PSALMS 40

     We will begin this lesson by giving the 38th Psalm in metre.

                   THE PSALMS OF DAVID IN METRE

                            Chapter 38

Verse 1  "Lord, do not in hot displeasure, Lay thy heavy hand on me;
          Let thy chastening be in measure, Thy rebukes from anger
          free."
Verse 2  "For thy hand most sorely presses, Fast thy arrows stick
          within; Wrath my weary flesh distresses, Give my bones no
          rest for sin."
Verse 3  "O'er my head like billows rushing My transgressions risen
          are; Like a burden heavy, crushing, Greater far than I can
          bear.
Verse 4  "Loathsome are my wounds neglected, My own folly makes it so;
          Bowed with grief, and much afflicted, All the day I mourning
          go,"
Verse 5  "For my loins are filled with burning, Health in me no more
          remains: I am feeble, bruised, and mourning, Groaning loud
          through inward palms."
Verse 6  "My desires and ceaseless wailing, Lord, unveiled before thee
          lie; Pants my heart, my strength is failing, All its light
          hath left mine eye."
Verse 7  "Friends and lovers now are standing At a distance from my
          sore; Kinsmen once my cause befriending, Come to visit me no
          more."
Verse 8  "They that for my life are seeking, Snares for me in secret
          lay; Hurtful things against me speaking, Plots devising all
          the day.
Verse 9  "But as one that's deaf I heard not, As one dumb no word I
          spake; Silent like those that regard not, Those whose mouths
          no answer make."
Verse 10 "Lord, my God, in thee I'm trusting, Thou wilt hear me when I
          call; Hear, lest they against me boasting, Joy and triumph
          when I fall,"
Verse 11 "Ready now to halt and stumble, Griefs before me still have
          been; I'll confess with spirit humble, And be sorry for my
          sin."
Verse 12 "Great in power, life, and number, Bitter foes have me
          withstood, Evil they for kindness render, Hating me for
          doing good."
Verse 13 "Lord, my God, do not forsake me, Distant from  me never be;
          To my Saviour I betake me; Hasten, Lord give help to me."

     We will now begin the verse by verse study of the 38th chapter of
Psalms. Psalms 38:1 "{A Psalm of David, to bring to remembrance.} O
LORD, rebuke me not in thy wrath: neither chasten me in thy hot
displeasure."

     David is like so many of us. David sinned and then felt guilty
about that sin. He knew he deserved to be punished of the Father. He
is asking the Father, in this, to forgive him and if He punished him,
for it not to be so severe. David knows God loves him and the
punishment will not be to the death. He, also, knows that God is
merciful and longsuffering. None of us want to be punished for the
sins we have done. We all cry for mercy.

     Psalms 38:2 "For thine arrows stick fast in me, and thy hand
presseth me sore."

     The arrow that is bothering David is the one sticking in his
heart. Of course, it is not a literal arrow, it is his conscience.
When the hand of God is on you, there is no greater anguish. Everyone
who ever committed a sin and was sorry for that sin has felt these
same things.

     Psalms 38:3 "[There is] no soundness in my flesh because of thine
anger; neither [is there any] rest in my bones because of my sin."

     This is not a physical illness, but is a sickness of his spirit
that makes him hurt all over. Until he gets his conscience cleared
with God, there will be no rest for him at all. He will roll and
tumble in bed, and get up feeling as if he had been beaten with a
board during the night. There will be no peace for him, or us, until
the sin is confessed and forgiveness is accepted.

     Psalms 38:4 "For mine iniquities are gone over mine head: as an
heavy burden they are too heavy for me."

     There is no heavier load to carry than the burden of sin. His
mind is stayed constantly on his sin.

     Psalms 38:5 "My wounds stink [and] are corrupt because of my
foolishness."

     The more he thinks about the sin, the worse it seems. He finally
is so eaten up by the sin that it seems to even have a bad odor.

     Psalms 38:6 "I am troubled; I am bowed down greatly; I go
mourning all the day long."

     When a person is so eaten up by sin, it does no good to go to
work. You could not get your mind off the sin long enough to think
straight enough to get the work done. Doctors of Psychiatry say that a
person filled with guilt many times will look constantly at the
ground. They will not be able to hold their head up and look you
squarely in the eye. This is what this verse above is saying. He is
bowed down with mourning for his sin.

     Psalms 38:7 "For my loins are filled with a loathsome [disease]:
and [there is] no soundness in my flesh."

     David is speaking of deep worry which could even cause an ulcer,
if the worry is not stopped. Many physical diseases are started by
depression.
     Psalms 38:8 "I am feeble and sore broken: I have roared by reason
of the disquietness of my heart."

     Those who are depressed feel much older than they really are.
This roaring just means a lack of peace. When your heart is disturbed
you are sick all over.

     Psalms 38:9 "Lord, all my desire [is] before thee; and my
groaning is not hid from thee."

     We all feel sometimes that God does not know of our trouble, but
He knows even every thought that we have. David is saying, here, that
he has placed all of his problems on the Lord. He, also, knows that
God has heard him.

     Psalms 38:10 "My heart panteth, my strength faileth me: as for
the light of mine eyes, it also is gone from me."

     You can see in this statement of David, the feelings of those who
feel that God has not forgiven them. The person would feel that their
heart was about to fail them. The sparkle has gone from their eye.

     Psalms 38:11 "My lovers and my friends stand aloof from my sore;
and my kinsmen stand afar off."

     Guilt from sin is a personal thing. Those around you seldom
realize the devastating feelings that have come with the guilt.

     Psalms 38:12 "They also that seek after my life lay snares [for
me]: and they that seek my hurt speak mischievous things, and imagine
deceits all the day long."

     Not only is David guilt ridden, but he feels that God will not
intervene in his behalf with his enemies. David is saying here, that
the sins he did commit are not as bad as the ones he is being accused
of.

     Psalms 38:13 "But I, as a deaf [man], heard not; and [I was] as a
dumb man [that] openeth not his mouth."

     David's grief, over what he has done wrong, has left him feeling
as if he deserves all that is being said about him, even though much
of it is not true. He does not speak out and say it is not true,
because he feels as if he deserves to be punished by someone. If God
won't punish him, then these enemies will punish him for God. He is
willing to endure any punishment to get rid of this guilt.

     Psalms 38:14 "Thus I was as a man that heareth not, and in whose
mouth [are] no reproofs."

     David admits this is the reason why he did not speak out here.

     Psalms 38:15 "For in thee, O LORD, do I hope: thou wilt hear, O
Lord my God."
     Now, we see the first glimmer of faith in the Lord. Notice that
David calls Him {my God}.

     Psalms 38:16 "For I said, [Hear me], lest [otherwise] they should
rejoice over me: when my foot slippeth, they magnify [themselves]
against me."

     David is saying, As bad as I am Lord, I am yours and your enemies
and mine will laugh at me, if you do not answer me. They will be
thrilled that I have fallen out of your grace.

     Psalms 38:17 "For I [am] ready to halt, and my sorrow [is]
continually before me."

     David is saying in this, If you don't help me, I will die from
the sorrow I am feeling for the sin I committed.

     Psalms 38:18 "For I will declare mine iniquity; I will be sorry
for my sin."

     David is admitting guilt and is even ready to admit it to
whomever the Lord would have him admit it to. David says, I am sorry
now for my sin, and I will be sorry in the future of this sin as well.

     Psalms 38:19 "But mine enemies [are] lively, [and] they are
strong: and they that hate me wrongfully are multiplied."

     Now David is telling the Lord that even though he did wrong to
the Lord, he did not do the wrongs to these evil ones that are hating
him. David realizes that his enemies are too many for him and too
strong. If God does not help him, he is in terrible trouble.

     Psalms 38:20 "They also that render evil for good are mine
adversaries; because I follow [the thing that] good [is]."

     David reminds God that these adversaries {enemies} are evil men
who hate God. David puts in one last plea, that he loves God and the
desire of his heart is to follow God. David may not always do the
right thing, but he wants in his heart to do right.

     Psalms 38:21 " Forsake me not, O LORD: O my God, be not far from
me."

     We see a desperate plea from David for the LORD to be with him
and help him against their mutual enemy. I believe the worst thing
about not making it to heaven would be the loneliness of not being
with Jesus. That is what David is saying, here, that he could not
stand.

     Psalms 38:22 "Make haste to help me, O Lord my salvation."

     The cry of every believer in Christ today should be, Come quickly
Lord Jesus. That is the cry of David, here.

                             Questions 40

1.  David asks the LORD to rebuke him not in His ______.
2.  What was David feeling after he sinned?
3.  What does the statement {thine arrows stick fast} mean?
4.  What is the arrow?
5.  What is David saying about no rest in his bones?
6.  When will peace come to David?
7.  What is the heaviest load a person can experience?
8.  Quote Psalms chapter 38 verse 5.
9.  Why can many people look you squarely in the eye?
10. Deep worry can cause what kind of physical illness?
11. Who feels much older than they really are?
12. What took the sparkle from David's eye?
13. Guilt from sin is a ___________ thing.
14. In verse 11, who stand aloof from David?
15. What 2 impairments did David say he was like in verse 13?
16. Why does David not speak out against those who are telling lies
    about him?
17. Who is David's hope?
18. What is David saying in verse 17?
19. How does David describe his enemies in verse 19?
20. What does adversaries mean?
21. David says, he does not always do the right thing, but what is in
    his favor?
22. What does the author think would be the worst thing about not
    making it to heaven?
23. Who does David call the LORD in verse 22?