Focusing On God Rather Than God Or Others

INTRO

The message of Psalm 38 is not so encouraging. This psalm is about David admitting he sinned and had already received his discipline. Constable explains, “This discipline came in the form of opposition from enemies that the psalmist asked God to remove.”¹ David asked God to remove the enemies but recognized he had to deal with his sin. When we sin, at some point, there will be a consequence. If you don’t know Jesus, that consequence will be death. This is a prayer of penitence. Nelson’s Commentarystates, “The psalms of penitence are a model for our own prayers of confession and a warning against the type of behavior that will lead to God’s correction.”²

There are seven penitent psalms: Psalm 6, 32, 38, 51, 102, 130, and 143. Psalm 51 presents David’s prayer of repentance: “Create in me a clean heart.” Wiersbe points out, “Not all affliction comes from disobedience, but physical troubles can be a consequence of sin” (John 9:1–3; 5:14).³ In Psalm 38:18, David did not hesitate to confess his sin, and he expected “that the merciful God will forgive and restore him.”⁴

TEACHING

Psalm 38:1-8: Wiersbe describes the takeaway message of these verses as, “We can focus on ourselves and experience sin’s painfulness.”⁵ David was in anguish over God’s discipline and felt “God might be placing His heaving hand on him in wrath, as He does on the wicked.”⁶ God’s discipline felt overwhelming to him, and even his health and strength had been impacted by his sin (vv. 2–3, 7). This does not mean God punishes us all by taking our health. Most sickness is simply the result of living in a fallen, broken, decaying world. David’s sin had become too great a burden for him to carry (v. 4). David said he even had body odor from the festering wounds he carried (v. 5). The heavy burden causes him to be bent over in constant mourning (v. 6). Wiersbe describes David’s actions as that of someone who “walked about all day like a man at a funeral.”⁷ Wiersbe concluded, “We are free to disobey the Lord, but we are not free to change the consequences.”⁸

Psalm 38:9–14: Wiersbe describes the takeaway message of these verses as, “We can focus on others and experience sin’s loneliness.”⁹ David continued to talk about his health issues—his heart, his strength, and his eyesight (vv. 9–10). Even his friends and relatives were staying away from him (v. 11). What David was going through was impacting the others around him (Job 2:9–10). People who were out to get rid of David set traps for him and plotted against him (v. 12). He felt like a deaf and speechless person (v. 13-14). He had no arguments he could verbally make. Some theologians point to this as a foreshadowing of Jesus’ silence before those who accused Him.¹⁰ (Mark 14:61.)

Psalm 38:15–22: Wiersbe describes the takeaway message of these verses as, “We can focus on the Lord and experience sin’s forgiveness.”¹¹ Constable writes about these verses, “David was remarkable for his ability to wait for God”¹² (v. 15). David acknowledged his hope in his Lord. The word hope can mean, “to wait with expectation,” and can be expressed with confidence (Job 13:15; Hebrews 10:23).¹³ There are other references to hope in the scriptures (Genesis 8:12; Job 29:21; Ezekiel 13:6). The object of hope is always God—His Word, His judgment, and His mercy. David’s “years of suffering at Saul’s hands, his critics in the tribe of Benjamin, and his treatment by Absalom taught him to do this.”¹⁴ David asked God to not allow his enemies to rejoice over his suffering (v. 16). David acknowledged he was at the end of his rope (v. 17), so he confessed his sin (v. 18). Therefore, David asked God to come near to him and to help him (vv. 19–22). Wiersbe states David made three points here: “Be with me . . . Be near me . . . Be for me and help me.”¹⁵ These statements offer David’s statement of sin and his request to be restored in God’s presence.

CLOSING

David needed a savior—to be physically and emotionally saved—and he begged God to intervene in all areas of his life. He asked God to be his Rescue. Constable writes, “Sometimes believers bring physical, emotional, and interpersonal suffering on themselves by sinning. In such cases, God may discipline us with pain so we will learn not to do the same thing again. In the process, we should reaffirm our trust in God and our Deliverer from all our woes.”¹⁶

This is what Christ ultimately does for us. Christ wants to give us salvation. The question for now is: Who are you focusing your life on right now? Maybe you need to read the psalms of penitence as you seek joy in Christ.