Hebrews 10 and Psalm 40

Today's thoughts are about Hebrews 10:5-10.

I want to laugh with relief about these verses. Maybe I get really excited about them partly just because I keep listening to Max McLean reading Hebrews, and his voice gets excited on them.

Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said,

“Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired,

but a body have you prepared for me;

in burnt offerings and sin offerings

you have taken no pleasure.

Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come to do your will, O God,

as it is written of me in the scroll of the book.’”

When he said above, “You have neither desired nor taken pleasure in sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sin offerings” (these are offered according to the law), then he added, “Behold, I have come to do your will.” He does away with the first in order to establish the second. And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

(Hebrews 10:5-10 ESV)

But I think there's more to it. The quote in the middle of that chunk is from Psalm 40:6-8, which always, always, makes me want to cringe when I'm singing it. Especially the two verses after those.

Because I can tell you something about myself. I do not always delight to do God's will. I do not always tell the gospel, or speak of God's faithfulness and salvation. I do hide the deliverance in my heart instead of boldly proclaiming it, and conceal God's steadfast love and faithfulness. I commit sins of omission and commission, not doing what I should and not saying what I should and instead doing and saying what I most definitely should not.

And so... so... I am glad that it is Christ who can boldly and joyfully and rightfully shout out those words in a triumphant song, and that the writer of Hebrews makes that connection. I'm glad that it was His obedience that secures my salvation, so that God's steadfast love and faithfulness are dumped out on me in bucketloads.