The Prayer of a Suffering Penitent - Psalm 38

Psalm 38 A Psalm of David with commentaries by Dennis Edwards. 

Psalm 38 is one of the penitent psalms. The others being Psalms 6, 32, 51, 102, 130, and 143 in the Hebrew numbering. These psalms, or prayers in song, are said to be an expression of sorrow for sin. As such, they have been a comfort and encouragement to God’s sinning saints over the centuries.

38:1-4 O Lord, rebuke me not in Your wrath: neither chasten me in Your hot displeasure. For your arrows stick fast in me, and Your hand presses me sore. There is no soundness in my flesh because of Your anger; neither is there any rest in my bones because of my sin. For my iniquities are gone over my head: as a heavy burden they are too heavy for me.

When we are experiencing attesting in our life through sickness or persecution of some sort, we examine ourselves, our conscience weighing heavy upon us. We look to see where we have gone astray. If we have indeed sinned through some weakness of the flesh, or sexual sin, as was the case with David and Bathsheba; that sin is brought before us constantly by the enemy of our soul, the accuser of the saints, our adversary, Satan. 

He accuses us of sinning and then tries to condemn us for it. He tries to convince us that we have sinned beyond the mercy of God. Therefore, we shall be cast out, and God will not extend His mercy or send healing or forgiveness. We will get our just reward in death. However, Jonah tells us, if we believe such lies of the devil, we will forsake God’s mercy, because God’s mercy is greater than our sin, if we come to Him in repentance.

Psalm 38:5-8 My wounds stink and are corrupt because of my foolishness. I am troubled; I am bowed down greatly; I go mourning all the day long. For my loins are filled with a loathsome disease: and there is no soundness in my flesh. I am feeble and sore broken: I have roared by reason of the disquietness of my heart.

Maybe David had contracted a venereal disease from his prolific sexual life, his foolishness. Whatever the case may be, he is in dire straits and great pain and anxiety

Psalm 38:9-11 Lord, all my desire is before You; and my groaning is not hidden from You. My heart pants, my strength fails me: as for the light of my eyes, it also is gone from me. My lovers and my friends stand aloof from my sore; and my kinsmen stand afar off.

David is wrestling with God for Him to intervene and extend mercy to him. He is discouraged with his situation whether the cause of it be sickness or persecution. Maybe he is being slandered and gossiped about because of his sickness. His family sees it as a judgment from God on his foolishness and are not capable of extending mercy and compassion.

Psalm 38:12-15 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. But I, as a deaf man, heard not; and I was as a dumb man that opens not his mouth. Thus, I was as a man that hears not, and in whose mouth are no reproofs. For in You, O Lord, do I hope: You will hear, O Lord my God.

As David was before his enemies, as Jesus was before His, Apostle Pater tells us we should be before our own detractors or persecutors.

1 Peter 2:19-25 “For this is thankworthy, if a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully. For what glory is it, if, when you be buffeted for your faults, you shall take it patiently? but if, when you do well, and suffer for it, you take it patiently, this is acceptable with God. For even hereunto were you called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow his steps: 

"Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judges righteously: Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes you were healed. For you were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.”

In those types of situations, Jesus is our only hope and stay. Since He Himself suffered likewise, He is able and willing to succour those that seek to Him for help in time of need. “For in that He Himself has suffered being tempted, He is able to succour them that are tempted,” Hebrews 2:18. Succour means to assist and support in times of hardship and distress.

Psalm 38:16-18 For I said, Hear me, lest otherwise they should rejoice over me: when my foot slips, they magnify themselves against me. For I am ready to halt (or fall), and my sorrow is continually before me. For I will declare my iniquity; I will be sorry for my sin.

We often see the weight of sin on the conscience of the believers in the prayers of David. He wrestles with the guilt he feels as the result of his wrongdoing. God’s word tells us, “If we confess our sin, He (God) is faithful to forgive us our sin, and cleanse us form all unrighteousness,” 1 John 1:9. In the Proverbs we read, “He that covers his sin shall not prosper: but he that confesses and forsakes them shall have mercy,” Proverbs 28:13.

Again, it is the enemy of our soul who tries to condemn us and convince us that there is no mercy available for what we have done. But there is mercy, “The  Lord, The Lord God (is) merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin,” Exodus 34:6-7a.

Lamentation 3:22-23 “It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is His faithfulness.”

Like the song so proclaims: “Great is Thy faithfulness,” O God my Father, There is no shadow of turning with Thee; Thou changes not, Thy compassions, they fail not As Thou hast been Thou forever wilt be.

“Great is Thy faithfulness!” “Great is Thy faithfulness!” Morning by morning new mercies I see; All I have needed Thy hand has provided—“Great is Thy faithfulness,” Lord, unto me!

Summer and winter, and springtime and harvest, Sun, moon and stars in their courses above, Join with all nature in manifold witness To Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love.

Pardon for sin and a peace that endures, Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide; Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow, Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!

“Great is Thy faithfulness!” “Great is Thy faithfulness!” Morning by morning new mercies I see; All I have needed Thy hand has provided—“Great is Thy faithfulness,” Lord, unto me! (Thomas Chisholm 1866–1960)

Psalm 38:19-20 But my enemies are lively, and they are strong: and they that hate me wrongfully are multiplied. They also that render evil for good are my adversaries; because I follow the thing that good is.

Jesus said, “If they have persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept My saying, they will keep yours also,” John 15:20b. Apostle Paul wrote, “All that live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution,” 2 Timothy 3:12. Jesus predicted that we would “be hated of all nations for His name’s sake.” Matthew 24:9b. 

But He promised, “Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for My sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad; for great is your reward in heaven,” Matthew 5:10-12.

Psalm 38:21-22 Forsake me not, O Lord: O my God, be not far from me. Make haste to help me, O Lord my salvation.

When we are passing through a great spiritual battle or physical affliction or persecution, we want God’s intercession to come quickly. However, whether He intercedes quickly or no, He promises to be with us. “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you: when you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon you. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savour,” Isaiah 43:2-3a.

“Surely, I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus,” Revelation 22:20b.

Originally published February 19, 2025.

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Rebuke Me Not in Your Wrath! - Psalm 38

 

A Psalm of David                                                                 Comments by Dennis Edwards

38 O Lord, rebuke me not in Your wrath: neither chasten me in Your hot displeasure. ² For Your arrows stick fast in me, and Your hand presses me sore. ³ There is no soundness in my flesh because of Your anger; neither is there any rest in my bones because of my sin. ⁴ For my iniquities are gone over my head: as a heavy burden they are too heavy for me.

When we get older, as we approach death, we may be plagued with the thoughts and regrets over “the sins of our youth.” In Psalm 25:7, David laments or pleads with God,

“Remember not the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions: according to Your mercies remember me for Your goodness’ sake, O Lord.”

When men come back from war, they are often plagued with post-traumatic stress disorder. It may be from the horrors of war they have experienced, or the crimes against humanity they were required to commit during the intense situation of war. Innocent civilians are often casualties of war, as it’s a kill or be killed situation. If the soldier hesitates to see if the thing that’s moving over there is a child or an enemy soldier, he may lose his life. Instead, he shoots without full knowledge of what or who he is shooting. Then afterwards, lo and behold, it was a mother with a small child. These types of situations, or just the fact of having to kill another human being, can plague the returning soldier.

In a like manner, as we grow in years and cross the line from youth to grey headed, the sins of our youth may plague us, as those of a soldier with post-traumatic stress disorder do. Our conscience condemning us for the mistakes we have made in life, mistakes that even may have caused the lives of our loved ones, or of innocent people. Perhaps, we were distant from a son or a daughter who later dies from an accident on a Caribbean island. Perhaps, a son dies from his own hand from our neglect and lack of sensitivity to his needs, or our being too busy with things we thought were important. Perhaps, we have abused in some way a child or young person or employee with our words or the way we treated them.

Apostle Paul talks about the conscience of man in his letter to the Romans 2:14-15.

“For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves: which show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another.”

When we have sinned, or in some way feel we have sinned, our conscience will either accuse us, and we will feel guilty, or our conscience will excuse us, so that we don’t feel guilty. In that case, we can justify our actions, cover our sin, and live with ourselves, free of condemnation. However, as time goes by, the excuses that we accepted in our youth to cover our conscience wear thin. We are faced with the reality of our sin, or transgression, or iniquity, and become conscience of our guilt before God and our fellowman.

A famous British commander from WWII suffered in such a way. Montgomery was some 88 years old and plagued with thoughts of war. He couldn’t sleep at night for the faces of the thousands of men he had sent to the front to die. How could he rid his mind of the tremendous guilt he felt, and the images of their young faces as they obeyed his command? He had promised their mother’s he would bring their son’s home safe and sound. But the cruelties of war overwhelmed his ability to help and now he found no justification for the decisions he had made on the battle field.

How could he justify his decisions before God whom he knew he would soon face? Plagued by these thoughts, Montgomery sought the counsel of a Christian friend, who helped Monty find reconciliation with God through the sacrifice of His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. Monty was able to cast his post-traumatic stress disorder into the arms of Jesus and find forgiveness for the lives that were loss as a result of his decisions. He died shortly afterward.

In the Gospel of John, we see a similar event, where conscience plays its role in saving the life of a guilty young woman. The Pharisees, the religious leaders, said to Jesus,

“Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what do you say?” John 8:4.

The Pharisees were looking for a way to condemn Jesus, trying to get Him to make a judgment contrary to the law of Moses. Jesus ignores them and is seen writing something with his finger on the ground. The Pharisees insists. Jesus, lifts Himself up and says,

“He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.” John 8:7.

The Bible says,

“And they when they heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman.” John 8:9.

The older Pharisees, knowing that they themselves had committed sins grievous unto death, were convicted by their own conscience. The younger men in their zeal and pride may have been ready to cast their stone. But the older men, worn down by their own sin and hypocrisy, in this case, yielded to their own accusing conscience through the voice of Jesus, dropped their stone and left.

No matter what guilt our hearts may carry from our own foolishness, our own sinfulness, or rebellion against God, God is ready to forgive. All we need to do is confess our sin, desire to change, and fall into the arms of God, the arms of Jesus. That is where we find forgiveness of sin.

“But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him, and with His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all…He was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgressions of My people was He stricken,” Isaiah 53:5-6&8b.

Forgiveness for the guilt of sin is found in the arms of Jesus. These are not just nice words. God in His bountiful love has made a way of escape for sin. Sin entered into the world through God granting us the gift of free-will. Our free-will opened up the possibility of evil. Our forefathers, Adam and Eve, sinned in disobeying God’s commandment to not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. But mankind continues to eat from that tree, and in continuing, moves further and further away from God. David continues.

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 (uneasiness, anxiety, lack of calmness or peace) of my heart.

We pay for our sins in our own flesh. We may become sick physically from the abuses we have committed to ourselves through over eating, over drinking, over working, or other vices such as smoking or drug (even medical) addictions. We may become sick from worry, anger, jealousy, or fear; as we pump toxic chemicals into our own bodies internally. Nevertheless, finally, if we cry out to God in our affliction, He will hear. He will come. He will save us.

⁹ Lord, all my desire is before You; and my groaning is not hidden from You. ¹⁰ My heart pants, my strength fails me: as for the light of my eyes, it also is gone from me.

In desperation we call out to God and He answers. He has said, 

“You shall seek Me, and find Me, when you shall search for Me with all your heart,” Jeremiah 29:13. “In returning and rest shall you be saved,” Isaiah 30:15b.

By returning to God, calling upon Him will all our heart and deciding to love Him with all our heart, mind, body, and soul, we can find release from sin and suffering. We can find healing of body, soul, heart, and mind.

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.

When we go through the trials of life, our own family and friends may find it difficult to be around us. Our enemies may gossip and send slander to the four corners of our world.

¹³ But I, as a deaf man, heard not; and I was as a dumb man that opens not his mouth. ¹⁴ Thus I was as a man that hears not, and in whose mouth are no reproofs.

In moments of such affliction and scandal, it’s best to be quiet. Let the Lord be your defence. Don’t even listen to the scaling accusations that may be being made against you. Find refuge in God and trust Him. “Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest you be like unto him,” Proverbs 26:4.

¹⁵ For in You, O Lord, do I hope: You will hear, O Lord my God.

David is encouraging himself in the Lord. He is reminding himself and the Lord of His promise to answer the prayers of the afflicted, who come to Him in humility and truth.

¹⁶ For I said, Hear me, lest otherwise they should rejoice over me: when my foot slips, they magnify themselves against me. ¹⁷ For I am ready to halt (to faint), and my sorrow is continually before me.

It is only God that holds us up through the afflictions of life that we face. But in our sorrow, with a penitent heart, we can approach unto God and be heard. Apostle Paul admonishes us to not give in to discouragement. He says,

“Be not weary in well-dong: for in due season, you shall reap, if you faint not.” Galatians 6:9.

Jesus has also told us to come to Him for the strength we need and not let the burdens of life overwhelm us.

“Come unto Me all you that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly of heart: and you shall find rest unto your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light,” Matthew 11:28-30.

¹⁸ For I will declare my iniquity; I will be sorry for my sin.

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins, and to cleanse us from all iniquity,” 1 John1:9. “He that covers his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesses and forsakes them shall have mercy,” Proverbs 28:17. “Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and He will have mercy upon him, and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon,” Isaiah 55:7.

¹⁹ But my enemies are lively, and they are strong: and they that hate me wrongfully are multiplied. ²⁰ They also that render evil for good are my adversaries; because I follow the thing that good is.

Even if we are doing good and trying to help other, we will be criticised.

²¹ Forsake me not, O Lord: O my God, be not far from me. ²² Make haste to help me, O Lord my salvation.

God has promised that when we call, He will answer. While we are yet speaking, He will hear, Isaiah 65:24. Let us call upon the Lord, today. He is not far from any of us, for in Him will live, and move, and have our being, Acts 17:28.

Prayer: Jesus, we need You. We can’t do it in our own strength. Our sins and our shortcomings are innumerable and we cannot approach unto God. The enemy often seeks to condemn us for the sins of our youth, our mistakes in parenting, or secret sins we’ve committed against You or against others. Lord, be merciful unto us. Extend Your hand. Bring full forgiveness. Cleanse us from secret faults, from sins of pride and self-righteousness. Renew a right spirit within us and restore unto us the joy of our salvation. In You only, Lord, do we trust. Our own righteousness is stinking menstrual cloths. May Your righteous blood cover us and blot out all our transgressions. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.

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