Psalms 38
KingCommentsPsalms 38:1
Introduction
Psalms 6 is a penitence psalm, the first of the seven penitence psalms found in Psalms (Psalms 6; 32; 38; 51; 102; 130; 143). This psalm describes the exercises of soul brought about by the afflictions in Psalms 3-5. With that now comes the awareness that the distress not only comes from the enemy, but from the LORD Himself. And that brings the psalmist, David, to penitence. That is why this penitence psalm is sung in a low, somber voice. It can be compared to what Joseph works with his brothers by his way of dealing with them (Genesis 42-44).
David’s deep soul stirrings and struggles here, however, are not the result of a distress caused by sinners around him who are seeking his life. It is a distress that stems from the awareness that, seen in God’s light, he himself is a sinner. This need presses so heavily upon him that he feels as if he is about to collapse. He experiences his need physically, in his bones, and in his soul, through the awareness of who he is toward the LORD. Added to that is the scorn of the adversaries.
These are two sides of the same matter. One side is that the faithful believers live in the midst of the apostates. They live in those circumstances to the glory of God and know that He is on their side. That evokes enmity and persecution from the haters of God. In that awareness, they bring their enemies, who so oppress them, before God. God hates those workers of iniquity and so they ask that He overthrows them. They point out to God the violence and mendacity of their persecutors and wish Him to judge them. This is what David, and in the end time the faithful remnant of Israel, speaks to God about in Psalms 5 (Psalms 5:5-6; 10).
The other side is the inner distress that the faithful believer has, which is the result of the awareness of his own sinful nature. We see that here in Psalms 6, where David is speaking of himself. At the same time, we also hear here prophetically the faithful remnant of Israel in the future. A faithful believer knows that in himself he is no better than the haters of God. He himself has been one of them in the past (cf. Titus 3:3). And also as a believer he knows that he will come to sin if he does not keep himself dead to sin and forgets that he depends on grace.
We see both sides in Isaiah, for example. In Isaiah 5, Isaiah speaks six times “woe” over various sins of God’s people (Isaiah 5:8; 11; 18; 20; 21; 22). In Isaiah 6, Isaiah speaks the “woe” for the seventh time, but this time over himself. This happens when he comes face to face with the glory of the LORD (Isaiah 6:1-5).
The two types of distress result in different perceptions of one’s relationship to God. For the distress caused by the surrounding enemies, David seeks and experiences support from God. For the inner distress, the distress of his conscience, which is caused by the awareness of sins, he experiences God’s anger. He also goes to God with the need because of his sins, however, not to seek support and protection, but to acknowledge his guilt and to beg for mercy. Sin that is acknowledged does not drive away from God, but drives toward Him, for only with Him is forgiveness.
Psalms 6 gives the deep experience of a believer who is aware of what he is in himself. God wants His own – and that goes for the New Testament believer as much as for the Old Testament believer! – to be deeply aware of this. The deeper someone becomes aware of this, the more thankful he will be for his forgiveness. As a result, love for and dedication to God and the Lord Jesus will increase. At the same time, the testimony of forgiveness will gain tremendous power, regardless of the reaction of the environment to it. This is not about God’s work for us, but in us.
Prayer for Grace and Healing
For “for the choir director” (Psalms 6:1a) see at Psalms 4:1.
For “with stringed instruments” see at Psalms 4:1.
Here it is added that it is sung accompanied by “an eight-string lyre”. This addition occurs in Psalms only here and in the heading of Psalm 12 (Psalms 12:1a). The word “eight” is used in music to indicate playing an octave lower and has also been translated ‘octave harps’ (1 Chronicles 15:21, footnote by ‘lyre’).
We can compare this to the low bass voice in a polyphonic song. The bass voice matches well with this melancholic song. In this psalm we hear the deep, low voice of someone who is struggling inwardly because of his own sinfulness. He feels God’s powerful hand on him (1 Peter 5:6).
For “a Psalm of David” see at Psalms 3:1
The distress expressed in this psalm applies not only to David’s experience but also to that of the remnant in the end time. The tribulation of the remnant will be severe. As mentioned, this is not only because of the enemies around them, but also because their conscience tells them that they are oppressed by God because of their sins. That is why David speaks about it – and so will the faithful remnant of Israel in the end time – that the LORD, the God of the covenant, rebukes him (Psalms 6:1b). However, this does not alienate and drive him away from God, but rather he clings to Him as a result.
David does not deny that he deserves to be rebuked and to be chastened. He is not asking whether God will not rebuke and not chasten him, but that God will not do it in His anger and in His wrath. If God poured out His full anger and wrath on him, nothing would be left of him (cf. Jeremiah 10:24). He is deeply impressed by the holiness and righteousness of God and acknowledges that he cannot stand before Him if He “should mark iniquities” (Psalms 130:3).
All David can do is beg God to be gracious to him (Psalms 6:2). There is no right to which he could appeal. By virtue of the covenant, God should rebuke him, yet he asks for mercy. He is totally weakened and on the verge of death. He is sick and there is no strength in his bones to move, let alone walk. His body is decrepit and powerless. He begs God for mercy and healing. Everything must come from Him. From Him the chastening has come. Only He can also take it away (Psalms 39:10). Therefore, in his hopeless situation, he has placed his hope in Him.
Not only is his body affected by the discipline, but his soul also suffers greatly (Psalms 6:3). A person can sometimes endure much physical suffering, but when the soul succumbs, the strength to endure the suffering is gone. David realizes that he has no power to save himself from misery and that he has no right that God would save him. He is without strength and without right.
All that remains is to keep looking forward to God’s salvation in spite of everything. We hear this in the second line of Psa 6:3. Through the despair we hear that he expects his distress of conscience to come to an end. Only, how long will it take? He puts that question to Him Who alone can give the answer.
Psalms 38:2
Introduction
Psalms 6 is a penitence psalm, the first of the seven penitence psalms found in Psalms (Psalms 6; 32; 38; 51; 102; 130; 143). This psalm describes the exercises of soul brought about by the afflictions in Psalms 3-5. With that now comes the awareness that the distress not only comes from the enemy, but from the LORD Himself. And that brings the psalmist, David, to penitence. That is why this penitence psalm is sung in a low, somber voice. It can be compared to what Joseph works with his brothers by his way of dealing with them (Genesis 42-44).
David’s deep soul stirrings and struggles here, however, are not the result of a distress caused by sinners around him who are seeking his life. It is a distress that stems from the awareness that, seen in God’s light, he himself is a sinner. This need presses so heavily upon him that he feels as if he is about to collapse. He experiences his need physically, in his bones, and in his soul, through the awareness of who he is toward the LORD. Added to that is the scorn of the adversaries.
These are two sides of the same matter. One side is that the faithful believers live in the midst of the apostates. They live in those circumstances to the glory of God and know that He is on their side. That evokes enmity and persecution from the haters of God. In that awareness, they bring their enemies, who so oppress them, before God. God hates those workers of iniquity and so they ask that He overthrows them. They point out to God the violence and mendacity of their persecutors and wish Him to judge them. This is what David, and in the end time the faithful remnant of Israel, speaks to God about in Psalms 5 (Psalms 5:5-6; 10).
The other side is the inner distress that the faithful believer has, which is the result of the awareness of his own sinful nature. We see that here in Psalms 6, where David is speaking of himself. At the same time, we also hear here prophetically the faithful remnant of Israel in the future. A faithful believer knows that in himself he is no better than the haters of God. He himself has been one of them in the past (cf. Titus 3:3). And also as a believer he knows that he will come to sin if he does not keep himself dead to sin and forgets that he depends on grace.
We see both sides in Isaiah, for example. In Isaiah 5, Isaiah speaks six times “woe” over various sins of God’s people (Isaiah 5:8; 11; 18; 20; 21; 22). In Isaiah 6, Isaiah speaks the “woe” for the seventh time, but this time over himself. This happens when he comes face to face with the glory of the LORD (Isaiah 6:1-5).
The two types of distress result in different perceptions of one’s relationship to God. For the distress caused by the surrounding enemies, David seeks and experiences support from God. For the inner distress, the distress of his conscience, which is caused by the awareness of sins, he experiences God’s anger. He also goes to God with the need because of his sins, however, not to seek support and protection, but to acknowledge his guilt and to beg for mercy. Sin that is acknowledged does not drive away from God, but drives toward Him, for only with Him is forgiveness.
Psalms 6 gives the deep experience of a believer who is aware of what he is in himself. God wants His own – and that goes for the New Testament believer as much as for the Old Testament believer! – to be deeply aware of this. The deeper someone becomes aware of this, the more thankful he will be for his forgiveness. As a result, love for and dedication to God and the Lord Jesus will increase. At the same time, the testimony of forgiveness will gain tremendous power, regardless of the reaction of the environment to it. This is not about God’s work for us, but in us.
Prayer for Grace and Healing
For “for the choir director” (Psalms 6:1a) see at Psalms 4:1.
For “with stringed instruments” see at Psalms 4:1.
Here it is added that it is sung accompanied by “an eight-string lyre”. This addition occurs in Psalms only here and in the heading of Psalm 12 (Psalms 12:1a). The word “eight” is used in music to indicate playing an octave lower and has also been translated ‘octave harps’ (1 Chronicles 15:21, footnote by ‘lyre’).
We can compare this to the low bass voice in a polyphonic song. The bass voice matches well with this melancholic song. In this psalm we hear the deep, low voice of someone who is struggling inwardly because of his own sinfulness. He feels God’s powerful hand on him (1 Peter 5:6).
For “a Psalm of David” see at Psalms 3:1
The distress expressed in this psalm applies not only to David’s experience but also to that of the remnant in the end time. The tribulation of the remnant will be severe. As mentioned, this is not only because of the enemies around them, but also because their conscience tells them that they are oppressed by God because of their sins. That is why David speaks about it – and so will the faithful remnant of Israel in the end time – that the LORD, the God of the covenant, rebukes him (Psalms 6:1b). However, this does not alienate and drive him away from God, but rather he clings to Him as a result.
David does not deny that he deserves to be rebuked and to be chastened. He is not asking whether God will not rebuke and not chasten him, but that God will not do it in His anger and in His wrath. If God poured out His full anger and wrath on him, nothing would be left of him (cf. Jeremiah 10:24). He is deeply impressed by the holiness and righteousness of God and acknowledges that he cannot stand before Him if He “should mark iniquities” (Psalms 130:3).
All David can do is beg God to be gracious to him (Psalms 6:2). There is no right to which he could appeal. By virtue of the covenant, God should rebuke him, yet he asks for mercy. He is totally weakened and on the verge of death. He is sick and there is no strength in his bones to move, let alone walk. His body is decrepit and powerless. He begs God for mercy and healing. Everything must come from Him. From Him the chastening has come. Only He can also take it away (Psalms 39:10). Therefore, in his hopeless situation, he has placed his hope in Him.
Not only is his body affected by the discipline, but his soul also suffers greatly (Psalms 6:3). A person can sometimes endure much physical suffering, but when the soul succumbs, the strength to endure the suffering is gone. David realizes that he has no power to save himself from misery and that he has no right that God would save him. He is without strength and without right.
All that remains is to keep looking forward to God’s salvation in spite of everything. We hear this in the second line of Psa 6:3. Through the despair we hear that he expects his distress of conscience to come to an end. Only, how long will it take? He puts that question to Him Who alone can give the answer.
Psalms 38:3
Introduction
Psalms 6 is a penitence psalm, the first of the seven penitence psalms found in Psalms (Psalms 6; 32; 38; 51; 102; 130; 143). This psalm describes the exercises of soul brought about by the afflictions in Psalms 3-5. With that now comes the awareness that the distress not only comes from the enemy, but from the LORD Himself. And that brings the psalmist, David, to penitence. That is why this penitence psalm is sung in a low, somber voice. It can be compared to what Joseph works with his brothers by his way of dealing with them (Genesis 42-44).
David’s deep soul stirrings and struggles here, however, are not the result of a distress caused by sinners around him who are seeking his life. It is a distress that stems from the awareness that, seen in God’s light, he himself is a sinner. This need presses so heavily upon him that he feels as if he is about to collapse. He experiences his need physically, in his bones, and in his soul, through the awareness of who he is toward the LORD. Added to that is the scorn of the adversaries.
These are two sides of the same matter. One side is that the faithful believers live in the midst of the apostates. They live in those circumstances to the glory of God and know that He is on their side. That evokes enmity and persecution from the haters of God. In that awareness, they bring their enemies, who so oppress them, before God. God hates those workers of iniquity and so they ask that He overthrows them. They point out to God the violence and mendacity of their persecutors and wish Him to judge them. This is what David, and in the end time the faithful remnant of Israel, speaks to God about in Psalms 5 (Psalms 5:5-6; 10).
The other side is the inner distress that the faithful believer has, which is the result of the awareness of his own sinful nature. We see that here in Psalms 6, where David is speaking of himself. At the same time, we also hear here prophetically the faithful remnant of Israel in the future. A faithful believer knows that in himself he is no better than the haters of God. He himself has been one of them in the past (cf. Titus 3:3). And also as a believer he knows that he will come to sin if he does not keep himself dead to sin and forgets that he depends on grace.
We see both sides in Isaiah, for example. In Isaiah 5, Isaiah speaks six times “woe” over various sins of God’s people (Isaiah 5:8; 11; 18; 20; 21; 22). In Isaiah 6, Isaiah speaks the “woe” for the seventh time, but this time over himself. This happens when he comes face to face with the glory of the LORD (Isaiah 6:1-5).
The two types of distress result in different perceptions of one’s relationship to God. For the distress caused by the surrounding enemies, David seeks and experiences support from God. For the inner distress, the distress of his conscience, which is caused by the awareness of sins, he experiences God’s anger. He also goes to God with the need because of his sins, however, not to seek support and protection, but to acknowledge his guilt and to beg for mercy. Sin that is acknowledged does not drive away from God, but drives toward Him, for only with Him is forgiveness.
Psalms 6 gives the deep experience of a believer who is aware of what he is in himself. God wants His own – and that goes for the New Testament believer as much as for the Old Testament believer! – to be deeply aware of this. The deeper someone becomes aware of this, the more thankful he will be for his forgiveness. As a result, love for and dedication to God and the Lord Jesus will increase. At the same time, the testimony of forgiveness will gain tremendous power, regardless of the reaction of the environment to it. This is not about God’s work for us, but in us.
Prayer for Grace and Healing
For “for the choir director” (Psalms 6:1a) see at Psalms 4:1.
For “with stringed instruments” see at Psalms 4:1.
Here it is added that it is sung accompanied by “an eight-string lyre”. This addition occurs in Psalms only here and in the heading of Psalm 12 (Psalms 12:1a). The word “eight” is used in music to indicate playing an octave lower and has also been translated ‘octave harps’ (1 Chronicles 15:21, footnote by ‘lyre’).
We can compare this to the low bass voice in a polyphonic song. The bass voice matches well with this melancholic song. In this psalm we hear the deep, low voice of someone who is struggling inwardly because of his own sinfulness. He feels God’s powerful hand on him (1 Peter 5:6).
For “a Psalm of David” see at Psalms 3:1
The distress expressed in this psalm applies not only to David’s experience but also to that of the remnant in the end time. The tribulation of the remnant will be severe. As mentioned, this is not only because of the enemies around them, but also because their conscience tells them that they are oppressed by God because of their sins. That is why David speaks about it – and so will the faithful remnant of Israel in the end time – that the LORD, the God of the covenant, rebukes him (Psalms 6:1b). However, this does not alienate and drive him away from God, but rather he clings to Him as a result.
David does not deny that he deserves to be rebuked and to be chastened. He is not asking whether God will not rebuke and not chasten him, but that God will not do it in His anger and in His wrath. If God poured out His full anger and wrath on him, nothing would be left of him (cf. Jeremiah 10:24). He is deeply impressed by the holiness and righteousness of God and acknowledges that he cannot stand before Him if He “should mark iniquities” (Psalms 130:3).
All David can do is beg God to be gracious to him (Psalms 6:2). There is no right to which he could appeal. By virtue of the covenant, God should rebuke him, yet he asks for mercy. He is totally weakened and on the verge of death. He is sick and there is no strength in his bones to move, let alone walk. His body is decrepit and powerless. He begs God for mercy and healing. Everything must come from Him. From Him the chastening has come. Only He can also take it away (Psalms 39:10). Therefore, in his hopeless situation, he has placed his hope in Him.
Not only is his body affected by the discipline, but his soul also suffers greatly (Psalms 6:3). A person can sometimes endure much physical suffering, but when the soul succumbs, the strength to endure the suffering is gone. David realizes that he has no power to save himself from misery and that he has no right that God would save him. He is without strength and without right.
All that remains is to keep looking forward to God’s salvation in spite of everything. We hear this in the second line of Psa 6:3. Through the despair we hear that he expects his distress of conscience to come to an end. Only, how long will it take? He puts that question to Him Who alone can give the answer.
Psalms 38:4
The Call to the LORD to Return
He calls on the LORD to return to him, to no longer turn away from him (Psalms 6:4). He longs for the rescue of his soul, for he is greatly dismayed, as he has just said in Psalms 6:3. There is nothing in himself that he could refer to as a ground for his rescue. When the LORD rescues and saves him, the only ground for that is His “lovingkindness”. The word “lovingkindness” is again the translation of the Hebrew word Adonai, which means that God is righteous and is faithful to His covenant for that very reason. That is why David appeals to it. His rescue and salvation will be a testimony of God’s goodness. For that He will be glorified.
The latter will not happen if He does not rescue and save him, but allows him to perish (Psalms 6:5). When David dies, there is no testimony of God’s lovingkindness, no remembrance of Him and no thanksgiving to Him (Psalms 30:9; Isaiah 38:18). In death and in Sheol, deathly silence reigns (Psalms 115:17). Surely that is not God’s intention with David, is it? Surely He wants Him to be remembered and given thanks, isn’t it (cf. Isaiah 38:19-20)?
We see here the Old Testament believer’s limited knowledge of the state of the hereafter. Through the full revelation of Christ we know that a believer who dies is with the Lord Jesus in paradise (Luke 23:43). He is at home with the Lord (2 Corinthians 5:8) and enjoys His presence (Philippians 1:23). Man is fully aware of his situation after death (Luke 16:25). It is a conscious state. The teaching of so-called “soul sleep” is contrary to what Scripture teaches.
David is weary of his sighing, of his inner struggle (Psalms 6:6). He cannot sleep, for he can only cry, all night long. His sorrow is deep. His bed and his resting place, places where he should rest, are soaking wet with his tears. In Psalms 3, he can sleep peacefully while surrounded by numerous enemies (Psalms 3:5-6). Now that his conscience torments him because of his sins, he struggles and does not come to rest.
His “eye has wasted away with grief” (cf. Job 17:7) and “become old” because of all his adversaries (Psalms 6:7). His eyes, because of his deep sorrow, no longer have the sharp sight on God (cf. Psalms 38:10b). He grieves over his sins. He has become old in his gaze because of the opponents who painfully remind him of his sins. His conscience is overwhelmed by this. He has come to an end with himself. This is at the same time the turning point, as the last verses of this psalm show.
Psalms 38:5
The Call to the LORD to Return
He calls on the LORD to return to him, to no longer turn away from him (Psalms 6:4). He longs for the rescue of his soul, for he is greatly dismayed, as he has just said in Psalms 6:3. There is nothing in himself that he could refer to as a ground for his rescue. When the LORD rescues and saves him, the only ground for that is His “lovingkindness”. The word “lovingkindness” is again the translation of the Hebrew word Adonai, which means that God is righteous and is faithful to His covenant for that very reason. That is why David appeals to it. His rescue and salvation will be a testimony of God’s goodness. For that He will be glorified.
The latter will not happen if He does not rescue and save him, but allows him to perish (Psalms 6:5). When David dies, there is no testimony of God’s lovingkindness, no remembrance of Him and no thanksgiving to Him (Psalms 30:9; Isaiah 38:18). In death and in Sheol, deathly silence reigns (Psalms 115:17). Surely that is not God’s intention with David, is it? Surely He wants Him to be remembered and given thanks, isn’t it (cf. Isaiah 38:19-20)?
We see here the Old Testament believer’s limited knowledge of the state of the hereafter. Through the full revelation of Christ we know that a believer who dies is with the Lord Jesus in paradise (Luke 23:43). He is at home with the Lord (2 Corinthians 5:8) and enjoys His presence (Philippians 1:23). Man is fully aware of his situation after death (Luke 16:25). It is a conscious state. The teaching of so-called “soul sleep” is contrary to what Scripture teaches.
David is weary of his sighing, of his inner struggle (Psalms 6:6). He cannot sleep, for he can only cry, all night long. His sorrow is deep. His bed and his resting place, places where he should rest, are soaking wet with his tears. In Psalms 3, he can sleep peacefully while surrounded by numerous enemies (Psalms 3:5-6). Now that his conscience torments him because of his sins, he struggles and does not come to rest.
His “eye has wasted away with grief” (cf. Job 17:7) and “become old” because of all his adversaries (Psalms 6:7). His eyes, because of his deep sorrow, no longer have the sharp sight on God (cf. Psalms 38:10b). He grieves over his sins. He has become old in his gaze because of the opponents who painfully remind him of his sins. His conscience is overwhelmed by this. He has come to an end with himself. This is at the same time the turning point, as the last verses of this psalm show.
Psalms 38:6
The Call to the LORD to Return
He calls on the LORD to return to him, to no longer turn away from him (Psalms 6:4). He longs for the rescue of his soul, for he is greatly dismayed, as he has just said in Psalms 6:3. There is nothing in himself that he could refer to as a ground for his rescue. When the LORD rescues and saves him, the only ground for that is His “lovingkindness”. The word “lovingkindness” is again the translation of the Hebrew word Adonai, which means that God is righteous and is faithful to His covenant for that very reason. That is why David appeals to it. His rescue and salvation will be a testimony of God’s goodness. For that He will be glorified.
The latter will not happen if He does not rescue and save him, but allows him to perish (Psalms 6:5). When David dies, there is no testimony of God’s lovingkindness, no remembrance of Him and no thanksgiving to Him (Psalms 30:9; Isaiah 38:18). In death and in Sheol, deathly silence reigns (Psalms 115:17). Surely that is not God’s intention with David, is it? Surely He wants Him to be remembered and given thanks, isn’t it (cf. Isaiah 38:19-20)?
We see here the Old Testament believer’s limited knowledge of the state of the hereafter. Through the full revelation of Christ we know that a believer who dies is with the Lord Jesus in paradise (Luke 23:43). He is at home with the Lord (2 Corinthians 5:8) and enjoys His presence (Philippians 1:23). Man is fully aware of his situation after death (Luke 16:25). It is a conscious state. The teaching of so-called “soul sleep” is contrary to what Scripture teaches.
David is weary of his sighing, of his inner struggle (Psalms 6:6). He cannot sleep, for he can only cry, all night long. His sorrow is deep. His bed and his resting place, places where he should rest, are soaking wet with his tears. In Psalms 3, he can sleep peacefully while surrounded by numerous enemies (Psalms 3:5-6). Now that his conscience torments him because of his sins, he struggles and does not come to rest.
His “eye has wasted away with grief” (cf. Job 17:7) and “become old” because of all his adversaries (Psalms 6:7). His eyes, because of his deep sorrow, no longer have the sharp sight on God (cf. Psalms 38:10b). He grieves over his sins. He has become old in his gaze because of the opponents who painfully remind him of his sins. His conscience is overwhelmed by this. He has come to an end with himself. This is at the same time the turning point, as the last verses of this psalm show.
Psalms 38:7
The Call to the LORD to Return
He calls on the LORD to return to him, to no longer turn away from him (Psalms 6:4). He longs for the rescue of his soul, for he is greatly dismayed, as he has just said in Psalms 6:3. There is nothing in himself that he could refer to as a ground for his rescue. When the LORD rescues and saves him, the only ground for that is His “lovingkindness”. The word “lovingkindness” is again the translation of the Hebrew word Adonai, which means that God is righteous and is faithful to His covenant for that very reason. That is why David appeals to it. His rescue and salvation will be a testimony of God’s goodness. For that He will be glorified.
The latter will not happen if He does not rescue and save him, but allows him to perish (Psalms 6:5). When David dies, there is no testimony of God’s lovingkindness, no remembrance of Him and no thanksgiving to Him (Psalms 30:9; Isaiah 38:18). In death and in Sheol, deathly silence reigns (Psalms 115:17). Surely that is not God’s intention with David, is it? Surely He wants Him to be remembered and given thanks, isn’t it (cf. Isaiah 38:19-20)?
We see here the Old Testament believer’s limited knowledge of the state of the hereafter. Through the full revelation of Christ we know that a believer who dies is with the Lord Jesus in paradise (Luke 23:43). He is at home with the Lord (2 Corinthians 5:8) and enjoys His presence (Philippians 1:23). Man is fully aware of his situation after death (Luke 16:25). It is a conscious state. The teaching of so-called “soul sleep” is contrary to what Scripture teaches.
David is weary of his sighing, of his inner struggle (Psalms 6:6). He cannot sleep, for he can only cry, all night long. His sorrow is deep. His bed and his resting place, places where he should rest, are soaking wet with his tears. In Psalms 3, he can sleep peacefully while surrounded by numerous enemies (Psalms 3:5-6). Now that his conscience torments him because of his sins, he struggles and does not come to rest.
His “eye has wasted away with grief” (cf. Job 17:7) and “become old” because of all his adversaries (Psalms 6:7). His eyes, because of his deep sorrow, no longer have the sharp sight on God (cf. Psalms 38:10b). He grieves over his sins. He has become old in his gaze because of the opponents who painfully remind him of his sins. His conscience is overwhelmed by this. He has come to an end with himself. This is at the same time the turning point, as the last verses of this psalm show.
Psalms 38:8
David Regained His Confidence
David is convinced that the LORD – three times he mentions His Name in Psalms 6:8-9 – has answered his prayer of Psa 6:4. From this faith he speaks to his opponents. By grace, the LORD has heard David’s “the voice of … weeping” (Psalms 6:8b) and received his prayer (Psalms 6:9b). Now He is going to intervene (Psalms 6:10).
After his profound confession in the previous verses, David speaks in Psalms 6:8 to “all you who do iniquity”. These are the people God has used to discipline him. When God has accomplished His purpose with His discipline, He can tell them to leave him alone. David is not saying this in a superior manner, but in the awareness that “the LORD has heard the voice of” his “weeping”.
It can be compared to the boldness with which Peter says to the men of Israel that they have denied Christ, even though he himself had previously done so. Peter, however, wept bitter tears of repentance over it. He has received forgiveness on the basis of his confession (1 John 1:9). As a result, he can say this without hesitation and without posturing. This is also true of the believing remnant of Israel. After they have repented and separated themselves from the sins of the people, they have boldness to point out to the people their sins.
We can and should point out to people their sins, even if they are sins we have done ourselves. We point out people’s sins not because we are better, but because they can be confessed and forgiven, just as we have confessed them and they have been forgiven us (cf. Titus 3:3-6).
In Psalms 6:9, David turns to himself. He knows that the LORD has heard his “supplication”. He has begged for mercy and healing (Psalms 6:2). Supplication is intense and sincere prayer from a sorrow that can only be taken away by God. Those who go to God in this way can confidently say: “The LORD receives my prayer.”
The effects of David’s confidence in the answer to his prayer and the LORD’s forgiveness are also seen in the reaction of the enemies (Psalms 6:10). They will be ashamed. They thought God was against David, but He turns out to be for him. As a result, they will be greatly dismayed. Instead of attacking him again they recoil. They no longer have to deal with David, but with the great and awesome God Who is not against David, but for him. In a moment their enmity changes to shame.
This will happen to all the enemies who will attack God’s people in the future. They will be used to judge the apostate people and purge the faithful remnant. When God has accomplished His purpose with His people through that discipline, all hostile nations will be ashamed, for they will see that God is not against, but for His people.
Even in the lives of believers, it can seem that God is against them. Their enemies mock them. But there will come a time when the roles will be reversed. Then the persecutors will be ashamed and the persecuted will rejoice. The oppressors will be oppressed, while the oppressed will have rest (2 Thessalonians 1:6-7).
Psalms 38:9
David Regained His Confidence
David is convinced that the LORD – three times he mentions His Name in Psalms 6:8-9 – has answered his prayer of Psa 6:4. From this faith he speaks to his opponents. By grace, the LORD has heard David’s “the voice of … weeping” (Psalms 6:8b) and received his prayer (Psalms 6:9b). Now He is going to intervene (Psalms 6:10).
After his profound confession in the previous verses, David speaks in Psalms 6:8 to “all you who do iniquity”. These are the people God has used to discipline him. When God has accomplished His purpose with His discipline, He can tell them to leave him alone. David is not saying this in a superior manner, but in the awareness that “the LORD has heard the voice of” his “weeping”.
It can be compared to the boldness with which Peter says to the men of Israel that they have denied Christ, even though he himself had previously done so. Peter, however, wept bitter tears of repentance over it. He has received forgiveness on the basis of his confession (1 John 1:9). As a result, he can say this without hesitation and without posturing. This is also true of the believing remnant of Israel. After they have repented and separated themselves from the sins of the people, they have boldness to point out to the people their sins.
We can and should point out to people their sins, even if they are sins we have done ourselves. We point out people’s sins not because we are better, but because they can be confessed and forgiven, just as we have confessed them and they have been forgiven us (cf. Titus 3:3-6).
In Psalms 6:9, David turns to himself. He knows that the LORD has heard his “supplication”. He has begged for mercy and healing (Psalms 6:2). Supplication is intense and sincere prayer from a sorrow that can only be taken away by God. Those who go to God in this way can confidently say: “The LORD receives my prayer.”
The effects of David’s confidence in the answer to his prayer and the LORD’s forgiveness are also seen in the reaction of the enemies (Psalms 6:10). They will be ashamed. They thought God was against David, but He turns out to be for him. As a result, they will be greatly dismayed. Instead of attacking him again they recoil. They no longer have to deal with David, but with the great and awesome God Who is not against David, but for him. In a moment their enmity changes to shame.
This will happen to all the enemies who will attack God’s people in the future. They will be used to judge the apostate people and purge the faithful remnant. When God has accomplished His purpose with His people through that discipline, all hostile nations will be ashamed, for they will see that God is not against, but for His people.
Even in the lives of believers, it can seem that God is against them. Their enemies mock them. But there will come a time when the roles will be reversed. Then the persecutors will be ashamed and the persecuted will rejoice. The oppressors will be oppressed, while the oppressed will have rest (2 Thessalonians 1:6-7).
Psalms 38:10
David Regained His Confidence
David is convinced that the LORD – three times he mentions His Name in Psalms 6:8-9 – has answered his prayer of Psa 6:4. From this faith he speaks to his opponents. By grace, the LORD has heard David’s “the voice of … weeping” (Psalms 6:8b) and received his prayer (Psalms 6:9b). Now He is going to intervene (Psalms 6:10).
After his profound confession in the previous verses, David speaks in Psalms 6:8 to “all you who do iniquity”. These are the people God has used to discipline him. When God has accomplished His purpose with His discipline, He can tell them to leave him alone. David is not saying this in a superior manner, but in the awareness that “the LORD has heard the voice of” his “weeping”.
It can be compared to the boldness with which Peter says to the men of Israel that they have denied Christ, even though he himself had previously done so. Peter, however, wept bitter tears of repentance over it. He has received forgiveness on the basis of his confession (1 John 1:9). As a result, he can say this without hesitation and without posturing. This is also true of the believing remnant of Israel. After they have repented and separated themselves from the sins of the people, they have boldness to point out to the people their sins.
We can and should point out to people their sins, even if they are sins we have done ourselves. We point out people’s sins not because we are better, but because they can be confessed and forgiven, just as we have confessed them and they have been forgiven us (cf. Titus 3:3-6).
In Psalms 6:9, David turns to himself. He knows that the LORD has heard his “supplication”. He has begged for mercy and healing (Psalms 6:2). Supplication is intense and sincere prayer from a sorrow that can only be taken away by God. Those who go to God in this way can confidently say: “The LORD receives my prayer.”
The effects of David’s confidence in the answer to his prayer and the LORD’s forgiveness are also seen in the reaction of the enemies (Psalms 6:10). They will be ashamed. They thought God was against David, but He turns out to be for him. As a result, they will be greatly dismayed. Instead of attacking him again they recoil. They no longer have to deal with David, but with the great and awesome God Who is not against David, but for him. In a moment their enmity changes to shame.
This will happen to all the enemies who will attack God’s people in the future. They will be used to judge the apostate people and purge the faithful remnant. When God has accomplished His purpose with His people through that discipline, all hostile nations will be ashamed, for they will see that God is not against, but for His people.
Even in the lives of believers, it can seem that God is against them. Their enemies mock them. But there will come a time when the roles will be reversed. Then the persecutors will be ashamed and the persecuted will rejoice. The oppressors will be oppressed, while the oppressed will have rest (2 Thessalonians 1:6-7).
Psalms 38:12
Introduction
In Psalms 7, David, and with him the God-fearing Jew in the end time, when everything is jet black because of the rule of the antichrist, looks forward to God’s judgment on the wicked. He shares in God’s feelings about evil and expects this judgment to come. We, Christians, also expect this judgment. We know that it is righteous and that it is coming.
However, there is a difference. The God-fearing Jew looks forward to the judgment on the wicked because this judgment delivers him from his enemies who oppress him. The Christian or New Testament believer also suffers through wickedness, but endures the suffering. He suffers for and with Christ to subsequently be glorified together with Him afterwards. He does not look forward to Christ’s coming in judgment, but to Christ’s coming to take him up to Himself.
Prayer for God’s Intervention
Psalms 7 is “of David” (Psalms 7:1a). The psalm is called a “Shiggaion”. The word occurs one more time, in Habakkuk, but in the plural, “Shigionoth” (Habakkuk 3:1). Habakkuk speaks of “according to Shigionoth”, from which we can infer that it is a music term. The term seems to indicate a song sung in great excitement, with rapidly changing emotions. This is what we see in this psalm.
Like in the heading of Psalm 3, we find in the heading of this psalm its reason (Psalms 3:1a). David sang this song “to the LORD concerning [or: concerning the words of] Cush, a Benjamite”. Who Cush – means ‘black’ – was, we do not know. Because he is a Benjaminite, it is obvious to connect him with Saul, who is also from the tribe of Benjamin, perhaps a relative, but in any case, a kindred spirit.
Cush’s words, the song reveals, contained gross accusations that deeply affected David. Possibly Cush has slandered David with Saul (1 Samuel 24:10). David in his distress seeks refuge with the LORD and brings the burden of his heart to Him in a song. He expresses his confidence in God’s righteousness (cf. 1 Peter 2:23), enabling him to conclude the psalm with a song of praise to God’s righteousness (Psalms 7:17).
David’s response to the slander of Cush is the only correct one: he takes refuge in Him Whom he calls “LORD my God” (Psalms 7:1b). This God is his refuge and protection. With Him he feels secure. He does this again and again. Never does he knock on the door of God, Who is faithful, in vain, when he is in need.
We may do this too. God brings us into situations that lead us to seek our refuge in Him. What a great blessing it is that we can take refuge in God and that we can tell Him everything that concerns us.
David asks God to save him from all his persecutors and to deliver him. His persecutors want to seize and kill him. Therefore, he asks for salvation from them. Salvation has more do with the circumstances that oppress him and from which he is saved by the judgment of the persecutors. Deliverance refers more at what happens to him when salvation comes: he is rescued from the distress, by being pulled out of the oppression and brought to safety.
The need is huge. David compares his persecutors to a lion (Psalms 7:2). The lion is a picture of satan, who is out to devour the faithful (1 Peter 5:8). David acknowledges his powerlessness in the face of his powerful enemies who want to tear his soul, his life. He envisions himself being mercilessly dragged away by them and no one standing up for him. In so doing, he explains why he takes refuge in his God.
Psalms 38:13
Introduction
In Psalms 7, David, and with him the God-fearing Jew in the end time, when everything is jet black because of the rule of the antichrist, looks forward to God’s judgment on the wicked. He shares in God’s feelings about evil and expects this judgment to come. We, Christians, also expect this judgment. We know that it is righteous and that it is coming.
However, there is a difference. The God-fearing Jew looks forward to the judgment on the wicked because this judgment delivers him from his enemies who oppress him. The Christian or New Testament believer also suffers through wickedness, but endures the suffering. He suffers for and with Christ to subsequently be glorified together with Him afterwards. He does not look forward to Christ’s coming in judgment, but to Christ’s coming to take him up to Himself.
Prayer for God’s Intervention
Psalms 7 is “of David” (Psalms 7:1a). The psalm is called a “Shiggaion”. The word occurs one more time, in Habakkuk, but in the plural, “Shigionoth” (Habakkuk 3:1). Habakkuk speaks of “according to Shigionoth”, from which we can infer that it is a music term. The term seems to indicate a song sung in great excitement, with rapidly changing emotions. This is what we see in this psalm.
Like in the heading of Psalm 3, we find in the heading of this psalm its reason (Psalms 3:1a). David sang this song “to the LORD concerning [or: concerning the words of] Cush, a Benjamite”. Who Cush – means ‘black’ – was, we do not know. Because he is a Benjaminite, it is obvious to connect him with Saul, who is also from the tribe of Benjamin, perhaps a relative, but in any case, a kindred spirit.
Cush’s words, the song reveals, contained gross accusations that deeply affected David. Possibly Cush has slandered David with Saul (1 Samuel 24:10). David in his distress seeks refuge with the LORD and brings the burden of his heart to Him in a song. He expresses his confidence in God’s righteousness (cf. 1 Peter 2:23), enabling him to conclude the psalm with a song of praise to God’s righteousness (Psalms 7:17).
David’s response to the slander of Cush is the only correct one: he takes refuge in Him Whom he calls “LORD my God” (Psalms 7:1b). This God is his refuge and protection. With Him he feels secure. He does this again and again. Never does he knock on the door of God, Who is faithful, in vain, when he is in need.
We may do this too. God brings us into situations that lead us to seek our refuge in Him. What a great blessing it is that we can take refuge in God and that we can tell Him everything that concerns us.
David asks God to save him from all his persecutors and to deliver him. His persecutors want to seize and kill him. Therefore, he asks for salvation from them. Salvation has more do with the circumstances that oppress him and from which he is saved by the judgment of the persecutors. Deliverance refers more at what happens to him when salvation comes: he is rescued from the distress, by being pulled out of the oppression and brought to safety.
The need is huge. David compares his persecutors to a lion (Psalms 7:2). The lion is a picture of satan, who is out to devour the faithful (1 Peter 5:8). David acknowledges his powerlessness in the face of his powerful enemies who want to tear his soul, his life. He envisions himself being mercilessly dragged away by them and no one standing up for him. In so doing, he explains why he takes refuge in his God.
Psalms 38:14
Declaration of Innocence
In Psalms 7:1b he addressed God as “LORD my God” and he does so again in Psalms 7:3. Now he wants to focus God’s attention on his innocence. There is a lot of slander being spread around about him. Nabal once called him a “servant … breaking away from his master” (1 Samuel 25:10). There have been more such totally unjustified accusations. Absalom, for example, has suggested that you should not be with David but with him to get your justice (2 Samuel 15:3-4). That has also done its pernicious work in people’s minds.
Of all the allegations, nothing is true. David pleads in a penetrating and convincing way that he is innocent. He lists some things that show what he is accused of (Psalms 7:4). The first is that injustice would be in his hands. Indeed, he has sinned. He committed adultery with Bathsheba and he had Uriah killed. But he has confessed that and he is undergoing the punishment that God has imposed on it. Therefore, there is no ground for accusation, neither by evil speakers nor by his own conscience.
Another accusation is that he has rewarded evil to his friend [friend is literally: to him who was at peace with him] (cf. Psalms 41:9; Jeremiah 38:22). But it is precisely the other way around. Someone who made his life difficult for no reason, he saved from distress. If any of the accusation were true, yes, let God give the enemy a free hand.
David says that the enemy, in case he were guilty, may do with him what he intends (Psalms 7:5). Let him successfully “pursue” him and “overtake” him and seize him. His life he may “trample … down to the ground”, that is, he may kill him in a vile manner (cf. 2 Kings 7:17). He may also lay his glory or honor, which is all that has given his life value and meaning, in the dust, that is, he may shower him with disgrace even after his death.
David is here also a picture of the believing remnant who have confessed their share of the people of Israel’s sin – the rejection of Christ and the acceptance of the antichrist (John 5:43). This brings the remnant to self-examination and the question to God: “Search me, O God, and know my heart” (Psalms 139:23a).
Psalms 38:15
Declaration of Innocence
In Psalms 7:1b he addressed God as “LORD my God” and he does so again in Psalms 7:3. Now he wants to focus God’s attention on his innocence. There is a lot of slander being spread around about him. Nabal once called him a “servant … breaking away from his master” (1 Samuel 25:10). There have been more such totally unjustified accusations. Absalom, for example, has suggested that you should not be with David but with him to get your justice (2 Samuel 15:3-4). That has also done its pernicious work in people’s minds.
Of all the allegations, nothing is true. David pleads in a penetrating and convincing way that he is innocent. He lists some things that show what he is accused of (Psalms 7:4). The first is that injustice would be in his hands. Indeed, he has sinned. He committed adultery with Bathsheba and he had Uriah killed. But he has confessed that and he is undergoing the punishment that God has imposed on it. Therefore, there is no ground for accusation, neither by evil speakers nor by his own conscience.
Another accusation is that he has rewarded evil to his friend [friend is literally: to him who was at peace with him] (cf. Psalms 41:9; Jeremiah 38:22). But it is precisely the other way around. Someone who made his life difficult for no reason, he saved from distress. If any of the accusation were true, yes, let God give the enemy a free hand.
David says that the enemy, in case he were guilty, may do with him what he intends (Psalms 7:5). Let him successfully “pursue” him and “overtake” him and seize him. His life he may “trample … down to the ground”, that is, he may kill him in a vile manner (cf. 2 Kings 7:17). He may also lay his glory or honor, which is all that has given his life value and meaning, in the dust, that is, he may shower him with disgrace even after his death.
David is here also a picture of the believing remnant who have confessed their share of the people of Israel’s sin – the rejection of Christ and the acceptance of the antichrist (John 5:43). This brings the remnant to self-examination and the question to God: “Search me, O God, and know my heart” (Psalms 139:23a).
Psalms 38:16
Declaration of Innocence
In Psalms 7:1b he addressed God as “LORD my God” and he does so again in Psalms 7:3. Now he wants to focus God’s attention on his innocence. There is a lot of slander being spread around about him. Nabal once called him a “servant … breaking away from his master” (1 Samuel 25:10). There have been more such totally unjustified accusations. Absalom, for example, has suggested that you should not be with David but with him to get your justice (2 Samuel 15:3-4). That has also done its pernicious work in people’s minds.
Of all the allegations, nothing is true. David pleads in a penetrating and convincing way that he is innocent. He lists some things that show what he is accused of (Psalms 7:4). The first is that injustice would be in his hands. Indeed, he has sinned. He committed adultery with Bathsheba and he had Uriah killed. But he has confessed that and he is undergoing the punishment that God has imposed on it. Therefore, there is no ground for accusation, neither by evil speakers nor by his own conscience.
Another accusation is that he has rewarded evil to his friend [friend is literally: to him who was at peace with him] (cf. Psalms 41:9; Jeremiah 38:22). But it is precisely the other way around. Someone who made his life difficult for no reason, he saved from distress. If any of the accusation were true, yes, let God give the enemy a free hand.
David says that the enemy, in case he were guilty, may do with him what he intends (Psalms 7:5). Let him successfully “pursue” him and “overtake” him and seize him. His life he may “trample … down to the ground”, that is, he may kill him in a vile manner (cf. 2 Kings 7:17). He may also lay his glory or honor, which is all that has given his life value and meaning, in the dust, that is, he may shower him with disgrace even after his death.
David is here also a picture of the believing remnant who have confessed their share of the people of Israel’s sin – the rejection of Christ and the acceptance of the antichrist (John 5:43). This brings the remnant to self-examination and the question to God: “Search me, O God, and know my heart” (Psalms 139:23a).
Psalms 38:17
Demand for Vindication
Because all the accusations are false, David asks the LORD to arise now and stand up for him (Psalms 7:6). It is the picture of a court hearing. The LORD must now arise as the Chief Judge. Let Him do that in His anger. David knows that the LORD is angry about false accusations. Then let Him show this by lifting up Himself in His full stature against the rage of his adversaries.
He, David, is His chosen king, isn’t he? Let the LORD then not keep Himself asleep, but awake for his sake. Surely He cannot look upon this unrighteousness with impunity, can He? After all, He Himself has “appointed judgment”! Then He must judge and act in his favor. Hence his request to the LORD, which he repeats in all kinds of tones, to “arise”: “lift up Yourself” and “arouse Yourself”.
David holds out to God that He lets “the assembly of the peoples encompass” Him (Psalms 7:7). By this he is saying that the peoples will be present at His trial and then see how God judges and acts. They will see that the supreme Judge has ruled against the accusers who have sued David in vain. Then He will take a seat “on high” above them and will declare the accusers guilty. Thus the LORD will “judge the peoples” (Psalms 7:8). After all, the judgment that He has appointed applies to the peoples as well.
Now the point is that God will do justice to David. David boldly asks for that because he knows he is “righteous”. He has done nothing against God nor against people that gives his persecutors the right to hunt him down like that. There is nothing wrong in his motives either. He has examined himself, with the result that he can say without any posturing that his “integrity” is in him.
On this basis he calls upon God to put an end to “the evil of the wicked” (Psalms 7:9). As for himself, “the righteous”, he appeals to God to establish him. His exclamation “righteous God” expresses full conviction. God is “the righteous judge” (2 Timothy 4:8), the just God, Who knows the difference between the wicked and the just.
After all, He tries “hearts and minds”. “Minds” is literally “kidneys”, figurative for inner man. Heart and kidneys refer to the most inner of man (Jeremiah 11:20; Jeremiah 17:10; Jeremiah 20:12). In a spiritual sense, it refers to the hidden deliberations of the heart and the conscience. As David says, God knows the deepest motivations of both the wicked and the righteous.
Psalms 38:18
Demand for Vindication
Because all the accusations are false, David asks the LORD to arise now and stand up for him (Psalms 7:6). It is the picture of a court hearing. The LORD must now arise as the Chief Judge. Let Him do that in His anger. David knows that the LORD is angry about false accusations. Then let Him show this by lifting up Himself in His full stature against the rage of his adversaries.
He, David, is His chosen king, isn’t he? Let the LORD then not keep Himself asleep, but awake for his sake. Surely He cannot look upon this unrighteousness with impunity, can He? After all, He Himself has “appointed judgment”! Then He must judge and act in his favor. Hence his request to the LORD, which he repeats in all kinds of tones, to “arise”: “lift up Yourself” and “arouse Yourself”.
David holds out to God that He lets “the assembly of the peoples encompass” Him (Psalms 7:7). By this he is saying that the peoples will be present at His trial and then see how God judges and acts. They will see that the supreme Judge has ruled against the accusers who have sued David in vain. Then He will take a seat “on high” above them and will declare the accusers guilty. Thus the LORD will “judge the peoples” (Psalms 7:8). After all, the judgment that He has appointed applies to the peoples as well.
Now the point is that God will do justice to David. David boldly asks for that because he knows he is “righteous”. He has done nothing against God nor against people that gives his persecutors the right to hunt him down like that. There is nothing wrong in his motives either. He has examined himself, with the result that he can say without any posturing that his “integrity” is in him.
On this basis he calls upon God to put an end to “the evil of the wicked” (Psalms 7:9). As for himself, “the righteous”, he appeals to God to establish him. His exclamation “righteous God” expresses full conviction. God is “the righteous judge” (2 Timothy 4:8), the just God, Who knows the difference between the wicked and the just.
After all, He tries “hearts and minds”. “Minds” is literally “kidneys”, figurative for inner man. Heart and kidneys refer to the most inner of man (Jeremiah 11:20; Jeremiah 17:10; Jeremiah 20:12). In a spiritual sense, it refers to the hidden deliberations of the heart and the conscience. As David says, God knows the deepest motivations of both the wicked and the righteous.
Psalms 38:19
Demand for Vindication
Because all the accusations are false, David asks the LORD to arise now and stand up for him (Psalms 7:6). It is the picture of a court hearing. The LORD must now arise as the Chief Judge. Let Him do that in His anger. David knows that the LORD is angry about false accusations. Then let Him show this by lifting up Himself in His full stature against the rage of his adversaries.
He, David, is His chosen king, isn’t he? Let the LORD then not keep Himself asleep, but awake for his sake. Surely He cannot look upon this unrighteousness with impunity, can He? After all, He Himself has “appointed judgment”! Then He must judge and act in his favor. Hence his request to the LORD, which he repeats in all kinds of tones, to “arise”: “lift up Yourself” and “arouse Yourself”.
David holds out to God that He lets “the assembly of the peoples encompass” Him (Psalms 7:7). By this he is saying that the peoples will be present at His trial and then see how God judges and acts. They will see that the supreme Judge has ruled against the accusers who have sued David in vain. Then He will take a seat “on high” above them and will declare the accusers guilty. Thus the LORD will “judge the peoples” (Psalms 7:8). After all, the judgment that He has appointed applies to the peoples as well.
Now the point is that God will do justice to David. David boldly asks for that because he knows he is “righteous”. He has done nothing against God nor against people that gives his persecutors the right to hunt him down like that. There is nothing wrong in his motives either. He has examined himself, with the result that he can say without any posturing that his “integrity” is in him.
On this basis he calls upon God to put an end to “the evil of the wicked” (Psalms 7:9). As for himself, “the righteous”, he appeals to God to establish him. His exclamation “righteous God” expresses full conviction. God is “the righteous judge” (2 Timothy 4:8), the just God, Who knows the difference between the wicked and the just.
After all, He tries “hearts and minds”. “Minds” is literally “kidneys”, figurative for inner man. Heart and kidneys refer to the most inner of man (Jeremiah 11:20; Jeremiah 17:10; Jeremiah 20:12). In a spiritual sense, it refers to the hidden deliberations of the heart and the conscience. As David says, God knows the deepest motivations of both the wicked and the righteous.
Psalms 38:20
Demand for Vindication
Because all the accusations are false, David asks the LORD to arise now and stand up for him (Psalms 7:6). It is the picture of a court hearing. The LORD must now arise as the Chief Judge. Let Him do that in His anger. David knows that the LORD is angry about false accusations. Then let Him show this by lifting up Himself in His full stature against the rage of his adversaries.
He, David, is His chosen king, isn’t he? Let the LORD then not keep Himself asleep, but awake for his sake. Surely He cannot look upon this unrighteousness with impunity, can He? After all, He Himself has “appointed judgment”! Then He must judge and act in his favor. Hence his request to the LORD, which he repeats in all kinds of tones, to “arise”: “lift up Yourself” and “arouse Yourself”.
David holds out to God that He lets “the assembly of the peoples encompass” Him (Psalms 7:7). By this he is saying that the peoples will be present at His trial and then see how God judges and acts. They will see that the supreme Judge has ruled against the accusers who have sued David in vain. Then He will take a seat “on high” above them and will declare the accusers guilty. Thus the LORD will “judge the peoples” (Psalms 7:8). After all, the judgment that He has appointed applies to the peoples as well.
Now the point is that God will do justice to David. David boldly asks for that because he knows he is “righteous”. He has done nothing against God nor against people that gives his persecutors the right to hunt him down like that. There is nothing wrong in his motives either. He has examined himself, with the result that he can say without any posturing that his “integrity” is in him.
On this basis he calls upon God to put an end to “the evil of the wicked” (Psalms 7:9). As for himself, “the righteous”, he appeals to God to establish him. His exclamation “righteous God” expresses full conviction. God is “the righteous judge” (2 Timothy 4:8), the just God, Who knows the difference between the wicked and the just.
After all, He tries “hearts and minds”. “Minds” is literally “kidneys”, figurative for inner man. Heart and kidneys refer to the most inner of man (Jeremiah 11:20; Jeremiah 17:10; Jeremiah 20:12). In a spiritual sense, it refers to the hidden deliberations of the heart and the conscience. As David says, God knows the deepest motivations of both the wicked and the righteous.
Psalms 38:21
God Is a Righteous Judge
In these verses, David has come to rest. He has grown in his faith and can say now, without a shadow of doubt, that God is standing up for him. His “shield”, that is, his protection, “is with God” (Psalms 7:10). Of this he is certain. God is the God “who saves the upright in heart”. And he, David, is such an upright in heart. Therefore, he counts on God to save him.
“God is a righteous judge” (Psalms 7:11), which He shows and makes heard every day in the preaching of the gospel. His indignation or wrath is on every man who disobeys the Son (John 3:36). The wrath of God is public to everyone who wants to see it. Those who keep their eyes closed, those who “do not repent” (Psalms 7:12), have themselves to blame when God actually pours out His indignation on them.
God is not mocked. He sharpens His sword to judge. He also bents His bow, makes it ready and aims it at those who deserve His judgment. In doing so, there is no room for error; He hits only the wicked. No righteous person is hit by it. He has prepared for Himself His sword and His arrows, His “deadly weapons”, which He makes fiery shafts (Psalms 7:13).
Psalms 38:22
God Is a Righteous Judge
In these verses, David has come to rest. He has grown in his faith and can say now, without a shadow of doubt, that God is standing up for him. His “shield”, that is, his protection, “is with God” (Psalms 7:10). Of this he is certain. God is the God “who saves the upright in heart”. And he, David, is such an upright in heart. Therefore, he counts on God to save him.
“God is a righteous judge” (Psalms 7:11), which He shows and makes heard every day in the preaching of the gospel. His indignation or wrath is on every man who disobeys the Son (John 3:36). The wrath of God is public to everyone who wants to see it. Those who keep their eyes closed, those who “do not repent” (Psalms 7:12), have themselves to blame when God actually pours out His indignation on them.
God is not mocked. He sharpens His sword to judge. He also bents His bow, makes it ready and aims it at those who deserve His judgment. In doing so, there is no room for error; He hits only the wicked. No righteous person is hit by it. He has prepared for Himself His sword and His arrows, His “deadly weapons”, which He makes fiery shafts (Psalms 7:13).