BURNT OFFERING HAST THOU NOT REQUIRED

This is a Messianic psalm, since verses 6-8 are quoted in Hebrews 10. 5-7. The mention of these sacrifices takes our minds to the brazen altar that Moses made, and that was situated just inside the gate into the tabernacle courts. There was no brazen altar on mount Zion where the ark was placed; the altar remained before Moses’ arkless tabernacle that was at Gibeon, and there the priests offered the various sacrifices, 1 Chron. 16. 39, 40. Such a distance between ark and altar must have spoken to David’s heart-if the ark was of value to God on Zion, then the altar was becoming useless at Gibeon. Later David himself said, “thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering”, Psa. 51. 16.

So David expressed the same thing in Psalm 40. 6. God confirmed this understanding, saying, “I delight not in the blood of bullocks”, Isa. 1. 11. Later Jeremiah recognized this fact, “The Lord hath cast off his altar”, Lam. 2. 7. At the end of the O.T. period, God said, “neither will I accept an offering at your hand”, Mal. 1. 10.

Thus the ground was being set for the abolishing of the Jewish altar, there being substituted the eternally valuable sacrifice of Christ. Verse 6 in our psalm contains reference to four major Levitical offerings,

1. “Sacrifice” implies the peace offering, the enjoyment of communion because of reconciliation.
2. “Offering” implies the meal offering, an expression of the perfect life of Christ under trials that led to death,
3. “Burnt-offering” speaks of the devotion of Christ even unto death; His acceptability to God means that the worshipper is also acceptable,
4. “Sin-offering” is the means that God used to remove the guilt of sin. Some religions still perpetuate offerings—this means that they discredit Christ as the one true offering.

Note the large number of times the words “thy” and “my” (or “mine”) occur in the psalm. Note the number of words used for the voice: “my cry”, v. 1; “a new song in my mouth”, v. 3; “I would declare and speak”, v. 5; “Then said I”, v. 7; “I have preached righteousness”, v. 9; “I have declared”, v. 10.

“How much more shall the blood of Christ …”, Heb. 9. 14.