A psalm of David. For remembrance.
I
Lord, do not punish me in your anger;
in your wrath do not chastise me!
Your arrows have sunk deep in me;
your hand has come down upon me.
There is no wholesomeness in my flesh because of your anger;
there is no health in my bones because of my sin.
My iniquities overwhelm me,
a burden too heavy for me.
II
Foul and festering are my sores
because of my folly.
I am stooped and deeply bowed;
every day I go about mourning.
My loins burn with fever;
there is no wholesomeness in my flesh.
I am numb and utterly crushed;
I wail with anguish of heart.
My Lord, my deepest yearning is before you;
my groaning is not hidden from you.
My heart shudders, my strength forsakes me;
the very light of my eyes has failed.
Friends and companions shun my disease;
my neighbors stand far off.
Those who seek my life lay snares for me;
they seek my misfortune, they speak of ruin;
they plot treachery every day.
III
But I am like the deaf, hearing nothing,
like the mute, I do not open my mouth,
I am even like someone who does not hear,
who has no answer ready.
Lord, it is for you that I wait;
O Lord, my God, you respond.
For I have said that they would gloat over me,
exult over me if I stumble.
IV
I am very near to falling;
my wounds are with me always.
I acknowledge my guilt
and grieve over my sin.
My enemies live and grow strong,
those who hate me grow numerous fraudulently,
Repaying me evil for good,
accusing me for pursuing good.
Do not forsake me, O Lord;
my God, be not far from me!
Come quickly to help me,
my Lord and my salvation!
Psalms 38:1-23
This sounds like someone who is feeling guilty for something. Isn’t it strange how he seems to project his own human understandings onto God? The psalmist says to God, “There is no wholesomeness in my flesh because of your anger.”
But God is love. His very essence and divine nature is love. He offers us forgiveness and mercy freely, whether we deserve it or not …and who could ever really deserve it? It seems like the Old Testament is full of descriptions of God’s wrath or anger, but is that even possible? Maybe that is a story being told in a way that the writers believe a human being would understand.
But there are plenty of people in the world today who approach Christianity like it is all about hell-fire and brimstone. There was a priest who spoke for our Lenten parish mission a number of years ago, and he talked about this idea. (I wish I could remember his name!)
He told us that there were a few centuries when we couldn’t have done a worse job preaching the good news if we tried. The truth is, God is love. How can there be any better news than that? God is forgiveness. God is mercy. As soon as we learn to accept who God really is, the rest of the faith falls into place.
We’re not going to win souls for Jesus by scaring people with our vision of the wrath of God. People don’t avoid sin because they might go to hell someday. The motivation to avoid sin is all about being caught up in God’s divine love. That has to be the focus.
When the Holy Spirit breathes that love into us, we are drawn to prayer. In prayer we find even greater joy, and soon we are on the path God has planned for us, the path to eternal joy.
That’s not to say I can’t relate to what the psalmist is saying. “My iniquities overwhelm me, a burden too heavy for me.” Who hasn’t felt that way at one time or another?
“I acknowledge my guilt and grieve over my sin.” It’s good that we confess that to God and ask for His forgiveness. But then we have to be willing to take it.
“Do not forsake me, O Lord; my God, be not far from me!” If this is our prayer, things will be looking up very soon!