Psalm 40:11 - Printer Friendly

ESV: As for you, O LORD, you will not restrain your mercy from me; your steadfast love and your faithfulness will ever preserve me!

NIV: Do not withhold your mercy from me, LORD; may your love and faithfulness always protect me.

NASB: You, Lord, will not withhold Your compassion from me; Your mercy and Your truth will continually watch over me.

CSB: Lord, you do not withhold your compassion from me. Your constant love and truth will always guard me.

NLT: Lord, don’t hold back your tender mercies from me. Let your unfailing love and faithfulness always protect me.

KJV: Withhold not thou thy tender mercies from me, O LORD: let thy lovingkindness and thy truth continually preserve me.

NKJV: Do not withhold Your tender mercies from me, O Lord; Let Your lovingkindness and Your truth continually preserve me.

To this point, David has expressed praise for what God has done, in the past. Now he expresses confidence in what God will do now and in the future. He trusts that the Lord will never show him less compassion than He has shown him in the past. Furthermore, David believes the Lord's unfailing love and faithfulness will always keep him safe.

Believers today are also kept safe. Nothing can separate us from the love of God. Even when we suffer persecution and hardship, He is still with us (John 16:33). The apostle Paul testified: "For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 8:38–39). Our love of God may weaken, but God's love of us will remain steady always. Also, His compassion and trustworthiness are unfailing. Lamentations 3:22–23 assures us that His mercies never end and His faithfulness is great. God always holds us safe in His mighty arms!

Psalm 40:11–17 follows a passage focused mainly on David's thanksgiving for the Lord's past blessings. This section features his requests to God, based on the Lord's love and faithfulness. He asks the Lord to forgive his sins, rescue him from his enemies, and to fill God's people with praise when they recognize how David has been delivered. Psalm 38 contains similar themes to those of these closing verses of Psalm 40.

David waited on the Lord for quite some time to be delivered from his foes, and the Lord heard him. This remarkable deliverance would persuade many to trust in the Lord. David insists that no one can compare with the Lord. Verses 6–8 are messianic; Hebrews 10:5–9 applies them to Jesus. David shared this story with his fellow worshipers in the sanctuary. He was confident that the Lord would continue to show him His mercy, His steadfast love, and His faithfulness. David needed the Lord's help because he was conscious of his many sins, and he knew his enemies wanted to kill him. He concludes this psalm by humble acknowledging that the Lord thought about him and was his help and deliverer. He asks the Lord to come quickly to his defense.

In this psalm David offers praise to the Lord for meeting his needs. He may have composed this psalm during one of his exiles in the wilderness or during the infancy of his rule as Israel's king. Verses 1–5 may refer to his exile, and verses 6–10 may depict his dedication as king. Verses 11–17 tell of his prayer for forgiveness and his exaltation over his foes. Psalm 70 parallels Psalm 40:13–17. Hebrews 10:5–9 quotes Psalm 40:6–8, making the latter passage messianic.

The book of Psalms is composed of individual songs, hymns, or poems, each of which is a ''Psalm'' in and of itself. These works contain a wide variety of themes. Some Psalms focus on praising and worshipping God. Others cry out in anguish over the pain of life. Still other Psalms look forward to the coming of the Messiah. While some Psalms are related, each has its own historical and biblical context.

Accessed 4/28/2024 8:59:28 AM