"There is no soundness in my flesh because of thine anger; neither is there any rest in my bones because of my sin. For mine iniquities are gone over mine head: as an heavy burden they are too heavy for me…My heart panteth, my strength faileth me: as for the light of mine eyes, it is also gone from me." [Psa 38:3-4, 10]
The effects of sin upon mankind are varied and troublesome; they often plague us with burdensome consequences, just as the thorns do the gardener, which are ever the reminder of our transgression against God and when He pronounced, regarding the earth, “thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee.” [Gen 3:18] In the Psalms, David speaks of some of these effects; He says,
“There is no soundness in my flesh because of thine anger; neither is there any rest in my bones because of my sin. For mine iniquities are gone over mine head: as an heavy burden they are too heavy for me. My wounds stink and are corrupt because of my foolishness. I am troubled; I am bowed down greatly; I go mourning all the day long. For my loins are filled with a loathsome disease: and there is no soundness in my flesh. I am feeble and sore broken: I have roared by reason of the disquietness of my heart…My heart panteth, my strength faileth me: as for the light of mine eyes, it also is gone from me.” [Psa 38:3-8, 10]
In all these distressing results of sinfulness, as David said, “because of my sin,” and again, “because of my foolishness,” we can see something of God’s glorious character and salvation; for, it is evident for us that Jesus Christ came to earth not just “to save sinners,” but also to, “save his people from their sins.” [1 Tim 1:15] We see then, not only a grievous mark upon the forehead of cursed man, but also the red stain of Jesus’ precious blood, “as of a lamb without blemish and without spot,” [1 Pe 1:19] which blots out the effect and power of the curse. For in these ailments caused by David’s own sin, we see in each case a glorious contrast for the man who has tasted of our Messiah’s meal, who has come to enjoy the bread and the wine of the New Covenant, of which Jesus says, is “in my blood.” [Lk 22:20]
Let us take and observe three aspects of the effects of sin, found here in Psalms thirty-eight: one, that through Christ Jesus we are hidden from God’s wrath and given peace; two, that we may experience freedom from our heavy burden; and three, that we might acquire a blessed light of refreshment and life through Christ’s work.
Firstly then, we see the man who is living in sin has no soundness, no peace, nor does he have any “rest in [his] bones.” Truly, this is purely logical, because it has been written, “but the wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt. There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked.” [Isa 57:20-21] Sinfulness never leads to rest or peace, but only causes more disruption in our hearts and minds; for one, its pleasure only last “for a season,” [Heb 11:25] and two, because God is hateful and angry toward sin; for He says,
“For in the hand of The LORD there is a cup, and the wine is red; it is full of mixture; and he poureth out of the same: but the dregs thereof, all the wicked of the earth shall wring them out, and drink them.” [Psa 75:8]
There is no rest to the sinful man, who loves his sin and remains in it, because “the wrath of God abideth on him,” he is a child “of the devil,” and “by nature [a child] of wrath.” [Jn 3:36, 1 Jn 3:10, Eph 2:3] But praise be to Jesus Christ that, “when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly,” and, “…while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” [Rom 5:6, 8] Yes, when we were in the dastardly state of rebellion and under Satan’s domain, as his children, yet even from that pit Christ dug us out and pulled us up; “by the blood of [the coming King’s] covenant” God has sent us forth from “the pit wherein is no water,” [Zech 9:9, 11] saving us from sin and from a restless lack of peace. And so let us praise Him; we are no longer children of wrath, bearing upon our heads the righteous, lead weight of God’s wrath, for, “being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him,” [Rom 5:9] and again, The Father “hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of His Dear Son,” so that we no longer belong to Satan, having been “redeemed…to God by [Jesus’] blood.” [Col 1:13, Rev 5:9] And seeing that we no longer are under such condemnation, we may have peace and joy, for, “…none of them that trust in [The LORD] shall suffer the punishment due [for their sins].” [Psa 34:22]
What a wonderful truth to behold, and peace to experience, that we may at present, because of Jesus, find rest in our bones and peace in our flesh. Because it is through Jesus that we have been completely forgiven and reconciled unto God, it is through Jesus wherein God imparts to us the very same favor given to Him, as when He said to Him, “thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased;” [Mk 1:11] for we have been “made objects of grace in the beloved [Son].” [Eph 1:6] If this was not precious enough, if this has not touched our hearts deeply, planting good seed within them that shall surely sprout, there is yet more to behold of Jesus’ glory in these verses.
We find that David also said, which is the main cause for his lack of rest, “mine iniquities are gone over mine head: as an heavy burden they are too heavy for me.” [Psa 38:4] David’s sin had yet another scourge upon his soul: they were as it were an exceeding burden, too heavy for even “a mighty valiant man” such as David. [1 Sam 16:18] They were to him even as the law, a burden and yoke, “which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear.” [Acts 15:10] Much like the Pharisees, those religious elitists, who, as Jesus condemned, “bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men’s shoulders,” so too David’s sins burdened him; and similar to the religious men, who would “not move them with one of their fingers,” so too it was and is with sin, which, “at the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder,” and does no help at all but only adds to our burdens. [Mat 23:4, Prov 23:32]
Sin is burdensome; it lays upon the one who practices it or is bound by it, much grief. One of its chief passions is to bind men with a heavy burden: a burden which so tugs upon their soul, that they seem to sink down into the lowest depths, even into the pit. Sin has a way in this state, of condemning men so that they dare not look up to Christ or to God. David lamented in another Psalm, saying,
“For innumerable evils have compassed me about: mine iniquities have taken hold upon me, so that I am not able to look up; they are more than the hairs of mine head: therefore my heart faileth me.” [Psa 40:12]
And Ezra likewise,
“O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift up my face to thee, my God: for our iniquities are increased over our head, and our trespass is grown up unto the heavens.” [Ezr 9:6]
However, as Christ always does, He shall have the last say and reign triumphant. For because of His glorious work on the cross, He did what no animal or no man could ever accomplish, and through His blood cleansed us of this shame, burden, and guilt. This was accomplished on the cross, regarding which event The Father promised, “[Christ, My Servant] shall bear their iniquities,” for even as in times past, when the offerors would “lay his hand upon the head of the goat” and kill it for their sins, “The LORD hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all.” [Isa 53:6, 11, Lev 4:24] The burden of our sin was placed upon Jesus’ shoulders as He hung upon the cross, dying for our sins. Peter writes, “who His own self bare our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.” [1 Pe 2:24] Though our sins were once a heavy burden, which we could never survive underneath, yet Jesus Christ has given us rest and freedom. He Himself promises us,
“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” [Mat 11:28-30]
Jesus has freed us from the burden of sin which was formerly bound upon our souls as a millstone, and did what “the blood of bulls and of goats” could never do, in that He, “through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, [that He might] purge [our] conscience[s] from dead works to serve the Living God.” [Heb 9:12-14]
We come now to our third encouragement, which is bound up in what David despaired of when He said, “my heart panteth, my strength faileth me: as for the light of mine eyes, it is also gone from me.” [Psa 38:10] Because of his sin, David’s strength failed and he had no light in his eyes; that is, he had lost all refreshment and joy, that light of the eye, by which we see the world in a particular fashion, had been transformed from that of hope and joy to that of despair and grief, and the light of David’s eyes, because of his sin, was also departed. But through Christ that light is restored, even as when God created the Sun; in Corinthians we read of this comparison, when Paul said, “because it is God, having said ‘from out of darkness light will shine,’ who hath shined in our hearts, to give illumination of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” [2 Cor 4:6] In the salvation that Jesus offers, the light is restored, as David says, “for with Thee is the fountain of life: in Thy light shall we see light;” [Psa 36:9] and again, “for thou art my lamp, O LORD: and The LORD will lighten my darkness.” [2 Sam 22:29] Though sin has triumphed in our lives for a season, making us feeble and weak and draining us of strength, yet through Jesus all is restored and strength is given once again, so that though our “flesh and [our] heart[s] faileth: [yet] God is the strength of [our] heart[s], and [our] portion for ever.” [Psa 73:26] May we take David’s laments here in Psalms thirty-eight, regarding his sin, as both a warning and an encouragement. A warning, that we may not make a mock at sin and turn God’s grace into unrestrained and indulgent living, and an encouragement, that through Jesus and His blood, we may experience victory over sin and enjoy peace, rest, freedom, and strength.
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