Psalms 40:4-5

“Many, O LORD my God, are thy wonderful works”

Psalms 40:4-5, “Blessed is that man that maketh the LORD his trust, and respecteth not the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies. Many, O LORD my God, are thy wonderful works which thou hast done, and thy thoughts which are to us-ward: they cannot be reckoned up in order unto thee: if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered.” Psalms chapter 40 talks about waiting patiently on God. One of the themes of the book of Psalms is waiting on the LORD. To learn to wait on God is to learn to trust in the promises of the Bible. We live in the last days. These are perilous times. This is the end of the age of grace. And therefore it just may be that in your life now more than ever is the time to know that, “Blessed is that man that maketh the LORD his trust.”

The name LORD is an Old Testament name for Jesus Christ who died on the cross for the sins of the world. Jesus said in John 6:28-29, “Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.” Blessed is that man that maketh the LORD his trust. The word make implies an action. It implies doing something. It implies a work. This work is the work of the human will, the heart, the mind, the soul of man in turning from sin to redemption from sin, the eternal life, the all spiritual blessings in heavenly places that is in Christ. The work of God in this world is repentance of sin to Christ. The work of God in this world is believing the promises of God. If you do this then you are learning to wait on God.

Psalms 40:4 says, “Blessed is that man that maketh the LORD his trust, and respecteth not the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies.” Faith and pride are not the same thing. Faith and pride are opposite of each other. The Bible says in Hebrews 11:1-3, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good report. Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.” Pride is based on the outward appearance. Faith is believing what the Bible says when it says in John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

In the world today all the wrong things are taught to most humans. Humanism teaches pride. And humanism also teaches the wrong way to respect other people. True respect is based on truth and faith in the Word of God not lies. The devil is the father of lies. But Jesus Christ is the way, the truth, and the life. Psalms 40:4 says, “Blessed is that man that maketh the LORD his trust, and respected not the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies.” Pride is based on lies. The less spiritual truth you know the more pride you will have. The more of God’s Word you learn the more faith you will have in Christ if you are a true believer in Christ. If you are not a true believer in Christ the more of God’s Word you hear and reject the greater will become your pride. This is why truth and respect for other people is not based on the outward appearance but it is based on learning to value the eternal destiny of man. The physical life is temporary. Man at his best state is vanity. It is appointed unto man once to die but after this the judgment. To love someone is to respect someone. To love and respect another human being is best done by following the teachings of the Bible. John 1:6, “And this is love, that we walk after his commandments. This is the commandment, That, as ye have heard from the beginning, ye should walk in it.” If you love someone, if you respect them then the most important thing you can do is to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with them when you are led by the Spirit of God though the Word of God.

Psalms 40:5 says, “Many, O LORD my God, are thy wonderful works which though hast done, and thy thoughts which are to us-ward: they cannot be reckoned up in order unto thee: if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered.” When the Bible talks about man it reveals the sinfulness of man and the pride of man and the vanity of man. But when the Bible talks about Jesus Christ, the Bible emphasizes the many works of God. Man deserves no praise. God deserves all the praise through Jesus Christ.

God does not speak to man in an audible voice. God speaks to man through the written Word of God. Psalms 40:5 is a great verse because it emphasizes the greatness of the mind of God. The mind of man is limited and because of sin corrupted. But all the mind of God is revealed to man in His Word. The mind of man fades. The mind of man fails. But God’s mind, God’s Word endures forever.

In contrast between man’s pride and the many wonderful works of God nothing is said about the accomplishments of man. What is emphasized is the accomplishments of God. “They are more than can be numbered.” The sins of men are more than can be numbered. But the righteous works of God are also too many to count. In thinking about the righteous works of God what should be thought about more than any other truth is the forgiveness of sins that is found in Christ.

In speaking about the works of Christ Colossians 1:13-16 says, “Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sin: Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things where created by him, and for him.”

In speaking about man what is numbered is the great number of sins that all men commit against one another and against God in their pride. But when the Bible talks about the wonderful works of God it speaks of all creation and it speaks of the deliverance from the power of darkness though the death of Christ on the cross.

Psalms 40:4-5, “Blessed is that man that maketh the LORD his trust, and respecteth not the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies. Many, O LORD my God, are thy wonderful works which thou hast done, and thy thoughts which are to us-ward: they cannot be reckoned up in order unto thee: if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered.” The sins of men are numbered and they are many. But the work of God’s grace through Christ’s death on the cross is numbered as the greatest work God has done for man. If you have never turned from your sins turn to Jesus and you can receive forgiveness and eternal life.

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