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Commentary on Psalms 40 verses 1–5
In these verses we have,
I. The great distress and trouble that the psalmist had been in. He had been plunged into a horrible pit and into miry clay (Psa 40:2), out of which he could not work himself, and in which he found himself sinking yet further. He says nothing here either of the sickness of his body or the insults of his enemies, and therefore we have reason to think it was some inward disquiet and perplexity of spirit that was now his greatest grievance. Despondency of spirit under the sense of Gods withdrawings, and prevailing doubts and fears about the eternal state, are indeed a horrible pit and miry clay, and have been so to many a dear child of God.
II. His humble attendance upon God and his believing expectations from him in those depths: I waited patiently for the Lord, Psa 40:1. Waiting, I waited. He expected relief from no other than from God; the same hand that tears must heal, that smites must bind up (Hos 6:1), or it will never be done. From God he expected relief, and he was big with expectation, not doubting but it would come in due time. There is power enough in God to help the weakest, and grace enough in God to help the unworthiest, of all his people that trust in him. But he waited patiently, which intimates that the relief did not come quickly; yet he doubted not but it would come, and resolved to continue believing, and hoping, and praying, till it did come. Those whose expectation is from God may wait with assurance, but must wait with patience. Now this is very applicable to Christ. His agony, both in the garden and on the cross, was the same continued, and it was a horrible pit and miry clay. Then was his soul troubled and exceedingly sorrowful; but then he prayed, Father, glorify thy name; Father, save me; then he kept hold of his relation to his Father, "My God, my God," and thus waited patiently for him.
III. His comfortable experience of God's goodness to him in his distress, which he records for the honour of God and his own and others' encouragement.
1.God answered his prayers: He inclined unto me and heard my cry. Those that wait patiently for God, though they may wait long, do not wait in vain. Our Lord Jesus was heard in that he feared, Heb 5:7. Nay, he was sure that the Father heard him always.
2.He silenced his fears, and stilled the tumult of his spirits, and gave him a settled peace of conscience (Psa 40:2): "He brought me up out of that horrible pit of despondency and despair, scattered the clouds, and shone brightly upon my soul, with the assurances of his favour; and not only so, but set my feet upon a rock and established my goings." Those that have been under the prevalency of a religious melancholy, and by the grace of God have been relieved, may apply this very feelingly to themselves; they are brought up out of a horrible pit. (1.) The mercy is completed by the setting of their feet upon a rock, where they find firm footing, are as much elevated with the hopes of heaven as they were before cast down with the fears of hell. Christ is the rock on which a poor soul may stand fast, and on whose meditation alone between us and God we can build any solid hopes or satisfaction. (2.) It is continued in the establishment of their goings. Where God has given a stedfast hope he expects there should be a steady regular conversation; and, if that be the blessed fruit of it, we have reason to acknowledge, with abundance of thankfulness, the riches and power of his grace.
3.He filled him with joy, as well as peace, in believing: "He has put a new song in my mouth; he has given me cause to rejoice and a heart to rejoice." He was brought, as it were, into a new world, and that filled his mouth with a new song, even praise to our God; for to his praise and glory must all our songs be sung. Fresh mercies, especially such as we never before received, call for new songs. This is applicable to our Lord Jesus in his reception to paradise, his resurrection from the grave, and his exaltation to the joy and glory set before him; he was brought out of the horrible pit, set upon a rock, and had a new song put into his mouth.
IV. The good improvement that should be made of this instance of God's goodness to David.
1.David's experience would be an encouragement to many to hope in God, and, for that end, he leaves it here upon record: Many shall see, and fear, and trust in the Lord. They shall fear the Lord and his justice, which brought David, and the Son of David, into that horrible pit, and shall say, If this be done to the green tree, what shall be done to the dry? They shall fear the Lord and his goodness, in filling the mouth of David, and the Son of David, with new songs of joy and praise. There is a holy reverent fear of God, which is not only consistent with, but the foundation of, our hope in him. They shall not fear him and shun him, but fear him and trust in him in their greatest straits, not doubting but to find him as able and ready to help as David did in his distress. God's dealings with our Lord Jesus are our great encouragement to trust in God; when it pleased the Lord to bruise him, and put him to grief for our sins, he demanded our debt from him; and when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand, he made it to appear that he had accepted the payment he made and was satisfied with it; and what greater encouragement can we have to fear and worship God and to trust in him?. See Rom 4:25; Rom 5:1, Rom 5:2. The psalmist invites others to make God their hope, as he did, by pronouncing those happy that do so (Psa 40:4): "Blessed is the man that makes the Lord his trust, and him only (that has great and good thoughts of him, and is entirely devoted to him), and respects not the proud, does not do as those do that trust in themselves, nor depends upon those who proudly encourage others to trust in them; for both the one and the other turn aside to lies, as indeed all those do that turn aside from God." This is applicable, particularly, to our faith in Christ. Blessed are those that trust in him, and in his righteousness alone, and respect not the proud Pharisees, that set up their own righteousness in competition with that, that will not be governed by their dictates, nor turn aside to lies, with the unbelieving Jews, who submit not to the righteousness of God, Rom 10:3. Blessed are those that escape this temptation.
2.The joyful sense he had of this mercy led him to observe, with thankfulness, the many other favours he had received from God, Psa 40:5. When God puts new songs into our mouth we must not forget our former songs, but repeat them: "Many, O Lord my God! are thy wonderful works which thou hast done, both for me and others; this is but one of many." Many are the benefits with which we are daily loaded both by the providence and by the grace of God. (1.) They are his works, not only the gifts of his bounty, but the operations of his power. He works for us, he works in us, and thus he favours us with matter, not only for thanks, but for praise. (2.) They are his wonderful works, the contrivance of them admirable, his condescension to us in bestowing them upon us admirable; eternity itself will be short enough to be spent in the admiration of them. (3.) All his wonderful works are the product of his thoughts to us-ward. He does all according to the counsel of his own will (Eph 1:11), the purposes of his grace which he purposed in himself, Eph 3:11. They are the projects of infinite wisdom, the designs of everlasting love (Co1 2:7, Jer 31:3), thoughts of good and not of evil, Jer 29:11. His gifts and callings will therefore be without repentance, because they are not sudden resolves, but the result of his thoughts, his many thoughts, to us-ward. (4.) They are innumerable; they cannot be methodized or reckoned up in order. There is an order in all God's works, but there are so many that present themselves to our view at once that we know not where to begin nor which to name next; the order of them, and their natural references and dependencies, and how the links of the golden chain are joined, are a mystery to us, and what we shall not be able to account for till the veil be rent and the mystery of God finished. Nor can they be counted, not the very heads of them. When we have said the most we can of the wonders of divine love to us we must conclude with an et caetera - and such like, and adore the depth, despairing to find the bottom.
Christ has heard the prayer of his own servants and has brought us out from the pit of misery and from the mire of dregs. We were drowning there; our whole flesh was clinging to the mire, trapped in the whirlpool of our sins. Our soul was powerless to save itself; fallen and ruined as it was by the multiplicity and dreadfulness of our offenses. Thanks be to the Lord Jesus, God’s only Son, who came down from heaven to forgive us our sins. He came to save us from the pit and slime of this world, from the mud and mire of this earth, from this body doomed to death. In his own flesh he has restored our soul and steadied our tottering footsteps. Strengthened by God’s Word and absolved through the cross of our Lord’s body, we walk no longer in the shame and disfigurement of vice but in the forgiveness of sin. Rooted and built in Christ, David declares that the Lord has set his feet on a rock. As the apostle says, “They drank of the spiritual rock that followed them, and the rock was Christ.” May that rock, which follows those who thirst, confirm the weak and unsteady; may that water never be lacking to those who long for it; and may that firm foundation never be wanting to those in danger of falling.
The pit of misery is evil and ignorance.… The rock is faith in Christ. “And he directs my steps” by actions and true teachings.
And what has He accomplished for you? What has He done for you? "He brought me up also out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings" [Psalm 40:2]. He has given us great blessings already: and still He is our debtor; but let him who has this part of the debt repaid already, believe that the rest will be also, seeing that he ought to have believed even before he received anything. Our Lord has employed facts themselves to persuade us, that He is a faithful promiser, a liberal giver. What then has He already done? "He has brought me out of a horrible pit." What horrible pit is that? It is the depth of iniquity, from the lusts of the flesh, for this is meant by "the miry clay." Whence has He brought you out? Out of a certain deep, out of which you cried out in another Psalm, "Out of the deep have I called unto You, O Lord." And those who are already "crying out of the deep," are not absolutely in the lowest deep: the very act of crying is already lifting them up. There are some deeper in the deep, who do not even perceive themselves to be in the deep. Such are those who are proud despisers, not pious entreaters for pardon; not tearful criers for mercy: but such as Scripture thus describes. "The sinner when he comes into the depth of evil despises." [Proverbs 18:3] For he is deeper in the deep, who is not satisfied with being a sinner, unless instead of confessing he even defends his sins. But he who has already "cried out of the deep," has already lifted up his head in order that he might "cry out of the deep," has been heard already, and has been "brought out of the horrible pit, and out of the mire and clay." He already has faith, which he had not before; he has hope, which he was before without; he now walks in Christ, who before used to go astray in the devil. For on that account it is that he says, "He has set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings." Now "that Rock was Christ." [1 Corinthians 10:4] Supposing that we are "upon the rock," and that our "goings are ordered," still it is necessary that we continue to walk; that we advance to something farther. For what did the Apostle Paul say when now upon the Rock, when his "goings had now been established"? "Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended." [Philippians 3:12-13] What then has been done for you, if you have not apprehended? On what account do you return thanks, saying, "But I have obtained mercy"? [1 Timothy 1:13] Because his goings are now established, because he now walks on the Rock?...Therefore, when he was saying, "I press forward toward the prize of my high calling," because "his feet were now set on the Rock," and "his goings were ordered," because he was now walking on the right way, he had something to return thanks for; something to ask for still; returning thanks for what he had received already, while he was claiming that which still remained due. For what things already received was he giving thanks? For the remission of sins, for the illumination of faith; for the strong support of hope, for the fire of charity. But in what respects had he still a claim of debt on the Lord? "Henceforth," he says, "there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness." There is therefore something due me still. What is it that is due? "A crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, shall give me at that day." He was at first a loving Father to "bring him forth from the horrible pit;" to forgive his sins, to rescue him from "the mire and clay;" hereafter he will be a "righteous Judge," requiting to him walking rightly, what He promised; to him (I say), unto whom He had at the first granted that power to walk rightly. He then as a "righteous Judge" will repay; but whom will he repay? "He that endures unto the end, the same shall be saved." [Matthew 10:22]
Just as the mud of a lake stinks and is heavy, so also the sins of people are like mud, causing people to shudder because of their smell and causing them to drown because of their weight. When we walk in the commandments of the Lord Christ, he sets our feet upon the Rock.
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SUMMARY
Psalms 40:2 stands as a profound declaration of divine deliverance and establishment, vividly capturing the psalmist's miraculous transition from utter despair to secure stability. It powerfully portrays a rescue from a state of overwhelming distress, symbolized by a "horrible pit" and "miry clay," to a firm foundation where God "set my feet upon a rock" and "established my goings." This verse serves as a robust testament to God's active intervention, transforming a life of chaos and helplessness into one of guided purpose and unwavering security, forming the bedrock of the psalmist's subsequent praise and renewed commitment to God's will.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Psalms 40:2 is rich with Imagery, vividly painting the psalmist's experience through concrete pictures of a "horrible pit," "miry clay," and a "rock." This sensory language allows the reader to viscerally feel the despair and the subsequent relief. The primary device is Metaphor, where the "horrible pit" and "miry clay" are not literal locations but represent profound states of distress, hopelessness, and entrapment, while the "rock" symbolizes stability, security, and God's steadfastness. There is a powerful Contrast at play, juxtaposing the unstable, sinking mire with the firm, unshakeable rock, thereby amplifying the magnitude of God's deliverance. The language also employs Hyperbole in describing the "horrible pit" and "miry clay," emphasizing the extreme nature of the psalmist's predicament to underscore the miraculous nature of God's intervention. The entire verse functions as a Testimony, a personal narrative of divine rescue that serves to inspire faith and praise within the community of believers.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Psalms 40:2 profoundly articulates the biblical truth of God as the ultimate Deliverer and Sustainer. It speaks to the universal human experience of despair and the divine response of rescue, establishing a pattern seen throughout Scripture: humanity's inherent inability to save itself from the "pits" of sin, suffering, and death, and God's sovereign, compassionate power to intervene. This verse underscores God's character as faithful, compassionate, and mighty to save, not merely from physical dangers but from spiritual and emotional bondage. It highlights the transformative power of divine grace, moving an individual from a state of utter helplessness to one of secure footing and purposeful direction. The theological implication is that true stability and an "established going" are found only in God, who provides the unshakeable foundation for life. This experience of deliverance leads to a renewed covenant commitment and a life of praise, demonstrating that salvation is not just an event but a reorientation of one's entire being towards God, fostering a deep and abiding trust.
Cross-references that echo these themes include:
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Psalms 40:2 offers profound encouragement and a timeless blueprint for faith in contemporary life. We all encounter "horrible pits" and "miry clay"—moments of deep despair, overwhelming anxiety, addiction, grief, financial ruin, or spiritual stagnation where we feel utterly stuck and unable to escape. This verse powerfully reminds us that God is not distant from our struggles but is actively involved, possessing the power to reach down into our deepest mire and lift us out. It calls us to trust in His intervention, even when our circumstances seem hopeless, and to surrender our helplessness to His mighty hand. Furthermore, it challenges us to recognize that God's deliverance is not merely an escape from trouble but a re-establishment on a firm foundation. He provides stability and a clear, purposeful path forward, guiding our steps and securing our future. This calls for a life of active trust, continually seeking His direction, and a heart of profound gratitude, remembering His past faithfulness as a promise for His future provision and an anchor for our present hope.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Is the "horrible pit" a literal place?
Answer: While the imagery of a "pit" could, in some contexts, refer to a literal dungeon, cistern, or grave, in Psalms 40:2, it is primarily a powerful metaphor. The "horrible pit" and "miry clay" symbolize a state of extreme distress, overwhelming despair, danger, or spiritual and emotional entrapment. It represents a situation from which the psalmist felt utterly helpless and unable to escape, highlighting the depth of his suffering and the magnitude of God's miraculous intervention. This metaphorical usage is common in the Psalms, where physical dangers often represent deeper spiritual or emotional turmoil, such as in Psalm 69:1-2.
How does God "establish my goings"?
Answer: To have one's "goings established" means that God not only rescued the psalmist from a perilous situation but also provided a clear, secure, and stable path forward for his life. This implies divine guidance, ensuring that one's steps are firm and purposeful, preventing stumbling, wandering, or falling back into despair. It speaks to God's ongoing providence, direction, and protection, providing a firm foundation for one's spiritual journey and daily walk, ensuring progress in righteousness and security in His will. This concept aligns with biblical teachings on God's guidance, as seen in Proverbs 3:5-6.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Psalms 40:2 finds its ultimate and most profound fulfillment in the person and work of Jesus Christ. He is the preeminent "Rock" upon whom our lives are to be built, the unshakeable foundation that stands firm against all storms, as taught in Matthew 7:24-27. Humanity, trapped in the "horrible pit" of sin and the "miry clay" of spiritual death, was utterly helpless and unable to extricate itself. It was Christ who, through His atoning sacrifice and resurrection, descended into the depths of death and the grave, bringing us up out of that ultimate pit. His resurrection from the grave is the supreme "bringing up" (Ephesians 2:6), demonstrating His decisive victory over sin and death and securing our deliverance. Through faith in Him, our feet are set upon the solid ground of His righteousness and His finished work, and our "goings" are eternally "established." He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, who not only rescues us from the power of darkness but also guides our every step into an abundant and purposeful life, leading us ultimately to the Father (John 14:6). In Christ, the deliverance promised in the psalm is fully realized, offering not just temporal relief but eternal salvation and an unshakeable hope that transcends all earthly pits.