By Jeremy Bell
This post contains Psalm 40 with notes on the lead musician. Faith, Hope, and Love, discovered in truth in the writings of a people God has preserved for thousands of years. The Nature of Joy is not defined by failing humans. It is experienced through a perfect God who restores relationship to any who would respond.
This is my personal study on Psalm 40 according to my motif analysis. I have taken the elements of the analysis of the Psalm and grouped them together. So, the entirety of the Psalm is listed, but in a different order. My hope is to share insights as to what the author intended to convey. This is a theologically sound practice, though good theology does not rely on one observation point alone. Take time to read the Psalm, pray on it, and test it in scripture to gain a good understanding of what God is saying through the author.
For the Chief Musician
This Psalm is for the chief, or, lead musician. The lead musician of what? Proclaiming God’s messages to the accompaniment of music. Musicians prophesied through music and the chief was over them all. These musicians were considered priests. David and the army commanders appointed men from the families of Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun from the tribe of Levi to these duties and they reported directly to the king. Their relatives worked under their direction.
They proclaimed God’s messages by the king’s orders. They proclaimed God’s messages to the accompaniment of the lyre, offering thanks and praise to the Lord. They made music at the house of the Lord. Their responsibilities included the playing of cymbals, harps, and lyres at the house of God. The lead musician and their family were all trained in making music before the Lord, and each of them was an accomplished musician. The musicians were appointed to their term of service by means of sacred lots, without regard to whether they were young or old, teacher or student.
In my analysis, this Psalm is in a verse-bridge form. A verse is one idea that still has a breakdown of pattern, but those patterns are contained in one idea. A bridge is a link to something. That something may be the next idea, a refrain, or space to contemplate what was just expressed. A bridge takes an idea and extends it. I have identified 3 distinct sections, or elements. These sections are much like the sections of a piece of music, each related, but distributed in a pattern throughout the Psalm. This may sound unclear, but it is visually represented in my book, Psalms in Motif Visualization. You can find it here!
[ Psalm 40, Grouped by Motif Patterns ]
I waited patiently for Yahweh.
You are my help and my deliverer.
Don’t delay, my God.
Many, Yahweh, my God, are the wonderful works which you have done,
and your thoughts which are toward us.
They can’t be declared back to you.
If I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be counted.
Sacrifice and offering you didn’t desire.
You have opened my ears.
You have not required burnt offering and sin offering.
Be pleased, Yahweh, to deliver me.
Hurry to help me, Yahweh.
He turned to me, and heard my cry.
He brought me up also out of a horrible pit,
out of the miry clay.
He set my feet on a rock,
and gave me a firm place to stand.
He has put a new song in my mouth, even praise to our God.
But I am poor and needy.
May the Lord think about me.
Then I said, “Behold, I have come.
It is written about me in the book in the scroll.
I delight to do your will, my God.
Yes, your law is within my heart.”
Don’t withhold your tender mercies from me, Yahweh.
Let your loving kindness and your truth continually preserve me.
For innumerable evils have surrounded me.
My iniquities have overtaken me, so that I am not able to look up.
They are more than the hairs of my head.
My heart has failed me.
Many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in Yahweh.
Blessed is the man who makes Yahweh his trust,
and doesn’t respect the proud, nor such as turn away to lies.
Let them be disappointed and confounded together who seek after my soul to destroy it.
Let them be turned backward and brought to dishonor who delight in my hurt.
Let them be desolate by reason of their shame that tell me, “Aha! Aha!”
Let all those who seek you rejoice and be glad in you.
Let such as love your salvation say continually, “Let Yahweh be exalted!”
I have proclaimed glad news of righteousness in the great assembly.
Behold, I will not seal my lips, Yahweh, you know.
I have not hidden your righteousness within my heart.
I have declared your faithfulness and your salvation.
I have not concealed your loving kindness and your truth from the great assembly.
Hope for the Failing
Along with many tax collectors and other disreputable sinners, Matthew invited Jesus and his disciples to his home as dinner guests. But when the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with such scum?” When Jesus heard this, he said, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do.” Then he added, “Now go and learn the meaning of this Scripture: ‘I want you to show mercy, not offer sacrifices.’ For I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners.”
The pattern this Psalm was written in is a point within a point. The highlight is very pronounced. How fitting this Psalm is for the lead musician. This priest personally declares they have proclaimed the glad news of righteousness while leading all people to join him. This priest does not hide righteousness and rather declares salvation and faithfulness while leading all people to join him. Truth sings from his mouth as he leads his musicians to sing truth.
Teaching the listeners, encouraging, and exhorting them. For some congregants, their heart is failing them. The lead musician and his musicians sing prayers and play music to minister to this heart, engaging the Holy Spirit that He would pray to God on their behalf with groans too deep for words. Others are in a deep pit, overtaken by iniquity. They need a new song in their mouth, a song of truth. Music rebukes, teaches, forgives, and comforts. The Bible says we don’t know how we ought to pray, but I feel we don’t know how we ought to worship and adore and praise the God of creation.
Don’t be Confounded, Repent and Sing a New Song
Music engages an entirely different part of our brain than just reason. Musicians may even make the people want to move their bodies. Worship pleasing to the Lord is led by knowledgeable and appointed priests and priestly musicians through the appointed lead musician. It can be taken in safety, followed through faith. God magnifies His glory through His people in His creation and has a plan to grow that in ways we can’t imagine. The good news is that all that is required to finish the plan has been done through Jesus Christ. Through faith in him and the by the grace of God we can participate in that plan. Not just sometime in the future, but right now.
Our failing hearts can be healed now, our wickedness can be forgiven now. We don’t need to wait; He does not want us to wait. He has called, we need to respond while He can still be found. There is no reason to be disappointed and confounded even though you have the choice to remain that way. Don’t remain in the terrible day, week, and life of misery, engage now with God through Jesus. Get involved with people at a church and grow now in The Nature of Joy.
Resources and Notes
All scripture in this article is from the WORLD ENGLISH BIBLE (WEB). The World English Bible (WEB) is a Public Domain (no copyright) Modern English translation of the Holy Bible. The World English Bible is based on the American Standard Version of the Holy Bible first published in 1901, the Biblia Hebraica Stutgartensa Old Testament, and the Greek Majority Text New Testament.
For more related to this blog, check out my post on Equipping the Saints for Local Missions Truths.
This is a reliable translation, but it is always good to read other translations as well. Biblegateway.com has a multitude of translations to read from. It is a great resource.
Another great resource is Biblehub.com. There are multiple translations, commentaries, and so much more. Great research can be done on this platform.
One more I use regularly is Gotquestions.org. This is a great site to answer questions and find threads of related questions.
There are many resources. The key is that God wants relationship directly with you, the individual. His primary source for revealing who He is and growing in intimacy is His word, the scriptures. Don’t just read for instruction. Analyze and read for understanding. Explore, ask questions, and be transformed in Jesus every moment you possibly can. There is no dispute this is a key desire of God. People are brough to the Father, in the Son, by the power of the Holy Spirit. This… This is the Nature of Joy.
Jeremy is an author, musician, and business intelligence manager. His mission is to equip and encourage those in Christ, to equip and encourage others in Christ. Jesus, Christ, is the Nature of Joy and melody of the heart. Jeremy unites business analytics (business intelligence), songs, and Scripture for Christian living in the power of the Holy Spirit.