# Psalm 38 📖: A Plea in Suffering
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[[-Psalm Overview]] | [[Psalm 37]] | [[Psalm 39]]
> [!info] Table of Contents
> [[#📜 Scripture Text (NET)]]
> [[#📖 Verse-by-Verse Commentary]]
> [[#🤔 Interesting Facts / Historical and Cultural Insights]]
> [[#🧠 Chapter Summary]]
> [[#✝️ Christ in This Chapter]]
> [[#🔎 Key Principles / 🛟 Life Application]]
> [[#💬 Discussion Questions]]
> [[#✍️ Key Verses to Remember]]
> [[#🔗 Related Passages/Cross Reference]]
> [[#🙏 Devotional Reflection]]
> [[#📂 Internal Notes]]
## 📜 Scripture Text (NET)
(The NET Bible: New English Translation. Biblical Studies Press, 2005)
## A psalm of David, written to get God’s attention.
[[#Verse 01.]] O Lord, do not continue to rebuke me in your anger.
Do not continue to punish me in your raging fury.
[[#Verse 02.]] For your arrows pierce me,
and your hand presses me down.
[[#Verse 03.]] My whole body is sick because of your judgment;
I am deprived of health because of my sin.
[[#Verse 04.]] For my sins overwhelm me;
like a heavy load, they are too much for me to bear.
[[#Verse 05.]] My wounds are infected and starting to smell,
because of my foolish sins.
[[#Verse 06.]] I am dazed and completely humiliated;
all day long I walk around mourning.
[[#Verse 07.]] For I am overcome with shame,
and my whole body is sick.
[[#Verse 08.]] I am numb with pain and severely battered;
I groan loudly because of the anxiety I feel.
[[#Verse 09.]] O Lord, you understand my heart’s desire;
my groaning is not hidden from you.
[[#Verse 10.]] My heart beats quickly;
my strength leaves me.
I can hardly see.
[[#Verse 11.]] Because of my condition, even my friends and acquaintances keep their distance;
my neighbors stand far away.
[[#Verse 12.]] Those who seek my life try to entrap me;
those who want to harm me speak destructive words.
All day long they say deceitful things.
[[#Verse 13.]] But I am like a deaf man—I hear nothing;
I am like a mute who cannot speak.
[[#Verse 14.]] I am like a man who cannot hear
and is incapable of arguing his defense.
[[#Verse 15.]] Yet I wait for you, O Lord!
You will respond, O Lord, my God!
[[#Verse 16.]] I have prayed for deliverance, because otherwise they will gloat over me;
when my foot slips they will arrogantly taunt me.
[[#Verse 17.]] For I am about to stumble,
and I am in constant pain.
[[#Verse 18.]] Yes, I confess my wrongdoing,
and I am concerned about my sins.
[[#Verse 19.]] But those who are my enemies for no reason are numerous;
those who hate me without cause outnumber me.
[[#Verse 20.]] They repay me evil for the good I have done;
though I have tried to do good to them, they hurl accusations at me.
[[#Verse 21.]] Do not abandon me, O Lord.
My God, do not remain far away from me.
[[#Verse 22.]] Hurry and help me, O Lord, my deliverer.
## 📖 Verse-by-Verse Commentary
###### Overall.
###### Verse 01.
###### Verse 02.
###### Verse 03.
###### Verse 04.
###### Verse 05.
###### Verse 06.
###### Verse 07.
###### Verse 08.
###### Verse 09.
###### Verse 10.
###### Verse 11.
###### Verse 12.
###### Verse 13.
###### Verse 14.
###### Verse 15.
###### Verse 16.
###### Verse 17.
###### Verse 18.
###### Verse 19.
###### Verse 20.
###### Verse 21.
###### Verse 22.
## 🤔 Interesting Facts / Historical and Cultural Insights
1. The superscription says it was written "to get God's attention" or "for remembrance," a phrase also found on Psalm 70.
2. Psalm 38 is one of the seven Penitential Psalms.
3. Verse 1 is nearly identical to the opening of Psalm 6.
4. God's arrows (38:2) are a picture of discipline also used by Job (Job 6:4).
5. David's illness is described in vivid detail (38:3-10), though we do not know exactly what it was.
6. Friends and loved ones standing far off (38:11) is echoed in Luke 23:49 at the cross.
7. David compares himself to a deaf man who cannot hear and a mute man who cannot answer (38:13-14).
8. The psalm has 22 verses, the number of letters in the Hebrew alphabet, though it is not an acrostic.
9. David openly admits his wrongdoing and anxiety over sin (38:18).
10. The psalm closes by calling God "my deliverer" (38:22), showing hope even in deep pain.
## 🧠 Chapter Summary
> [!note] 🌱 Still growing. This section is on its way.
## ✝️ Christ in This Chapter
Christ is the sinless Servant who bore our sins (Isaiah 53:4-6). Like the sufferer of Psalm 38, He stood silent before His accusers (Matthew 27:12-14) while His friends stood at a distance (Luke 23:49).
## 🔎 Key Principles / 🛟 Life Application
> [!note] 🌱 Still growing. This section is on its way.
## 💬 Discussion Questions
1. David connects his suffering with his sin (38:3-5). How can sin weigh on us, and how should we be careful not to assume all suffering is caused by sin (John 9:1-3)?
2. David's friends kept their distance (38:11). Why do people pull away from those who are hurting, and how can we do better?
3. David confesses and waits for the Lord (38:15, 18). What does honest confession look like for you?
## ✍️ Key Verses to Remember
- 📖 verse 4: My sins overwhelm me like a heavy load.
- 📖 verse 15: I wait for You, O Lord; You will answer.
- 📖 verses 21-22: Do not abandon me; hurry and help me, O Lord my deliverer.
## 🔗 Related Passages/Cross Reference
- 🔗 [[Isaiah 53#Verse 04.|Isaiah 53:4-6]] - He carried our sorrows and our sins.
- 🔗 [[Psalm 06#Verse 01.|Psalm 6:1]] - Do not rebuke me in Your anger.
- 🔗 [[Luke 23#Verse 49.|Luke 23:49]] - Those who knew Jesus stood at a distance.
- 🔗 [[Hebrews 12#Verse 05.|Hebrews 12:5-11]] - The Lord disciplines those He loves.
- 🔗 [[1 Peter 02#Verse 24.|1 Peter 2:24]] - He bore our sins in His body on the tree.
## 🙏 Devotional Reflection
📝 SOAP: [[Psalm 38- SOAP|Cry Out to God]]
## 📂 Internal Notes