My beloved and friends shun my disease, and my kinsmen stand at a distance.
David composed this psalm as a memorial, knowing how quickly God's chastisements slip from our minds even though they ought to instruct us all our lives. The title points to his purpose: to keep the lessons of affliction alive in himself and in others.
AI summary
Commenting on Psalm 38:1-22
Those nearest him flee from his affliction like men from a sinking ship; they dare not draw close lest they sink with him. But the real agony is this: in times when conscience wounds deepest, even the most devoted friends cannot reach the sufferer where he bleeds. Oh, the terrible solitude of a soul under conviction by the Holy Ghost, surrounded by a crowd and finding not one to help.
AI summary
When afflicted, we must call our sins to mind and set them in order before God for humiliation. This psalm teaches the sick what to think and say in their distress, but above all: pray that God's rebuke may not come in wrath, for that makes the affliction wormwood and gall.
AI summary
Commenting on Psalm 38:1-11