ETB Psalm 38:1-8,18-22

Session 9: God’s Conviction - p.78

Usually, I create my lesson notes as I study during the week and supplement at the end with the Leader’s Guide information. This week, however, due to vacation and health issues, I am leaning heavily on the Leader’s Guide and supplementing with my own thoughts less. Thanks to Bill for leading the class last week. I will have to remember to ask you to prepare for two weeks next time just in case.

One of the more recent forms of communication is the use of emojis. I do not generally use them as they can be too easily misinterpreted. If you take a look at this page of emojis I printed, I doubt that we would all agree to what each one means. Emotions are personal and arbitrary and art (which is what these graphics are) will evoke different thoughts and emotions for each person, sometimes even different ones in the same person at different times. Depending on the computer or phone you use, the graphics are different which can lead to additional complications in accurate communication.

Ask: When have you sent a message or said something that was misunderstood by someone? How did you fix that situation?

State: Sometimes we send a message or take an action that hurts others. Sometimes we’re on the other end of a hurtful message or action. Hurtful actions and words often lead to broken relationships.

Ask: How difficult is it for you to ask someone for forgiveness? Does it make a difference if you know that the one you wronged loves you unconditionally?

My hope for us is that through studying this penitential Psalm we will become more aware of the importance of confession and repentance, as well as remembering that God’s love never fails—even when we do. 

Understand the Context

By placing psalms into various categories, Bible students can better understand a particular psalm’s purpose. Psalm 38 is an example of a penitential psalm because it expresses the writer’s genuine repentance and sincere sorrow over sinful behavior. 

Psalm 37 played a role in establishing this context for Psalm 38. It’s a psalm about trusting the Lord during the long days of difficulty. In Psalm 38, David wrote about the difficulty he faced as he struggled with a serious setback. He remembered his sinful behavior, and he confessed it to the Lord.

As he suffered, his friends turned their backs on him, as did his neighbors. At the same time, his enemies made their plans to take advantage of his weakened condition. In the face of such a threatening situation, he found himself unable to hear what they were plotting. Consequently, he didn’t know what to say in response.

Fortunately, he did not blame the Lord for his predicament. Instead, he made a wise decision to turn to God for help. As he prayed, he asked for protection against the efforts of his enemies who rejoiced over his suffering (38:11-15).  [LifeWay Adults (2025). Explore the Bible: Adult Leader Guide, Summer 2025]

The writers of our materials state multiple times that the illness David describes was a literal physical illness, but without any proof or other documentation it is difficult for me to be so dogmatic. Much of the Psalm has metaphoric language when referring to actions that God had done to David, so I am more comfortable with that figurative imagery also being applied to his own feelings and perceptions. Regardless of whether these were real or perceived ailments they brought about repentance in David’s life. Or another word used is conviction.

In a courtroom, a conviction leads to a sentence. When someone is convicted of a crime, the judge determines the penalty. The greater the crime, the worse the penalty. After the judge determines the penalty, everyone leaves the courtroom, and the convicted criminal goes to jail.

In a relationship with God, conviction has the hope of a completely different outcome. Conviction of sin can lead to repentance and forgiveness, which actually provides freedom from bondage. Just as breathtaking, it can open the door to renewed intimacy with God.  [ETB:ALG Sum'25}

Unlike how the courts in our country are intended to function, it is our relationship with the Judge in God’s court that determines how the sentence will be carried out. Those at odds with God, their “conviction” will lead them to eternal separation from God. Those who believe and trust in Christ, God’s Redeemer, their “conviction” can lead to a renewed relationship and deeper fellowship with God and His people. When we do not confess our sins and agree with God’s ruling, then we may encounter the feelings and situations that David penned in this Psalm.

Explore the Text

Psalm 38:1–4 ESV

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.

O Lord, rebuke

David acknowledged that only God was able to reprimand him for his sins. The psalmist also recognized that if God had fully vented His wrath or anger, then David would not be alive to write the psalm.

David used the revered name for God (Yahweh) to convey the utmost respect and reverence to the One who had the sovereign right and authority to rebuke him for his sins. The wording is parallel poetry aligned with discipline later in the verse. It also suggests being validated or having an argument proven right, especially in a legal setting. David knew that he would come up on the losing end of any courtroom debate with God over his sin. He would be found guilty and face the consequences of his crimes. [ETB:ALG Sum'25]

Your anger . . . your wrath

This phrasing also reflects the poetic parallelism in verse 1. David’s urgent appeal had stemmed from the agony that he endured because of God’s rebuke. He begged God to refrain from letting His anger bring more punishment. Jeremiah made a similar appeal when he asked God to withhold His anger against the residents of Judah (Jer. 10:24). God’s wrath did not result from losing His temper. Instead, it was rooted in His perfect wisdom in disciplining His people as He attempted to lead them back toward Him.  [ETB:ALG Sum'25]

Your arrows . . . your hand

These phrases begin the figurative language that I believe continues throughout the rest of the psalm until the confession of verse 18.

Figurative language helped David describe the painful effect of God’s discipline on him. Comparing God’s discipline to arrows also helped Job as he tried to bear witness to the intense agony that he experienced during his painful physical ordeal (Job 6:4). God’s people on their way to Babylonian exile described their travail using the same word picture (Lam. 3:12-13). Naomi, Ruth’s mother-in-law, shared her sorrow over losing her husband by saying that God had turned His hand against her (Ruth 1:13).  [ETB:ALG Sum'25]

no soundness in my flesh

What is the worst physical sickness you have ever endured?

Physical wounds like the ones that David is alluding to would often kill a person in ancient times. This wound however was more spiritual and required a spiritual cure.

Sin contaminates everything around us but is not contagious. Sin is hereditary but not genetic.

God considers our sin to be a worse infection that anything else we have ever endured. Antibiotics cannot cure it, only God’s forgiveness through the work of Christ and His shed blood on the cross can remove this eternally damning infection.

Ralph Venning was a pastor in London during the Great Plague that ravaged that country in 1665. He considered sin to be even worse than that.

Exalting Jesus in Psalms 1–50 The Discipline of the Lord (Psalm 38)

Sin is worse than affliction, than death, than Devil, than Hell. Affliction is not so afflictive, death is not so deadly, the Devil not so devilish, Hell not so hellish as sin is!… The four evils I have just named are truly terrible, and from all of them everyone is ready to say, Good Lord, deliver us! Yet none of these, nor all of them together, are as bad as sin. (The Plague of Plagues, 177)

iniquities over my head

Using to another word picture, David compared the overwhelming agony of his iniquities to drowning in the rising water of a menacing flood. The Hebrew word (awon) conveys the idea of wickedness for which a person would be held accountable before God. Ezra also spoke of the staggering effect of God’s accountability on a person’s body (Ezra 9:6).  [ETB:ALG Sum'25]

Heavy burden

There are strongman competitions happening throughout the summer. If you watched any of the videos from the competitions or the men training for them, you have seen what overly heavy burdens can do to a person. Torn muscles, failed joints, and even fainting when the lifter refuses to give up. All of these things can correlate to the effects that sin can have on our spirit and can manifest physically if unrepented for too long.

Using another mental image and parallelism to the iniquities in the first part of the verse, David compared his misery to a burden that was too heavy for him to bear. It weighed him down to the point that he could not discard or escape from it. Nehemiah used a similar word to describe the excessive taxes that governors placed on the Jews when they returned to Jerusalem (Neh. 5:15-18).  [ETB:ALG Sum'25]

Ask: How else might God convict us of our sin? What are the benefits of the Holy Spirit’s conviction?

Unlike a legal courtroom conviction which leads to incarceration, God’s conviction leads to freedom, but only when we repent. David expresses what it can become in the next few verses if we allow it to continue to be unresolved.

Psalm 38:5–8 ESV

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.

My wounds

David was speaking metaphorically, but it’s just as likely that he was describing the effects of an actual illness. The putrid smell was the heartbreaking reminder that David’s body would continue to waste away unless he confronted his sin.

Sin is like gravel in our shoe. Even if it seems small, it constantly grates and causes pain. [ETB:ALG Sum'25]

The longer that gravel stays in the shoe and the sin remains unconfessed the worse the pain and damage it causes to the rest of our lives. Unlike the gravel, however, sin will also begin to affect those around us too. Maybe this is part of the “foolishness” David refers to next.

My foolishness

Speculation regarding the exact diagnosis of David’s physical problem serves as a useless distraction from what really mattered. Naming his medical problem does not matter as much as recognizing the need to be honest about our own spiritual condition. Because his misery resulted from sinful behavior, David turned his attention to the sin that caused it. He regarded what he had done as foolishness. [ETB:ALG Sum'25]

He also eventually realized the continue resistance to confess was increasing his pain and accepted God’s label of this rebellion. Part of the “remembrance” intended for this Psalm may have been to prevent future “foolishness” from continuing so long.

[ETB:PSG Sum'25, p. 82] In Mark 7:21-22, Jesus included “foolishness” in a list of several sins which included sexual immoralities, thefts, murders, adulteries, greed, and evil actions. Jesus put foolishness on the same level as these other sins and put it last in His list as an expression that aptly describes all sin. David wisely recognized the foolishness of abandoning the way of faithful obedience to God and allowing sin to reign in his heart. This recognition and confession are essential steps toward reconciliation with God.

In truth, he didn’t need medicine for his body’s recovery nearly as much as he needed a remedy for the pain in his aching soul. What was true for David could be said for all of us as well. We all fall into foolishness at times and need to seek God for a way out. [ETB:ALG Sum'25]

Tumult of my heart

David confessed that he was feeble and crushed. What may have been happening to him physically paled in comparison to what he was enduring spiritually. The awful impact of his sin had sapped his strength and worn him out.

However, the tumult in his heart didn’t arise from any physical condition. It arose from the spiritual sickness that existed in his heart. Along with any possible longing for his body to be healed, he definitely yearned even more for the recovery of his spiritual health. [ETB:ALG Sum'25]

Ask: Why might people underestimate or dismiss the consequences of sin?

Transition: David understood that his condition was the result of his disobedience. He also recognized the path back to God.

These last verses are David’s prayer of confession and supplication. They have a pattern we can use in our prayers as well.

Psalm 38:18–22 ESV

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!

I confess

David knew that something had to be done about his sin, but he had no way of taking it away himself. So, he opened his heart to God. According to Proverbs 28:13, hiding sin is never productive, but confessing sin leads to God’s mercy. David’s prayer reflected the only productive decision for anyone sorry for their sin.  [ETB:PSG Sum'25]

God will not forgive what we do not acknowledge and agree with Him that is wrong. We must call sin by the name God gives it, trying to “soften” the image does not change God’s view of it, only ours.

David knew the Lord and trusted in Him. Therefore, he knew that instead of excusing his sin, ignoring his sin, or living in continued anxiety because of it, what he needed to do was confess his sin to God, trusting that the Lord would be faithful to forgive him.

1 John 1:9 “9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

My foes

Whether these foes were kingdom enemies, personal rivals, or spiritual demons did not matter. David’s sin had consequences on those around him in the form of his enemies taking advantage of the king’s distress.

The Open Bible Psalm 38

Sin weakens our character, willpower, and resolve for constructive action.

These all lead to others we care for and that surround us also being affected by our sin. David also acknowledged that as he grew weaker because of the sin his enemies were becoming “vigorous and mighty.”

CSB Study Bible: Notes Psalm 38

Once the confession took place, the problem of the enemies still existed. In fact, it probably was more intense since the psalmist was now pursuing good, and his enemies were repaying evil for good. The big difference is that God would no longer be against him as well. Instead, the psalmist could legitimately ask for the Lord not to abandon him; he could ask for his help and be confident that God would respond.

In verse 21-22 the psalmist pleads to the only one that can cure his sin sickness. His intimacy with God comes through as he pens God’s name with different words.

Lord

First, he called out to the Lord (Yahweh), God’s most sacred name. The name served to remind God’s people that He had no beginning and no end and that He brought everything in the universe into being. This name also assured them that He would never forsake them (Deut. 31:6). For David, God’s presence in his life mattered more than any restoration of his health. 

My God

The second name for God David used comes from the Hebrew word Elohim. This title can be traced all the way back to creation (Gen. 1:1ff). It also was used in the conversation between God and Moses at the burning bush (Ex. 3:1-15). That name emphasized the greatness of God and the power He exerted on behalf of His people. Such a precious name rendered honor to God for everything He had done. Accordingly, David used it to beg God to be not far from him. 

O Lord

The third name for God (adonay) highlights the majesty and sovereign authority of the Lord. This title is distinct from the small caps translation that renders Yahweh, but it was just as meaningful, as David cried out for help.

David pleads to his Sacred, Creative, and Sovereign God to redeem, remake, and restore him into God’s favor through forgiveness of his sin. Today we do much the same when we plead the blood of Christ for forgiveness.

Ask: What obstacles might keep us from confessing our sins to God?

Apply the Text

One of my commentaries had a sad but truthful insight.

The NIV Application Commentary on the Bible Psalm 38:1–22

Often Christian leaders enmeshed in moral failures feel unable to confess their sin or to seek help. Some even choose suicide rather than confession. Our psalm helps us to see that acknowledging sin is the only way out of this trap of fear and destruction.

When the enemy can bring down a leader this way, it creates the doubt he can use to further negate God’s truths in the lives of those they influenced. As believers we must go back to God’s Word and its Truth whenever the men and women we respect waiver in their faith.

Pray: Holy Spirit, please convict us of our sin. Help us to correctly identify and acknowledge it as the sin You are revealing to us that we may turn from it and back toward You and Your Word. Lord, use our emotions and bodies to guide us toward Your identification of the sin that may be causing things like guilt and sorrow. God once we recognize Your convicting influence, help us to immediately confess and seek Your forgiveness.

Psalm 51:12 “12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit.”

Psalm 19:13–14 “13 Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me! Then I shall be blameless, and innocent of great transgression. 14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.”