Psalm 38:21 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Do not forsake me, O Lord! O my God, be not far from me!

NIV: Lord, do not forsake me; do not be far from me, my God.

NASB: Do not abandon me, Lord; My God, do not be far from me!

CSB: Lord, do not abandon me; my God, do not be far from me.

NLT: Do not abandon me, O Lord. Do not stand at a distance, my God.

KJV: Forsake me not, O Lord: O my God, be not far from me.

NKJV: Do not forsake me, O Lord; O my God, be not far from me!

As part of his humble, trusting repentance for sin (Psalm 38:1–4, 8, 18), David pleads with God to stay with him and guide him through this experience. He trusted in the Lord as his personal God. David's cry here is not one of despair, but of faithful confidence (Psalm 38:22). What he prays here reflects an intense experience, not a sudden loss of confidence in the Lord.

On the cross, Jesus, David's chief descendant, experienced the pain of separation from God. He took on our sin (2 Corinthians 5:21), and God is righteous and holy. Christ's experience on the cross represented a difficult-to-define experience of separation, in some form, between God the Father and God the Son. This is likely one reason Jesus cited Psalm 22, calling out, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (Matthew 27:46). Jesus willingly endured that experience so He would never have to abandon those who trust in Him as Savior. Hebrews 13:5–6 exhorts: "Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, 'I will never leave you nor forsake you.' So we can confidently say, 'The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?'"

Psalm 38:15–22 concludes David's plea just as it began: with a prayer. Having described his suffering, he prays now for forgiveness and for the Lord to silence his enemies. He asks God not to forsake him but to help him. His final words reveal his dependence on the Lord for deliverance. He addresses the Lord as "my salvation."

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.