Applying David's Struggles in Psalm 38 to Personal Life
Psalm 38 is a penitential psalm, filled with expressions of grief and complaint from beginning to end [7]. It is titled "A Psalm of David, to bring to remembrance" [10]. The superscription in the Latin Vulgate reads, "In finem, ipsi Idithun. Canticum David," indicating it is a song of David for Jeduthun, likely a choirmaster [1]. This psalm is understood to have been composed by David during a period of severe affliction, possibly related to his sin with Bathsheba, serving as a memorial of his sense of sin, his suffering, and eventual deliverance [10].
The psalm details David's distress, which stems from both God's displeasure and his own sin that provoked it [7]. He describes his physical suffering, stating, "For your arrows have pierced me, your hand presses hard on me" (Psalm 38:2, ESV). This imagery suggests a direct experience of divine judgment or discipline [2]. The intensity of his pain is evident in his cry, "For I am ready to fall. My pain is continually before me" (Psalm 38:17, ESV) [4]. This physical anguish is intertwined with his spiritual and emotional turmoil, as he acknowledges his iniquities and expresses sorrow for his sin [7].
David's suffering is compounded by the desertion of his friends and the persecution of his enemies [7]. He laments that those close to him stand aloof from his affliction, while his adversaries seek his life and speak maliciously against him [11]. This combination of physical illness, spiritual conviction, and social isolation creates a "complication of calamities" for David [7].
The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides numerous cross-references that illuminate the themes within Psalm 38. For instance, the idea of God's hand pressing hard (Psalm 38:2) is echoed in passages like Job 2:10 and Lamentations 3:38, which speak of accepting both good and evil from God's hand [5]. David's plea for God not to forsake him (Psalm 38:21) resonates with other prayers for divine presence in times of trouble, such as Psalm 22:19 and Psalm 35:3 [8].
While the psalm is deeply personal to David's experience of sin and suffering, some commentators suggest it can also be applied typologically to Christ. Jamieson, Fausset & Brown note that the language of Psalm 38 is "generally susceptible of application to Christ as a sufferer," with David prefiguring Him [8]. In this view, the "pains or penalties" described in the psalm can be seen as those Christ bore for humanity, though the confessions of sin would not apply to Christ Himself [8]. This interpretive approach is similar to how Paul quotes Psalm 40:6-8 in Hebrews 10:5-7, applying David's words to Christ's self-offering as a superior sacrifice [6].
The psalm's placement within the Psalter is also noteworthy. It is followed by Psalm 39, another psalm of David that reflects on the brevity of life and the vanity of human existence [3, 9, 12]. Matthew Henry observes that David in Psalm 39 struggles to maintain composure under affliction, finding it easier to advise others to wait patiently than to do so himself [9]. This suggests a continuous narrative of David's spiritual journey through distress and his reliance on God [12].
Sources
- Psalms “In finem, ipsi Idithun. Canticum David. -- Psalms 38:1”
- Psalms “For your arrows have pierced me, your hand presses hard on me. -- Psalms 38:2”
- Psalms “In finem. Psalmus ipsi David. -- Psalms 39:1”
- Psalms “For I am ready to fall. My pain is continually before me. -- Psalms 38:17”
- Treasury of Scripture Knowledge “Lamentations 3:38 cross-references: 2 Samuel 16:10, Job 2:10, Psalms 75:7, Proverbs 29:26, Ecclesiastes 7:14, Isaiah 45:7, Jeremiah 32:42, Amos 3:6”
- Psalms (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Psalms 40 (introduction): In this Psalm a celebration of God's deliverance is followed by a profession of devotion to His service. Then follows a prayer for relief from imminent dangers, involving the overthrow of enemies and the rejoicing of sympathizing friends. In Heb 10:5, &c., Paul quotes Psa 40:6-8 as the words of Christ, offering Himself as a better sacrifice. Some suppose Paul thus accommodated David's words to express Christ's sentiments. But the value of his quotation would be thus destroyed, as it would have no force in his argument, unless regarded by h”
- Psalms (Nonconformist/Puritan) “Matthew Henry on Psalms 38 (introduction): This is one of the penitential psalms; it is full of grief and complaint from the beginning to the end. David's sins and his afflictions are the cause of his grief and the matter of his complaints. It should seem he was now sick and in pain, which reminded him of his sins and helped to humble him for them; he was, at the same time, deserted by his friends and persecuted by his enemies; so that the psalm is calculated for the depth of distress and a complication of calamities. He complains, I. Of God's displeasure, and of his own sin which provoked God”
- Psalms (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Psalms 38:21: (Compare Psa 22:19; Psa 35:3). All terms of frequent use. In this Psalm the language is generally susceptible of application to Christ as a sufferer, David, as such, typifying Him. This does not require us to apply the confessions of sin, but only the pains or penalties which He bore for us. Next: Psalms Chapter 39”
- Psalms (Nonconformist/Puritan) “Matthew Henry on Psalms 39 (introduction): David seems to have been in a great strait when he penned this psalm, and, upon some account or other, very uneasy; for it is with some difficulty that he conquers his passion, and composes his spirit himself to take that good counsel which he had given to others (37) to rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him, without fretting; for it is easier to give the good advice than to give the good example of quietness under affliction. What was the particular trouble which gave occasion for the conflict David was now in does not appear. Perhaps it was t”
- Psalms (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Psalms 38 (introduction): INTRODUCTION TO PSALM 38 A Psalm of David, to bring to remembrance. This psalm was composed by David under some sore affliction, and when in great distress of mind by reason of sin, perhaps his sin with Bathsheba; and was written as a memorial of his sense of sin, of his great afflictions, and deliverance from them; and therefore is said to be "to bring to remembrance", or to refresh his memory with the said things. Kimchi and Ben Melech think the psalm was made for the sake of such as are in distress, to put them in mind and teach them how to pray. The”
- Psalms (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Psalms 38:12: seek after my life-- (Sa1 20:1; Sa1 22:23).”
- Psalms (Nonconformist/Puritan) “Matthew Henry on Psalms 39:7: The psalmist, having meditated on the shortness and uncertainty of life, and the vanity and vexation of spirit that attend all the comforts of life, here, in these verses, turns his eyes and heart heaven-ward. When there is no solid satisfaction to be had in the creature it is to be found in God, and in communion with him; and to him we should be driven by our disappointments in the world. David here expresses, I. His dependence on God, Psa 39:7. Seeing all is vanity, and man himself is so, 1. He despairs of a happiness in the things of the world, and disclaims al”