Wednesday, April 26: “Same Man, Different Moods”
Psalm 38: 3b, 5, 19b, 20: “There is no health in my bones because of my sin. My wounds grow foul and fester because of my folly … Many are those who hate me wrongfully, and those who repay evil for good, they oppose me, because I follow what is good.”
Are these verses part of the same psalm? First David says he is suffering physically because of his sin, then he complains that he is wrongfully persecuted because of his goodness. Perhaps an understanding can be gained from the psalm’s preface: “for a memorial.” David wanted to remind himself (and us) that circumstances come and go, and we don’t always know either their cause or their purpose. His heart cry, whatever his current situation, is “Make haste to help Me, O Lord, my salvation!” (v. 22)
