Псалом 38

The psalm was assigned to Idithum, one of the choir leaders under David, for singing. The psalm was written by David. Due to the close similarity of its content with the content of Ps.37, it can be considered written on the same occasion and at the same time as the first, Ps.37, that is, at the beginning of Absalom's rebellion, when, along with the consciousness of his sin before God, David could expect death from his enemies. Lord, I will and have kept silence before my wicked enemies. But this silence caused my thoughts to concentrate on my situation, and I began to fear: shouldn’t my life end very soon? (2–6). I see the insignificance of man before You, Lord, and my hope is only in You (7-8). Forgive my iniquities and deliver me from my enemies. Stop punishing me with your reproofs, but hear my cry for mercy, do not punish me with disasters until death, but stop them (9-14). Ps.39:2. I said, I will take heed to my ways, lest I sin with my tongue; I will bridle my mouth while the wicked is before me. Ps.38:3. I was dumb and voiceless, and was silent even about good things; and my grief increased. David, stricken with illness (see Ps. 37), which he looked at as a deserved consequence of his sin, decides not to respond to all the unjust accusations that were raised against him by his enemies (see Ps. 37:13) “as long as the wicked is before me,” until the wrath of God, allowing this dominance of the wicked over him, ceases. David, with submission to Divine Providence, decides to remain silent even when he could talk about the “good” that he did and what his enemies forgot, who tried to find only bad in him. Ps.38:4. My heart was inflamed within me; a fire was kindled in my thoughts; I began to speak with my tongue: “My heart was inflamed,” “a fire was kindled in my thoughts”—David was tormented by burning, restless fears about the outcome of his illness. Ps.38:5. tell me, Lord, my death and the number of my days, what it is, so that I know what my age is. Ps.38:6. Behold, You have given me days as inches, and my life as nothing before You. Truly, every living person is complete vanity. Ps.38:7. Truly, man walks like a ghost; in vain he fusses, collects and does not know who will get it. David's awareness of his sin was so deep, his illness so strong, that he was convinced of his imminent death. Obviously, his life remained in the amount of a “span”, the width of his hand, i.e. about 7 centimeters. David means by this expression that he has only a very insignificant number of days left to live. The entire duration of human life is absolutely nothing before God; it is like a ghost, a shadow that quickly disappears, and all human activity aimed at acquiring and strengthening one’s wealth is in vain, useless and pitiful. With this sermon about the insignificance of life, David pronounced a condemnation of his past activities: he did not find anything valuable behind them, and therefore looks with fear at the outcome of life. Ps.38:8. And now what should I expect, Lord? my hope is in You. What else, Lord, if not rejection, can I expect from You at my death? I recognize my sin and my guilt before You, but I cannot atone for it due to my imminent death, therefore all my hope is in You, Your mercy and condescension towards me. Ps.39:9. Deliver me from all my iniquities, do not hand me over to the reproach of a madman. Forgive me my iniquities, cleanse me of them and do not let the wicked (“mad”) triumph over me. Ps.38:10. I have become dumb, I do not open my mouth; because You did it. Ps.39:11. Turn away Thy blows from me; I disappear from Thy smiting hand. David depicts his complete submission to the will of God and the suffering sent to him. Ps.38:12. If You punish a person for his crimes with reproofs, then his beauty will crumble like a moth. So, every man is vanity! “The beauty... of man... will crumble... from... the reproofs of God.” By reproof of God we mean not only reproof by word, but also by sending external punishments upon a person according to his sins. Man constantly sins before God and by his behavior is capable of causing His strong anger. If God treated man only as his strict Judge, then none of the people would resist His truth and everyone would have to perish. Ps.38:13. Hear, O Lord, my prayer and listen to my cry; do not be silent to my tears, for I am a stranger with You and a stranger, like all my fathers. Man is preserved by the mercy and condescension of God towards him, and David prays to Him for this condescension towards himself. “For I am a stranger and a stranger with You.” A person’s earthly life is a journey, that is, it is temporary. Real life begins after the end of earthly life. As a wanderer, every person is subject to the dangers of his sinful passions and attachments to earthly interests of getting lost on his way. On the part of God, man needs guidance on this path and condescension to the weaknesses of the wanderer. David found such guidance in his misfortunes and the illness he experienced, which revealed his guilt to him. But to correct the path, one accusatory leadership is not enough for David: he needs the condescension and mercy of God. Ps.38:14. Depart from me, that I may refresh myself before I go away and be no more. David prays to God to grant him this mercy: “depart from me so that I can refresh myself,” that is, do not kill me in my illness, stop my suffering and thereby give me the opportunity to “refresh myself,” take care of my moral rebirth and atonement for my sin. This prayer of David is identical with the prayer of Job (Job 16:6). You might be interested in: