Job 40
Psalm 40 is known as a psalm of David, and it contains both thanksgiving for experiencing God’s deliverance in a place of suffering and a prayer asking for help amid the difficulties that follow. Divided into three parts, this psalm, which reflects one person’s journey of faith, includes personal confession and supplication, praise to God, and prayer for the sake of the community.
1verseMoreover the LORD answered Job,
2verse“Shall he who argues contend with the Almighty? He who argues with God, let him answer it.”
3verseThen Job answered the LORD,
4verse“Behold, I am of small account. What will I answer you? I lay my hand on my mouth.
5verseI have spoken once, and I will not answer; Yes, twice, but I will proceed no further.”
6verseThen the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind:
7verse“Now brace yourself like a man. I will question you, and you will answer me.
8verseWill you even annul my judgment? Will you condemn me, that you may be justified?
9verseOr do you have an arm like God? Can you thunder with a voice like him?
10verse“Now deck yourself with excellency and dignity. Array yourself with honor and majesty.
11versePour out the fury of your anger. Look at everyone who is proud, and bring him low.
12verseLook at everyone who is proud, and humble him. Crush the wicked in their place.
13verseHide them in the dust together. Bind their faces in the hidden place.
14verseThen I will also admit to you that your own right hand can save you.
15verse“See now behemoth, which I made as well as you. He eats grass as an ox.
16verseLook now, his strength is in his thighs. His force is in the muscles of his belly.
17verseHe moves his tail like a cedar. The sinews of his thighs are knit together.
18verseHis bones are like tubes of bronze. His limbs are like bars of iron.
19verseHe is the chief of the ways of God. He who made him gives him his sword.
20verseSurely the mountains produce food for him, where all the animals of the field play.
21verseHe lies under the lotus trees, in the covert of the reed, and the marsh.
22verseThe lotuses cover him with their shade. The willows of the brook surround him.
23verseBehold, if a river overflows, he doesn’t tremble. He is confident, though the Jordan swells even to his mouth.
24verseShall any take him when he is on the watch, or pierce through his nose with a snare?
Verses 1-10: Thanksgiving for Salvation and Testimony
At the beginning (verses 1-3), the psalmist confesses an experience of crying out to God after long endurance and receiving an answer. He recalls how God rescued him from deep miry clay and put a new song and praise in his mouth. Then, in the following verses 4-5, he praises the blessedness of the one who is like that person and the unfathomable plan of God. Verses 6-8 emphasize the importance of an attitude of following God’s will rather than offering sacrifices, and verses 9-10 reveal that the psalmist did not hide the LORD’s salvation and righteousness in the community, but testified to them.
Verses 11-17: New Troubles and Prayer
Starting from verses 11-13, the mood of the psalm changes. The psalmist asks once again for God’s mercy and help in the midst of a new crisis, his own sins, his enemies’ attacks, and an urgent situation. In verses 14-15, he seeks the failure and frustration of his enemies, and in verses 16-17, he earnestly prays that God would be gracious and grant salvation so that those who seek God may rejoice. This reflects his desire to rely faithfully on the LORD even in suffering.
Structure and Flow
- Verses 1-3: Confession of past experience of deliverance and thanksgiving
- Verses 4-5: The blessedness of those who trust God
- Verses 6-10: True obedience and testimony within the community
- Verses 11-17: Prayer and a confession of faith amid new hardship
The overall structure can be described as an open loop: it confesses God’s grace in the past, and it sings of unwavering trust and hope even in present difficulties.
Meditation Points
- It reminds you that suffering and deliverance, thanksgiving and prayer, repeat throughout the journey of faith.
- It also shows how important it is not only to keep your personal experience of God’s deliverance, but to share it within the community.
- You can reflect on the truth that God desires obedience and a heart more than sacrifices.
Try Applying It to Yourself
- In the situation I find myself in now, I can remember God’s help that I experienced in the past.
- Even in hardship, I can learn to trust God by continually asking for His mercy without becoming discouraged.
- I can also set aside time to make a decision to share the grace and salvation I received from God with my family, neighbors, and within the faith community.
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