Ps. 40: God is Personal

Psalm 40:6 "Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but my ears you have pierced,; burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not require."

If there was ever any question that God the Creator wanted to have a personal relationship with man, the answer is the 40th Psalm. Although famously put to song by U2, I wonder if they missed the point. Then I remember...it's pop music, of course it missed the point, especially focusing on just the first two verses.

This chapter is so full of amazing references to who God is to man. I wish there was a better song about it. Sure, God pulls us out of the mire and sets our feet on the rock. But have you considered how he plans out innumerable things for us? And not just the huge things like "Hey, I don't have cancer anymore," or "Hey, we're going to make this marriage work," but why wouldn't I believe he works out stuff like your pen not running out of ink during a big test, or having just enough cell phone battery life to call your mom, or someone coming into your office to tell you he appreciates you? Not only can we not count them all, I think too often we don't even notice them.

Back in the day, when Samuel was instructing Saul in 1 Samuel 15, he mentioned that "to obey is better than sacrifice." And it was always thus, with God. God is after the heart. Nadab and Abihu were going in to perform rituals, but they had the wrong heart, and God incinerated them. This explains God's seeming contradiction in verse 6. The sacrifice was never enough. When a heart is permanently given to God, that is far greater treasure to God. That's right, a treasure to God. A personal relationship is a treasure to God. The idea brings such joy to David, he can scarcely hold it in, compelled to share it with everyone.

I originally glossed over the bit about David being overtaken by sins, they being greater than the number of hairs on his head. But in a way, hair seems to be a pretty apt metaphor in a few ways for sin. Like hair, its always there. It's always growing. It can't be removed by just rearranging it. To remove it, it needs to be cut off. To completely stop it, it needs to be pulled out by the root. Now imagine that one-sin-per-hair ratio...its a lot. This causes a crisis of the heart, and can only be remedied by crying out to God for salvation.

In David's position, he had a lot of mockers. I'm sure to them, he was like that smart kid in Sunday School with all the answers. You know, usually a missionary kid. Their life was the Bible, not soccer or video games, and you just wanted to smack him everytime he spoke up. But deep down you wish you knew as much as he did. But he was a nerd because of it, and you resented that. You aren't a nerd. Are you? Anyway, David had those who scorned him because of his close walk with the LORD. And if you are a believer, chances are, your faith has taken some shots, whether through open hostility or ignorant patronization. David offers what he thinks should be done with these mockers...that they be shamed, confused, turned back in disgrace.

But he doesn't appear to count himself better than them, rather, poor and needy, he counts himself among those standing in the need of God's grace. He says, "May the Lord think of me." Have you ever imagined that? That Creator God would think of you? Think about you? Make an investment in your life? In your mutual relationship? It's pretty incredible to think about and ponder. This is a personal God.