3). He Calls on YHWH his Lord for Deliverance from his Enemies in View of his Own Deep Repentance and his Confidence in the True Faithfulness to Him of YHWH, his God and Lord (Psalms 38:15-22).
As we have seen Psalms 38:15 concludes his previous thoughts and makes sense of them. But it also prepares the way for his further thought, and so we include it again here. It is because his hope is in his covenant God, and because he is sure that his Sovereign Lord will answer him, that he has such confidence in spite of his sin and his desertion by those around him. And we should note also that at the root of his confidence is the fact that, in spite of his admitted sinfulness, he basically follows the thing that is good (Psalms 38:20). Thus he knows that, while he may have been weak and foolish, his God knows that the set of his heart is true (Psalms 38:20). It is because God knows the underlying state of his heart that he can have such confidence in His mercy.
For in you, O YHWH, do I hope,
You will answer, O Lord my God.'
‘For I said,
Lest they rejoice over me,
When my foot slips,
They magnify themselves against me.
For I am ready to fall,
And my sorrow is continually before me.
‘For I will declare my iniquity,
I will be sorry for my sin.
And it is because of his confidence that YHWH is with him, and that his Sovereign Lord and God will answer him, that he can stand there without fear. That is why he can speak lightly of men rejoicing over him when his foot slips. For he knows that they will never really be able to rejoice over his final downfall because his God is with him.
Nevertheless at present they speak boldly against him with their accusations, thinking that they really are about to bring about his downfall. They are sure that YHWH is on their side. But there is something that they are overlooking, and that is his genuine repentance before YHWH. For while they are making themselves so big against him and are ‘strutting their stuff', he on his part is humbling himself before his God. He is openly declaring his iniquity, and expressing regret for his sin. Thus he is sure that in the end they can only fail, because God will be on his side.
But my enemies are lively, and are strong,
And those who hate me wrongfully are multiplied.
Those also who render evil for good, are adversaries to me,
Because I follow the thing that is good.
Nevertheless his enemies appear lively and strong. And now we come to the nub of the matter. While his enemies are lively and strong, those who hate him wrongfully are numerous, and they include among their number those who render evil for good. This reveals the fact that in the last analysis all their hatred is directed at him because he follows ‘the thing that is good' (literally ‘for my following of good'). Now we know why he is confident that through YHWH he will triumph. It is because he is the one who alone is upholding YHWH's truth and righteousness. He alone has the good of all in his mind. How then can YHWH not step in on his side?
‘Forsake me not, O YHWH,
O my God, be not far from me.
Make haste to help me,
O Lord, my salvation.
And so he finishes his Psalm by calling confidently on his covenant God to help him, and not to forsake him. It is in this that his assurance lies, that YHWH at least will not forsake him. So although his friends and relatives might stand afar off from him (Psalms 38:11), and his enemies might act against him, he knows that God will not be far from him, and that He will act for him. Indeed, he is confident that He even then stands there ready to help him.
That is finally why he knows that he can call on Him to make haste to help him as the One Who is Sovereign Lord, and especially as the One Who is Lord over his very much needed deliverance. He is the Lord, his salvation. And he knows therefore that his request will be answered. For his sovereign Lord is also his Saviour, He is his salvation, and his salvation is thus wholly of the Lord. And in view of that it cannot therefore fail.