Psalm Reflection - Week 8

Psalm 40

"You delight not in sacrifice and offerings, but in an open ear."

What strikes me as I turn to the beautiful expression of faith contained in this psalm is how each psalm we have considered speaks of a living bond between the psalmist and God. Notice this! Here as we heard expressed in other psalms, is a foundational trust in God who is real to the psalmist. He credits God with what is secure in life, what is good and wonderful. He likewise trusts God when life is unsettled and he is threatened and troubled. God is real! He will save and rescue, he will provide security even when this seems to be a far distant hope.

"I waited, I waited for the Lord". To wait suggests patience and trust. In the Bible, waiting generally suggests that a time of suffering is coming to an end. Israel waits in Exile for God's deliverance. The faithful endure the time of trial and have used the time of silent waiting to learn something new and gain valued insight. Waiting is a productive time, not just something that must be endured. (See James 5:7-8) As in Psalm 18 and 73, the psalmist here also has absolute trust in God to come down from heaven, to visit him with insight and the assurance of his presence. Hear and sense the weariness of one who has "waited, waited…"!

The psalm is an interesting composite of thanksgiving to God for having delivered the pray-er and then a middle section which contains a description of some new troubles, this is the form of lament that we have seen elsewhere. The psalm concludes with a final expression of trust in God's power to rescue. This pattern of praise, lament and trust that once again overflows into praise seems to mirror life. If only we could be rescued from assaults once and for all! But life will continually present us with new challenges. The thing to remember, as we see here, is that if God has come to our defense in the past and we can remember how wondrously God has been there for us, what will keep God's loving providence from safeguarding us in the future? Indeed, the script changes! The one thing that does not change is that God is present-not as we expect always, but surely present!.

Perhaps the heart of this psalm is to be found in vs 7-9:

"You delight not in sacrifice and offerings,

but in an open ear.

You do not ask for holocaust and victim.

Then I said, "See I have come."

In the scroll of the book it stands written of me:

Your instruction lies deep within me."

These verses offer much for our reflection. What are the elements of proper worship that externalizes the inward attachment to God? This is not a criticism of cultic worship or a repudiating of the externals of religion, but a fervent call to perform such actions with one's whole heart and life energy. The reference to an "open ear" as Carroll Stuhlmueller has commented, recalls a practice described in Ex 21:5-6 where a slave who was devoted to his master and his household would willingly present himself before the Lord and his ear would be pierced, giving a sign of his willing devotion and service to his master and his household. He foregoes his chance for freedom, choosing instead willing service to his master. This "open ear" then speaks of the total dedication of one as a "servant/slave" to God, one not free to go their own way but one wholly committed and attentive in all things to God. This text is quoted by the writer of the Letter to the Hebrews in reference to Jesus!

There is a parallelism as one looks at the following verse where, again, the cultic sacrifices are considered of less importance than the honest doing of God's will. This doing of God's will is verified and conditional on the fact that God's instruction lies deeply within and so is a sure and truthful guide. The person is no longer their own measure stick, but God's will determines the course of life.

These thoughts are similar to a beloved passage found in Micah (6:8)…

"You have been told O my people what is good

and what the Lord requires of you:

Only to do right, to love goodness,

And to walk humbly with your God"

These words in context likewise set aside the simple performance of ritual. This is not enough if life remains unchallenged by the word of God in daily affairs. God seems to want not things that we can give to him but our very selves!

The writer of the Letter to the Hebrews, as mentioned above, draws on these verses to summarize the disposition of Christ. Read Hebrews Chapter 10. In vs 5-8 you will find the quote from Psalm 40 but also you will find the writers re-interpretation of these words in making application to Christ. Again, the psalm was not predicting Jesus. The words can describe the ideal faithful Israelite. They can inform us today about the right attitude in our relationship with God AND they give us entry into the plan and purpose of God is sending the Son. As a living example of how to live God's will faithfully, these words are filled to perfection when we relate them to the Incarnation and Jesus' faithfulness to the Father's will. We see here 3 levels of application that we have often mentioned in these reflections:

1) How ancient Israel read and prayed the Psalms

2) How we today read and pray the Psalms

3) How the early Church applied these words to Christ

Each of these avenues takes our reflection along a different path. Each is worthwhile and of great value. This shows to us the amazing richness and the inexhaustible quality of the word of God for us!

And with the psalmist we must also cry:

"Your saving help I have not hidden in my heart;

of your faithfulness and salvation I have spoken."

And so must we also do!