Read Exodus 35, Ecclesiastes 11, and Psalms 36-38.
This devotional is about Psalm 38.
Have you ever been caught sinning? Have you ever had your guilt before the Lord and others exposed for many to see?
It hurts when that happens to a believer. That seems to be the theme here in Psalm 38. David opened in verse 1 by pleading with God not to rebuke and discipline him in divine anger. But God had already begun that discipline, because David described the misery of it in physical terms, as if he were ill. In verse 3 he wrote, “Because of your wrath there is no health in my body; there is no soundness in my bones because of my sin.” Indeed, much of this song is given to agonizing descriptions of the physical pain his guilt (v. 4a) has caused. It felt like being pierced by an arrow (v. 2a), like open festering wounds (v. 5a), like being bent over by a heavy backpack (vv. 4b, 6). From back pain (v. 7a) to heart problems (v. 8b, 10a), whatever sin David described here has him feeling disabled physically. It also made him feel isolated (v. 11) and exposed emotionally (vv. 9-10, 16).
The only way to recover from all this is to repent and wait for God’s salvation. Verse 18 says, “I confess my iniquity; I am troubled by my sin” and verse 22 says, “Come quickly to help me, my Lord and my Savior.”
If you are hiding sin, don’t wait for it to be exposed. Come to the Lord with confession and ask for his help and rescue (v. 22). If you don’t belong to the Lord as a Christian, understand that Jesus died to pay the penalty for your sins. If you turn to him in faith, he will save you.