Are Your Ears Dug?

Psalm 40:1-10

For the choir director: A psalm of David.

1I waited patiently for the LORD to help me,

and he turned to me and heard my cry.

2He lifted me out of the pit of despair,

out of the mud and the mire.

He set my feet on solid ground

and steadied me as I walked along.

3He has given me a new song to sing,

a hymn of praise to our God.

Many will see what he has done and be astounded.

They will put their trust in the LORD.

4Oh, the joys of those who trust the LORD,

who have no confidence in the proud,

or in those who worship idols.

5O LORD my God, you have done many miracles for us.

Your plans for us are too numerous to list.

If I tried to recite all your wonderful deeds,

I would never come to the end of them.

6You take no delight in sacrifices or offerings.

Now that you have made me listen, I finally understand—

you don’t require burnt offerings or sin offerings.

7Then I said, “Look, I have come.

And this has been written about me in your scroll:

8I take joy in doing your will, my God,

for your law is written on my heart.”

9I have told all your people about your justice.

I have not been afraid to speak out,

as you, O LORD, well know.

10I have not kept the good news of your justice hidden in my heart;

I have talked about your faithfulness and saving power.

I have told everyone in the great assembly

of your unfailing love and faithfulness.

Psalm 40:6 says something about ears that might make you raise your eyebrows. David is talking about sacrifices, and then he says (literally) that God has dug ears for him. What is he talking about?

Quoting from the Greek translation of the Old Testament, the New Testament quotes this passage as, “You have given me a body” (Hebrews 10:5). Such a translation makes the messianic meaning of verses 7 and 8 even more obvious, so we can clearly see that Jesus is its ultimate fulfillment.

But what about the meaning for David’s time? Some scholars think this passage is referring to the custom of piercing the ear of a servant who pledges lifelong servitude to his master (Exodus 21:6). But the problem with this is that the servant had only one ear pierced, not two.

Most likely the correct reading is that God has opened up (dug) David’s ears so that he hears, understands, and obeys.

Like David, allow your ears to be “dug” every day so that you might hear and obey God’s word.

Open, Lord, my inward ear, and bid my heart rejoice;

Bid my quiet spirit hear your comforting voice.

From the world of sin and noise and hurry I withdraw;

For the small and inward voice I wait with humble awe.

CHARLES WESLEY

Notable Quotable

“There is no pit so deep, either within you, or around you, that it can stop the ear of God when he inclines to listen. Be thy pit then ever so horrible, and ever so deep, only you cry like David, and you will sooner or later share David’s deliverance. As long as you have the knowledge and the feeling of the horrible pit that is in your heart you are in no real danger.”

ROBERT BRUCE