David says in Psalms 40:6 says, "Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire; mine ears hast thou opened: burnt offering and sin offering hast thou not required."
Perhaps David thought of Samuel's word to King Saul in I Samuel 17:22 that "has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of the Lord?"
With that, David realized with opened ears an outward show of sacrifice or religious offerings, even if lawfully required, was not sufficient. Nor doing anything noble in the name of the Lord when its a heart not fully committed to Him.
In this same passage, King David was also speaking prophetically of Christ who in Hebrews 10 who fulfilled the requirements of the law by offering Himself obediently to the will of His Father, thus doing away sacrifices that of itself could not remove sin and guilt.
What is interesting in Psalms 40:6 is that the word "open" means to bore (some translations use the word pierce). This speaks of two things. There might have been a time for David that his ears were dull, much like our own. There are so many voices competing for our attention, so many distractions and sounds it makes it difficult to hear the quiet whispers of God. And sadly, when we do listen, the often repeated messages we hear can result in a dull, monotonous roar. We live in a culture that wants to hear something new, fresh, even dramatic, all within a 30 second sound byte given our mind wanders very quickly.
Yet there is a second thing that I believe Psalms 40:6 speaks, something much deeper and profound. In Exodus 21:6 says if a servant loved his master (even after his master provided him a wife who bore children)he could stay provided his ear was pierced.
And if the servant shall plainly say, I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free
We need to come to a place where we ask the Lord even though you have provided all these wonderful blessings in my life, I don't want to ever leave you. The door to run or leave is forever closed, sealed. So, come open my ears, let your Word pierce my dull hearing. I don't want to hear the voice of others, not even the voice of my blessings speak to me about Your miraculous provision, nor the voice of the flesh, but Your voice alone to say I'm Yours forever.
The greatest blessing is be bound by God's word for within this constriction we truly hear His words. And His words instill in us the faith to believe and obey.
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