Psalm 40 Alluding to God's Will Versus Human Desire

Psalm 40 and the Conflict of God 's Will Versus Human Desire In 1 Samuel 13:13-14, the prophet Samuel tells Saul, “The Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever, but now your kingdom will not continue; the Lord has sought out a man after his own heart...” (419). By this, Samuel pronounces that because Saul chose to take matters into his own hands instead of trusting the will of God, his reign over the Israelite people would end. This establishes a prominent metanarrative within the Bible; the conflict between humans following their desires, contrary to carrying out God 's will, and the repercussions that result. This metanarrative can be seen throughout the Bible in stories from Genesis, Exodus, 1 Samuel and 1 Kings. Psalm 40 also alludes and responds to this conflict which is repeatedly encountered by humanity. Through exegesis of Psalm 40 's theological theme and literary structure, instruction on how humankind should respond concerning the biblical narrative of human desire conflicting God 's will is found.
First of all, it is important to have a clear understanding of the metanarrative by exploring various stories within the Bible that give highlights toward it. Genesis provides one of the first instances in which humankind becomes driven by desire and disobeys God 's will. In Genesis 3:3, Eve tells the serpent who is trying to convince her to eat from the Tree of Knowledge, “God said, 'You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the garden, nor shall you touch it... '” (15). Although God granted free will to humankind, he maintains a divine order which they must follow—therefore he sets rules. Eve was clearly aware of the rules, yet allowed the serpent to influence her into consuming the fruit. In order to achieve human defiance of the rule mentioned in the text, the serpent points out God 's self-sufficiency and has them desire it. Thus, Humankind was led astray by an external force which had them cultivate a

Cited: Coogan, Michael D. The New Oxford Annotated Bible with Apocrypha: New Revised Standard Version, Fully Revised Fourth Edition. New York: Oxford University Press, 2010. Print.