What is "mud and mire" (Psalm 40:2)?

Here, accordingly, it is not the outside place that His cry expresses, but the "iniquities" which, as taking them upon Him, He could call "Mine" this was the miry clay of the pit into which He who came to do God's will had descended. This, therefore, is the character of suffering most suited to display, as a dark background, that personal glory. Unbelief might indeed take such confession to justify its rejection of the holy One, while faith, adoring, finds in it its eternal blessing. And this is the key to the psalm which follows this.

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."

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.

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.

Psalm 40 was fulfilled in the first advent of Christ. It was then that He came to be the Sacrifice of eternal worth, and so lay the basis for the accomplishment of the good pleasure of God, whether towards us or towards the whole redeemed creation. It was then that He went down into the "horrible pit," and the "miry clay," and the "innumerable evils," and came face to face with the adversaries, of which the closing verses of the Psalm speak, and who are again alluded to in Psalm 41. Then it was that His own familiar friend lifted up his heel against Him, so that His foes might put Him to death and congratulate themselves that His Name must now perish for evermore.

Thus the infirm man, by the word of the Lord, was brought up out of the miry pit of weakness and despair, where there was no standing for him. The Saviour's power made him to stand upon the rock of salvation. That same power established his goings so that he walked in the presence of the great multitude of impotent folk assembled there.

“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.

Dear friend, it's not a good upbringing that many people want, it's a good downbringing. I said to her, “Oh, I've had a good upbringing too,” and I quoted from Psalm 40: “He brought me up … 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.” I said, “That's the good upbringing that I've had.” Naturally speaking, I had no good upbringing, friend. Not speaking in any way disrespectfully of my parents, I was dragged up. Were you brought up in a Christian home? Never cease to thank God for it. You know what I was used to? — a drunken fight, that started on Saturday night and went right over until about the Tuesday when everything was spent up, and our clothes were put into the pawn, and that money was spent as well. That's the bringing up I had. Thank God for the other bringing up. “He brought me up … 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.”

Dear friend, it's not a good upbringing that many people want, it's a good downbringing. I said to her, "Oh, I've had a good upbringing too," and I quoted from Psalm 40: "He brought me up... 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." I said, "That's the good upbringing that I've had." Naturally speaking, I had no good upbringing, friend. Not speaking in any way disrespectfully of my parents, I was dragged up. Were you brought up in a Christian home? Never cease to thank God for it. You know what I was used to?-a drunken fight, that started on Saturday night and went right over until about the Tuesday when everything was spent up, and our clothes were put into the pawn, and that money was spent as well. That's the bringing up I had. Thank God for the other bringing up. "He brought me up... 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."