Psalm 38

Order of Service

• Scripture Reading — Psalm 38
• Sermon
• Pastoral Prayer

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Sermon Title: Physical Anguish, Loneliness, and Waiting on God in the Midst of Sin

Scripture: Psalm 38

I. Physical and Mental Anguish of Sin (vv. 1–8)

A. God has brought calamity upon David because of his sin (Psalm 38:2)

B. Physical sickness has accompanied David's sin (Psalm 38:3–8)

1. No soundness in his flesh, no health in his bones
2. Wounds that stink and fester; sides filled with burning
3. The specific sickness is unknown, but David is convinced it is a consequence of his sin

C. Physical sickness is not always a direct result of personal sin (cf. Job), but it can be

1. God may supernaturally or mysteriously bring affliction as discipline
2. Sinful lifestyles naturally produce physical consequences

D. James Montgomery Boice's three questions to ask during severe suffering

1. Have I sinned or drifted from obedience, and is this God's way of restoring fellowship with him?
2. Is God using this to trim rough edges and develop Christlike character in me?
3. Is God using my suffering as a stage on which his name and wisdom may be glorified?

E. All suffering is a reminder of the Fall, which is the result of sin — a time for sober reflection and reorientation toward the Lord

II. Loneliness in the Midst of Sin (vv. 9–14)

A. David takes comfort that his longing and suffering is fully visible before God (Psalm 38:9)

B. Friends, companions, and nearest kin stand aloof (Psalm 38:11)

1. The word for "plague" carries the sense of leprosy — David is treated like one who is unclean and cut off from the covenant community
2. Enemies exploit his miserable condition as an opportunity to destroy him (Psalm 38:12)
3. David has no strength or voice to defend himself (Psalm 38:13–14)

C. Derek Kidner: "It is ironical that the more a person needs human support, the less he naturally attracts to it. It is the gospel that has most changed this."

D. Gospel living means drawing near to the sin-sick and suffering, even the guilty (Matthew 25)

1. The sheep visit those in prison, the sick, and the poor
2. The goats distance themselves from the afflicted
3. What separates true Christians from mere professors is whether they draw near to those in need — this will be a litmus test on the Day of Judgment

III. The Presence of God as Comfort (vv. 15–22)

A. David answers only to God, not to his unjust friends and enemies (Psalm 38:13–15)

1. The irony: though God is the source of his affliction, David would still rather be in God's merciful hands than in the hands of fallen, wicked men
2. Compare 2 Samuel 24: when given the choice of judgments, David said, "Place me in the hands of the Lord, for in the Lord there is mercy"

B. David pleads for God to come and save him (Psalm 38:16–20)

1. He is weighed down, nearly falling, and crying out for mercy
2. Verse 20 — "those who accuse me because I follow after good" — does not contradict his confession of sin
3. It is the one who seeks to live a good and holy life who confesses sin; the one who does not seek after good never sees or confesses sin
4. 1 John 1:10 — "If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar and his word is not in us"

C. David closes with a cry of total dependence on God (Psalm 38:21–22)

1. "Do not forsake me, O Lord… make haste to help me, O Lord, my salvation"
2. His sin and its effects have fixed his eyes solely on God as his only hope

D. The theme of waiting on the Lord (Psalm 38:15)

1. David's entire life was an education in waiting
   • Anointed as a teenager but not crowned king over all Israel until decades later
   • Years on the run from Saul; crowned first only over Judah in Hebron, then waited seven more years to reign over all Israel
   • During Absalom's rebellion, David was content to wait on God to restore him to the throne
2. Kidner: "David's fugitive years, his Hebron period, and his attitude to Absalom's revolt all proved the sincerity of his prayer. David was trained in the school of waiting."
3. We live in a world that breeds impatience; our daily lives do not naturally train us in patience as David's life trained him
4. Cultivate a waiting spirit through small, daily habits and disciplines — faithful in little things trains the heart for faithfulness when great calamity comes