Psalm 38:13-22

V. 13. But I, as a deaf man, heard not, he deliberately shut his ears in order not to be provoked to a reply to their insulting speeches; and I was as a dumb man that openeth not his mouth, the consciousness of his guilt causing him to keep silence, to despair of ever helping himself, and to trust in Jehovah alone.

V. 14. Thus I was as a man that heareth not, and in whose mouth are no reproofs, who does not venture to adduce any counterevidence to justify himself. In this way a believer opens his heart and makes his complaint to the Lord in the midst of the trouble besetting him.

V. 15. For in Thee, O Lord, do I hope, as the only one to whom he could safely turn in his great trouble; Thou wilt hear, an emphatic, trustful expectation, O Lord, my God.

V. 16. For I said, Hear me, lest otherwise they should rejoice over me, the honor of the Lord's name demanding that He save His servant, lest the mockery strike Him also; when my foot slippeth, they magnify themselves against me, puffing themselves up and jeering at the simple faith of the believer, whose trust is shattered by his tribulations.

V. 17. For I am ready to halt, on the point of falling with lameness, and my sorrow is continually before me, his feeling of guilt serving to keep his misery always before his eyes.

V. 18. For I will declare mine iniquity, openly confessing his guilt; I will be sorry for my sin, filled with anxiety on its account.

V. 19. But mine enemies, by way of contrast to his dejected state, are lively, full of vitality and vigor, and they are strong; and they that hate me wrongfully are multiplied, coming against him in ever-increasing numbers.

V. 20. They also that render evil for good are mine adversaries, because I follow the thing that good is, the persecution of the pious on the part of the wicked being the ordinary, the usual thing in the world. But David, and every true believer with him, clings to his faith in Yahweh and in the pardoning mercy promised in the Gospel.

V. 21. Forsake me not, O Lord, by giving him up to the will of his enemies or to the misery of utter despair; O my God, be not far from me, ready for his assistance.

V. 22. Make haste to help me, O Lord, my Salvation, for in Him alone he could find deliverance from sin and its consequences. Such is the prayer of every believer when he feels the power of sin. And true repentance leads to faith; it despairs of itself, but keeps its trust in the Lord unshaken. And this confidence is not a vain trust.