The author stands on a strong rock (Psalm 40:2), and that is a good thing. He speaks of so many disasters which surround him. His life is filled with setbacks. His sins are overwhelming. As in Psalm 31:10, “For my life is spent with sorrow, and my years with sighing; my strength fails because of my iniquity, and my bones waste away.” This is how he shows the connection between disasters and his sins.
I cannot see
is also translated as I see no way out anymore,
or I lost sight of God,
which makes one think of the morass again (Psalm 40:2). As expressed before (Psalm 40:5), God’s merciful acts are more than can be told. This now also applies to the setbacks of the author; they are more than the hairs of his head. He has no more courage; he has lost hope. In his misery he trusts the Lord, and he starts to pray again.
When we fill in Jesus
for David
here, the big difference is that our Saviour does not fall into sin. However, he undergoes all kinds of resistance and in this he becomes our surety (see Isaiah 53:1–12 and 2 Corinthians 5:1–21).
12 For evils have encompassed me beyond number; my iniquities have overtaken me, and I cannot see; they are more than the hairs of my head; my heart fails me.