Psalm 38 Summary - 5 Minute Bible Study

Psalm 38 Short Summary:

Psalm 38 is a psalm of confession in which David describes the burden of his sins. He freely admits he has sinned and asked God to forgive him. Even though he is confident of God’s mercy, he is still affected by the guilt and the way it wears on him, both physically and emotionally.

Psalm 38 Summary

AUTHOR:

• David is the author of Psalm 38.

NEW TESTAMENT REFERENCES:

• No Known New Testament References.

THEMES:

• The guilt and consequences of sin are a heavy burden.

• God will ease the burden of those who confess their sins.

DEFINITIONS:

• Indignation (38:3) – God’s anger because of sin.

• Iniquity (38:18) – Immoral or corrupt behavior.

• Aloof (38:11) – Being cold towards someone, the opposite of being warm and friendly. Keeping one’s distance from a situation or particular person.

OUTLINE:

• THE HEAVY BURDEN OF SIN (38:1-22):

  • In Psalm 38, David is confessing his sin to God and describing the mental and physical effects from the guilt.

  • He describes himself as having been pierced by God’s arrows and being weighed down by a heavy burden.

  • The guilt had taken a toll on his physical health. He wrote how he could feel it in his bones. He felt crushed and went around groaning and sighing.

  • His sin had distanced him from his friends and relatives (38:11).

  • David’s enemies were ready to pounce on him.

  • David concludes the psalm with open confession and a plea to God for help.

  • I confess my iniquity; I am sorry for my sin… Do not forsake me, O Lord! O my God, be not far from me! Make haste to help me, O Lord, my salvation” (38:18, 21-22)!
    

APPLICATION:

• There’s a sense in which we should all want to feel David’s burden when we sin.

• We want to feel burdened, we want to feel guilty, and we want to groan over our sins.

• We want to feel God’s arrows piercing our consciences.

• We want to remember how that guilt feels so we never return to that place.

• What’s really scary is when you sin and you feel nothing.

• It’s better to be weighed down in mourning for your sins than to have a heart so hard guilt can’t penetrate it.

• That isn’t to say we wallow in guilt for an extended amount of time, Jesus’ blood cleanses that guilt, but there are valuable lessons to be learned when God’s hand is momentarily heavy on us because of our sins.

• We should pray to God for tender consciences AND trust in the forgiving work of Jesus.