To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David.
1 I waited patiently for the LORD; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry. 2 He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings. 3 And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the LORD.
This section of the psalm should be read backwards, I believe. The result, the end state, is exactly what every saint desires when in spiritual trouble.
The struggle with sin seems indeed like a ‘horrible pit.’ Rom. 7 is the evidence that this is a universal struggle of all saints, not just one unique event in the life of David. It is lined with ‘miry clay’ which prevents the believer from escaping. He desires to be heard by God, to be delivered
from the pit, to be ‘set’ firmly on the Rock of his salvation and to have his life ‘established.’ Beyond that, he/she longs to be able to sing songs of praise and victory. And, he longs to have his story known by others so that they will be encouraged to fear and trust the Lord.
The issue that is missed by many is that contained in the words, “I waited patiently for the Lord.” This paints the picture of an extended time of prayerful seeking and pursuing of God concerning the matter. The LXX uses the word ‘enduring.’ We are to take from this a reminder that all of the really good things of God concerning spiritual growth come to us through faithful, patient, and enduring prayer. I have noticed, as have the writers of scripture, that it takes a great deal of spiritual effort to ‘move the needle’ spiritually just a little.
Why would God do it this way? My guess is that before God grants a new blessing or deliverance, before He carries us to a ‘solid rock’ and establishes our goings,’ He desires to change us into the kind of person that will appreciate it and hold on to the blessing, who will not take it for granted or
easily let go of it. Therefore, he molds us through earnest prayer, changing us and our perspectives on the blessing that we are seeking.
David was certainly changed through his patient waiting.
4 Blessed is that man that maketh the LORD his trust, and respecteth not the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies.
The Lord corrected any trust that David may have had in the false and lying promises of proud men, and formed in him a determination to trust only in Him.
5 Many, O LORD my God, are thy wonderful works which thou hast done, and thy thoughts which are to us-ward: they cannot be reckoned up in order unto thee: if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered.
God caused him to grow in his appreciation for the wonderful works of God and the fact that the purposes, the Secret Will, of God are beyond the ability of man to reckon and account for.
6 Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire; mine ears hast thou opened: burnt offering and sin offering hast thou not required.
God taught him that the forms of religion are useless tools in and of themselves for acquiring the blessings of God. Such operations are of grace, ministered through the Work of Christ and that alone.
7 Then said I, Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of me, 8 I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart.
The Lord brought him to the place of an absolute commitment of himself to do all of the will of God, to yield himself us, as Paul states, as a ‘living sacrifice.’
9 I have preached righteousness in the great congregation: lo, I have not refrained my lips, O LORD, thou knowest. 10 I have not hid thy righteousness within my heart; I have declared thy faithfulness and thy salvation: I have not concealed thy lovingkindness and thy truth from the great congregation. 11 Withhold not thou thy tender mercies from me, O LORD: let thy lovingkindness and thy truth continually preserve me.
David is apparently taking us back before the deliverance and showing us the issues that he faced. His role as minister to Israel is brought up here as a reminder to God that his failure would compromise the work of the gospel through him. There is no doubt but that moral failure on the part of the king was an enormous issue. But yet, he did not ‘conceal’ the lovingkindness of God. I have often marveled at David’s transparency concerning his struggles but it seems he thought that hiding his troubles would also be hiding God’s kindnesses to him. Preachers beware.
And the issue this time is not primarily enemies from without but his own iniquities.
12 For innumerable evils have compassed me about: mine iniquities have taken hold upon me, so that I am not able to look up; they are more than the hairs of mine head: therefore my heart faileth me.
We are reminded that no believer, no matter how far progressed he is in spiritual things is beyond the possibility of being defeated by the wickedness that lives within him. There is no sinless perfection, and no state of spiritual progress in this life which guarantees that we will not fall into sin.
1 Cor 9:25-10:1 25 And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. 26 I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air: 27 But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway. KJV
13 Be pleased, O LORD, to deliver me: O LORD, make haste to help me. 14 Let them be ashamed and confounded together that seek after my soul to destroy it; let them be driven backward and put to shame that wish me evil. 15 Let them be desolate for a reward of their shame that say unto me, Aha, aha.
Interesting that there is a ‘them’ associated with his iniquities. It is difficult to see how these could be humans. I would suggest that he is speaking of spiritual enemies, which makes his situation much more common to New Testament believers who also have enemies who seek to take advantage because of their iniquities.
16 Let all those that seek thee rejoice and be glad in thee: let such as love thy salvation say continually, The LORD be magnified. 17 But I am poor and needy; yet the Lord thinketh upon me: thou art my help and my deliverer; make no tarrying, O my God. KJV
He was confident through his time of waiting that God would do exactly what He did.
— December 31, 2020