Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible
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Psalms
Book: Psalms
Chapter: 38
Overview:
God's displeasure at
Sin.
(1-11) The psalmist's sufferings and
prayers.
(12-22)
1-11 Nothing will disquiet the
Heart of a good
Man So much as
the sense of
God's
Anger. The way to keep the
Heart quiet, is to
keep ourselves in the
Love of
God. But a sense of guilt is too
heavy to
Bear; and would sink men into despair and ruin, unless
removed
By the pardoning
Mercy of
God. If there were not
Sin in
our souls, there would be
No pain in our bones,
No illness in
our bodies. The guilt of
Sin is a
Burden to the whole
Creation,
which groans under it. It will be a
Burden to the sinners
themselves, when they are heavy-laden under it, or a
Burden of
ruin, when it sinks them to
Hell. When we perceive our true
condition, the Good
Physician will be valued, sought, and
obeyed. Yet many let their wounds rankle, because they delay to
go to their merciful Friend. When, at any time, we are
distempered in our bodies, we ought to remember how
God has been
dishonoured in and
By our bodies. The groanings which cannot be
uttered, are not hid from Him that searches the
Heart, and knows
the mind of the
Spirit.
David, in his troubles, was a
Type of
Christ in his agonies, of
Christ On his
Cross, suffering and
deserted.
12-22 Wicked men hate
Goodness, even when they benefit
By it.
David, in the complaints he makes of his enemies, seems to refer
to
Christ. But our enemies do us real mischief only when they
drive us from
God and our duty. The true believer's trouble will
be made useful; he will learn to wait for his
God, and will not
seek relief from the world or himself. The less we notice the
unkindness and injuries that are done us, the more we consult
the quiet of our own minds.
David's troubles were the
chastisement and the consequence of his transgressions, whilst
Christ suffered for our sins and ours only. What right can a
sinner have to yield to impatience or
Anger, when mercifully
corrected for his sins?
David was very sensible of the present
workings of corruption in him. Good men,
By setting their sorrow
continually before them, have been ready to fall; but
By setting
God always before them, they have kept their standing. If we are
truly penitent for
Sin, that will make us patient under
affliction. Nothing goes nearer to the
Heart of a believer when
in affliction, than to be under the apprehension of
God's
deserting him; nor does any thing come more feelingly from his
Heart than this
Prayer, "Be not far from me." The
Lord will
hasten to help those who trust in him as their
Salvation.