Confessing Sin’s Folly (Psalm 38)

Read Psalm 38:

A Psalm of David, for the memorial offering.

¹ O LORD, rebuke me not in your anger, nor discipline me in your wrath! ² For your arrows have sunk into me, and your hand has come down on me. ³ There is no soundness in my flesh because of your indignation; there is no 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 stink and fester because of my foolishness, ⁶ I am utterly bowed down and prostrate; all the day I go about mourning. ⁷ For my sides are filled with burning, and there is no soundness in my flesh. ⁸ I am feeble and crushed; I groan because of the tumult of my heart. ⁹ O Lord, all my longing is before you; my sighing is not hidden from you.

¹⁰ My heart throbs; my strength fails me, and the light of my eyes– it also has gone from me. ¹¹ My friends and companions stand aloof from my plague, and my nearest kin stand far off. ¹² Those who seek my life lay their snares; those who seek my hurt speak of ruin and meditate treachery all day long. ¹³ But I am like a deaf man; I do not hear, like a mute man who does not open his mouth. ¹⁴ I have become like a man who does not hear, and in whose mouth are no rebukes. ¹⁵ But for you, O LORD, do I wait; it is you, O Lord my God, who will answer.

¹⁶ For I said, “Only let them not rejoice over me, who boast against me when my foot slips!” ¹⁷ For I am ready to fall, and my pain is ever before me. ¹⁸ I confess my iniquity; I am sorry for my sin. ¹⁹ But my foes are vigorous, they are mighty, and many are those who hate me wrongfully. ²⁰ Those who render me evil for good accuse me because I follow after 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!

To the choirmaster: to Jeduthun.[1]

Understand Psalm 38:

Psalm 38 comes with the superscription, “A Psalm of David, for the memorial offering”—a song of remembrance. It is a penitential psalm, for David has played the fool and now faces consequences for his sin.[2] He models humble confession as he alternates between sorrowful lament and confident praise in God.[3] So too, when we are wracked with guilt, we can pray this psalm back to God as our own words. Psalm 38 calls us to remember three truths about our God when we have played the fool.

A.    Entrust Our Troubles to the God Who Knows Us (vv. 1–9)

First, we must entrust our troubles to the God who knows us. Verse 1 begins with David’s desperate plea: “O LORD, rebuke me not in your anger, nor discipline me in your wrath!” David personally addresses Yahweh, the covenant God of Israel—his heavenly Father, divine Maker, and perfect Redeemer accessible through intimate prayer. Prayer is the believer’s direct line to the God who forgives our sin.

David acknowledges his sin and accepts his Father’s loving discipline as for his good (see Heb 12:5b-6). Yet he pleads for mercy from God’s wrath. We too often feel distress when our Father’s hand falls heavy upon us. His discipline leads us to confession and then his gracious forgiveness. Thus, we plead for God’s assurance, “Even in discipline, remind me that I’m still your child. Hold me in your arms and tell me I belong to you.”

David expresses sorrow in his lament: “For your arrows have sunk into me, and your hand has come down on me” (Ps 38:2). God’s discipline penetrates the heart like painful arrows—like the plagues of Egypt turned against his own people.[4] The physical torment fills David with despair: “No soundness in my flesh; no health (shalom) in my bones” (v. 3). He feels dragged beneath the surface by a heavy burden (v. 4; see Mark 9:42); afflicted by open wounds and puss-filled sores (Ps 38:5). He is “utterly bowed down and prostrate” on the ground; mourning as with the loss of a loved one (v. 6). His body is inflamed with disease as again he cries, “There is no soundness in my flesh” (v. 7).[5] He is “feeble and crushed” with constant groaning (v. 8), yet his physical distress arises from his mental anguish. The parallel lines in verse 3 clearly connect God’s indignation with David’s sin.[6]

Here we find the principle of sowing and reaping—a direct correlation between our sin and God’s punishment (Gal 6:7). David’s pain has been caused by God. So, at its root, these are physiological symptoms of spiritual folly.

In a fallen world, we often face health problems because of heart problems—physical distress because of spiritual disease. Anger can lead to high blood pressure anxiety to gastrointestinal problems. Loss of hope can bring depression and grief causes our bodies to ache. Either laziness or overwork can bring us to our knees, for God has built into our bodies a natural reaction to sin. Sometimes, of course, health problems are simply health problems. But often, there’s a spiritual cause. For this reason, we confess sin daily and entrust our troubles to the God who knows us well.

David’s troubles are many, yet he shows us how to pray with confidence: “O Lord, all my longing is before you; my sighing is not hidden from you” (Ps 38:9). The sovereign God knows us perfectly and perceives our inward nature. He who fashioned us in our mother’s womb knows our every step before we take it and every word before we speak it (139:1-4). Sin steals our joy and crushes our desires. It leads to all manner of problems in life. Yet still, we can pray, “O Lord, you know my deepest longings. You are sovereign even in my suffering. Therefore, I entrust my troubles to the God who truly knows me.”

Certainly, not every sickness or physical suffering is a mark of God’s discipline (e.g., John 9). Yet sometimes, as with David, God uses pain to arrest our attention. We are right to prayerfully examine our hearts: “Have I sinned in some way against the Lord? Am I under his loving discipline? Is he trying to teach me something or shave off some rough edges in my life?” Then, as we confess our sin, we maintain our confidence in the God who knows us. We trust that everything he does, including discipline, is for our good. We pray in faith: “O Lord, you know my heart’s desires and my deepest sorrows. You are sovereign and loving; compassionate and wise. So, I trust you with my troubles.”

B.    Wait in Prayer for the God Who Answers Us (vv. 10–15)

Trust also means prayerfully waiting for the God who promises to answer. In Psalm 38:10, David returns to his lament: “My heart throbs; my strength fails me, and the light of my eyes—it also has gone from me.” Again, these are physical concerns. His heart pounds with violent palpitations like a panic attack which then spirals into debilitating depression. He feels abandoned by his loved ones (v. 11) and encircled by his enemies (v. 12). They move in for the kill. They want to harm him. Unlike the righteous, who meditate on God’s Word, they delight in evil. The wicked love to kick us when we’re down: “You’re no good. You’re a failure in the eyes of God. You’ll never be righteous again.” Sin isolates the sinner and piles on the shame.

Yet David resists these accusations and refuses to defend himself (vv. 13-14). He shuts out the turmoil by closing his ears and biting his tongue. Instead, he relies upon the Righteous Judge for his acquittal: “But for you, O LORD, do I wait; it is you, O Lord my God, who will answer” (v. 15). Just as before, David looks to his God in prayer (vv. 1, 9). He waits expectantly for the One who always answers (see 42:5, 11; 43:5). True patience means to wait for something good and there’s nothing better to wait for than the goodness of our God.

Only one man, however, perfectly waited for his Father’s timing and always obeyed his Father’s will. As Jesus lived out Psalm 38 on our behalf, he took the Father’s wrath. His palpitating heart caused him to sweat great drops of blood in the garden of Gethsemane. His strength failed him as he carried that heavy cross to the hill of Golgotha. The light escaped from his eyes as he cried out, “It is finished!” And many would turn against this greater Son of David. His disciples fled at his arrest. Peter claimed he didn’t know him. Judas, his friend, betrayed him. The religious leaders who should have known him as messiah plotted treachery against him. The Jews who once hailed him as their King would cry out, “Crucify him! Crucify him!” As Isaiah 53 prophesied of the Christ, “He had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not” (vv. 2b-3). So although our Lord was sinless, he bore our sorrows in a fallen world. Although he had done no wrong, he was despised as if he had. Grief was the companion that never left him, for “we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted” (v. 4b).

Thus, Psalm 38 is ultimately fulfilled in our Savior, Jesus Christ. For who else suffered physical pain because of sin—not his, but ours? Who else bore the wrath of God on our behalf? Who else was pierced as if by poisoned arrows for our transgressions and crushed as if by a heavy millstone for our iniquities? Who else endured the chastisement that brought us the elusive shalom we could not find? Whose open wounds and festering sores allowed us to be healed? Who came down to find us though we like sheep had gone astray and turned—every one—to his own way? (see Isa 53:5-6). Who else, but Jesus, refused to speak up for himself when the scornful mocked him without mercy? “He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth” (v. 7). Yet God disciplined his own Son for the iniquity of his people: “It was the will of the LORD to crush him” (v. 10a). God put his own Son to grief and offered the Suffering Servant as a memorial for our guilt. Thankfully, though, Christ’s anguish did not last forever. As Isaiah prophesied, “He shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand” (vv. 10d-f).

Psalm 38 was sung by David and echoed by undeserving sinners, but ultimately fulfilled in Jesus Christ. For Christ was failed by his friends and attacked by his enemies. He was rejected on the cross and faced abandonment even from his Father: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matt 27:46b). Yet Jesus lived to make intercession for transgressors. He prayed for sinners while still upon that cross: “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34a). His was the ultimate penitential psalm—the decisive prayer of confession which carried all of our prayers before the throne of God. So, when we find ourselves in trouble, we must not hide in shame. Instead, we wait for the God who surely answers. We pray expectantly with eternal hope in something good.

C.     Confess Our Sin to the God Who Saves Us (vv. 16–22)

The third truth to remember when we have played the fool is to confess our sin to the God who saves us. Here, David still complains, but he brings his complaint before the Lord. He knows the One who answers prayer and gives five reasons for such confident faith in God.[7]

First, God upholds his servant’s honor to keep his enemies from gloating: “Only let them not rejoice over me, who boast against me when my foot slips!” (Ps 38:16a). David serves as God’s anointed king, so to boast against the king is to boast against God. Likewise, we can pray, “God, spare us for the sake of your majestic glory. Show the world how much you love your children.”

David also appeals to his godly character: “Those who render me evil for good accuse me because I follow after good” (v. 20). David seeks not man’s approval, yet still he suffers persecution. For even though David does them good, they return his good with evil. We too can pray that God will answer those who walk in godly ways.

The third reason God answers prayer is because we desperately need him. The king’s foot has slipped and he’s about to fall (vv. 16b-17). If God waits one moment longer, it will be too late. So too, we pray from the edge of our desperation: “Lord, how much longer can I endure? I cannot save myself from slipping.”

David’s desperate need arises from his weakness when facing enemies: “But my foes are vigorous, they are mighty, and many are those who hate me wrongfully” (v. 19). His foes are multiplied and mighty. He cannot fight them on his own. So, David continues to wait on God who will surely not abandon him. In prayer, we also humbly acknowledge that only God can defeat our fearsome enemies.

David’s confession comes to a focus in verse 18: “I confess my iniquity; I am sorry for my sin.” David no longer hides his sin. Surely now, God will relent from discipline. The only way for us to escape God’s judgment is to show we have learned our lesson. Psalm 38 calls for God to honor his children for their godly character. It then exposes, however, our desperation and weakness which leads us to confess our sin as we wait with hope in God.

David concludes with one final petition: “Do not forsake me, O LORD! O my God, be not far from me! Make haste to help me, O Lord, my salvation!” (vv. 21-22). This closing prayer again uses three different names for God (see v. 15). “O LORD” reveals the covenant promises of Yahweh to his people; “My God” expresses David’s intimacy with his Father, while Adonai (“O Lord”) rejoices in the sovereign authority of Israel’s Master. So too, believers find fulfillment of God’s eternal promises, personal intimacy, and sovereign lordship in Christ alone. Christ Jesus was forsaken, so that we would never be forsaken. He was left alone so that we would never be alone. He was made sin for us and gave to us his righteousness (2 Cor 5:21). And although we were his enemies, he has embraced us as his friends. “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Rom 8:1).

So, even as we face God’s discipline, we know that he still loves us. He hasn’t given up on us. He isn’t angry with us because he has already poured his wrath upon his Son. When God disciplines us in love we must not run away, but rather turn to him in faith. We express our sorrows and confess our sins. We fall into his open arms, knowing he will always love us—that he always seeks our good. God’s grace and the promise of forgiveness persuades us relentlessly toward confession. He lovingly calls us to wait on him in prayer, then lovingly saves us when we have played the fool. Therefore, let us wait for God who lovingly waits for us.

Apply Psalm 38:

1. In what way is God’s discipline an expression of his love (Heb 12:5b-6)? Why does it not often feel that way?
2. What prevents you from turning to the Lord when you have sinned? Review the three truths about God in Psalm 38 in order to change your heart:
   • Entrust your troubles to the God who knows you (vv. 1-9).
   • Wait in prayer for the God who answers you (vv. 10-15).
   • Confess your sin to the God who saves you (vv. 16-22).
3. Reflect on the messianic prophecies in Isaiah 53 revealing Christ as the ultimate fulfillment of Psalm 38. Meditate on God’s love through both his judgment and salvation. What does this mean for us today?
4. Write a psalm of confession for any sin of which God convicts you today. Rejoice in his promised forgiveness and mercy.

Counsel Psalm 38:

Many of our counselees deal with physical suffering or emotional sorrow as the consequences of their sin. We can show them the purpose of God’s loving discipling and the joy he offers through confession. Use penitential psalms such as this one to restore their relationship to God.

Projects for Growth (Psalm 38)

1. What physical or emotional pain are your presently facing? What do you think the sovereign God is seeking to do in the midst of your suffering? Could any of this reflect his loving discipline?
2. Consider some of the terrible consequences of sin:
   • God’s judgment (vv. 1-2)
   • Physical weakness (vv. 3-7)
   • Spiritual anguish (vv. 8-10)
   • Broken relationships (vv. 11-12)
   • Social isolation (vv. 13-14)
3. Consider the only remedy offered for sin’s consequences:
   • God’s mercy (vv. 15-16)
   • Honest confession (vv. 17-20)
   • Christ our Savior (vv. 21-22; Isa 53)
4. Meditate on the various names of God in Psalm 38:15, 21-22. How does God’s name reflect his person and his works?
   • Yahweh – He is your covenant God who personally keeps his promises in Scripture.
   • “My God” – He is the Almighty Creator to whom you belong and who intimately belongs to you.
   • Adonai – He is the sovereign Master who governs your life and reigns supreme over the entire universe.
5. Journal your own psalm of confession whenever you are convicted of sin. Then, rejoice in God’s merciful forgiveness and record his gracious blessings.
6. Pray Psalm 38:[8]
   • Father, I feel troubled and forsaken (vv. 2-8, 10-14, 16-20).
   • My hope, O Lord, is only in you (v. 9).
   • I wait patiently for your goodness (v. 15).
   • I confess my sin and claim your promise to forgive (v. 18).
   • In Christ, you have spared me from your wrath (vv. 1, 21-22).

[1] The postscript, “To the choirmaster: To Jeduthun” identifies one of the chief worship leaders appointed by David (1 Chr 16:37-42; 25:1-8; 35:15; Pss 61; 76).

[2] The penitential psalms include Psalms 6, 32, 38, 51, 102, 130, 143. David’s confession comes in Psalm 38:3-5, 18.

[3] As Spurgeon wrote, “The psalm opens with a prayer (v. 1), continues in a long complaint (vv. 2–8), pauses to dart an eye to heaven (v. 9), proceeds with a second tale of sorrow (vv. 10–14), interjects another word of hopeful address to God (v. 15), a third time pours out a flood of griefs (vv. 16–20), and then closes as it opened, with renewed petitioning (vv. 21–22)” (C. H. Spurgeon, The Treasury of David, vol. 1b, Psalms 27–57 [Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1968], 198).

[4] The chiasm focuses on the consequences of “sunk into” and “come down.”

[5] The inclusio with verse 3 shows this to be the focal theme of the section.

[6] Verses 3-8 repeatedly state, “because of your indignation; . . . because of my sin; . . . because of my foolishness; . . . because of the tumult of my heart.” The conjunction, “for” (ki), in verse 2, 4, and 7 also point to the consequential result.

[7] The chiastic focus rests on David’s confession in verse 18.

         Honor (v. 16a)

                        Desperation (vv. 16b-17)

                                       Confession (v. 18)

                        Weakness (v. 19)

         Godliness (v. 20)

[8] Tim Challies also offers an example of praying Psalm 38 for churches to follow: “A Corporate Confession of Sin,” Challies.com (Blog), March 26, 2023, accessed at https://www.challies.com/resources/a-corporate-confession-of-sin.