Psalm 38 - Sin's Comprehensive Effects

Chad Werkhoven
1 hour ago
4 min read

Sin crushes you spiritually, physically & mentally. Confess it and find help in the Lord.

Psalm 38

A psalm of David. A petition.

¹Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger

or discipline me in your wrath.

²Your arrows have pierced me,

and your hand has come down on me.

³Because of your wrath there is no health in my body;

there is no soundness in my bones because of my sin.

⁴My guilt has overwhelmed me

like a burden too heavy to bear.

⁵My wounds fester and are loathsome

because of my sinful folly.

⁶I am bowed down and brought very low;

all day long I go about mourning.

⁷My back is filled with searing pain;

there is no health in my body.

⁸I am feeble and utterly crushed;

I groan in anguish of heart.

⁹All my longings lie open before you, Lord;

my sighing is not hidden from you.

¹⁰My heart pounds, my strength fails me;

even the light has gone from my eyes.

¹¹My friends and companions avoid me because of my wounds;

my neighbors stay far away.

¹²Those who want to kill me set their traps,

those who would harm me talk of my ruin;

all day long they scheme and lie.

¹³I am like the deaf, who cannot hear,

like the mute, who cannot speak;

¹⁴I have become like one who does not hear,

whose mouth can offer no reply.

¹⁵Lord, I wait for you;

you will answer, Lord my God.

¹⁶For I said, “Do not let them gloat

or exalt themselves over me when my feet slip.”

¹⁷For I am about to fall,

and my pain is ever with me.

¹⁸I confess my iniquity;

I am troubled by my sin.

¹⁹Many have become my enemies without cause;

those who hate me without reason are numerous.

²⁰Those who repay my good with evil

lodge accusations against me,

though I seek only to do what is good.

²¹Lord, do not forsake me;

do not be far from me, my God.

²²Come quickly to help me,

my Lord and my Savior.

Canons of Dordt

Point 1 - God's Unconditional Election

Point 2 - Limited Atonement

Point 3 - Total Depravity

Point 4 - Irresistible Grace

Point 5 - Perseverance of the Saints

Article 5: The Effects of Serious Sins

By such monstrous sins [that saints often fall into], however, they
1. greatly offend God,
2. deserve the sentence of death,
3. grieve the Holy Spirit,
4. suspend the exercise of faith,
5. severely wound the conscience,
6. and sometimes lose the awareness of grace for a time—
until,
1. after they have returned to the right way by genuine repentance,
2. God’s fatherly face again shines upon them.

Summary

If you're looking for a quick pick-me-up as you page through the Psalms, or for a note of encouragement for yourself or to share with a friend, you'll probably skip over Psalm 38 for something like the 23rd or 46th psalms. Psalm 38 is heavy and gasping, both in it's poetic form and in its message, and the psalm ends with David's pain unresolved.

David wrote this psalm in a time of deep turmoil, which affected every aspect of his being: spiritually, physically and emotionally. Spiritually, David recognizes that his troubles have come from the discipline of the LORD's hand, which has come down on him.

David doesn't mention, and we don't know the particular sin(s) that precipitated his ordeal. All we know is how it affected his body - Because of Your wrath there is no health in my body, there is no soundness in my bones because of my sin. David goes on to mention the specific parts of his body filled with searing pain: his back aches, his heart pounds, the light has gone from his eyes, he cannot hear or speak,

And right alongside the physical pain came the mental anguish: David's guilt had overwhelmed him like a burden and he groans in anguish of heart. Even his friends and companions avoid him because of his wounds.

Dig Deeper

Even though Psalm 38 might not be anyone's first choice to read or dwell upon, perhaps we ought to become a little more familiar with it. What an excellent choice to share with those who are not well, for there's likely to be some, if not several, of the conditions David mentions here that they'll be able to readily identify with.

David offers some lessons on how to endure suffering well in this psalm:

v1-4 - As we've already noted, David realizes it was his own sin that's resulted in his pain. Even though we - and maybe not even he - could not identify a specific causal sin that led to the particular symptoms he experienced, all of life's suffering is the result of sin in one way or another. Our sin reminds us that things are not the way they're supposed to be, and as we learned last week from the Canons, give us continual cause to humble ourselves, flee to Christ and to battle indwelling sin.
v18 - David confess his iniquity; and is troubled by his sin. Confession is the first step to experiencing healing through the blood of Christ.
v15, 21-22 - David expresses his faith that God will provide salvation: he waits for the LORD's answer and prays that his Lord and Savior will not forsake him, but come quickly to help him.

AAA Prayer (About)

ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, who disciplines our sins and even pierces us with His arrows as His hand comes down on us;
ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Confess your iniquity, and pray for your Lord and Savior to come quickly to help you;
ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: