Podcast Introduction

Today  Psalms 39-41. I’m calling the episode “Our Only Hope .”

Comments on Psalms 39-41

Introduction to Psalm 39

The title of this psalm is “To the Chief Musician. To Jeduthun. A Psalm of David.”

It is thought by some that the Chief Musician is God. Others believe that it could be a leader of choirs when David wrote this. Perhaps Heman the singer, mentioned in 1 Chronicles 6:33, or Asaph, mentioned in 1 Chronicles 16:5-7.

Jeduthun was one of the musicians appointed by David to lead the public worship of Israel. We read his name in 1 Chronicles 16:41 and 1 Chronicles 25:1-3.

This psalm, as the title makes clear, was written by King David, but we do not know at what point in his life.

Comments on Psalm 39

Verse 7 says, “And now, Lord, what do I wait for? My hope is in You.”

When, like David, we understand the frailty and how fleeting is our life, where else can we put our hope but in the Eternal God? How foolish we would be but than to place ourselves in His strong, loving, merciful, loving care?

Introduction to Psalm 40

The title is To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.

Again, we do not know for sure when David wrote this, but G. Campbell Morgan guessed that, “In this case the reason for the song in all probability was that of the deliverance of David from all the long experience of outlawry and suffering; and the fact that he had been brought to his coronation.”

Comments on Psalm 40

7Then I said, “Behold, I have come;
in the scroll of the book it is written of me:
8 I delight to do your will, O my God;
your law is within my heart.”

Oh beloved, may this be written of you in His book!

16But may all who seek you
rejoice and be glad in you;
may those who love your salvation
say continually, “Great is the Lord!”

When we consider the great works of God, especially how He saved us, how can we not proclaim again and again, “GREAT is the Lord!”

Introduction to Psalm 41

The title is To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.
Of this psalm Alexander Maclaren wrote: “The central mass of this psalm describes the singer as suffering from two evils: sickness and treacherous friends.”

Comments on Psalm 41

In this psalm David moves from writing about the blessings that will come to the person who is mindful of the poor and weak, to asking God for mercy when he has sinned, deliverance from those who tell lies about him and wish him dead, the anguish he feels because of the betrayal of those he trusted, and then another plea for God’s mercy, and finally an offering of praise to the God of Israel.

David poured out his heart in this psalm, didn’t he? This seems to be a time when he was very sick physically and spiritually. He said to the Lord, “Heal my soul, for I have sinned against You.”

Sin, beloved, is not just something that sits in solitude. It isn’t just a vague idea or a nebulous, general breaking of a meaningless, random rule. It is an act of rebellion against the God of the universe. David realized that, and because of his sin, he knew that his soul needed the healing touch of a merciful God.

David lived about 1,000 years before Jesus was born in Bethlehem. Yet he believed that God would forgive the repentant heart. He made no excuses, no defense, no flowery language. Just a simple, truthful admission of guilt before a Holy God.

This was one reason that he is called “A man after God’s own heart.”

The last verse, the offering of praise is thought by many scholars to be not only the end of this psalm, but the end of the first book of Psalms. Yes, Psalms actually contains five books. The first book ends here with chapter 41. Book two is Psalms 42 to 72. Book three is Psalms 73-89. Book four is Psalms 90-106. Book five is Psalms 107-150.

Bible commentator Derek Kidner wrote, “Each of the five books ends with an outburst of praise, clinched by a double Amen (here and at 72:19; 89:52), an Amen and Hallelujah Praise the Lord, NKJV or, finally, what is virtually a double Hallelujah (150:6), indeed a whole psalm of doxology.”

When David wrote the phrase, “From everlasting to everlasting,” he was referring to eternity past to eternity future. Or in the words of Jesus, “I am the Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.” He was saying that He always existed and always will exist.

Beloved, what a mighty God we serve! Amen and amen, indeed!

Today’s Bible Translation

Bible translation used in today’s episode: Ch. 39 NKJV, Ch. 40 ESV, Ch. 41 NCV

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