381 O Lord , rebuke me not in Your wrath , And chasten me not in Your burning anger . 2 For Your arrows have sunk deep into me, And Your hand has pressed down on me. 3 There is no soundness in my flesh because e of Your indignation ; There is no health in my bones because e of my sin . 4 For my iniquities are gone over my head ; As a heavy burden they weigh too much for me. 5 My wounds grow foul and fester Because e of my folly . 6 I am bent over and greatly bowed down ; I go mourning all day long. 7 For my loins are filled with burning , And there is no soundness in my flesh . 8 I am benumbed and badly crushed ; I groan because of the agitation of my heart . 9 Lord , all my desire is before You; And my sighing is not hidden from You. 10 My heart throbs , my strength fails me; And the light of my eyes , even that has gone from me. 11 My loved ones and my friends stand aloof e from my plague ; And my kinsmen stand afar off.
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Psalm 38:1-11
Commentary on Psalm 38:1-11
(Read Psalm 38:1-11)
Nothing will disquiet the heart of a good man so much as the sense of God's anger. The way to keep the heart quiet, is to keep ourselves in the love of God. But a sense of guilt is too heavy to bear; and would sink men into despair and ruin, unless removed by the pardoning mercy of God. If there were not sin in our souls, there would be no pain in our bones, no illness in our bodies. The guilt of sin is a burden to the whole creation, which groans under it. It will be a burden to the sinners themselves, when they are heavy-laden under it, or a burden of ruin, when it sinks them to hell. When we perceive our true condition, the Good Physician will be valued, sought, and obeyed. Yet many let their wounds rankle, because they delay to go to their merciful Friend. When, at any time, we are distempered in our bodies, we ought to remember how God has been dishonoured in and by our bodies. The groanings which cannot be uttered, are not hid from Him that searches the heart, and knows the mind of the Spirit. David, in his troubles, was a type of Christ in his agonies, of Christ on his cross, suffering and deserted.