The Good News

I have proclaimed the good news of righteousness in the great assembly; indeed, I do not restrain my lips, O LORD, You Yourself know.  

Psalm 40:9  

David understood the gospel. He not only understood it, but he proclaimed it. Of necessity, the good news of righteousness must include the knowledge of Christ’s Person as well as His work. Thus when David says, ‘I have proclaimed the good news of righteousness,’ he is saying he has preached Christ. This is a clear statement of his evangelical knowledge. It means he understood the gospel of free grace, with its’ justification by faith, and imputed righteousness clearly enough to articulate it, ‘in the great assembly.’ This gives us every reason to go to David’s works as well as the rest of the Old Testament to proclaim the gospel, ‘the good news of righteousness.’ This was exactly what Christ did in Luke 24 when, ‘And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.’ Christ took the whole of the Old Testament to proclaim Himself to New Testament believers. All the preaching of Christ in the New Testament arose from the texts of the Old Testament. If Christ and the Apostles used it, we also can use it, as well as the New Testament to proclaim the good news of righteousness. Christ is throughout the whole of the Scriptures and as He said, ‘they are they which testify of me.’ The Bible is the message of redemption and Christ is the central character. He is the One to Whom God, His Father would have us listen. He is the Heart of the good news. 

O God of our salvation, 
we rejoice that You have given us the gospel. 
We praise You that in every age,  
Your people have proclaimed the good news.  

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning