Those "Who Seek to Snatch Away My Life"

Psalms 40:11-12 ESV

“As for you, O Lord, you will not restrain

    your mercy from me;

your steadfast love and your faithfulness will

    ever preserve me!

For evils have encompassed me

    beyond number;

my iniquities have overtaken me,

    and I cannot see;

they are more than the hairs of my head;

    my heart fails me.”

So, this is the third in a series of devotions on Psalms 40, all written this morning. And the reason I am mentioning that is because I believe we need to take into account this whole Psalm 40 to interpret these words correctly. For I do not believe that “my iniquities,” in this context, is speaking of David engaged in deliberate and habitual sin, which would be indicated by “they are more than the hairs of my head,” if we were to take this that “my iniquities” were current and numerous sins he was involved in.

For the indication from verses 1-10 of Psalms 40 is of a man of God who was walking in the ways of the Lord, whose trust was in the Lord, and who walked in the fear of the Lord. He was someone who took God and his word seriously, whose walk of faith was praiseworthy of God and of his working in his life. And his walk of faith served as a testimony to others that they might put their faith in the Lord. And he was not someone who followed after lies, but he was a man of God who proclaimed the Good News to the people.

So, this would not be consistent with a man who was overtaken by iniquities as numerous as the hairs on his head. Are you with me here? We have to interpret Scriptures in light of their context. So, what is the alternative meaning to these words then? Well, if you look into the Hebrew interlinear, it says the word translated “iniquities” is from “an unused word,” and it can mean “iniquity, guilt, and/or punishment for iniquity.” So, could it be that he was sensing that the trials he was enduring were punishment for past iniquities? 

I looked this up in several commentaries, and I like this explanation from Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary: “Evils – inflicted by others. Iniquities – or penal afflictions, and sometimes calamities in the wide sense.” “This meaning of the word is also favored by the clause, "taken hold of me," which follows, which can be said appropriately of sufferings, but not of sins (compare Job 27:20; Ps 69:24).” “’I cannot see,’ not denoting the depression of conscious guilt, as Lu 18:13, but exhaustion from suffering, as dimness of eyes (compare Ps 6:7; 13:3; 38:10).”

Psalms 40:13-15 ESV

“Be pleased, O Lord, to deliver me!

    O Lord, make haste to help me!

Let those be put to shame and disappointed altogether

    who seek to snatch away my life;

let those be turned back and brought to dishonor

    who delight in my hurt!

Let those be appalled because of their shame

    who say to me, ‘Aha, Aha!’”

Therefore, the psalmist is not praying for God to deliver him from sins in his life as numerous as the hairs on his head. He was not living in deliberate and habitual sin against the Lord. What he was wanting deliverance from, which is indicated by many of his (David’s) psalms, was deliverance from his enemies who were coming against him and who were persecuting him and causing him much pain and suffering. And this is indicated in verse 14 where he prayed to God regarding those who sought to snatch away his life.

Psalms 40:16-17 ESV

“But may all who seek you

    rejoice and be glad in you;

may those who love your salvation

    say continually, ‘Great is the Lord!’

As for me, I am poor and needy,

    but the Lord takes thought for me.

You are my help and my deliverer;

    do not delay, O my God!”

But then he turned to an encouraging note. Even though he had many enemies who were coming against him to harm him, and even though he was suffering greatly at their hands, he wanted to encourage those who were seeking after the Lord and who loved the Lord and his salvation. And he was encouraging them, I believe, to give praise to God for his salvation. But the salvation that Jesus died on that cross to offer to us is not just forgiveness of sins, but it is deliverance out of slavery (addiction) to sin.

And it isn’t just forgiveness of sins and deliverance from addiction to sin, but it is empowerment of God to us to now live godly and holy and upright and morally pure and honest and faithful lives to the glory of God in the power of God, by his grace. For our salvation isn’t just forgiveness of sins and freedom from hell and the promise of heaven. It is deliverance from the power and control of sin over our lives so that we can now serve the Lord with our lives in walks of faithful obedience to him and to his commands.

[Matt 7:21-23; Matt 24:9-14; Lu 9:23-26; Rom 1:18-32; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14,24; Rom 12:1-2; Rom 13:11; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; 1 Co 1:18; 1 Co 15:1-2; 2 Tim 1:8-9; Heb 9:28; 1 Pet 1:5; Gal 5:16-21; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:5-17; 1 Pet 2:24; Tit 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-9; 1 Jn 2:3-6,24-25; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Heb 3:6,14-15; Heb 10:23-31; Heb 12:1-2; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15]

Seek the Lord  

An Original Work / July 20, 2012

Based off Isaiah 55

“Come to Me all you who thirst; come to waters.

Listen to Me, and eat what’s good today,

And your soul will delight in richest of fare.

Give ear to Me, and you will live.

I have made an eternal covenant with you.

Wash in the blood of the Lamb.”

Seek the Lord while He may be found; call on Him. 

Let the wicked forsake his way, in truth.

Let him turn to the Lord, and he will receive mercy.

Freely, God pardons him.

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts,

Nor are your ways My ways,”

declares the Lord, our God.

“My word that goes out of My mouth is truthful.

It will not return to Me unfulfilled.

My word will accomplish all that I desire,

And achieve the goal I intend.

You will go in joy and be led forth in peace.

The mountains will burst into song… before you, 

And all of the trees clap their hands.”

https://vimeo.com/379408296