What does it mean that He brought me out of the miry clay (Psalm 40:2)?

He does not dwell at all on the anguish of His sufferings, though He mentions the fact that He had been in a horrible pit (v. 2), from which God Himself had released Him. The horrible pit was a place from which naturally one could not extricate himself. This required the intervention of God, who raised the Lord Jesus from among the dead and set His feet upon a rock, establishing His steps, the rock is a contrast to the miry clay, and speaks of Divine stability. "Who is a rock, except our God" (Ps. 18:31). And just as clearly, "that Rock was Christ" (1 Cor. 10:4). Being God, He is certainly the Rock. But in this psalm, He is considered rather as the perfectly obedient Man whom God rewards for His obedience.

God too has put a new song in His mouth, for in resurrection Christ is the head of a new creation, so that the song is that of praise for redemption accomplished. How true it is too that many have seen and discerned the truth of this marvelous work, and moved with godly fear. This is the fruit of the travail of His soul (Isa. 53:11). Those who thus respond in making the Lord their trust are called "the blessed" (v. 4). They have learned that "the proud" are a contrast to the Lord Jesus in His lowly sacrifice: how can they respect such pride? They have learned the truth as it is in Jesus, and cannot approve those who turn aside to lies.

The Fortieth and Forty-first Psalms are Messianic. Our Redeemer and Israel 's Redeemer is blessedly revealed in them both and with the testimony to Him the first book of the Psalms closes. Psalm 40 begins with what may be termed "Christ's resurrection song." He came and went as the sin-bearer into the horrible pit (Hebrew: the pit of destruction) and the miry clay, and the power of God brought Him out, raised Him from the dead, set His feet upon a rock and established His goings (His ascension). A new song is put into His mouth, "even praise unto our God." It is the song of redemption which He sings first and all who believe on Him join in that song. That is why we read "our God." The many who shall see it are those who trust in Him who was delivered for our offenses and raised again for our justification. And who can tell out the wonderful works He has done in redemption; "they are more than can be numbered."

Then we have the introduction of One who changes all in Psalm 40. "I waited patiently," etc. Here is the reason why the remnant should trust Jehovah. HE has been delivered from the horrible pit and the miry clay (shewing resurrection). There are some special psalms connected with Christ round which others seem clustered; this is one of them. Here is Christ's actual connection with the people on earth, not only in their sorrows, but bearing their sins, so that all who looked to Him might be blessed with Him. "I, poor and needy, the Lord thinketh upon me." "Let all those that seek thee rejoice and be glad in thee."

In Ps. 40 we have the Lord Jesus especially before us in His life of public testimony for God; in His sacrificial death, and in His resurrection too, as brought up out of an horrible pit and out of the miry clay; having first waited patiently for Jehovah, till He inclined to Him, and heard His cry. He waited patiently, but did not wait in vain. His people may have to wait, but it cannot be in vain, for He has been heard and delivered; so will they, for by His death He has made atonement for their sins. One sees the importance of a Psalm in this place in the book, which introduces so distinctly the thought of the atonement, since on that ground alone could any one of Adam's fallen race look for resurrection from the dead or preservation in life — i.e. life for evermore. But since He who has borne our sins is risen, saints who die will certainly be raised.

“He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings. And He has put a new song in my mouth, even praise to our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the LORD” (Psalm 40:2-3)

Up from the quagmire of sin to the mountain-peak where no clouds dim the glories of the ascended Christ; up from the pit of shame to the “Rock that is higher that I” — such is the uplift of grace.

As this is a pattern for the saints, trial is looked at as such, and death is not spoken of save as it may be trial - a horrible pit, miry clay, images of distress, terror, and, humanly speaking, danger. The resource was a cry to Jehovah, and He was heard in that He feared. Here Christ speaks in His own Person, but in verse 3 deliverance enables Him to speak to the remnant - "a new song in my mouth" - even for deliverance from what had come upon them because of their sins. "Praise unto our God." "Many shall see it and fear, and put their trust in Jehovah." This would let in Gentiles. God had come in to deliver out of the effect of evil, and set His feet upon a rock above it and all its effects. This sure faithfulness of grace - the deliverance of God manifested in One who had gone to the depths of trials - would be a resting-place for the faith of others, the rather as He had gone into it as the consequence of the state of the people in the sight of God. Hence it is applied to the condition of the remnant, though thus true of every saint in trial by others' wickedness and the power of evil, perhaps brought on himself. "Blessed is the man that maketh Jehovah his trust, and respecteth not the proud," the high pretensions of man, and apparently successful wickedness, "nor such as turn aside to lies," abandon God for other false refuges, and the falsehoods of infidelity. Then, as man, Christ begins to recite how this most excellent proof of God's faithfulness to His people came in, though owning them to all others. They were numberless towards His people, "to us-ward." He puts Himself with them.

In spite of his utter desolation, he recognizes that God is a God of lovingkindness and faithfulness, though he practically despairs of that lovingkindness applying to him in his desolation (v. 11). How little he realizes that God in His wisdom brings us down to the lowest extreme of misery in order to lift us up out of the miry clay to set out feet on a rock. For it is true that God's wonders are to be known in the dark and His righteousness in the land of forgetfulness (v. 12). Israel will prove' this when they are brought down to the depths of hopelessness, when the King of the North and his armies surround Jerusalem with the intention of totally annihilating the suffering Jews. For it is then that the Lord Jesus will appear to them and change their cry of anguish to one of exultant victory! But our present psalm shows nothing of this deliverance, but only the experience of total hopelessness.

Verses 1-13. Jeremiah is next accused of high treason. The charge is based on his message, given to him by the Lord: "He that goeth forth to the Chaldeans shall live." Like the conscientious objectors during the past war, they accused him of being unpatriotic. "This man seeketh not the welfare of this people, but the hurt." They demand his life. In the sixth verse we see him in a deep dungeon, into which he was put by means of ropes. And Jeremiah sank into the vile mire. This reminds us of Him, our blessed Lord, who was also accused by false witnesses, and who went Himself into the horrible pit and the miry clay, into the deepest suffering and the jaws of death, to take us out of the dungeon, where sin has put us. The wicked princes evidently meant to leave Jeremiah in that dungeon to suffer a horrible death.

In the first section we have that identification of Christ with His people which is necessarily involved in vicarious suffering. He is heard in His distress, as the waters of affliction penetrate even to the soul. He is sinking beneath the floods, and into the deep mire where there is no standing ground. The "strong crying and tears unto Him that was able to save Him out of death," of which the epistle to the Hebrews speaks, is emphasized in what follows; and then the countless enemies, with their causeless enmity, while He is paying the debt due by others, not by Himself, — restoring what He took not away.

Psalm 40 speaks of the burnt offering, "Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of me, I delight to do thy will, O my God" (vv.7-8a). The perfection of Christ going into death according to psalm 40 presents Him as providing the sweet savour that ever ascended to God from the depths of darkness and distress that His Son entered into, not only for our blessing, but equally, and above it all, to bring glory to God. God is glorified by the work of Christ at Calvary whether sinners believe it or not. If God were to be glorified where man's sin had dishonoured Him that necessitated His Son going into death as He did at Calvary. He glorified God by the work that he did. Psalm 40 opens, "He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings. And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God" (vv.2-3a). He secured a host of companions there by going down into the depths of death in order that the claims of God being fully met, God's will might be established, the purpose of God be effectuated and in consequence "many sons [are being brought] to glory" (Heb.2:10).