Psalm 38:13-22
Psalm 38 is a full-bodied lament, with all of the necessary elements: David’s situation, his plea for help, his claim of his innocence or his cry for vindication, and his thankfulness for deliverance (past or confident future). Yesterday’s reading was full of David’s situation – his pain, physical or emotional. Today we see the rest of those elements.
David’s cry for vindication from his enemies’ attacks is prominent in today’s reading. Verses 13 and 14 form a direct response to the treachery David describes in verse 12. Then verses 16, 19, and 20 all speak of his enemies’ activities against him. But up against these five verses focusing on his enemies David has four verses relating to his plea for help and his trust in the Lord’s deliverance – verses 15, 18, 21, and 22. Verse 18, in particular is unusual in David’s laments: I confess my iniquity; I am sorry for my sin. Instead of protesting his innocence David is confessing his own sin. We don’t always see him confessing his iniquity when he is troubled by all these external events. It’s a good lesson for us to remember!
I was struck by the verse about David feeling deaf and mute. At first, I thought he meant that God had silenced him. But the Wesley commentary indicates that he was so humbled by his iniquity that he could not hear or speak. That is more in line with Fred’s comment about David’s humility before the Lord. I need that humility!