Bible Talks: Psalms 40-43

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PSALM 40. In this psalm we learn something of the exercises of the Lord when He went down into the horrible pit for us, and of His being delivered out of it in resurrection, where He has the new song. This psalm speaks of the eternal counsels of God as to redemption, It is quoted in Hebrews 10:77Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God. (Hebrews 10:7), “Then said I, Lo, come (in the volume of the book it is written of Me) to do Thy will, O God,” He could say that He had preached righteousness in the great congregation, making known the loving kindness and truth of the Lord. The faithful remnant take courage from the exercises and deliverances of the One brought out here in this psalm.
Psalm 41. In Matthew 5:33Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 5:3) the Lord speaks of the blessed portion of the poor in spirit. He was the One who in the language of this psalm considered the poor. No doubt David in the time of His rejection passed through deep exercises of soul when he was fleeing from Saul, In David’s rejection he was sought out by the poor, as in 1 Samuel 22:22And every one that was in distress, and every one that was in debt, and every one that was discontented, gathered themselves unto him; and he became a captain over them: and there were with him about four hundred men. (1 Samuel 22:2), when he was in the cave of Adullam. They had a blessed portion when David came into the kingdom.
Verse 9, “Yea, mine own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, which did eat of my bread, hath lifted up his heel against me.” The Lord referred to this in John 13:1818I speak not of you all: I know whom I have chosen: but that the scripture may be fulfilled, He that eateth bread with me hath lifted up his heel against me. (John 13:18) as being fulfilled when Judas went out that night to betray Him.
This psalm closes the first book of the Psalms with “Blessed be the LORD God of Israel from everlasting, and to everlasting. Amen, and Amen.”
Psalms 42-72. The faithful remnant in this series of the Psalms are not in the same position as in the first book, where they were going on with the temple worship in Jerusalem. But now they are in the position as driven out of the city. They have seen the idolatrous image set up, (See Matt. 24:1515When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) (Matthew 24:15). Rev. 13:14-1814And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live. 15And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed. 16And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: 17And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. 18Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six. (Revelation 13:14‑18).) So in having to flee they are deprived of their privileges which they formerly had. They seem to be in such a discouraged state that they have lost the covenant name of Jehovah, for they use the name. God throughout, except when looking into the future they get their eyes on, the Messiah as the coming King.
Psalm 42. They are here presented as being very desirous of their portion of their God, as the hart panting after the water brooks, They can look back to the time when they went in company with the multitude to the house of God. But now they can only remember the privilege of going there, from the distance, the land of Jordan, and of the Hermonites, from the hill Mizar. The very violence with which they have been thrust out has cast them upon God and they receive it as from His hand, “All Thy waves and Thy billows are gone over Me.” The Lord Jesus felt the full extent of God’s judgment for sin on the cross as the Sin-bearer.
Psalm 43. Here we have the cry to be delivered from the deceitful and the just man, the man of sin (2 Thess. 2:3, 43Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; 4Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. (2 Thessalonians 2:3‑4)), who in carrying out the purposes of the Roman power, had forced them to flee for their lives in Psalm 41. But in all their distress they express the confidence that God, will come in. v. 5.
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