Covenant Celebration
Psalm 40:1-17 (RCL 40:5-10)
Tony’s Overview Video
How to Use
Preparing to teach
- Read the Bible Lesson by Tony Cartledge in this month’s issue of the Nurturing Faith Journal
- Watch Tony’s Video for this session
- Select either the Adult or Youth teaching guide and follow the directions
Click to read the Bible Lesson by Tony Cartledge
Key Verse: Psalm 40:5 –
You have multiplied, O LORD my God,
your wondrous deeds and your thoughts toward us;
none can compare with you.
Were I to proclaim and tell of them,
they would be more than can be counted.
Has your life ever felt a bit like a roller coaster? There are times when we feel down, whether due to personal trouble or guilt or illness, but in time we recover and feel better, even joyful. We may feel on top of the world for a while: life couldn’t be better – but then something happens. Whether we mess things up on our own, or whether trouble comes from outside, we find ourselves struggling again.
That’s the way real life is: it has ups and downs. And that’s the kind of reality expressed in today’s text, the reflections of one who knows what it is to experience life’s best times and worst times while trusting in God through them all. [DD]
Happy days (vv. 1-10)
The psalmist knows what it is to experience God’s deliverance. He speaks of a time when he was in deep trouble, described metaphorically as being in a “desolate pit” or a “miry bog” (v. 2a, NRSV), perhaps in danger of death. [DD]
In the face of such trial, the psalmist claimed to have waited earnestly for Yahweh to hear his cry (v. 1). [DD] God pulled him from the metaphorical mud and set his feet on a rock, returning a sense of security to life (v. 2b).
The poet responded with praise, which he attributes to God’s action and not his own: “he put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God” – a song of testimony that would lead others to stand in awe and likewise put their trust in Yahweh (v. 3).
Such people – those who trust in Yahweh rather than in human pride or false gods – are happy (v. 4), a word that can also be translated as “blessed.” It describes the state of one who experiences security through trusting in the true God.
The psalmist’s claim challenges us to consider our own state of mind, and to think of who we really trust. Do we trust in God and who God has made us to be, or allow ourselves to fall into the trap of living for others’ approval? Do we follow God’s way, or seek happiness in the false gods of materialism or self-gratification? What has been the result?
The psalmist claims to have experienced such joy in thinking on the multiplicity of Yahweh’s “wondrous deeds and thoughts toward us,” incomparable and beyond counting (v. 5). He apparently knows the secret of counting one’s blessings and remembering the source from which they come.
A number of the psalms reflect a movement away from animal sacrifices or other offerings as a means of pleasing God (51:16-17, 69:30-31, 50:8-15), reflecting a prophetic emphasis on obedience as superior to sacrifice. [DD]
Note the conjunction of obedience with heeding or hearing. Hebrew has no separate word meaning “obey,” relying on the verb “to hear” instead: to truly hear is to obey. The psalmist indicates his obedience through having an “open ear” to hear and heed God’s commands. He sees even this ability as a gift of God: the NRSV’s “you have given me an open ear” translates an idiom “you have dug out ears for me.” [DD]
Having heard God’s word, he heeded it: “Then I said, ‘Here I am; in the scroll of the book it is written of me. I delight to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart’” (vv. 7-8).
What does he mean by “in the scroll of the book it is written of me”? The question has puzzled interpreters for many years. Some think it may refer to a belief that God keeps a record book of human behavior. Others imagine a heavenly “scroll of the righteous” in which the names of those who please God are written.
The NET translators suggest that the “roll of the scroll” (literally) could refer to a Torah scroll on which God’s instructions were written, such as the “book of the law” mentioned in texts like Deut. 30:10, Josh. 1:8, and 2 Kgs. 22:8.
Perhaps a better view is to imagine that the psalmist has written his testimony on a scroll he intends to deposit in the temple as a witness of his past trust, present praise, and future confidence that God will hear his prayers. This is attested in other settings where vocal or written testimony is promised as the fulfillment of a vow.
The author of Psalm 40 may or may not have posted his praise on the temple wall, but he clearly claims to have proclaimed “the glad news of deliverance in the great congregation” – that is, before worshipers gathered outside of the temple. He had not held back either praise or testimony, and believed that God was well aware (v. 9).
Verse 10 repeats the thoughts of v. 9 in more detail. The psalmist does not hide what God has done in his heart, but speaks as an authentic evangelist of God’s faithfulness and salvation. [DD]
Note how the poet piles up terms from Israel’s classic descriptions of God’s character: he speaks of God’s righteousness (twice), faithfulness (twice), salvation, and steadfast love within vv. 9-10: making public his praise before the worshiping congregation.
Have you ever felt so blessed that you could hardly hold it in? “Testimony meetings” aren’t as common as they used to be, but we all have opportunities to speak of what God has done for us, whether to our neighbors, our Bible study classmates, or even on social media. In any of these ways, it’s important to focus on thanksgiving in a way that focuses humbly on God’s blessing rather than our own piety.
Troubled days (vv. 11-17)
The psalmist had been blessed, but no living person is exempt from trouble, and trouble had come calling again. The poet apparently believed his trials had been self-inflicted. Israel’s traditional covenant theology, expressed most clearly in Deuteronomy 28, taught that obedience to God’s way would lead to health and prosperity, while rebellion would inevitably result in sickness and woe – and the psalmist had woes aplenty.
In v. 11 the psalmist pleads “Do not, O LORD, withhold your mercy from me.” Calling on the very divine dispositions he had praised in the previous verse, he cries “let your steadfast love and your faithfulness keep me safe forever.”
Obviously, things have gone sour, as “evils have encompassed me without number” – dangers that the psalmist connects to his own failings: “my iniquities have overtaken me, until I cannot see” (v. 12a).
Have you ever felt blinded by troubles, temptations, or failure, finding it hard to see any way forward? We could all confess that our sins are many: the psalmist compared them to the number of hairs on his head, leaving him so weighed down that “my heart fails me” (v. 12b).
Again, then, the psalmist prays for deliverance. As noted above, the remaining verses are identical to Psalm 70, where they stand alone. Whether the present psalmist knew that plea and quoted it here, or whether Psalm 70 is secondary, we cannot know.
What we do know is that psalmist felt oppressed, not only by his own sin, but by others who wanted to hurt him while he was down. The reference to those “who seek to snatch away my life” probably suggests something short of attempted murder, but he clearly believed enemies were out to get him, so he prayed for God to confound, to shame, and to turn back those “who desire my hurt” (v. 14).
Verse 15 calls to mind the sort of bullying common to the playground, when one child falls or fails at a game, and others taunt “Nyah! Nyah!” Had others openly made fun of the psalmist’s lowly situation? He gives that impression: “Let those be appalled because of their shame, who say to me ‘Aha! Aha!’” [DD]
As he prays for enemies to be shamed and appalled, the psalmist asks “May all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you; may those who love your salvation say continually, ‘Great is the LORD!’” (v. 16).
The poet wants to experience God’s salvation again. He doesn’t want to be up and down, but longs for deliverance and stability that would allow him to continually proclaim Yahweh’s greatness.
He wants that, but hasn’t gotten there yet. He still feels “poor and needy.” This is probably not a description of his financial condition: his poverty is one of spirit; his need is for forgiveness that he believes will lead to deliverance from trouble.
Despite his poor state, the poet holds to the belief that “the LORD takes thought for me” (v. 17a). That belief leads him to close by addressing God with a final plea: “You are my help and my deliverer; do not delay, O my God” (v. 17b).
This psalm is a reminder that no one lives on a constant spiritual high. We may know the joyful relief of forgiveness that brings a sense of cleansing and being right with God – but we also know what it is to go astray and feel far from God.
Sometimes we, like the psalmist, may connect personal or relational troubles to our spiritual state, thinking that God has left us to experience the natural results of our sins.
Such thoughts lead us to a special appreciation of the coming Holy Week, and of Christ’s willingness to give his own life as a means for effecting our salvation. We don’t have to understand how the atonement works in order to be eternally grateful for the way God has demonstrated the steadfast love and faithfulness that the psalmist celebrated, so that Christ has indeed become our help and deliverer.
Adult Teaching Resources
Download the PDF of teaching resources for this lesson.
This PDF contains the Teaching Guide, Digging Deeper, and Hardest Question pages.
Read Scripture online: Psalm 40:1-17
Youth Teaching Resources
Parent Prep
We have the pleasure and responsibility to walk through life with our students. We don’t get to leave when they are at their worst and we don’t get to only be there when things are at their best. It might even be that the highs can be better and the lows more tolerable with how we treat the times in between. Those times when we are just present with each other; living life together because we get to. Make the normal moments extraordinary by giving the unexpected hug or show up with their favorite Starbucks drink. Live life together.
Additional Links/Resources
Read Scripture online: Psalm 40:1-17
Download the PDF for youth teaching resources using the button below. This PDF contains the Teaching Guide for this lesson:
Video
Encourage youth to check out this video ahead of the lesson.
“Grandma’s Rollercoaster Story” from Parenthood
Via www.youtube.com
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