Psalm 38 Jan. 21 A Psalm by David, for a memorial.  1Yahweh, don’t rebuke me in Your wrath, neither chasten me in Your hot displeasure. 2For Your arrows have pierced me, Your hand presses hard on me. 3There is no soundness in my flesh because of Your indignation, neither is there any health in my bones because of my sin. 4For my sins have gone over my head; as a heavy burden, they are too heavy for me. 5My wounds are loathsome and corrupt because of my foolishness. 6I am pained and bowed down greatly. I go mourning all day long. 7For my waist is filled with burning, there is no soundness in my body. 8I am faint and severely bruised; I have groaned by reason of the anguish of my heart. 9Lord, all my desire is before You; my groaning is not hidden from You. 10My heart throbs, my strength fails me. As for the light of my eyes, it has also left me. 11My lovers and my friends stand aloof from my plague, my kinsmen stand far away. 12They also who seek after my life lay snares, those who seek my hurt speak mischievous things, and meditate deceits all day long. 13But I, as a deaf man, don’t hear. I am as a mute man who doesn’t open his mouth. 14Yes, I am as a man who doesn’t hear, in whose mouth are no reproofs. 15For in You, Yahweh, do I hope. You will answer, Lord my God. 16For I said, Don’t let them gloat over me, or exalt themselves over me when my foot slips. 17For I am ready to fall; my pain is continually before me. 18For I will declare my iniquity, I will be sorry for my sin. 19But my enemies are vigorous and many. Those who hate me without reason are numerous. 20They who also render evil for good are adversaries to me, because I follow what is good. 21Don’t forsake me, Yahweh. My God, don’t be far from me. 22Hurry to help me, Lord, my salvation.   

Commentary

38:4 As a heavy burden, they are too heavy for me- This is applied to all of us by Jesus when He invites we the heavy burdened to come to Him and find relief for that heavy load (Mt. 11:28). David is talking of his sins related to Bathsheba and Uriah; and again we find them being understood as typical of all our sins (see on 32:1,2).
38:9 All my desire is before You- All David’s desire was for forgiveness; see on 37:4.
38:11 The consequence of sin is that it separates and isolates the sinner, as David found after his sin with Bathsheba, which resulted in the breakup of his family and his son conspiring to kill him and take over the kingdom. Some may sin and apparently not experience this isolation; but they feel it internally. That sin isolates the sinner, literally or psychologically, is designed by God; for it is in that isolation and self-analysis that the sinner has the opportunity to reconnect with God on a deeply personal level.