 Psalms 38 Life ApplicationPsalm 38:1As a child might cry to his father, so David cried to God. David was not saying, "Don't punish me," but, "Don't punish me while you are angry." He acknowledged that he deserved to be punished, but he asked that God temper his discipline with mercy. Like children, we are free to ask for mercy, but we should not deny that we deserve punishment.
This is called a penitential psalm because David expressed sorrow for his sin (Psa 38:18). He stated that his sin led to health problems (Psa 38:1-8) and separated him from God and others, causing extreme loneliness (Psa_38:9-14). He then confessed his sin and repented (Psa 38:15-22).
Psalms 38:2-4David saw his anguish as judgment from God for his sins. Although God does not always send physical illness to punish us for sin, this verse and others in Scripture (Act 12:21-23; 1Co_11:30-32) indicate that he does in certain circumstances. Our sin can have physical or mental side effects that can cause great suffering. Sometimes God has to punish his children in order to bring them back to himself (Heb 12:5-11). When we repent of our sin, God promises to forgive us. He delivers us from sin's eternal consequences, although he does not promise to undo all of sin's earthly consequences.Psalms 38:13-14Being silent can be extremely difficult when others tear us down because we want to protect our reputation. We find it difficult to do nothing while they assault something so precious to us. But we don't need to lash out in revenge or justify our position; we can trust God to protect our reputation. Jesus was silent before his accusers (Luk 23:9-10); he left his case in God's hands (1Pe 2:21-24). That is a good place to leave our case, too! |
