propitiation for sin, Romans 3:25; but
his own righteousness, as before, which he wrought out, and brought in; and
which is called the righteousness of God his Father, because it is approved of
by him, and accepted with him, and which he imputes to all his people;
I have declared thy faithfulness and thy salvation: trial is, the
"faithfulness" of God in executing all his purposes, counsels, and
decrees, which are said to be faithfulness and truth; and in fulfilling his
covenant and promises, relating to the redemption and salvation of men by
Christ; and in the mission of Christ into this world on that account; and in
the accomplishment of all the prophecies of the Old Testament concerning him;
and in making good all the particular promises of support, help, and strength,
made to the Messiah himself: and by his "salvation" is meant, that
which is of God the Father's appointing, continuing, and settling, in the
council and covenant of grace; which he sent his Son to be the author of, and
which he has obtained; and is the great doctrine of the Gospel preached by
himself, and his faithful ministers, Luke 19:9;
I have not concealed thy lovingkindness and thy truth from the
great congregation; or "in the great congregation", as the Targum. By the
"lovingkindness" of God is designed both his love to Christ, which
was before the foundation of the world, and continued in his lowest state of
humiliation, and which our Lord was far from concealing, but gave openly
instances of it, John 17:24; and
this love to his people; and which he declared to be the same with that which
he is loved with, and instances in the gift of himself to them by his Father,
as the great evidence of it, John 17:23; and by
"truth" is intended the Gospel in general, which came by Christ, was
preached by him, which he bore witness to, to do which was one end of his
coming into the world; and this was not concealed by him, who is truth itself;
but was fully and plainly declared by him, as it had not been before, John 1:17.
Psalm 40:11 11 Do not withhold Your
tender mercies from me, O Lord; Let Your lovingkindness
and Your truth continually preserve me.
YLT
11Thou, O Jehovah,
restrainest not Thy mercies from me, Thy kindness and Thy truth do continually
keep me.
Withhold not thou thy tender mercies from me, O Lord,.... this is a
petition of Christ to his Father, when in the midst of his sorrows and
sufferings, before related; and particularly when he hid his face from him, and
withheld the discoveries of his tender and affectionate love;
let thy lovingkindness and thy truth continually preserve me; as he had
promised; of which promise some notice is given, Isaiah 49:8, in the
fulfilment of which the lovingkindness, truth, and faithfulness of God, would
appear. Some read these words as expressive of faith in these things,
"thou wilt not withhold", &c. "thy lovingkindness and thy
truth shall continually preserve me"F15לא
תכלא "non cohibebis", Gejerus, Michaelis; יצרוני "custodient me", Vatablus, Gejerus,
Michaelis. .
Psalm 40:12 12 For innumerable evils have
surrounded me; My iniquities have overtaken me, so that I am not able to look
up; They are more than the hairs of my head; Therefore my heart fails me.
YLT
12For compassed me have evils
innumerable, Overtaken me have mine iniquities, And I have not been able to
see; They have been more than the hairs of my head, And my heart hath forsaken
me.
For innumerable evils have compassed me about,.... Like
floods of water all around him; see Psalm 18:4; these
are the evils of punishment inflicted on him, as the surety and Saviour of his
people; such as the sorrows and griefs he bore all his days; the cruel mockings
and scourges he endured; his being buffeted and spit upon; his head crowned
with thorns, and his hands and feet pierced with nails; insulted by men and
devils; crucified between two thieves, and so died the shameful and painful
death of the cross;
mine iniquities have taken hold upon me; not any
committed by him; he was conceived, born, and lived without sin, knew none, nor
did he any; but the sins of his people, which were imputed to him, laid upon
him, and which he voluntarily took and bore; and which he reckoned as his own
and was responsible for them; these, when he hung upon the cross, came upon him
from all quarters, and he bore them in his own body upon the tree;
so that I am not able to look up; or "cannot
see"F16לראות לא
יכלתי "non potai videre", Pagninus,
Montanus, Musculus; "cernere", Cocceius; "intueri",
Gejerus. ; either the end of these iniquities, they being so numerous, as is
after related; or he could not bear to look upon them, they were so filthy and
nauseous, and he so pure and holy; or he could not behold his Father's
countenance, which these sins that were upon him separated him from, and caused
to be hid from him; or, like one pressed down with the guilt of sin, as the
poor publican was, could not so much as lift up his eyes to heaven, Luke 18:13;
they are more than the hairs of mine head; as they must
needs be, since they were the iniquities of all the elect of God, of the whole
general assembly ad church of the firstborn, written in heaven, Isaiah 53:6;
therefore my heart faileth me; as man; see Psalm 22:14; though
being supported by his divine nature, and by his divine Father and eternal
Spirit, he failed not, nor was he discouraged, Isaiah 42:4; this
is said to show the truth of the human nature, the greatness of men's sins, the
strictness of divine justice, and what strength was necessary to accomplish
man's salvation.
Psalm 40:13 13 Be pleased, O Lord, to deliver
me; O Lord,
make haste to help me!
YLT
13Be pleased, O Jehovah, to
deliver me, O Jehovah, for my help make haste.
Be pleased, O Lord, to deliver me,.... From the innumerable
evils which compassed him about; from sinful men, and from devils, signified by
the sword, dog, and lion, Psalm 22:20; and
from the power and dominion of death and the grave; all which was done when he
was raised from the dead, and as the fruit and effect of God's well pleasedness
in him, and with what he did and suffered; see Psalm 22:8;
O Lord, make haste to help me; See Gill on Psalm 22:19.
Psalm 40:14 14 Let them be ashamed and
brought to mutual confusion Who seek to destroy my life; Let them be driven
backward and brought to dishonor Who wish me evil.
YLT
14They are ashamed and
confounded together, Who are seeking my soul to destroy it, They are turned
backward, And are ashamed, who are desiring my evil.
Let them be ashamed and confounded together,.... As they
will be at the last day, when they shall see him whom they have pierced come in
the clouds of heaven, in his own and his Father's glory, and in the glory of
the holy angels;
that seek after my soul to destroy it; that is, his
life, as did Herod in his infancy, and the Scribes and Pharisees, chief priests
and elders of the people of the Jews, frequently, and at last accomplished what
they sought after;
let them be driven backward; as those were who came
with Judas into the garden to apprehend him, John 18:6;
and put to shame that wish me evil: as did the Jews, who
sought all opportunities to ensnare him, and that they might have to accuse him
to the Roman governor; and who earnestly desired his crucifixion, and
vehemently wished his death; see Psalm 41:5.
Psalm 40:15 15 Let them be confounded
because of their shame, Who say to me, “Aha, aha!”
YLT
15They are desolate because
of their shame, Who are saying to me, `Aha, aha.'
Let them be desolate for a reward of their shame,.... Of their
shameful wishes, words, and actions, as they were: their habitations in
Jerusalem were desolate, and so was their house or temple there, and their
whole land, and they themselves were stripped of everything, when Jerusalem was
taken and destroyed; see Matthew 23:38, Acts 1:20;
that say unto me, Aha, aha; words expressive of joy,
Psalm 35:21,
exulting at his miseries and sufferings on the cross, Matthew 27:39; so
the Targum,
"we
have rejoiced at his destruction, with joy at his affliction.'
Psalm 40:16 16 Let all those who seek You
rejoice and be glad in You; Let such as love Your salvation say continually, “The
Lord be magnified!”
YLT
16All seeking Thee rejoice
and are glad in Thee, Those loving Thy salvation say continually, `Jehovah is
magnified.'
Let all those that seek thee,.... In the first place,
with their whole hearts, earnestly and diligently, in Christ, and under the
influences of his Spirit, for pardon, righteousness, communion, larger measures
of grace, and for honour, glory, immortality, and eternal life;
rejoice and be glad in thee: as their covenant God,
the Father of their mercies, the God of all comfort and salvation, who pardons
their sins, clothes them with the robes of righteousness and garments of salvation,
and accepts their persons in Christ; all which is matter of joy and gladness:
Christ is concerned for the joy of his people, John 15:11; the
Targum is, "they shall", or "let them rejoice, and be glad in
thy word": in himself, the essential Word, in whom there is always ground
and reason of joy and gladness; because of his person, blood, righteousness,
and sacrifice;
let such as love thy salvation; either Christ, who is
God's salvation, Genesis 49:18; and
who is loved by his people, universally, superlatively, and sincerely; or the
salvation of him, his deliverance from the grave, resurrection from the dead,
and exaltation; the benefits of which believers share in, and so have reason to
love it: or the salvation he is the author of, which is loved by those that
know it; partly because agreeable to the divine perfections, the glory of God
is great in it; and partly because it is so full and complete in itself, and so
suitable to them;
say continually, the Lord be magnified; let this be
their constant employment in this world, as it will be for ever in the next, to
ascribe greatness to God; or greatly to praise him, because of the great
salvation wrought out for them.
Psalm 40:17 17 But I am poor and needy;
Yet the Lord
thinks upon me. You are my help and my deliverer; Do not delay, O my
God.
YLT
17And I [am] poor and needy,
The Lord doth devise for me. My help and my deliverer [art] Thou, O my God,
tarry Thou not.
But I am poor and needy,.... As Christ was
literally, 2 Corinthians 8:9;
and in a spiritual sense, when deserted by his Father, forsaken by his
disciples, and surrounded by his enemies; and had the sins of his people, the
curse of the law, and the wrath of God upon him;
yet the Lord thinketh upon me; thinketh good
for me, as the Targum; or thinks highly of me; has me in great esteem though
despised of men, and in such a suffering state;
thou art my help and my deliverer; he believed
he should have what he prayed for, Psalm 40:13; see Isaiah 50:7;
make no tarrying, O my God; which is a repetition of
the request in Psalm 40:13.
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》