Psalm 40

This Psalm is another Messianic Psalm, made abundantly clear in Hebrews where 40:6-8a is the centerpiece of the argument for Christ (Heb. 10:5-9).  But in saying this we again want to remember that this “Psalm of David” almost certainly comes from his own experience.  David is the “man after God’s own heart” and as such is in sync with his Greater Son, the Messiah, who will rule on his throne.  

In each case (that of David and the Christ) we have a King who is responsible for the well-being of his people.  The King makes the announcement of good news to the people, but then recognize that the people are depending on them as King for God’s blessing.  The people cry out to God for the king because they realize the king is God’s means of blessing them.  A good illustration of this kind of prayer is Psalm 20 which concludes with the words, “Save, Lord!  May the King answer us when we call” (20:9).  In the case of Psalm 40 it is the King who cries out to God for help in delivering the people.  

If you think about it, it makes sense that this Psalm would appear in the argument of Hebrews as to the sufficiency of our Lord.  In this Psalm is a prayer that fits the agony of Gethsemane when He pleads for God’s will.  He has proclaimed the good news for three years.  Now He is about to be thrown into the deepest pit, the death of the cross.  He is putting His trust in His God, His Father, to deliver Him and thus provide deliverance for His people.

Consider this outline and brief thoughts.  May they encourage you to re-read this marvelous Psalm.  May you be encouraged to trust the King who is your Deliverer!

1)    Praise for deliverance, v1-3.  God has delivered from the worst of situations, a horrible pit and miry clay.  He has established the King on a place of solid footing.  This calls for praise.

2)    The blessing of faith, v4-5.  This is the issue of the Song.  The people are called to faith in the King as God’s provision; the King will exercise faith so that the need of the people will be met.

3)    The essence of faith, v6-8.  Trust in God is total acquiescence to the will of God.  When we say that the people trust in the King, they are actually trusting in God.  It is God who bids them trust in this way.  But the King recognizes that his/.His role is beyond his/His own ability.  As God’s “Anointed One” he is in a “mediatorial” position; He is there in the place of God for the people.  This recognition that “sacrifice and offering” are not the essence of faith is common knowledge to those who truly know God (Micah 6:6-8; Amos 5:21-24, etc.).  It was the downfall of David’s predecessor, King Saul (1 Samuel 15:17-31).  The King, both David and the Christ, must inquire of God and then do His will, no matter how difficult.  That is the essence of faith in Psalm 40.

4)    The public exercise of faith, v9-10.  So the King announces to the people that God will deliver them.  This is good news.  Even so the Christ announced the good news of the Kingdom, the good news that the Redeemer King was among them, that the day of deliverance was near. 

5)    The private exercise of faith, v11-12.  The proclamation is then followed by a plea, “Do not withhold Your tender mercies from me, O Lord.”  The King is aware of his/His own weakness in that there are many evils around as well as iniquity within.  It is vital that we recognize that this prayer fits the Messiah, the Holy One.  His identification with us and our sin was just that real.  He truly “became sin for us” (2 Cor. 5:21).  “He was numbered with the transgressors” (Isaiah 53:12).

6)    The prayer of faith, v13-15.  Out of this inner plea for God’s mercy and grace comes then the prayer for deliverance from those who seek to destroy (render ineffective) the King.

7)    The exhortation of faith, v16-17.  These closing verses are encouragements to faith on the part of the King.  He wants the people, those given to Him by God, to be saved to the glory of God.  And the King is confident that God will think of Him and will help and deliver Him. 

Certainly we learn something of what it means to trust God in this Psalm.  So be sure and learn.  But the issue here has to do with the “object/Object” of faith.  In our homes and churches as well as our nations we are depending on God to lead and bless our “leaders”; thus we should pray for them.  But in no greater way do we depend on “someone else” than in the matter of our relationship with God.  There is One who has identified with us at the cross.  It is Jesus, the Christ.  To trust God for salvation is to believe in the Name of Jesus Christ.  No one comes to the Father but through Christ (John 14:6).  “There is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).

Genesis 39

Have you ever uttered those words, “it can’t get any worse”?  Have you ever uttered those words, only to see things in fact get significantly worse?  Joseph’s brothers acknowledged the “anguish of Joseph’s soul” (Gen. 42:21) and this was when he was still within earshot of the brothers.  As things got seemingly further and further from the way he was depicted in the dreams, perhaps Joseph saw things get worse when he didn’t think they could get any worse.

Note the progress of the story in this chapter.

·        v1-6: Joseph’s life as a slave.  It is interesting that he became slave in the house of the “chief executioner” of Pharaoh.  He excelled in what he did because God was with him and was put in charge of the entire household.  Note that “success” is not freedom from slavery; it is the realization that in whatever you are doing God is with you.

·        v6b-12: Joseph’s life as an “eligible bachelor”.  Joseph was young and good looking, away from home, and successful.  Add to that the fact that Egyptian women were notorious for their immorality and you have for many an irresistible temptation to immorality.  But not Joseph.  Initially he may have been innocent in the situation, but I have heard it said, “Temptation transforms innocence into virtue.”  Unlike Judah in the previous chapter, Joseph sought to run from the temptation which is a good plan (2 Tim. 2:22; 1 Cor. 6:18).

·        v13-23: Joseph’s life under false accusation.  “Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.”  Potiphar’s wife concocts a lie, and it seems likely that Potiphar himself suspected the charge was not true.  Nevertheless he is backed into a corner.  While he could have had Joseph executed he “only” has him thrown into jail.  And there, while he may think “things can’t get any worse”, he in fact recognizes that God is still with him.

Note again the close relationship between the experiences of Joseph and those of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

·        Jesus also became a slave, Phil. 2:7; Matt. 20:24-28.  He was a “bondslave”, the lowest form of slave.  He did not come to be served but to serve.

·        Jesus endured temptation, Heb. 4:15-16; Matt. 4:11.  Like Joseph He handled it with a resounding “no” backed by the use of Scripture.

·        Jesus was falsely accused, 1 Pet. 3:13-19.  Even as Joseph seemed to say nothing, so Jesus was silent in the face of such injustice.

But the question that begs to be answered is, how could Joseph continue to have hope in the face of one attack after another?  The answer is the same for all who seek to walk with God.  “Remember the word to Your servant, upon which You have caused me to hope” (Psalm 119:49).  Joseph was sustained by the promise of God in those earlier dreams.  That was his only real hope.  God would never, never go back on His word.  When things seem to pile up in our lives our prayer must be the same.  “Remember Your word to me, Your servant.”

Genesis 38

As you read this tawdry story you may be wondering why it is recorded for us.  After all, isn’t Joseph the key figure in this part of Genesis?  Remember that this is “the history of Jacob” (37:2).  This is about his sons, all of whom will be leaders in the “house of Israel”.  And there are 2 of those sons who will rise to the top in Genesis (1 Chronicles 5:1-2).  One is Joseph; the other is Judah who will become a leader among the brothers and will be the one through whom the Savior will come.  Let us review the story and then consider God’s work in Judah’s life.

·        v1-11: Judah’s life in a sinful world.  Judah has left the confines of the “chosen family” of God and is living in nearby Adullam.  There he marries a Canaanite.  That joins Judah to the very cursed people who eventually will be removed from the land because of their wickedness.  Judah finds that life does not go well for one, chosen of God, who seeks to live apart from God.  Among other things, his sons do not have a liking for the ways of God’s people.  Both Er and Onan are “killed by the Lord”, harsh words that express God’s holy aversion for rebellion. 

·        v12-23: Judah’s life with a sinful nature.  The events that follow reveal again the deep sinfulness of Judah as was seen in the previous chapter.  His wife having died he engages in immorality, not knowing what is really happening.  It is interesting that Judah knew that what he was doing was shameful (v23).  Even the Canaanites would consider it shameful.  What Tamar did was certainly sinful, but even Judah recognizes that she was “more righteous” than he was.  What a terrible thing has happened to the “chosen” people.  Of Jacob’s 12 sons one is “dead”, one has turned to the world, and at stake is the Messianic line.  What can possible save the situation?  Or perhaps we should ask, “Who can save us?”

·        v24-30: Judah’s life under a gracious God.  Judah’s first response in finding out Tamar’s sin is the typical “self-righteous” approach.  “Burn her!”  His second response at finding out the whole truth (v25-26) is that of a man convicted of sin.  The end of the chapter reveals Tamar’s place in the line of the Messiah, one of 5 women mentioned in Matt. 1.

Now we ask again, why is this story given to us?  Is it so we can see the need of the brothers for a Savior?  It is true that Judah needs Someone to atone for sin.  Does it emphasize the holiness of God in His hatred for sin?  Does it reveal His grace as seen especially to Tamar?  Yes, yes, it does all this.  But may I suggest that the story fits in with the “history of Jacob” because of what is happening to Judah.  His words, “she is more righteous than I” (v26) reveal the beginnings of God’s work in Judah.  God has chosen Jacob and his 12 sons.  God will make each the head of a tribe in Israel.  But as He did with their fathers, He will bring them to righteousness through faith in the Savior.  The work has begun with Judah.  We ought to ask ourselves, “Where am I in that journey of faith?”