The psalmist paints a strong picture of a person who is helpless at the bottom of a cistern or well. There is no escape from this prison. Only God has the ability to reach into the mire and pull the hostage out. Cisterns were used to imprison Joseph and Jeremiah at different points. They were deep places where water was stored, but they could dry out when empty. In this case we have a cistern that is mostly dry but the bottom is muddy and has nowhere firm to stand.
I have felt like that. I have felt like I am alone in an isolated cell. I have felt like my life was unstable. God has, in the past, lifted me out of those kinds of situations. He has sometimes taken me from dark situations in one part of the world and brought me to new situations where I am free. However, in Psalm 40 the release comes through a confession of sin and weakness. The psalmist proclaims the inadequacies and failings that he has. This only serves to glorify the God who has saved him more.
I am learning to confess weakness to my wife, my friends and my small group. It is humbling and hard. However, like the psalmist I see God’s ability to save. I wait patiently for the LORD.
Psalm 40
1 I waited patiently for the LORD;
he turned to me and heard my cry.
2 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.
3 He put a new song in my mouth,
a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear the LORD
and put their trust in him.
4 Blessed is the one
who trusts in the LORD,
who does not look to the proud,
to those who turn aside to false gods.[b]
5 Many, LORD my God,
are the wonders you have done,
the things you planned for us.
None can compare with you;
were I to speak and tell of your deeds,
they would be too many to declare.
6 Sacrifice and offering you did not desire—
but my ears you have opened[c]—
burnt offerings and sin offerings[d] you did not require.
7 Then I said, “Here I am, I have come—
it is written about me in the scroll.[e]
8 I desire to do your will, my God;
your law is within my heart.”
9 I proclaim your saving acts in the great assembly;
I do not seal my lips, LORD,
as you know.
10 I do not hide your righteousness in my heart;
I speak of your faithfulness and your saving help.
I do not conceal your love and your faithfulness
from the great assembly.
11 Do not withhold your mercy from me, LORD;
may your love and faithfulness always protect me.
12 For troubles without number surround me;
my sins have overtaken me, and I cannot see.
They are more than the hairs of my head,
and my heart fails within me.
13 Be pleased to save me, LORD;
come quickly, LORD, to help me.
14 May all who want to take my life
be put to shame and confusion;
may all who desire my ruin
be turned back in disgrace.
15 May those who say to me, “Aha! Aha!”
be appalled at their own shame.
16 But may all who seek you
rejoice and be glad in you;
may those who long for your saving help always say,
“The LORD is great!”
17 But as for me, I am poor and needy;
may the Lord think of me.
You are my help and my deliverer;
you are my God, do not delay.
Questions
- What did God give the psalmist after he had raised him?
- What does the psalmist proclaim?
- How are confession and God’s salvation related?
- Who do you confess your failings to on a regular basis?
- How does your confession of weakness help others to be saved?
Going Deeper
How do U2 use the lyrics of Psalm 40? Is this valid?
Plymothian 
1. God gives him a new song, a song of praise
2. God’s “Saving Acts”
3. This is something that I am still trying to understand. I grew up with the ABC prayers at VBSs and Sunday Schools. But I think that simply confessing is not enough, because don’t even the demon acknowledge Him as God? Confession reminds us of who we are and our lowly place and the comparison of God’s Holiness and perfection. I guess that it can be related in that confession corrects our view of ourselves and of God and allows us to move into a place where we are open to receive God’s salvation.
4. I have found this really difficult at Moody. When I admit to sin and failings I am greeted by cliche christian answers. My counseling friends try their new “skills” on me and the theology majors try to help me see the root of my sinfulness. In Hawaii I had a wonderful mentor who created a safe environment for me to share, held me accountable but I didn’t feel like she only saw my sin when she looked on me. Confessing my failings to God is easy- at least on a surface level, confession (the type that brings change) is harder. Because I grew up so sure of the Father’s love and nothing I could ever do would take that away, I am not fearful to admit my sin or lay it before Him. It’s harder to feel the motivation to truly repent and change my ways.
5. Being real brings freedom. In new christians it gives encouragement that they are not worthless failures when they fall into sin. For the unbeliever when we admit to our sins and are honest than they will see that we are not living a facade. THis has real power as many non-christians believe that christians are hypocritical.
1. The psalmist asks God that he not be put to what? “Never be put to shame.”
2. What kind of reversal is the psalmist looking for? The psalmist begs the Lord to rescue him from his enemy’s hand and “from the trap that is set before” him. He wants to be shown the wonders of His love and wants to experience the life change that’s possible through trust in the Lord.
3. Who does the Lord preserve? The Lord preserves His faithful people!
4. How have you been put to shame by family, work, or church? Oh yes! My relatives often put me to shame for choosing to come to Moody and get “Christian school certification” rather than “public school.” And, for being a Christian… Ha! Yeah, that too.
5. What would you want from God in those circumstances? If I were in David’s position I would most likely cry out to God in a very similar way. I would ask God to free me from the emotional pain and anxiety associated with the enemy’s grip on me and implore that He would allow me to know His hope and His heart.
WHAT’S UP WITH “40”?! For years, I have suspected Bono is a Christian, what with all the social justice advocacy and “Save Africa” campaigns, and this song definitely helped to further that belief. If all I knew of U2 was “40,” I’d swear they were a worship band, comparable to Hillsong United or The David Crowder Band. Why? A) The lyrics are Psalm 40 verbatim. B) Bono assumes a posture of worship throughout the course of the song, raising his arms unashamedly and encouraging the audience to join in the chorus.
1. What did God give the psalmist after he had raised him?
“He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God”
2. What does the psalmist proclaim?
David is proclaiming the wondrous deeds and thoughts of God toward us that none can compare with. David finds delight in doing the will of God and not fear of proclaiming His wondrous stead fast love and faithfulness in great congregation.
3. How are confession and God’s salvation related?
God hears our prayers of confession and draws near to us when we cry out to Him from the lowest points in our lives and picks us up and makes our path secure. Those who seek the Lord rejoice in Him for He has placed a new song ” Great is the Lord!” When one faces the amazing transformation of the Holy Spirit in one’s life the desire to proclaim the salvation of the Lord ignites the inner most being of the saved sinner.
4. Who do you confess your failings to on a regular basis?
I am daily reminded of my failings and if I do not own up to them, they become a part of me. I find myself calling my mom and confessing to her of my short comings and failures which is not always easy. I talk to my friends and my co-workers, in the way it constantly reminds me that I am a sinner and in need of Gods grace and mercy.
5. How does your confession of weakness help others to be saved?
I feel like it helps my mom evaluate her life with me in her walk with the Lord and be encourage by the things that I have endured with the help of the Spirit guiding me and interceding on my behalf. As well as my friends in co-workers seeing that it is a constant battle and we need to make war and take responsibility for our actions, repent, turn, and God does deliver and help to overcome the sin. I love the power of the support that a community has on my life of being transparent about my life and getting encouragement and prayer from brothers and sisters that can hold me accountable.
1. God gave him a firm place to stand, a new song in his mouth, a hymn of praise to our God.
2. The psalmist proclaims God’s saving’s acts in his assembly, his faithfulness and help.
3. Acceptance of one’s sins and confession is the start of salvation. Salvation comes from accepting the truth that without Jesus we cannot be saved, it was His death and resurrection that gave me the privilege to go to heaven. It could be said that salvation and confession go together, not only because confession is the beginning of salvation, but salvation also brings deeper confession of sins as we are able to see ourselves through the eyes of God rather than the eyes of the world.
4. I find myself starting prayer every day with confessions not only on things upon which I have sinned, but weaknesses and troubles I have. Then there had been girls that I would talk to on a regular basis and would share about my weaknesses.
5. The confession of my weakness helps saving others because it proves to them that Christianity is not a popularity clan that perfect people gather together to become even better. Rather it reflects God’s grace in choosing the low and the weak to make the strong ashamed. The confession of my weakness may be an opportunity to share that salvation is about grace, not perfect deeds.
What did God give the psalmist after he had raised him?
gave me a firm place to stand.
He put a new song in his mouth,
a hymn of praise to God. He did this, not only as a blessing to the Psalmist, but so that many would see and fear the LORD as the man now does.
What does the psalmist proclaim?
The Psalmist proclaims the the saving acts of God; His love, his faithfulness, his mercy, his righteousness.
How are confession and God’s salvation related?
Our confessions are what brings about the mercy of God. If we wait patiently on Him as the psalmist does, and are faithful, He will be faithful to us also. Salvation is for those who cry out to God in humility, not able to save themselves.
Who do you confess your failings to on a regular basis?
I confess them in prayer, but less often I confess them to other people. My pride gets in the way of allowing me to tell others what is on my heart, an the unrighteousness of my heart makes my prayers detestable to God
How does your confession of weakness help others to be saved?
The world is filled with pride. I see this at my job everyday. Mans heart is obsessed with himself… Wanting to please the beast within. A desire to be noticed and wanted. To be the best. In opposition to this, a Christian will hopefully be a witness in the strong confident humility that Christ gives
1. God gave him a firm place to stand.
2. God’s saving acts.
3. I think that when we confess our sins, we are admitting that we need help. The only help that will do anything in our lives is the saving work of the cross by our Lord Jesus Christ. God draws near to us when we draw near to Him (James), and He eagerly awaits to help us, to drag us out of the mire.
4. I have several wonderful friends and mentors. My mentor Ron is a great one. I am able to tell him when I screw up and he seeks to help me find restoration.
5. When people see that you don’t have to be perfect (and indeed, no one is!) to be Christian, I think it opens them up a little to the Gospel. They find humility, instead of pride, which drives them to wonder why. I feel that also when we are weak, they see that we struggle like they do. They begin to view us as real people.
U2 Only concentrated on the first three verses, and it as alright , but I thought that this psalm could have had more. Yet this part is glorifying God, which is great. I did not like how they changed the part of “He gave me a new song” but they say “I sing a new song.” Is this a British group?
1. What did God give the psalmist after he had raised him?God gave him a firm place to stand.
2. What does the psalmist proclaim?He proclaims God’s saving acts in the assembly.
3. How are confession and God’s salvation related? Once we confess we can have a greater sense of God’s salvation.
4. Who do you confess your failings to on a regular basis? God,sadly I do not have a really close accountability partner. Sometimes my parents help me and once I point our my flaws they encourage me in other ways I could improve, but mainly God. It takes me a while to accept His forgiveness, because I think I fail constantly
5. How does your confession of weakness help others to be saved? It shows them that I do not have everything figured out, but I am dependent on God. Since I am weak, I need somebody strong to help me, God is my salvation. He is my rock and my deliverer, and even my help, in Him I will be strong.