Psalms 40:6

Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire; mine ears hast thou opened: burnt offering and sin offering hast thou not required.

Ver. 6. Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire] Comparatively to the obedience of faith, 1 Samuel 15:22, without which, when hypocrites thought to bribe God by cold ceremonies, they were rejected. Christ is the end of the law to all that believe; that Lamb of God, slain from the beginning of the world, is the only expiatory sacrifice, and the foundation of that fore-mentioned blessedness, Psalms 40:4. Now, since Christ suffered, the Levitical sacrifices being abolished, we have none to offer but such as are gratulatory, to show our thankfulness for such a Redeemer, whose perfect obedience, with the fruit of it, is here and in the following verses both described, and set forth for an absolute pattern to us of performing our duty toward God, for this inexplicable mercy. Confer Hebrews 10:5,6, &c. Here we have in Christ for our instruction, and in David also (his type) for our example, 1. A firm purpose of obedience, in a bored ear add a yielding heart. 2. A ready performance thereof, "Lo, I come." 3. A carefull observance of the word written, "In the volume of thy book it is written of me," Psalms 40:7 Psalms 40:4. A hearty delight in that observance, Psalms 40:8 Psalms 40:5. A public profession and communication of God's goodness to others, Psalms 40:9,10 (D. Ames). Now, we should labour to express Christ to the world, to walk as he walked, 1 John 2:6; our lives should be in some sense parallel with his life, as the transcript with the original. He left us a copy to write by, saith St Peter, 1 Peter 2:21

Mine ears hast thou opened] Heb. digged, bored; a hearing ear hast thou bestowed upon me, which is a singular favour; for life entereth by the ear, Isaiah 55:3, as did death at first, Gen 3:19 Oh, pray that God would make the bore wide enough; that the inward ears being drawn up to the outward, one sound may pierce both at once.