Psalm 38

O Lord, do not rebuke me in Your wrath,
Nor chasten me in Your hot displeasure!
² For Your arrows pierce me deeply,
And Your hand presses me down.

³ There is no soundness in my flesh
Because of Your anger,
Nor any 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 are foul and festering
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 full of inflammation,
And there is no soundness in my flesh.
⁸ I am feeble and severely broken;
I groan because of the turmoil of my heart.

⁹ Lord, all my desire is before You;
And my sighing is not hidden from You.
¹⁰ My heart pants, my strength fails me;
As for the light of my eyes, it also has gone from me.

¹¹ My loved ones and my friends stand aloof from my plague,
And my relatives stand afar off.
¹² Those also who seek my life lay snares for me;
Those who seek my hurt speak of destruction,
And plan deception all the day long.

¹³ But I, like a deaf man, do not hear;
And I am like a mute who does not open his mouth.
¹⁴ Thus I am like a man who does not hear,
And in whose mouth is no response.

¹⁵ For in You, O Lord, I hope;
You will hear, O Lord my God.
¹⁶ For I said, “Hear me, lest they rejoice over me,
Lest, when my foot slips, they exalt themselves against me.”

¹⁷ For I am ready to fall,
And my sorrow is continually before me.
¹⁸ For I will declare my iniquity;
I will be in anguish over my sin.
¹⁹ But my enemies are vigorous, and they are strong;
And those who hate me wrongfully have multiplied.
²⁰ Those also who render evil for good,
They are my adversaries, because I follow what is 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!

There is no soundness in my flesh… because of my sin.
Here is a psalm about asking for God’s forgiveness after we have sinned. The consequences of sin are great and can include physical infirmity. The psalmist seems to be in misery. He has turmoil in his heart that manifests itself as illness in his body.

Like a heavy burden they are too heavy for me

The psalmist knows that he cannot handle his burden alone. He looks to God to help him. God isn’t just there for the righteous. He’s there for the sinners, too. He wants to help everyone who is suffering in sin, a burden that is too heavy to bear. “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30).

Make haste to help me, O Lord, my salvation!

The poet has turned to God for help. He knows that there is nowhere else to turn because his enemies are still about and his friends have abandoned him. His steps are slipping from God’s path, and he is about ready to fall from it. But, he is still aware of the evil people who want to bring him down even further. He finally calls out to God for help, the only one who says to the soul, “I am your salvation” (Psalm 35:3).

On another note, my posts will probably be spotty for the rest of the summer. I've got some things planned, and I don't know how often I'll have time and access to the internet. I will try my best to keep up, though!