Bible Characters – Part 22
Series – February 2025 – Grace & Truth Magazine
Bible Characters
Gleanings From The Old Testament,Part 22
David’s New Song Of Praise
He has put a new song in my mouth – praise to our God; many will see it and fear, and will trust in the Lord. —Psalm 40:3 NKJV
A New Song
Psalm 40 is a beautiful messianic psalm, offering a description of Christ’s pathway here on earth and the unique value of His death. In this psalm we have His incarnation (vv.6-8) and His testimony among the people of Israel, the great congregation (vv.9-10). Then we find the sufferings of the cross because of our sins, which He made to be His (vv.11-17). We might expect to read next about His resurrection from the dead, but instead the psalm begins with that focus, in verses 1-5.
The psalmist, David, as led by the Holy Spirit, started with the resurrection, with Christ’s deliverance from the pains of death and the new song of freedom which goes with it. He then looked back at the pathway which led to this glorious result. Christ is the Firstborn from the dead, and together with His own He breaks into a song of triumph, the new song which is going to be heard in all eternity. “Many will see it and fear, and will trust in the Lord” (v.3).
Although we stand with Him now “upon a rock” (v.2), a picture here of resurrection ground, we will never forget that it was necessary for Him to humble Himself and become obedient to death, “even the death of the cross” (Phil. 2:8). While we know Him as “the Prince of Life” (Acts 3:15), He repeatedly presents Himself to us as the One who loves us “to the end” (Jn. 13:1). We shall see Him and praise Him forever as the Lamb who was slain and has “washed us from our sins in His blood” (Rev. 1:5). This is the great theme of the heavenly song, the “new song” (5:9), that is characteristic of the new dispensation heralded by Christ’s resurrection from the dead.
The Song Is Based On Sacrifice
The new things – the blessings marking this new dispensation – flow from Christ’s sacrifice. He fulfilled all the offerings made under the old covenant. All of the main sacrifices of the Old Testament are referenced in Psalm 40:6, which is quoted in Hebrews 10:5-8. It starts with peace offerings and grain offerings in the line “Sacrifice and offering You did not desire.” In these so-called meal offerings, the Israelite gave a portion of his food to the Lord and the priests.
The peace offering bore the character of a common meal because the LORD, the priest, and the Israelite who brought the offering shared in it. This offering is a picture of Christ’s sacrifice as the basis of the peaceful fellowship between God and His people, and of our mutual fellowship as God’s children. “Our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ” (1 Jn. 1:3).
The grain offering was a bloodless sacrifice, and therefore it refers to Christ’s perfect life as a Man here on earth, speaking of His purity and His devotedness to God. When He laid down His life in death, it was the climax of His submission to God’s will. The laws of the offerings show that a burnt offering was to be accompanied with a grain offering. In the same way Christ’s sacrificial death was founded on His pure manhood: it was this unique Man who poured out His life into death, and in doing so His person gave special value to His death.
In Psalm 40 the burnt offering aspect of Christ’s work is given a prominent place. This offering was wholly offered up to God on the altar, picturing Christ as the One who offered Himself “to God for a sweet-smelling aroma” (Eph. 5:2; see Heb. 9:14). He came with the express purpose of doing God’s will, in order to glorify Him in the place where man by his sin had dishonored God. To this end He voluntarily offered Himself: “I delight to do Your will, O my God” (Ps. 40:8; read Heb. 10:7,9). The commandment of the Father was for the Lord to lay down His life (Jn. 10:17-18). Thus He fulfilled the Father’s will, glorified Him on earth, and finished the work He had given Him to do (13:31, 17:4, 19:30).
While the sin offering aspect of His work is mentioned in Psalm 40, it is dealt with more in Psalm 22. There we see how He bore our sins during the three dark hours when God forsook Him – God hiding His holy face from the Sinbearer (consider vv.1,3). God brought Him to the dust of death after He was made sin for us (2 Cor. 5:21) and had tasted the sinner’s death.
In the sacrificial laws, God’s holy wrath against sin was expressed symbolically by the commandment that the sin offerings of which the blood had been brought into the sanctuary had to be taken outside the camp to be burned completely. Thus Christ suffered in absolute loneliness, in the fire of divine judgment. Psalm 22 also mentions in much detail Christ’s sufferings at the hands of men. At the end of verse 21 we have the great turn when, in resurrection, He received God’s answer to His deep humiliation. The second part of this psalm describes the glorious results of His work: blessings for the Church, for Israel, and for the Gentiles in the coming kingdom. In the midst of His own, whom He now calls His brethren (v.22; consider Jn. 20:17; Heb. 2:12), Christ is praising the Father. He raises a new song of praise and worship.
The Singing Savior
Here we find the special privileges of the Church, which in the day of Christ’s rejection is being gathered from the Jews and the Gentiles. This is what clearly links Psalm 22 with the new song of Psalm 40. After His resurrection Christ sings God’s praises in the midst of His brethren, who are called children of God by His work of redemption. He has been saved from the lion’s mouth, and He is praising His God and Father who has delivered Him from the pains of death. We are praising with Him who died for our sins and was raised because of our justification (Rom. 4:25). Therefore we can join in His song of praise and sing together with Him. We are united with the risen Lord and safe from the power of death and the grave. We stand before God on wholly new ground and sing of the great salvation which He has accomplished – as in the days of old, when Israel joined in the song of Moses, the man of God, on the shore of the Red Sea (Ex. 15).
Christianity deals with new things, and the new song expresses this in a special way, stressing the related joy and gladness which causes a song of praise in the believer’s heart. Should we not thank our God and Father for the wonderful things He has brought about through the work of His Son? Since all the sons of God shouted for joy because of the first creation (Job 38:4-7), how then should the new creation, of which we are the firstfruits, cause our hearts to overflow with joy and thankfulness!
We live in New Testament times and enjoy the blessings of the new covenant that has been forever sealed with Christ’s blood (1 Cor. 11:25; 2 Cor. 3:6). In Christ we are “a new creation; old things have passed away; … all things have become new” (5:17; read Rev. 21:4-5). We are God’s “workmanship, created in Christ Jesus” (Eph. 2:10).
The New Testament also speaks about “one new man” and “the new man” (v.15, 4:24; consider Col. 3:9). This new man was created according to God in true righteousness and holiness. It shows the image and likeness of its Creator even more than Adam did, for we are united with the risen Christ who, as the last Adam (1 Cor. 15:45), is the Head of a new generation of men. He has brought about new life beyond death and the grave, and He shares it with His own by the Spirit. Thus we “walk in newness of life,” and we serve God in the newness of the Spirit and not “in the oldness of the letter” (Rom. 6:4, 7:6). Our Lord gave us a “new commandment” (Jn. 13:34; 1 Jn. 2:8). We will be given a new name (Rev. 2:17, 3:12). The New Jerusalem, the dwelling place of God and the Lamb, will also be our dwelling place (21:2), the holy city linked with the new heaven and the new earth (2 Pet. 3:13; Rev. 21:1).
David’s “new song” of praise in Psalms was the prelude to these things, which will be seen in their full extent at Christ’s return in glory.
The New Song In The Book Of Revelation
In the New Testament the term “a new song” is found only in Revelation 5:9 and 14:3. In Revelation 5 we have the song of praise of the 24 elders in heaven. They represent, in a symbolic way, the glorified saints in heaven after the rapture of the Church. Their song is not just about their own redemption (consider 1:5-6), but it is also about the salvation of others by the precious blood of the Lamb. Christ has redeemed us to God by His blood “out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, and have made us kings and priests to our God” (5:9). Worthy is the Lamb who was slain to receive universal praise!
The judgments mentioned in Revelation 6–18 will come upon the earth, but the Church, already then with the Lord, will surround the throne of the Lamb in heavenly rest, and fall down before Him and worship Him. The elders in heaven worship and sing the new song, confident that all things will be made new by Him who sits on the throne. They are aware of the fact that God will gather other saints to Himself even in those turbulent times – a great multitude from Israel and from the nations, saved through the preaching of the gospel of the kingdom. It is good to think not only of our own interests but also of those of other families of saints, the believers from different time periods.
In Revelation 14 the new song is sung by others, for we read that it is sung before the throne and before the elders. It would seem as if the new song, which was first sung by the elders, now meets a response from thousands. These saints join in, very probably being Jewish martyrs and their brethren on earth who have survived the great tribulation (consider 15:2-3). It is heard both in heaven and on earth. Before the throne it is sung by those who had to pay for their testimony with their lives, and it is taught to their brethren standing with the Lamb on Mount Zion.
This brings us back to our starting point – the “new song” as we find it in Psalm 40:3 and in other psalms (33:3, 96:1, 98:1, 144:9, 149:1). It is the song of praise which will be sung by the remnant of Israel at the outset of the millennium. The appearing of the Messiah will change everything for them and herald a new era of blessing. New things will spring forth, and a new song will be sung to the Lord (Isa. 42:9-10), which will be heard all the way to the ends of the earth.
The kingdom will be marked by “righteousness and peace and joy” (Rom. 14:17), which we can enjoy now. We may joyfully break into the new song of praise, together with the risen Lord. Very soon it will be heard in all the earth, when other saints who belong to the “many” will join in the chorus Christ Himself has begun (Ps. 40:3).
How could we who are so privileged, remain silent? Should we not exalt the greatness of His person and His work in our songs of praise? It is the Spirit of Christ who bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God. And if we are children of God, we are worshipers too, who should worship the Father in spirit and truth (Jn. 4). The Father calls us His children, and the Son calls us His brethren. What a privilege! The song of praise is raised now to the glory of God and of the Lamb, and it will resound through all eternity, echoed in heaven and on earth!
By Hugo Bouter (adapted)
Look for Part 23 of this Series next month.