Psalms 40:2, commentary and pictures

God answers the one who cries to Him and waits patiently in prayer by bringing him up out of a horrible pit and miry clay, a desperate and unstable condition, and setting his feet on a rock and establishing his goings in a secure footing and settled course. The pit pictures sin, pollution, and the ruin caused by sin in its degradation and lowest depths, and it also pictures doubt and unbelief, spiritual confusion and distress, and discouragement and hopelessness when the feet are well-nigh slipping. The rock is Christ, the Rock of Ages, and to be set upon Him is to have faith established on the eternal truths of God's word and to stand firmly on the principles of righteousness in a settled decision for the truth. Jesus is willing to receive even the most sinful sunk in the lowest depths with no knowledge of God, and when sinners come constrained by His love He pardons, cleanses by faith in His blood, sanctifies through obedience to the truth, and lifts them to be acknowledged as God's children and heirs with Christ to an immortal inheritance. The rescue comes from God alone and not from human counselors, and it is received by waiting for the Lord, trusting Him, casting the helpless soul upon Him, and fully surrendering the will to His will, which gives a firmer foundation than before with emotions under Christ's control and calm stability that changing circumstances cannot undermine. Those rescued respond with love, praise, joy, and relief, singing with the spirit and understanding, and by telling their personal experience of danger and rescue they draw trembling souls to Christ to place their feet on the Rock and then help others stand firmly on Him.

From Pit to Rock

God answers the one who cries to Him and waits patiently in prayer by lifting him out of a horrible pit and miry clay, a desperate and unstable condition, and giving him secure footing and a settled course. The rescue sets the feet upon a rock and establishes the goings, placing the speaker on firm ground and directing the steps. The redeemed soul delivered in this way responds with love, homage, and praise to the Saviour who pardons sin.

The horrible pit and miry clay are sinfulness and pollution and the ruin sin causes. They include degradation from which even the most sinful can be lifted to be acknowledged as God's children, being sunk in the lowest depths of sin, and falling into sin from which Christ alone rescues. The covering for such imperfection and nakedness is His perfect righteousness, like a spotless robe, through which those who come in all their sinfulness constrained by His love are cleansed by faith in His blood, sanctified through obedience to the truth, and glorified. The same bondage includes being unable to overcome tobacco addiction, from which sufferers are brought safely out and placed on solid rock.

The pit is also doubt and uncertainty, from which rescue establishes faith and settles the mind on the eternal truths of God's word. It is the mire of skepticism and unbelief, out of which God leads His people into security and triumph when they heed His voice and obey His commandments. It is spiritual confusion and distress from which feet are planted on solid Rock through conversion by the Spirit of God, faith, and the righteousness of Christ, and it is hopelessness and discouragement in which the perilous condition of miry clay is met by God alone speaking to the soul and inspiring whole reliance on Christ. It is the danger of feet well-nigh slipping, when the loving Saviour stretches out His hand to save.

The Rock is Christ, the Rock of Ages, whose sacrifice redeems humanity and makes eternal life possible. To be set upon Him is to have faith established and the mind settled on the eternal truths of God's word. It is living faith in Him as a personal Saviour giving a stable experience of grace, standing firmly on the principles of righteousness, and making a settled decision for the truth in which the undecided are brought to stand firmly on the solid rock.

To have the goings established is to have the steps made firm and steady on a firm foundation and secure footing. It puts the trusting one on vantage ground under the Lord's hand for good, with interests guarded, His working and great blessing giving victories, life filled with His praise, and seeing by faith His commendation when confidence is held firm unto the end and the Lord is waited for to make known His will instead of making premature movements. It is security and triumph in hearing and obeying God's voice and commandments, recovery from what was lost through transgression as students' feet are placed on the true foundation, the solid Rock, and life shaped aright by the Lord.

Salvation Through Christ

Jesus is willing to receive those who have no knowledge of God and no faith in His Son, even those sunk in the lowest depths of degradation and pollution. When sinners, constrained by the love He has manifested, come to Him in all their sinfulness, He pardons their transgressions and cleanses them by faith in His blood as the Lamb who takes away the sin of the world. He then sanctifies them through obedience to the truth and glorifies them to shine in His everlasting kingdom. Lifted from the pit of sin and set on firm ground upon the Rock of Ages, even the most sinful are made fit for the mansions prepared for those who love Him and keep His commandments, acknowledged as God's children and heirs with Christ to an immortal inheritance.

The verse pictures the fallen human race lifted from the ruin caused by sin and brought back into connection with God. Christ alone can rescue those fallen into sin and place them on the right path. Through faith in the Redeemer they endure God's test, covered by His perfect righteousness as by a spotless robe covering nakedness and imperfection. Thus clothed in Christ's righteousness they are exalted to His throne.

The rescue and hope come from God alone and not from human counselors, as seen when Edson was laid hold of by a loving, pitying hand out of hopelessness, discouragement, and a perilous condition as miry clay, and had his feet placed on the solid Rock with a firm way forward. God speaks to the soul and inspires whole reliance on Christ for salvation, calling the helpless soul to look to God and trust Jesus. When one's own strength is exhausted by unexpected trials and weighty responsibilities, the feet must be placed on the solid rock, for God is the source of strength and stability and power is in Him alone. That dependence brings boasting and spiritual pride low, exposing human weakness through impatience and railing and giving secure footing that brings hope other souls in danger can also be saved.

Satan is the destroyer, but Jesus is the Restorer who raises the fallen, gives hope to the hopeless, and sets those who seek Him in faith on sure paths. He lifts from discouragement caused by pain and affliction to firm footing and stability, where being set on the rock means receiving immediate peace and happiness with joy filling the whole being and freedom from discouragement. Pain and affliction try faith, yet there is no cause for discouragement, for confidence and assurance of restoration can come before physical recovery, while pain and further trial remain. That faith moves forward to speak for God even when recovery does not come at once.

Trusting and Sharing Rescue

The rescue is received by casting the helpless soul upon God, trusting Him, and walking humbly with Him in faith, and He then brings into light and sets on solid ground and in firm places. It comes to those who take hold of Jesus in their troubles, who steadfastly place the will on the Lord's side, who hold confidence firm unto the end, and who wait for the Lord to make known His will instead of making premature movements. Such waiting puts a person on vantage ground under the Lord's hand for good, with interests guarded, with His working and great blessing giving victories, with life filled with His praise, and with seeing by faith His commendation. Without holding firmly to Him and keeping to an even path the feet will slide, while self-centeredness and spiritual pride cause the feet to slip and weaken the grasp on the saving hand.

Full surrender of the will to God's will gives a firmer foundation than before, setting the feet on solid rock and on solid ground. Emotions are brought under Christ's control, with strength in His strength and help in efforts, and with calm confidence, dignity, rest, and stability that the changing circumstances of earth cannot undermine. God works through the struggle to form the person into a vessel for honorable use, fit for honor. When a person gives the will to Jesus, believes God is the helper, and steadfastly remains on the Lord's side, God brings onto solid ground.

Those rescued from a desperate, unstable condition of sin and danger respond with love, homage, praise, joy, and relief toward the Saviour who pardons sin and gives secure footing and a settled course with steady steps. The heart rejoices in the Saviour under all discouragement, sings with the spirit and with the understanding also, and speaks words of hope and instruction to weary, desponding souls. Living faith in Christ as a personal Saviour gives a stable experience of grace, grounded firmly in Him as the Rock on whom the feet must be firmly set.

Telling the personal experience of danger when the feet had well-nigh slipped, and of rescue by the loving Saviour stretching out His hand to save and setting the feet upon the Rock of Ages and establishing the goings, draws trembling souls to Christ and to God. Those who are helped by personal interest, prayer, entreaty, and practical kindness place their feet on the Rock of Ages and then engage in imparting truth to others and in helping others. In this way the rescued draw others from danger, help erring souls stand firmly on Christ, and bring the undecided to a settled decision for the truth, giving hope that other souls in danger can also be saved, including those bound by tobacco. When people become firmly established in Christ through work for their salvation, their work together can move harmoniously.

Confidence that God will establish the feet securely applies to being brought to stand on Mount Zion and to relying on God as guide and support until death. Having the feet planted upon the Rock is a firm, settled condition that marks real improvement in life.