Thomas Aquinas, on Ps 39:6

“Thou hast multiplied thy wonderful works, O Lord my God: and in thy thoughts there is no one like to thee. I have declared and I have spoken they are multiplied above number.”

“"Sacrifice and offering you did not desire." Here he assigns the reason why he renders this recompense to God for his benefits, or why he preached. And he assigns this cause in two ways. First, he presents the divine will as the cause. Second, his own resolve, at "Then I said." Concerning the first, it should be known that in the old covenant, certain sacrifices were offered for benefits received from God; and in general there were four kinds of things that were offered to God. For every sacrifice is an offering, but not every offering is a sacrifice: because sacrifice implies the making of something sacred. Hence, when in an offering nothing else happens except that it comes into the use of the priest, it is a pure offering; when something else is done with it, for example it was burned, then it was called a sacrifice. Now in the old covenant there were three kinds of sacrifice. One was called the most worthy, which was called a holocaust. The second was a sacrifice for sin. The third was a victim, or peace offering. The first was entirely burned; and this was the most acceptable; and it is called from "holon," which means "whole." Of the sacrifice for sin, one part was burned and the other fell to the use of the priest; and nothing came to the use of the one offering, because they gave it for sin--except perhaps in two cases: either when it was offered for the sin of the priest, then the whole was burned, because nothing was done with it; likewise, when it was offered for the whole people, because among them the priest was also included. The peace offering, however, was divided into three parts: for one was offered to God, another was given to the priests, another was given to those who offered. And all these are touched upon here. He touches upon the peace offering when he says, "Sacrifice." He touches upon the simple offering when he says, "And offering you did not desire." He touches upon holocausts when he says, "Holocausts and for sin"; as if to say, you have done many benefits for me, and I wished to repay you: yet not with sacrifices and such things, because "you did not desire them" in the time of the new covenant, because then the figure ceased, and the other sacrifices were figures of the true sacrifice, namely of Christ. And therefore after Christ the temple was destroyed, and the sacrifices ceased. Hence even the Jews today observe few of those things, namely circumcisions as a sign; or, "you did not desire," that is, you did not accept them for their own sake in the good works that a person does. For certain things are acceptable to God for their own sake, such as the work of justice, charity, faith, and virtue; and this is what Deut. 10 says: "Now, O Israel, what does the Lord your God ask of you? Only that you fear the Lord your God and walk in his ways, and love him, and serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul." But offerings he does not accept for their own sake: Ps. 49: "Shall I eat the flesh of bulls?" etc. No. But what? Ibid.: "Offer to God a sacrifice of praise," etc. Why then were they ordained in the law? I reply: for two reasons, namely as a figure of the future sacrifice. 1 Cor. 10: "All these things happened to them as figures"; and as a precaution, so that they would not offer them to idols, the Israelites being inclined to idolatry since they lived in the midst of the nations, to which the children of Israel were prone in the beginning of the law. But in Exodus there is no mention of sacrifices except after the people fell and worshiped the calf: Jer. 7: "I did not speak to your fathers, and I did not command them in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt concerning burnt offerings and victims." It is otherwise with the sacrifice of the new covenant, which contains Christ himself, who is in himself acceptable to God. "But you have fashioned ears for me." Another reading has, "a body." And thus the Apostle introduces it in Heb. 10: "But a body you have prepared for me." And the sense is this: and therefore you desired another sacrifice of the new covenant, because another sacrifice came. For you gave me a body, that I might offer it through the holy sacrifice. Or, "You have perfected," that is, you have bestowed upon me a perfect body without blemish. Or, "You have fitted," that is, you have united a body to me. Or, "You have fashioned ears for me." Or, "You have pierced them"; and this agrees with the preceding, because he prefers that we offer the sacrifice of the lips, that is, of preachings of the works of God, rather than of animals. And therefore he says, "Ears," etc.; as if to say, you require this from me, which you principally gave me, namely the capacity for perceiving wisdom. And therefore you require this so that I may show forth the wisdom which we have received for this purpose, that we may proclaim and preach: Is. 50: "The Lord has opened my ears." "And you did not ask for," that is, you did not accept, "a holocaust and a sacrifice for sin." Or, "You did not ask for" a victim even for sin: Is. 1: "The holocausts of rams and the fat of fatlings and the blood of calves and lambs and goats I did not desire." And yet, as is also said, a holocaust is acceptable to God. But when a holocaust is merely a simple sacrifice, then it is like when we do good works. If, however, all works are done for God, then it is a holocaust. And if we sometimes observe continence, it is a sacrifice; if perpetual virginity, then it is a holocaust: because works of perfection are therefore most acceptable to God.”

Imported from an open dataset — not yet checked against the printed edition.