38 A Psalm of David, for the memorial offering.
38:1 O Lord, rebuke me not in your anger,
nor discipline me in your wrath!
2 For your arrows have sunk into me,
and your hand has come down on me.
3 There is no soundness in my flesh
because of your indignation;
there is no health in my bones
because of my sin.
4 For my iniquities have gone over my head;
like a heavy burden, they are too heavy for me.
5 My wounds stink and fester
because of my foolishness,
6 I am utterly bowed down and prostrate;
all the day I go about mourning.
7 For my sides are filled with burning,
and there is no soundness in my flesh.
8 I am feeble and crushed;
I groan because of the tumult of my heart.
9 O Lord, all my longing is before you;
my sighing is not hidden from you.
10 My heart throbs; my strength fails me,
and the light of my eyes—it also has gone from me.
11 My friends and companions stand aloof from my plague,
and my nearest kin stand far off.
12 Those who seek my life lay their snares;
those who seek my hurt speak of ruin
and meditate treachery all day long.
13 But I am like a deaf man; I do not hear,
like a mute man who does not open his mouth.
14 I have become like a man who does not hear,
and in whose mouth are no rebukes.
15 But for you, O Lord, do I wait;
it is you, O Lord my God, who will answer.
16 For I said, “Only let them not rejoice over me,
who boast against me when my foot slips!”
17 For I am ready to fall,
and my pain is ever before me.
18 I confess my iniquity;
I am sorry for my sin.
19 But my foes are vigorous, they are mighty,
and many are those who hate me wrongfully.
20 Those who render me evil for good
accuse me because I follow after good.
21 Do not forsake me, O Lord!
O my God, be not far from me!
22 Make haste to help me,
O Lord, my salvation!
Section Overview
This psalm is an individual lament that lays a particular person’s troubles before God; it is geared for the kind of situation in which such a person realizes that these troubles result from his own sin. The psalm describes anguish of body and mind, desertion by friends, and the singer’s folly that has made him vulnerable to enemies ready to pounce. Because the psalm acknowledges that the singer’s sins lie behind these troubles, it is often called a penitential psalm (along with Psalms 6; 32; 51; 130; 143).
Of course, not all troubles result from one’s own sins, but this psalm is geared to those that do. That is, it suits some cases but not others, and good judgment is needed in order to discern which sort a particular case is. Thus it is incorrect to say, as some do, that this psalm reflects an assumed connection between illness (or suffering in general) and sin;333 it rather provides for the situations in which the connection is clear and in which the pastorally responsible thing to do is to confess it openly.
The title associates the psalm with the “memorial offering” (Lev. 2:2, 9, 16; 5:12; 6:15; 24:7; Num. 5:26),334 the portion of the grain offering that the priest burns on the altar. Its purpose was probably to “remind” God that the worshiper had consecrated these gifts of God’s own abundant providence, “serving as the offeror’s request to be remembered with favor when presenting praise or petition.”335 This was then a suitable occasion for singing this psalm, in which the singer is asking God not to “forsake” him (Ps. 38:21).336 Although not everyone accepts this understanding, it makes good sense of what we find here.
The first fourteen verses of the psalm primarily lay out the singer’s crisis, while verses 15–22 are primarily the prayer of confession and petition. If we look more closely, we see three vocatives “O Lord” (vv. 1, 9, 15), which may be taken as introducing the stanzas of the song.337 The first vocative uses the divine name (“O Lord”; v. 1), the second uses a special noun form applied only to the deity (“O Lord,” Hb. ʼadonay; v. 9), and the third combines them and intensifies with the additional “my God” (“O Lord . . . O Lord my God”; v. 15).338 Verses 21–22 repeat the combination from verse 15, providing an urgent ending of the petition stanza.
Section Outline
I. The Tumult of My Heart (38:1–8)
II. I Am a Lonely Victim (38:9–14)
III. You Alone Are My Hope (38:15–22)
Response
Psalm 38 is an individual lament, one of many in the Psalter. The laments come in different shapes and sizes, for they are geared for different situations of distress; those who plan and lead worship must choose the psalm that most suits the people in front of them. This psalm best suits a case in which the troubles flow from the lamenter’s own misdeeds and for which the lamenter ought to confess his responsibility. The confession, however, is not an end in itself but a stage on the way to deeper apprehension of God’s gracious care—nowhere does the psalm imply that God might not answer or might consider casting off the lamenter. The Lord is the one who knows all (v. 9) and governs all (v. 2) and yet is the one for whom the petitioner will wait (v. 15) and is the “salvation” of even his erring children (v. 22)!
Leaders of Christian congregations will have occasion to use such psalms, making the same kinds of pastoral judgments that an ancient Israelite priest had to make. Christians need the faith-forming work of this psalm, enabling them to abhor and confess their sins, to treasure benevolence in their relationships, and to rest confident in the overwhelming goodness and kindness of God.Psalm 38
Psalm 39