시편 38:21 주석

This is one of the penitential psalms; it is full of grief and complaint from the beginning to the end. David's sins and his afflictions are the cause of his grief and the matter of his complaints. It should seem he was now sick and in pain, which reminded him of his sins and helped to humble him for them; he was, at the same time, deserted by his friends and persecuted by his enemies; so that the psalm is calculated for the depth of distress and a complication of calamities. He complains, I. Of God's displeasure, and of his own sin which provoked God against him (Psa 38:1-5). II. Of his bodily sickness (Psa 38:6-10). III. Of the unkindness of his friends (Psa 38:11). IV. Of the injuries which his enemies did him, pleading his good conduct towards them, yet confessing his sins against God (Psa 38:12-20). Lastly, he concludes the psalm with earnest prayers to God for his gracious presence and help (Psa 38:21, Psa 38:22). In singing this psalm we ought to be much affected with the malignity of sin; and, if we have not such troubles as are here described, we know not how soon we may have, and therefore must sing of them by way of preparation and we know that others have them, and therefore we must sing of the by way of sympathy. A psalm of David to bring to remembrance.

INTRODUCTION TO PSALM 38 A Psalm of David, to bring to remembrance. This psalm was composed by David under some sore affliction, and when in great distress of mind by reason of sin, perhaps his sin with Bathsheba; and was written as a memorial of his sense of sin, of his great afflictions, and deliverance from them; and therefore is said to be "to bring to remembrance", or to refresh his memory with the said things. Kimchi and Ben Melech think the psalm was made for the sake of such as are in distress, to put them in mind and teach them how to pray. The Targum calls the psalm, "a good remembrance concerning Israel;'' and Jarchi says it was to remember the distress of Israel before the Lord, and that it is said with respect to all Israel; though others think the word "lehazcir" is the name of a psalm tune; and Aben Ezra was of opinion that it was the first word of some pleasant poem. The Septuagint version adds, "concerning the sabbath,'' as if it was wrote to put persons in mind of that day; whereas there is nothing in the whole psalm that has any such tendency.

Make haste and help me,.... Or, "for my help"; his case required haste, and God does help his people when none else can, and that right early; O Lord, my salvation; by which it appears that his prayer was a prayer of faith; he saw that his salvation was in the Lord, and in no other; and though he had been and was in such a low condition, both in soul and body, yet his faith was not lost; that is an abiding grace, and will continue under the influence of the author and finisher of it, until the end of it is received, the salvation of the soul. R. Moses (r) thinks the phrase "make haste" is to be repeated here, and read thus, "make haste, O Lord, to my salvation". (r) In Aben Ezra & R. Joseph Kimchi in R. David Kimchi in loc. Next: Psalms Chapter 39

(Verse 21.) And yet, although he follows righteousness, he does not consider it to be of his own virtue, but of heavenly grace, if he is not forsaken by Christ; and for this reason he prays more earnestly, saying: Do not forsake me, O Lord my God; do not depart from me; that is, men have forsaken me, my friends have attacked the one who is dear to them: they have not drawn near. They fled from me as though I were dead, and they abhorred me; because I desired to confess my sins to you, and to confess; because I offered myself to be wounded by your scourges; because I chose the scars of wounds over the feasts of kings, and the boasting of rulers: you alone do not forsake me, you cleave to your servant, who raises up the needy from the earth, and lifts up the poor from the dunghill. Relying on your company, I will esteem myself more highly among the surrounding peoples. Indeed, my scars have healed, but I still long for the scars of your wounds, which are covered by healed injuries, so that no wound may appear later. Good are the scars of triumphant wounds, with which the victors of this earthly combat boast. How much more glorious are the wounds which, for the sake of faith and the glory of your name, appear to be exempt! This is the scar that opens heaven, acquires a kingdom, and finds immortality. Therefore, brothers, this is the blessed wound, because blessed are those who have washed their robes in their own blood. Thus the robe began to be of glory, the flesh of death (Romans 7:24): in which even Paul himself, chosen by God, was in danger unless he had asked to be delivered from this mortal body, as we read. And therefore, as we are in this body of death, let us pray that the good and beloved physician of God does not leave us, whom even the patriarch David prayed not to be separated from. Let us entrust ourselves to Him, prepared to be treated with whatever remedy He sees fit. No one tells their own body's physician how they should be treated. The physician knows what medicine is appropriate for each wound, by which festering sores should be amputated with a knife, lest the ruin spread to the entire body. If a doctor were to say to the sick person the type of medicine by which he ought to be cured, and if the sick person despise it, the doctor leaves and abandons the sick person. See him who desires to be cured, by acquiescing to every type of doctor; pay attention to the order. He first reveals his wounds to the doctor, and says: Treat me, but I beg you not in your anger, because my weaknesses cannot endure harsh medicine. The medicine of Christ is correction; for the Lord corrects whom He wishes to convert. Therefore Paul also says to the physician: Rebuke, exhort, rebuke (2 Timothy 4:2). So, one who asks to be rebuked does not refuse to be healed; rather, he wants to be relieved of the punishment so that he may not be rebuked in anger and be taken by the force of anger. And watch the process. First, seek to be accused; afterwards, to be corrected, which is greater. Then not only confess your sins, but also list them and accuse yourself; for you do not want your faults to be hidden. For just as fevers, when they are deep-rooted, cannot be alleviated; when they break out, they bring the hope of ending: so the disease of sins, while it is concealed, grows more intense; if it is revealed through confession, it evaporates. Therefore, a righteous accuser is at the beginning of discourse, before the contagion of the ulcer spreads internally; for the memory of sins burdens the conscience unless a remedy is sought. And if the doctor delays, the sick person should offer themselves so that they may be cut as quickly as possible; just as David offered himself in the lashes of the Lord saying: Render to me double the sins, as long as these are avenged; do not abandon me, do not turn your face away from me; do not disdain and recoil from the stench of my wounds. And Job, your servant, was struck with ulcers from his feet to his head, and he found a remedy for his health; although that wound was of virtue, this one of error. They celebrated wounds that doctors could not heal. You spoke, Lord, the mysteries of your sacraments, you revealed the venom of the serpent; and the wounds of your servant were healed by the medicine of your word alone, because you did not abandon him; and do not forsake me, Lord, do not depart from me. People have forsaken me; because my wounds disgust them, which I thought should be revealed to your mercy. They say: Leave us, for you are a sinner; depart, so that you do not defile us. But you, Lord, care and do not defile; you help and do not contaminate; for you are the God of my salvation, Lord, and your hand does not destroy, but is accustomed to heal. We have completed the psalm, along with its interpretation, a verse which some Greek manuscripts have, but not all the Latin ones. For before the next response, the verse is, 'And they cast me forth as a dead thing abhorred'; that is, those who repaid me evil for good. But you, O Lord, do not forsake me, nor depart from me; for this follows; that is: You do not forsake the one accustomed to caring for the dead and decaying. Finally, we have this in the Gospel. For when he had come to the tomb of Lazarus, and said, 'Take away the stone,' Martha said, 'Lord, by this time he stinketh, for he hath been dead four days.' Jesus saith to her, 'Said I not to thee, that if thou believe, thou shalt see the glory of God?' Then He cried with a loud voice, 'Lazarus, come forth.' And he that had been dead came forth, bound hand and foot with grave-clothes. Let us therefore also believe, that our wounds may obtain the healing medicine of salvation, and future glory. Therefore, in prayers and supplications, when repentance is to be sought with sorrow and tears, so that we may deserve to see the glory of God. Let it not move you that grief, pain, and physical affliction are very severe passions; although they seem very severe, nevertheless such passions are unworthy of the coming glory, as the apostle Paul testifies to you (Rom. VIII, 18). Therefore, let us not be reluctant to bear lighter burdens here, so that there we may be able to obtain full praise and glory, bringing eternal rewards for temporal things through the Lord Jesus: to whom be praise, honor, glory, perpetuity from age to age, now and forever, and for all ages, Amen.

Lord, you heal and are not polluted; you help and are not contaminated; for you are a God who saves. Your hands, O Lord, do not lose those that are your own but heal them.

"Forsake me not, O Lord; O my God, depart not from me" [Psalm 38:21]. Let us speak in Him, let us speak through Him (for He Himself intercedes for us), and let us say, "Forsake me not, O Lord my God." And yet He had said, "My God! My God! Why have You forsaken Me?" [Matthew 27:46] and He now says, "O My God, depart not from Me." If He does not forsake the body, did He forsake the Head? Whose words then are these but the First Man's? To show then that He carried about Him a true body of flesh derived from him, He says, "My God, My God why have You forsaken Me?" God had not forsaken Him. If He does not forsake You, who believest in Him, could the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, One God, forsake Christ? But He had transferred to Himself the person of the First Man. We know by the words of an Apostle, that "our old man is crucified with Him." [Romans 6:6] We should not, however, be divested of our old nature, had He not been crucified "in weakness." For it was to this end that He came that we may be renewed in Him, because it is by aspiration after Him, and by following the example of His suffering, that we are renewed. Therefore that was the cry of infirmity; that cry, I mean, in which it was said, "Why have You forsaken Me?" Thence was it said in that passage above, "the words of mine offenses." As if He were saying, These words are transferred to My Person from that of the sinner.

"Do not forsake me, O Lord." Here is set forth the prayer; and he asks that what he fears be removed, and he asks that what he loves be given to him, at "Attend to my help." Here he asks that what he fears not be removed, namely the presence of God; hence he says, "Do not forsake me, O Lord my God," namely in tribulation. Ps. 90: "I am with him in tribulation." Dt. 31: "The Lord your God, he it is; he will not leave you." And if for a short time you seem to forsake me, yet altogether "do not depart from me," because I fear that I cannot stand on my own. Is. 54: "My mercy shall not depart from you."

To bring to remembrance, or, remind God of His mercy and himself of his sin. Appealing to God for relief from His heavy chastisement, the Psalmist avows his integrity before men, complains of the defection of friends and persecution of enemies, and in a submissive spirit, casting himself on God, with penitent confession he pleads God's covenant relation and his innocence of the charges of his enemies, and prays for divine comfort and help. (Psa. 38:1-22) He deprecates deserved punishment, which is described (Psa 6:1), under the figure of bodily disease [Psa 38:3].

(Compare Psa 22:19; Psa 35:3). All terms of frequent use. In this Psalm the language is generally susceptible of application to Christ as a sufferer, David, as such, typifying Him. This does not require us to apply the confessions of sin, but only the pains or penalties which He bore for us. Next: Psalms Chapter 39