Normally we treat the Psalms like a selection box and because there are so many of them we can afford to leave the ones that have a bitter taste. When we read them through though we discover that the dominant note of the collection is lament and even complaint. Today faith is supposed to fix everything, and as Brueggemann comments, "I think that serious use of the lament psalms has been minimal because we have believed that faith should not acknowledge negativity." But life goes wrong in all kinds of ways - we would all love God to change certain things in our lives - and sometimes life seems to go wrong in every way. Such is David's life in Psalm 38.
He has terrible back pain, ulcers and no energy at all. (v7) Even his friends avoid him and those who wanted to bring him down are now confidently predicting his demise. It seems that everyone hates him for no reason at all, (v19) which Jesus says is prophetic of him (John 15:25) and by extension his disciples. That is painful.
David is so numb he is incapable of taking anything in or speaking. (vv13,14) He realises too he has brought much of this on himself through his sinful folly. (v5)
When we sin and suffer the natural thing is to take ourselves off, lick our own wounds and avoid God and other people. David shows us a better way. He knows hiding is both unfeasible (v9) and and unfruitful. Instead of his sin coming between him and God his sin drives him into the Lord's arms. "I confess my iniquity. I am troubled by my sin." (v18) David knows even when he can only groan he can pray to "my Lord and Saviour" who loves us too much to leave us for long.
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