O Lord, rebuke me not in Thy wrath: neither chasten me in Thy hot displeasure.
Great personal affliction
I. Elements of aggravation.
1. A dread of Divine displeasure (Psalms 38:1).
2. A crushing sense of sin (Psalms 38:4).
3. The desertion of professed friends (Psalms 38:11).
4. The assaults of enemies (Psalms 38:19-20).
II. Means of relief.
1. Remembrance of God’s cognizance of his sufferings (Psalms 38:9).
2. Power of self-control (Psalms 38:13).
3. Unbounded confidence in God (Psalms 38:15).
4. Penitential confession of sin (Psalms 38:18).
5. Importunate appeals to heaven. (Homilist.)
Things to be remembered
The title to this psalm is: “A psalm of David, to bring to remembrance.” This seems to teach us that good things need to be kept alive in our memories, that we should often sit down, look back, retrace, and turn over in our meditation things that are past, lest at any time we should let any good thing sink into oblivion.
I. Among the things that David brought to his own remembrance were his past trials and his past deliverances.
1. Such a remembrance will prevent your imagining that you have come into the land of ease and perfect rest.
2. They will refresh your memories with regard to the mercy of God, and so will stir you up to gratitude.
3. Such a remembrance will be of great service to you, if you are at this time enduring the like exercises. What God was, that He is. Having begun to deliver you, He will not afterwards forsake you.
II. The great point, however, in David’s psalm is to bring to remembrance the depravity of our nature. There perhaps is no psalm which more fully than this describes human nature as seen in the light which God the Holy Ghost casts upon it in the time when tie convinces us of sin. It is a spiritual leprosy, it is an inward disease which is here described, and David paints it to the very life, and he would have us recollect this. Child of God, let me bring to your remembrance the fact that you are by nature no better than the vilest of the vile. “Children of wrath even as others,” are you. Remember old John Bradford’s remark; whenever he saw a man go by his window to Tyburn to be hanged--and he lived at that time where he saw them all--“Ah!” said he, “there goes John Bradford if the grace of God had not prevented.”
III. third thing the psalm brings to our remembrance is our many enemies. David says that his enemies laid snares for him, and sought his hurt, and spoke mischievous things, and devised deceits all day long. “Well,” says one, “how was it that David had so many enemies? Must lie not have been imprudent and rash, or perhaps morose?” It does not appear so in ills life. He rather made enemies by his being scrupulously holy, because he loved the thing which is good. Now you must not suppose that because you seek to live in all peaceableness and righteousness, that therefore everybody will be peaceable towards you. “I come not to send peace upon earth, but a sword.” The ultimate result of the religion of Christ is to make peace everywhere, but the first result is to cause strife. When the light comes, it must contend with the darkness; when the truth comes, it must first combat error; and when the Gospel comes, it must meet with enemies; and the man who receives the Gospel will find that his foes shall be they of his own household.
IV. The psalm reminds us of our gracious God. Praise the grace that has held you till now. Keep in remembrance the patience of God in enduring with you, the power of God in restraining you, the love of God in instructing you, and the goodness of God in keeping you to this day. (C. H. Spurgeon.)