Psalms 40:6

“I have not hid thy righteousness”

Psalms 40:6, “Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire; mine ears hast thou opened: burnt offering and sin offering hast thou not required.” Jesus said man looks on the outward appearance but God looks on the heart. Pride is the opposite of faith in the promises of God. Sacrifice and offering refers to the external things of religion, such as what cloths you ware, when you go to church, when you eat or do not eat, if you face a certain direction when you pray. In the Old Testament sacrifice and offering refers to the external things involved in the religion of the Jews, the sacrifices of the little animals that were symbols of how Christ would come and die on the cross for the sins of the World. The problem with all false religions is that they are legalistic and liberal through focusing on external things. A true Christian walks by faith not by sight.

True religion is found in the gospel of Jesus Christ. John 1:17 says, “For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.” To understand the difference between the New Testament and the Old Testament is to understand the gospel of Jesus Christ. The word Gospel means good news. The good news of the Gospel is John 3:15-19, “That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. 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. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world though him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.” Jesus Christ of the seed of Abraham, of the seed of David, of the Jews died on the cross for your sins and my sins. He was buried and He rose from the grave defeating sin and death.

For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. It is appointed unto men once to die but after this the judgment. When Psalms 40:6 says, “mine ears hast thou opened” it is referring to listening to the Word of God. Romans 10:17 says, “Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.” All religions in the World make the same mistake of not listening to the Word of God. True religion centers around the teachings of the Bible. If you want to serve Christ in this life, if you want to know the wonderful works of God then open your ears to the Old and the New Testament.

Psalms 40:6 says, “Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire; mine ears hast thou opened: burnt offering and sin offering hast thou not required.” Most people in the world listen to all the wrong things, and all the wrong teachings. The lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life lures them away. But good is the Word of the LORD. Open your ears. Listen to the Word of God. Listen to the gospel of Jesus Christ. “Burnt offering and sin offering hast thou not required.” What is the requirement to receive the forgiveness of your sins and to escape the eternal judgment in the lake of fire? The requirement is not outward things, but the requirement is to turn from your sins to Jesus Christ.

Psalms 40:7-8, “Then said I, Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of me, I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart.” These verses are also quoted in the New Testament. 2 Hebrews chapter 10:9 says, “Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second.” Jesus said Matthew 7:13 says, “Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat. Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.” How few there are in this world that do not follow their own selfish desires. Broad is the way that leadeth to destruction. The narrow road is the road of the cross. Those who learn to follow the will of God are those that listen to the Word of God. To be led of the Spirit of God in what you do you must learn the Word of God.

When Psalms 40:6 says, “mine ears hast thou opened” it emphasizes how the spiritual blindness of man is removed by the testimony of Jesus Christ. The Spirit of God touches the hearts of men and moves them to listen to the Word of God and to repent of their sins. This is why verses 7-8, in speaking of delighting in the will of God, are primarily a reference to the only begotten Son of God. When Jesus Christ lived on this earth he always did the will of God. This is why Philippians 2:8 says of Christ, “And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.”

To accomplish the work of God in this world all it takes is faith as a grain of mustard seed. You do not need to be wise, or mighty, or noble, all it takes is a little faith in the Bible. This is why in talking about delighting to do the will of God the Bible says in Psalms 40:9, “I have preached righteousness in the great congregation: low, I have not refrained my lips, O LORD, thou knowest.” Do your part to help in the preaching of the Word of God and you will be doing great things to reach the souls of men who are lost in darkness and enslaved by the lies of this world. He that is faithful in little is faithful in much. It is Jesus that is the faithful witness. The sins of men are numbered as many. But the wonderful works of God are numbered as grace greater than our sin.

This is why in talking about what is preached the Bible says in Psalms 40:10, “I have not hid thy righteousness within my heart; I have declared thy faithfulness and thy salvation: I have not concealed thy loving kindness and thy truth from the great congregation.” You can hide from the righteousness of Christ or you can repent of your sins and turn to Jesus Christ for salvation. True preaching is the public proclamation of the Word of God with an emphasis on the righteousness of Christ as revealed in his faithfulness. This is why Jesus is called the faithful witness. Jesus died on the cross for the sins of the world paying the debt for all men’s sins.

In both the Old and the New Testament Jesus is called the faithful and true witness. Jeremiah 42:5, “Then they said to Jeremiah, The LORD be a true and faithful witness between us, if we do not even according to all things for the which the LORD thy God shall send thee to us.” Revelation 3:14, “And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; these things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God.” Revelation 22:6 says, “And he said unto me, These sayings are faithful and true: and the Lord God of the holy prophets sent his angel to shew unto his servants the things which must shortly be done.” Even in the very last chapter of the Bible we are reminded how faithful and true is Jesus of the Jews.

If only men would come to understand their own sinfulness and their need of the righteousness of God. Most men trust in their own righteousness. All men have good things that can be said about them but everyone is still a sinner in need of the forgiveness of sins through Jesus Christ. This verse in Psalms lists 4 great characteristics of God: righteousness, faithfulness, loving-kindness, and truth. Notice the phrase, “I have not concealed thy loving-kindness.” It is appointed unto men once to die but after this the judgment. Loving kindness refers to God’s passionate mercy towards men. If only men knew the character of the one true living God, Jesus Christ. This is why 1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

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