March 14, 2004 Psalm 38
1 A psalm of David. A petition. O LORD, do not rebuke me in your anger or discipline me in your wrath.
2 For your arrows have pierced me, and your hand has come down upon me.
3 Because of your wrath there is no health in my body; my bones have no soundness because of my sin.
4 My guilt has overwhelmed me like a burden too heavy to bear.
5 My wounds fester and are loathsome because of my sinful folly.
6 I am bowed down and brought very low; all day long I go about mourning.
7 My back is filled with searing pain; there is no health in my body.
8 I am feeble and utterly crushed; I groan in anguish of heart.
9 All my longings lie open before you, O Lord; my sighing is not hidden from you.
10 My heart pounds, my strength fails me; even the light has gone from my eyes.
11 My friends and companions avoid me because of my wounds; my neighbors stay far away.
12 Those who seek my life set their traps, those who would harm me talk of my ruin; all day long they plot deception.
13 I am like a deaf man, who cannot hear, like a mute, who cannot open his mouth;
14 I have become like a man who does not hear, whose mouth can offer no reply.
15 I wait for you, O LORD; you will answer, O Lord my God.
16 For I said, “Do not let them gloat or exalt themselves over me when my foot slips.”
17 For I am about to fall, and my pain is ever with me.
18 I confess my iniquity; I am troubled by my sin.
19 Many are those who are my vigorous enemies; those who hate me without reason are numerous.
20 Those who repay my good with evil slander me when I pursue what is good.
21 O LORD, do not forsake me; be not far from me, O my God.
22 Come quickly to help me, O Lord my Savior.
Years ago I walked into the house of a real elderly lady had been a member of the congregation for her whole life - just the nicest gal. She always welcomed me with a smile and loved the devotions. But one month I decided to talk about the fact that we were all sinners - and that we needed the grace of God. Instead of just talking about it and having her listen, I openly asked her if she was a sinner. I was shocked when this elderly lady actually didn’t really consider herself a “sinner.” Why not? She wasn’t committing the sins that were being committed on TV. She was just keeping to herself, saying her prayers, and being a nice old grandma. Somehow she had lost the whole concept of sin and grace in the mix - assuming that in her old age she never committed any real sins.
In today’s Psalm, David was apparently also an old man. Yet even in his old age he still reflected a deep sense of sin and grace throughout his entire life. His attitude is a Christian one - one that is a model for us as Christians - both young and old - to follow. Even though you may not be at his stage of life, as fellow Christians we can learn something from -
The Confessions of an Old Man
I. I feel like God is shooting at me
Dr. Brug of the People’s Bible speculated that David wrote this Psalm with the background of 1 Kings chapter one in mind. After I looked at it, the speculation seems very plausible. At that point in David’s life we are told that David was old and well advanced in years - so that his circulation wasn’t working very well - he couldn’t keep himself warm. Psalm 38 also mentions some other things that had gone with David’s body by this time in his life -
vs. 3 - there is no health in my body; my bones have no soundness
vs. 6-7 - I am bowed down and brought very low; all day long I go about mourning. My back is filled with searing pain; there is no health in my body.
vs. 10 - My heart pounds, my strength fails me; even the light has gone from my eyes. (Ps 38:10)
vs. 13-14 I am like a deaf man, who cannot hear, like a mute, who cannot open his mouth; I have become like a man who does not hear, whose mouth can offer no reply.
When you compare the condition of David’s body at this time with the statue of him in Europe - or more assuredly the Word of God - you can see the tremendous change that took place. When Jesse went to get David in from the fields 1 Samuel says that, “He was ruddy, with a fine appearance and handsome features.” (1 Samuel 16:12) With God’s strength he had killed the lion and the bear and Goliath as well. Songs were sung of him, “David has killed his tens of thousands.” He was well known as a man of bloodshed - who had to conquer the kingdom of Israel through warfare. (1 Samuel 18:17) But now David had taken a turn for the worse. This young stud had turned into an old and nearly blind, deaf, and lame old man. He couldn’t do too much of anything.
This inability to be the man he once was had a profound on David - not only physically - but especially spiritually. It influenced him to write this Psalm. He prayed in vs. 1-2, O LORD, do not rebuke me in your anger or discipline me in your wrath. For your arrows have pierced me, and your hand has come down upon me. This second term reminds me of when I wrestle with my children. Sometimes I will take them on the bed and pin my hand on their chest - so that they are unable to get up no matter which way they turn (in a playful manner of course). David seemingly felt as if God was on top of him and literally using His mighty hand to push him down into the depths. And as he felt the torments of a bad back and a deteriorating eye sight - he felt guilty - as if God had punished him for something He’d done. It deeply effected him spiritually and made him feel unworthy.
If I were a betting man I would venture to bet that most of us have had those same kinds of feelings of unworthiness at some point in our lives - during the flu or a sprained ankle or some other prolonged sickness. If you haven’t, you probably will. Why does suffering automatically bring about guilt? All of us realize that if there were no sin in this world there would be no suffering. God associated pain with the fall - pain in childbirth and pain in work - all came after the fall - not before. We naturally realize that if we weren’t sinners, we wouldn’t suffer. So even when we don’t “earn” a bad back by lifting too much or “earn” a bad knee by playing football, we still indirectly deserve what we’re getting just from the sheer fact that we are sinners living in a sinful world. The pain and weakness that becomes more and more a part of your life makes you realize you’re on the journey to your death. It’s not a very cheery thing - but it’s realistic.
It also means that I haven’t reached perfection yet in my Christian faith and life. God says that - suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. (Ro 5:3-5). In an indirect way God is telling you that He’s still working on you - making you stronger - more faithful. The temptation in life as Christians is to think that since Jesus died for me and God loves me that he won’t allow me to suffer - or to assume that we don’t have much room for growth. We pray that God would keep us from any disasters in life. But when we have to suffer an ongoing illness - it makes us realize very quickly we aren’t there yet.
For some reason we as Christians think that crying through suffering or feeling unworthy or guilty is a bad thing. So we act all happy when friends come, when deep inside, we’re really hurting. A part of us is too proud to admit we feel guilty - even though we feel that way. The old man has something to say to you this morning - it’s not something to be ashamed of. It’s something to confess. It’s what God wants to happen. He wants us to feel weak and sinful - so He allows us to get weak and sick. Instead of denying it or being embarrassed about your feelings - confess them.
II. My friends are avoiding me
The old man’s confession wasn’t done, because his problems didn’t end with bad eye sight or a bad back. The Psalm goes on to mention other difficulties he was having as a result of his bad health -
11 My friends and companions avoid me because of my wounds; my neighbors stay far away.
12 Those who seek my life set their traps, those who would harm me talk of my ruin; all day long they plot deception.
19 Many are those who are my vigorous enemies; those who hate me without reason are numerous.
20 Those who repay my good with evil slander me when I pursue what is good.
1 Kings tells us exactly what “friends” had deserted David in his old age. He had verbally committed to Bathsheba that her son Solomon would be king. But David had another son after Absalom (the one who had already died in rebellion) named Adonijah - who was also a good looking kid. He decided to put himself forward and make himself king. Without David’s permission, he found horses and chariots and fifty men to make it look like he was the king. He also conferred with Joab - David’s general - and also with Abiathar the priest, and they gave him their support. All of this happened while David was really too old to do much about it. He didn’t even realize what was going on until Bathsheba came and told him. So when David needed it the most, some of his most trusted friends and advisors - his own sons even tried to take the kingdom out from under his nose. Instead of respecting David in his old age, they felt they could take advantage of him.
Again, this had a deep effect on David spiritually. He said in vs. 13-14 I am like a deaf man, who cannot hear, like a mute, who cannot open his mouth; I have become like a man who does not hear, whose mouth can offer no reply. It felt as if he didn’t hardly have a friend in the world. It was getting to the point that he couldn’t trust anybody. The sad point was that there was hardly anything he could do about it. When he was younger he could have stuck up for himself and been sharp enough to defend himself. But now in his old age he just felt like a worthless waste of space.
The worst part of this story was that it was his own children that were fighting over his kingdom and trying to deceitfully take it from the rightful heir. 1 Kings says that Adonijah was that way because His father had never interfered with him by asking, “Why do you behave as you do?” (1 Ki 1:6) So when David looked at how his own children turned out, he also felt guilty. If he had raised them right - they would have turned out better than what they did. But now it was too late. The deed was done, and there was NOTHING that he could do about it. All he could do was confess that he was helpless to do anything.
I think it’s hard for us to imagine how lonely it can get when someone reaches the stage of David, but the confession of David helps open up that stage of life for someone. First of all, the friends you used to hang out start dying off . Then your own hearing starts to feed and it even becomes difficult to speak because of the energy it takes. With some elderly people, it can get to the point that nobody wants to talk with them because they have to yell all the time - or even loved ones get frustrated because they can’t seem to communicate. It sometimes gets worse for an elderly person when they are placed in a retirement home that they don’t know anybody. Instead of being treated with respect, they are treated like senile and senseless pieces of wood. The life long possessions that they do take to the home are sometimes stolen, and even their own finances are often times misappropriated by greedy children or powers of attorney who only want their inheritance. It gets to the point that they can trust noone. The saddest thing is when like David they ARE completely capable mentally - but physically they are unable to defend themselves. It has to be a completely helpless feeling. That’s what David was confessing, “Lord, I can’t do anything to defend myself.”
III. I need help, God
If you think about it, it’s this last stage of life that the world dreads the most. Several months ago a ninety year old lady died in her rocking chair. She was single her whole life, never needed any help, was able to drive and take care of herself until the day she died. That’s the ultimate kind of death in the eyes of the world. I have to admit, that would be the way to go. None of us wants to be in the situation David was put in - to be so seemingly helpless. It’s the reasoning behind the mercy killings of today and living wills - where people would rather choke on an olive than have to face the prospect of living a prolonged life on a respirator or with the help of doctors and family. The last thing that we like to be a drain on someone else’s time or to disrupt their life. When it does happen, sometimes people turn very negative. Many elderly people respond with anger and become disgruntled with life and the world. They become impossible with the very people that are trying to live with them.
Instead of becoming despondent, David took a different route.
I wait for you, O LORD; you will answer, O Lord my God.
16 For I said, “Do not let them gloat or exalt themselves over me when my foot slips.”
17 For I am about to fall, and my pain is ever with me.
18 I confess my iniquity; I am troubled by my sin.
21 O LORD, do not forsake me; be not far from me, O my God.
22 Come quickly to help me, O Lord my Savior.
David turned to the only source that he had left - and that was the Lord his Savior. God listened to the prayer. In mercy, He brought Bathsheba and Nathan to the side of David, along with Zadok the priest. They informed David of Adonijah’s plot and helped him come up with the plan to overcome Adonijah’s scheming. With their help David was able to publicly announce Solomon as the next king. Not only did this temporarily save Adonijah’s life, but it also kept his promise to Bathsheba and the dynasty of David in the right hands - the hands of Solomon. God was merciful.
This shows us what kind of a God we have. In Exodus 34 he told Moses that he was The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, 7 maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. (Ex 34:6-7) When Jesus went to Matthew’s house and was eating with what were known as well known sinners, he told the crowd, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” (Mt 9:12-13) So Isaiah 66 says, This is the one I esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at my word. (Is 66:2) God loves to take care of the widow and the orphans - those who have NO ONE else to turn to. He loves to be the knight in shining armor - our Savior. The ultimate proof of this is when we turn to the cross. When we were dead and helpless in our sins - He sacrificed Himself to take us out of our helpless position - even without our asking. He gave us His Holy Spirit in baptism and gave us the ability to defend ourselves against the attacks of Satan. Instead of kicking us when we were down, He picked us up. Instead of ignoring us when we’re hurting, He helps us. That’s the kind of God we have - on Who still promises us in Hebrews 13:5, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” Even though we may not be able to take our mistakes back, He can still work them out for good.
If David had never lost his health - his eyesight - his ability to speak well - he never would have been brought to such a realization of his weakness and his need for God’s deliverance. He could have become angry or been too proud to admit his shortcomings. But when God brought him to see his own weakness - and confess them - he was given another opportunity to trust in God as his Savior. In a sense you could say that David was never stronger in the faith until the end of his life - because this is when he was the weakest. It’s this concept that led the Apostle Paul to say, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. (2 Co 12:10) Confession of weakness becomes a strength when we turn to the Lord for our strength.
Today God took us to an old folk’s home and let an old king complain to us about his back, his hearing, and his mouth. Usually, we don’t like listening to people complain and make fun of such complaints and might consider it boring if it doesn’t involve a red hot affair or some other juicy tidbit. But this Psalm is nothing to make fun of or overlook. It’s an honest confession of a faithful old king David. Not only is it a confession of sin, it’s also a confession of faith - faith in His Savior. The good thing is that God didn’t ignore David or make fun of him in His weakness. He had compassion on him. When we come to God in the same manner - admitting our weakness need for help - God also has compassion on us. The confession of an old man shows us who to turn to in time of need - our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
