Psalm 38 – Derek: Meditating on the Way
Psalm 38: A Penitential Psalm.
As the Psalmist approaches Yahweh with a memorial offering, the petitioner confesses sin and laments the suffering. “There is no shalom in my bones, and family, friends, and neighbors have distanced themselves from me.” The memorial offering seeks God’s forgiveness, healing, and communal reconciliation.
One of the Penitential Psalms, the Psalmist owns the sin; there is no claim of innocence. But also the Psalmist is one who seeks God and seeks to do good despite.
The Psalm does not make a general claim that all personal suffering is due to personal sin. Other Psalms contest that claim as does the book of Job. Rather, the Psalmist in this specific instance recognizes the sin has created chaos in both soul and body. Thus, the Psalmist confesses sin and seeks the renewal of shalom in both body and soul.
We may pray this Psalm at a personal level, and we may pray it at a communal level as we confess the sins of the community and seek its healing.
Bobby Valentine and John Mark Hicks discuss the meaning and significance of Psalm 38.