Psalm 38 — Sick and Sorry: A Penitent’s Prayer
38 O Lord, rebuke me not in thy wrath: neither chasten me in thy hot displeasure.
2 For thine arrows stick fast in me, and thy hand presseth me sore.
3 There is no soundness in my flesh because of thine anger; neither is there any rest in my bones because of my sin.
4 For mine iniquities are gone over mine head: as an heavy burden they are too heavy for me.
5 My wounds stink and are corrupt because of my foolishness.
6 I am troubled; I am bowed down greatly; I go mourning all the day long.
7 For my loins are filled with a loathsome disease: and there is no soundness in my flesh.
8 I am feeble and sore broken: I have roared by reason of the disquietness of my heart.
9 Lord, all my desire is before thee; and my groaning is not hid from thee.
10 My heart panteth, my strength faileth me: as for the light of mine eyes, it also is gone from me.
11 My lovers and my friends stand aloof from my sore; and my kinsmen stand afar off.
12 They also that seek after my life lay snares for me: and they that seek my hurt speak mischievous things, and imagine deceits all the day long.
13 But I, as a deaf man, heard not; and I was as a dumb man that openeth not his mouth.
14 Thus I was as a man that heareth not, and in whose mouth are no reproofs.
15 For in thee, O Lord, do I hope: thou wilt hear, O Lord my God.
16 For I said, Hear me, lest otherwise they should rejoice over me: when my foot slippeth, they magnify themselves against me.
17 For I am ready to halt, and my sorrow is continually before me.
18 For I will declare mine iniquity; I will be sorry for my sin.
19 But mine enemies are lively, and they are strong: and they that hate me wrongfully are multiplied.
20 They also that render evil for good are mine adversaries; because I follow the thing that good is.
21 Forsake me not, O Lord: O my God, be not far from me.
22 Make haste to help me, O Lord my salvation.
Someone you know or maybe even you have suffered a life debilitating disease. Sickness, illness, and disease are negative consequences in a sin laden, fallen world. Physical maladies are directly or indirectly related to sin, and this is one way sin leads to death. Psalm 38 presents a direct relationship between sin and sickness. Only Psalms 41 and 88 join 38 with the combination of sickness and penitents seeking deliverance
David, son of Jesse the Bethlehemite, is the author writing around 1000 B.C. He penned this Psalm in the midst of a very severe disease. He opens and closes the Psalm with a petition for God’s help in alleviating two major problems: first, he described his deplorable physical and mental condition (vv. 2–9); second, he described the negative relational consequences his disease has caused (vv. 10–20). He was abandoned by friends and abused by enemies in his time of weakness.
David offered an individual prayer of lament in this non-acrostic 22 verse Psalm. He did not question God’s justice or actions against him because he had been transparent to acknowledge his own sins. David confessed his sins and waited for YHWH, the God of Israel, to relieve him of his disease and his adversaries. Elsewhere we have Psalms of thanksgiving and praise that may have been written to follow up with God’s answer to David’s sick and sorry prayer.
Jesus warned his disciples about judging the circumstances in someone’s struggle with disease. Still, David confirmed that personal sins can lead to physical and mental illness. These are not the short-lived sicknesses with which we are all familiar, but they are diseases that can last for years or even a lifetime.
David employed a rare phrase here and only elsewhere in Psalm 70, “to bring to remembrance” (Title). This Psalm of David may have been written as a memorial to this most noteworthy time in his life. He did not want to sin again in this way, so he wrote a memorial. This is the purpose of memorials, both good and bad, “lest we forget.”
David petitioned YHWH because of the divine oppression he was enduring (v. 1). Christians are keen to talk about the attributes we appreciate in God. However, David identified some that got his attention in a negative way. In humility, he began by addressing YHWH, the God of the covenant, “O Lord.” The actions by YHWH are rebuke and chasten. It is His wrath and burning anger that produce these actions. The negative article indicates David’s intention to have these cease. God’s wrath is revealed against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men (Rom 1:18). David, by sinning and not repenting, had provoked YHWH, who is slow to anger and slow to wrath. He now needed relief in the most significant way. He was helpless.
David used military imagery to describe his plight (v. 2). Possibly alluding to Resheph, the Canaanite god of archery, plagues, and disease (Dt 32:23), he adds to our imagination. Do we envision YHWH as a militant archer hunting successfully for us? Do we take sin seriously? Do we take God seriously? YHWH has hit the mark, and David must deal with his suffering reality. Sometimes it takes the hard pressing hand of God to stop us in our tracks on the path of sin. In this way, God hurts those who hurt themselves, “Before I was afflicted, I went astray (Ps 119:67).” Where are you in your journey? Are you on the right road? Are you heading in the right direction?
David acknowledged that his afflictions were a direct result of his personal sins (v. 3). Two elements stand out in this verse. My sin and Your indignation give us our economy. The more sin we demand, the more indignation God supplies. If we will not take sin seriously, we will eventually have to take the indignation, anger, and wrath of God seriously. David’s health has failed. No soundness means no peace in the body.
David lamented the depth of his suffering (v. 4). He was swimming, or rather, drowning in sin. Guilt prevailed upon him because of the pressure of a sinking weight. Echoing Cain’s lament in Genesis 4, David’s iniquity has invited the heavy burden of judgment. Are you feeling the pressure, today?
David complained against his self-inflicted disease (v. 5). He has played the fool, and his wounds stink in his nostrils. His wounds fester and will not be healed. Paul wrote the Corinthians about their abuse of the Lord’s Table in 1 Corinthians 11. The principle he taught was that if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged by God. Because we do not self-correct, many are sick among us and some are dead (1 Corinthians 11:27–34).
David described his troubled posture and darkened appearance (v. 6). His maladies had him hunched over in pain. Our sick bodies send a message to everyone who can see, hear, and smell. “I go mourning” in the Hebrew is also a descriptive word for people dressed in all black. A culture of death sports black clothing devoid of lively colors. All day long is a way of indicating the incessant nature of a thing. We cannot hide the billboard of our bodies. What is the message you are sending to a watching world?
David suffered sensations and had no peace in the flesh (v. 7). Some commentators suggest a sexually transmitted disease, with burning sensation side effects. As the Psalms often do, the details are omitted for a timeless and universal application. Therefore, we must consider lightly the speculations and focus in on the text and context. No soundness in my flesh is a great summary statement.
David was tormented in his body (v. 8). He continues his description of his symptoms. People in great distress often feel a tightness in their chests, suggesting to them a heart attack. Benumbed, crushed and agitated manifested a verbal discord…David groaned.
David heaved in dismay before the Lord (v. 9). Brief prayers like, “O Lord” may be normative for weighty circumstances. Adonai is the title of his address. The interchanging use of YHWH and adonai and elohim seems to help David focus on God and the aspects of God he desperately needs. Everything he wants, all my desire, is prostrated before the Lord. Grief gasps for the next breath as his lungs convulse with sighing. God sees everything, and David knows he has nothing to hide from his omniscient Lord.
David’s disease impacted his emotions, too (v. 10). The tormented body of the penitent will eventually wreak havoc on the emotions. The mind, the soul, is darkened in the torture chamber of disease. The body is laid low and the will dissipates as my strength fails me. The eyes have been called the windows to the soul, but the light of my eyes is also a porthole to a body ravaged by pain and suffering. The light, indicating life, has gone from me. Judgment is a dimmer switch.
David was abandoned by family and friends because of his disease (v. 11). Tormented bodies and souls find no relief from others. Job lamented his friends’ counsel as much as his circumstances. Unlikely suspects lead the list of antagonists. My loved ones were David’s intimate companions. Joining them in abandonment were my friends. Misery might like some company, but in David’s case, they all stand aloof from my plague. Plague, translated from Hebrew, can be the word for leprosy. Taken literally or figuratively, David is being treated like a leper. My kinsman is the betrayal by family.
Betrayal in times of trouble is harsh. Still, it serves as a warning to trust alone in the Lord your God (Ps 118:8). When the going gets tough, the tough are often alone. Man cannot save and apparently has difficulty with succour, as well. We need a friend, who sticks closer than a brother, and a brother who will never leave us nor forsake us. Only one name comes to mind, Jesus Christ.
David’s disease also attracted his enemies, who wished to ruin him while he was down (v. 12). All day long, David suffers in body and mind. All day long, his opponents are plotting his ruin. Their treachery includes making David’s life as difficult as possible. They lay snares for me to injure and obstruct the path of righteousness, if not success. The cry of the righteous, against the wicked, goes up to heaven. Woe to the man whose name is presented at God’s throne of judgment in a plea for justice by the afflicted and needy.
David refrained or was restrained from hearing and speaking about his circumstances (v. 13). A series of similes are employed to explain David’s strategy in dealing with his relationships. When a man falls in grace, he is better off not hearing the rhetoric against him. Who sinned? This man or his parents? Man judges man in his wicked heart, and his evaluation comes to his lips with folly. Far better is the judgment of the just Judge (Mt. 7:1–5; Rom. 2:1–4). David heard nothing and said nothing about his circumstances, publicly. Simply stated again, sometimes it is better not to talk about your situation with others.
David refused to defend his position publicly (v. 14). No arguments in these matters really matter.
David positioned himself in the trust of the Lord, who he believed would respond to his petition (v. 15). Our only hope is Jesus Christ. Here is David’s statement of faith, “I hope in Thee.” YHWH has agreed, based on the covenant with His people, to hear them when they pray to Him, “Thou wilt answer.” Here, David used all three names and titles for God. Jesus Christ is the reason Christians should never retaliate when wronged. He is the sovereign Lord, who knows everything and who always acts justly. Do not fret, but trust in the Lord.
David wished for protection, physical and emotional, and for his enemies to gain no advantage because of his predicament (v. 16). He knows he is guilty of sin, but he knows his opponents are guilty, too. And the servant of the Lord must not strive with family, friends, or foes. With a slight imprecation, David labors against those who are doing wrong against him. Far from informing YHWH, the release of this request relieves David of the temptation of saying a word of retaliation.
David was prepared to quit in despair (v. 17). There was no relief, for my sorrow is continually before me. Crushed, he was ready to fall. When a man comes to the end of himself, he meets God, who alone is left as his Counselor. What must I do to be saved?
David acknowledged his troubled emotional state and relieved himself by openly confessing his sins (v. 18). Psychology wants to help man to feel better about his circumstances, but it has no interest in remedying sin. Psychology is a band-aid over a sucking wound that demands surgery. The Great Physician stands ready to do surgery on the soul of one who confesses, “I am full of anxiety because of my sin.” Confession is surgery on the human heart. The equation is presented simply by the apostle John, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 Jn 1:9).” Let your healing begin, confess your sins to one another or at the very least, to the Lord. The solution begins with, “For I confess my iniquity…”
David contrasted the state of his opponents to his own status quo (v. 19). My strength fails me (v. 10), but my enemies are vigorous and strong. Like the lion, feasting on the blood of his prey, he grows stronger at the expense of the life of another. The volume of David’s opponents, many, grew at his reported demise. The wicked hate the righteous, and many hate me wrongfully. Jealousy, envy, greed, covetousness, and pride are just a few of the motives in human competition (Eccl 4:4).
David exposed his opponents’ behavior and heart motive (v. 20). Strong in their hate, his adversaries were those who repay evil for good. Evildoers act wickedly and honor those who do it better than themselves. The response of the wrongdoer to acts of evil or good is to do evil (Gen 6:5). David’s response to evil was to forgive (ie. Absalom, Shimei, Abner, etc.), even as he had been forgiven. Despite his succumbing to sin, I follow what is good. You are commanded to do good (37:3), but men will oppose you and you will likely suffer, too. Do good, anyway!
David petitioned YHWH for His near proximity (v. 21). The prayer of the impossible was uttered. Recounting covenant promises, “I will never leave you nor forsake you, for I am with you,” encouraged the sick penitent when calling on YHWH. God’s will is guaranteed to be done, but we need to bring to remembrance His promises to stir our hope in Him. The Almighty is not far from me. Proximity matters. Draw near to God, confess your sins, and He will draw near to you.
David petitioned for a timely response to his request for help (v. 22). Can we ask God to hurry up? Yes, but His perfect measure of discipline for his children is meted out in His perfect timing. David identified His salvation as the person of God. Jesus Christ is Adonai. He is our rock and our salvation. We may receive what He alone can give as a gift, but what we need is exactly who He is. Christianity is not a religious process, but it is a personal relationship with the persons of the Godhead. We need God the Father, who has chosen us for salvation. We need God the Son, who has given Himself as the perfect sacrifice for our sins. We need God the Holy Spirit, who helps us, comforts us, teaches us to see Jesus Christ as our all in all.
In sum, God hurts us (especially one’s pride and prowess), He knows us, He hears us, and He saves us because He forgives us when we confess our sins.
In conclusion, humble yourself before Almighty God, and consider your health. Sin impacts our bodies and souls. Confess your sins that are under the indignant wrath of God and are forgiven by the precious blood of Jesus. Pray and petition with the precious address, “Jesus, my Lord and my God.” He will answer you with forgiveness, hope, and healing according to His perfect will.
David Norczyk
Spokane Valley, Washington
June 27, 2021
