Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible
Psalms 40:11-15
Having Established His Gratitude And Loyalty And The Faithfulness Of His Testimony With Regard to God, He Now Seeks God's Aid In Helping Him With Regard To His Own Sinfulness And Prays Also For Assistance Against Those Who Are His Enemies (Psalms 40:11).
‘Do not withhold your tender mercies from me, O YHWH,
Let your lovingkindness and your truth continually preserve me.
For innumerable evils have compassed me about,
My iniquities have overtaken me, so that I am not able to look up,
They are more than the hairs of my head,
And my heart has failed me.'
It is one of David's outstanding characteristics that when he faces trouble he recognises how many of his problems are due to his own sinfulness. Thus he does not just blame Saul or the world for his problems, or even God, but acknowledges that much of his trouble stems from his own behaviour.
So as he prays for the help of a gracious and merciful God, and in doing so acknowledges His compassion and truth in all that He does, he recognises that much of his trouble results from his own iniquities. If only he had been more humble, and not so willing to encourage the plaudits of the crowds (1 Samuel 18:6), if only he had not made such great demands in the face of what God had accomplished through him, by wanting to marry the king's daughter (1 Samuel 18:27), if only he had been more thoughtful in his behaviour, if only he had not been so proud, and so vain, and so greedy, perhaps he might not have been in this position in which he found himself. Thus he recognises how much his own sins have multiplied and rebounded on himself. And his heart fails within him.
‘Be pleased, O YHWH, to deliver me,
Make haste to help me, O YHWH.
Let them be put to shame and confounded together,
Who seek after my soul to destroy it.
Let them be turned backward and brought to dishonour,
That delight in my hurt.
Let them be desolate by reason of their shame,
Who say to me, Aha, aha.'
Nevertheless the greater sin is with his opponents. And so he calls on YHWH to deliver him and hurry to his aid. Let those who seek after him to destroy him find themselves confounded. Let those who delight in his hurt be driven back and brought to dishonour. Let those who mock him and seek to shame him, themselves be desolate because of their own shame. For YHWH will be aware how much of it is their own fault, and indeed is what they deserve. His confidence lies in the fact of his own trust in God, and in his own faithfulness and obedience to God previously revealed (Psalms 40:1). He is sure that YHWH will be on his side because he is faithful to His covenant requirements and always grateful to Him for His help.