Psalm Category:Penitential (lament) Psalm

Central Thought:The psalmist has sinned and God responds by disciplining him in love. In this psalm, the psalmist experiences discipline, desperation, and deliverance.

Key Word:Yasar (v. 1). Yasar is translated as “discipline.” It may also be translated as “chasten” or “instruct.” Yasar implies covenant instruction and education, not judgment. Gerald Wilson comments on Psalm 38, “The setting is less the courtroom than the classroom, and Yahweh is less a judge than a teacher correcting a student” [Gerald H. Wilson, Psalms, Vol. 1: NIV Application Commentary(Zondervan, 2002), 616]. Remember that God disciplines us to instruct us, not to punish us (see Heb. 12:1-11).

Discipline is never easy to accept, even when it is well deserved. When I was a child, my parents frequently disciplined me (more times than I would like to admit!). It was only when I became an adult ...