Psalm 38:1 - Printer Friendly

ESV: O Lord, rebuke me not in your anger, nor discipline me in your wrath!

NIV: A psalm of David. A petition. Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger or discipline me in your wrath.

NASB: Lord, do not rebuke me in Your wrath, And do not punish me in Your burning anger.

CSB: A psalm of David for remembrance. Lord, do not punish me in your anger or discipline me in your wrath.

NLT: O Lord, don’t rebuke me in your anger or discipline me in your rage!

KJV: A Psalm of David, to bring to remembrance. O Lord, rebuke me not in thy wrath: neither chasten me in thy hot displeasure.

NKJV: {A Psalm of David. To bring to remembrance.} O Lord, do not rebuke me in Your wrath, Nor chasten me in Your hot displeasure!

David loved God, but he was not morally perfect (Psalm 38:18). This psalm may or may not have been connected to his sin with Bathsheba, where he knew he had violated at least two of the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:13–14). He had committed adultery with Bathsheba and arranged the death of her husband, Uriah (2 Samuel 12:7–9). David was not naïve about God's justice or His goodness. While he often praised God for mercy (Psalm 28:6; 86:15), he also knew God can be righteously angry and wrathful. Therefore, he asks God to lift His hand of discipline and cease to be angry and wrathful toward him.

God's love is immeasurable (Psalm 36:5), but He is also holy and just. His holiness is intrinsic, and His justice is impeccable. He exercises remedial discipline in the case of every believer who violates His commandments. The discipline may be painful, but it lasts only long enough to bring about repentance and confession. Hebrews 12:10 assures believers that God disciplines His children for their good, and verse 11 states: "For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it."

Psalm 38:1–8 resembles Psalm 32:3–4. In both passages, David describes pain he experiences because of his sin. He recognizes here that his physical suffering has come because of his immoral action. He sees the pain as part of the Lord's disciplining of him. In the moment, his situation seems too much to bear, making him miserable. It's possible Psalm 38 was written in response to David's sin with Bathsheba (2 Samuel 12:7–9).

David cries out to God in repentance for his sin. He feels the weight of shame and conviction, as if being pierced by arrows, ravaged by disease, crushed, and blinded. His friends have abandoned him; his enemies plot his demise. All of these have been brought about because of his "iniquity." Throughout this misery, David does not abandon hope. Instead, he confidently calls on the Lord to forgive and rescue him.

Psalm 38 and Psalm 32 are similar. They both express David's deep sense of guilt, his contrition, and his confession. Both psalms refer to the ill effect David's sins exerted on his physical condition. Psalm 38's descriptions seem mostly symbolic, but his anguish is very literal. Likely, the sins in question were adultery with Bathsheba and the arranged murder of her husband (2 Samuel 12:7–9). If so, these themes connect directly to Psalm 51. David asks God to forgive him and heal him.

The book of Psalms is composed of individual songs, hymns, or poems, each of which is a ''Psalm'' in and of itself. These works contain a wide variety of themes. Some Psalms focus on praising and worshipping God. Others cry out in anguish over the pain of life. Still other Psalms look forward to the coming of the Messiah. While some Psalms are related, each has its own historical and biblical context.