Psalm 38:7
For my loins are full of burning pain, and no soundness remains in my body.
For my loins
The term "loins" in Hebrew is "מָתְנַי" (motnay), often used to describe the lower back or the area of strength and procreation. In biblical times, the loins were considered the center of physical strength and vitality. This phrase indicates a deep, personal affliction affecting the very core of the psalmist's being. It suggests a profound vulnerability and weakness, emphasizing the severity of the psalmist's condition. In a spiritual sense, it can also symbolize the inner turmoil and the weight of sin that affects one's strength and vitality.

are full of burning pain
The Hebrew word for "burning" is "קְדָחָה" (kedachah), which conveys the idea of intense heat or fever. This phrase paints a vivid picture of suffering, suggesting not just physical pain but also an emotional and spiritual anguish that consumes the psalmist. The imagery of fire is often used in Scripture to denote purification or judgment, indicating that the psalmist may be experiencing the consequences of sin or divine discipline. This burning pain can be seen as a call to repentance and a reminder of the refining process that God allows in the lives of His people.

and no soundness
The word "soundness" in Hebrew is "מְתֹם" (metom), meaning completeness or wholeness. The absence of soundness implies a state of brokenness and disarray. This phrase highlights the totality of the psalmist's affliction, affecting not just the physical body but also the mind and spirit. It reflects the comprehensive impact of sin and suffering, leaving the individual in a state of desperation and need for divine intervention. In a broader theological context, it underscores the human condition apart from God's grace, where true wholeness can only be found in Him.

remains in my body
The Hebrew word for "body" here is "בְּשָׂרִי" (besari), which can also be translated as "flesh." This emphasizes the physical aspect of the psalmist's suffering, yet it also points to the frailty and mortality of human existence. The phrase suggests a depletion of strength and vitality, a reminder of the limitations of the flesh. In the biblical narrative, the body is often seen as the vessel through which one experiences both the blessings and the trials of life. This acknowledgment of physical weakness serves as a poignant reminder of the need for reliance on God's strength and healing power.

Persons / Places / Events
1. David
Traditionally attributed as the author of Psalm 38, David is expressing deep personal anguish and physical suffering, likely as a result of sin and its consequences.

2. God
The ultimate recipient of David's lament, God is seen as the one who can provide relief and healing from the afflictions described.

3. Israel
While not directly mentioned in this verse, the context of the psalm reflects the broader experience of Israel's understanding of sin, repentance, and divine discipline.
Teaching Points
The Reality of Sin's Consequences
Sin can lead to physical, emotional, and spiritual suffering. Recognizing this helps us understand the gravity of sin and the importance of repentance.

The Need for Repentance
David’s lament is a call to examine our own lives for areas where sin may be causing distress and to seek God’s forgiveness and healing.

God as Healer
Despite the depth of our suffering, God remains the ultimate source of healing and restoration. We are encouraged to turn to Him in our times of need.

Holistic Health
The verse reminds us of the interconnectedness of body, mind, and spirit. True health involves addressing all these areas in light of God’s truth.

Community Support
While personal, David’s lament can also remind us of the importance of community in supporting one another through times of suffering and repentance.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does David’s description of his physical pain in Psalm 38:7 reflect the broader consequences of sin in our lives?

2. In what ways can we relate to David’s experience of suffering, and how can this understanding lead us to seek God’s healing?

3. How do other scriptures, such as Job 30:17 and Isaiah 1:6, enhance our understanding of the relationship between sin and suffering?

4. What steps can we take to ensure that we are addressing both the physical and spiritual aspects of our health in light of Psalm 38:7?

5. How can we, as a community of believers, support one another in times of suffering and encourage repentance and healing?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Job 30:17
This verse describes a similar experience of physical pain and suffering, highlighting the universality of human affliction and the need for divine intervention.

Isaiah 1:6
This passage speaks of the body being afflicted from head to toe, drawing a parallel to the comprehensive nature of suffering due to sin.

Romans 7:24
Paul’s lament over his wretched state due to sin echoes David’s cry, pointing to the need for deliverance through Christ.
A Fearful Picture of the Sufferings Which a Great Sin Can CauseC. Short Psalm 38:1-22
Great Personal AfflictionHomilistPsalm 38:1-22
Sin Stinging Like an AdderC. Clemance Psalm 38:1-22
Things to be RememberedPsalm 38:1-22
Thoughts in AfflictionW. Forsyth Psalm 38:1-22
People
David, Jeduthun, Psalmist
Places
Jerusalem
Topics
Body, Burning, Disease, Drought, Filled, Flanks, Flesh, Full, Health, Loathsome, Loins, Lothsome, Pain, Searing, Soundness, Unhealthy, Waist
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Psalm 38:7

     5127   back
     5334   health
     5436   pain

Psalm 38:1-14

     8713   discouragement

Psalm 38:1-22

     5888   inferiority

Psalm 38:2-8

     6227   regret

Psalm 38:3-8

     6024   sin, effects of

Psalm 38:3-10

     5933   restlessness

Psalm 38:3-11

     5136   body

Psalm 38:7-8

     5782   agony

Library
"Come unto Me, all Ye that Labour, and are Wearied," &C.
Matth. xi. 28.--"Come unto me, all ye that labour, and are wearied," &c. It is the great misery of Christians in this life, that they have such poor, narrow, and limited spirits, that are not fit to receive the truth of the gospel in its full comprehension; from whence manifold misapprehensions in judgment, and stumbling in practice proceed. The beauty and life of things consist in their entire union with one another, and in the conjunction of all their parts. Therefore it would not be a fit way
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning

Question Lxxxii of Devotion
I. Is Devotion a Special Kind of Act? Cardinal Cajetan, On the Meaning of the Term "Devotion" S. Augustine, Confessions, XIII. viii. 2 II. Is Devotion an Act of the Virtue of Religion? III. Is Contemplation, that is Meditation, the Cause of Devotion? Cardinal Cajetan, On the Causes of Devotion " " On the Devotion of Women IV. Is Joy an Effect of Devotion? Cardinal Cajetan, On Melancholy S. Augustine, Confessions, II. x. I Is Devotion a Special Kind of Act? It is by our acts that we merit. But
St. Thomas Aquinas—On Prayer and The Contemplative Life

Out of the Deep of Suffering and Sorrow.
Save me, O God, for the waters are come in even unto my soul: I am come into deep waters; so that the floods run over me.--Ps. lxix. 1, 2. I am brought into so great trouble and misery: that I go mourning all the day long.--Ps. xxxviii. 6. The sorrows of my heart are enlarged: Oh! bring Thou me out of my distress.--Ps. xxv. 17. The Lord hath heard the voice of my weeping: the Lord will receive my prayer.--Ps. vi. 8. In the multitude of the sorrows which I had in my heart, Thy comforts have refreshed
Charles Kingsley—Out of the Deep

Christ's Resurrection Song.
WHEN the blessed Lord appeared in the midst of His disciples and they beheld the risen One in His glorified body of flesh and bones and He ate before them, He told them that all things which were written in the Law of Moses, and the Prophets and in the Psalms concerning Him, had to be fulfilled (Luke xxiv:44). While on the way to Emmaus He said to the two sorrowing and perplexed disciples "Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into His glory? And beginning at Moses and all
Arno Gaebelein—The Lord of Glory

The Acceptable Sacrifice;
OR, THE EXCELLENCY OF A BROKEN HEART: SHOWING THE NATURE, SIGNS, AND PROPER EFFECTS OF A CONTRITE SPIRIT. BEING THE LAST WORKS OF THAT EMINENT PREACHER AND FAITHFUL MINISTER OF JESUS CHRIST, MR. JOHN BUNYAN, OF BEDFORD. WITH A PREFACE PREFIXED THEREUNTO BY AN EMINENT MINISTER OF THE GOSPEL IN LONDON. London: Sold by George Larkin, at the Two Swans without Bishopgates, 1692. ADVERTISEMENT BY THE EDITOR. The very excellent preface to this treatise, written by George Cokayn, will inform the reader of
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3

Question Lxxxiii of Prayer
I. Is Prayer an Act of the Appetitive Powers? Cardinal Cajetan, On Prayer based on Friendship II. Is it Fitting to Pray? Cardinal Cajetan, On Prayer as a True Cause S. Augustine, On the Sermon on the Mount, II. iii. 14 " On the Gift of Perseverance, vii. 15 III. Is Prayer an Act of the Virtue of Religion? Cardinal Cajetan, On the Humility of Prayer S. Augustine, On Psalm cii. 10 " Of the Gift of Perseverance, xvi. 39 IV. Ought We to Pray to God Alone? S. Augustine, Sermon, cxxvii. 2 V.
St. Thomas Aquinas—On Prayer and The Contemplative Life

His Past Work.
His past work was accomplished by Him when he became incarnate. It was finished when He died on Calvary's cross. We have therefore to consider first of all these fundamentals of our faith. I. The Work of the Son of God is foreshadowed and predicted in the Old Testament Scriptures. II. The incarnation of the Son of God. III. His Work on the cross and what has been accomplished by it. I. Through the Old Testament Scriptures, God announced beforehand the work of His Son. This is a great theme and one
A. C. Gaebelein—The Work Of Christ

What Manner of Man Ought not to Come to Rule.
Wherefore let every one measure himself wisely, lest he venture to assume a place of rule, while in himself vice still reigns unto condemnation; lest one whom his own guilt depraves desire to become an intercessor for the faults of others. For on this account it is said to Moses by the supernal voice, Speak unto Aaron; Whosoever he be of thy seed throughout their generations that hath a blemish, he shall not offer loaves of bread to the Lord his God (Lev. xxi. 17). And it is also immediately subjoined;
Leo the Great—Writings of Leo the Great

Third Sunday after Trinity Humility, Trust, Watchfulness, Suffering
Text: 1 Peter 5, 5-11. 5 Likewise, ye younger, be subject unto the elder. Yea, all of you gird yourselves with humility, to serve one another: for God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace to the humble. 6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time; 7 casting all your anxiety upon him, because he careth for you. 8 Be sober, be watchful: your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: 9 whom withstand stedfast
Martin Luther—Epistle Sermons, Vol. III

Cæsarius of Arles.
He was born in the district of Chalons-sur-Saone, A. D. 470. He seems to have been early awakened, by a pious education, to vital Christianity. When he was between seven and eight years old, it would often happen that he would give a portion of his clothes to the poor whom he met, and would say, when he came home, that he had been, constrained to do so. When yet a youth, he entered the celebrated convent on the island of Lerins, (Lerina,) in Provence, from which a spirit of deep and practical piety
Augustus Neander—Light in the Dark Places

Christian Meekness
Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth Matthew 5:5 We are now got to the third step leading in the way to blessedness, Christian meekness. Blessed are the meek'. See how the Spirit of God adorns the hidden man of the heart, with multiplicity of graces! The workmanship of the Holy Ghost is not only curious, but various. It makes the heart meek, pure, peaceable etc. The graces therefore are compared to needlework, which is different and various in its flowers and colours (Psalm 45:14).
Thomas Watson—The Beatitudes: An Exposition of Matthew 5:1-12

Notes on the Third Century
Page 161. Line 1. He must be born again, &c. This is a compound citation from John iii. 3, and Mark x. 15, in the order named. Page 182. Line 17. For all things should work together, &c. See Romans viii. 28. Page 184. Lines 10-11. Being Satan is able, &c. 2 Corinthians xi. 14. Page 184. Last line. Like a sparrow, &c. Psalm cii. Page 187. Line 1. Mechanisms. This word is, in the original MS., mechanicismes.' Page 187. Line 7. Like the King's daughter, &c. Psalm xlv. 14. Page 188. Med. 39. The best
Thomas Traherne—Centuries of Meditations

How is Christ, as the Life, to be Applied by a Soul that Misseth God's Favour and Countenance.
The sixth case, that we shall speak a little to, is a deadness, occasioned by the Lord's hiding of himself, who is their life, and "the fountain of life," Ps. xxxvi. 9, and "whose loving-kindness is better than life," Ps. lxiii. 3, and "in whose favour is their life," Ps. xxx. 5. A case, which the frequent complaints of the saints manifest to be rife enough, concerning which we shall, 1. Shew some of the consequences of the Lord's hiding his face, whereby the soul's case will appear. 2. Shew the
John Brown (of Wamphray)—Christ The Way, The Truth, and The Life

I Will Pray with the Spirit and with the Understanding Also-
OR, A DISCOURSE TOUCHING PRAYER; WHEREIN IS BRIEFLY DISCOVERED, 1. WHAT PRAYER IS. 2. WHAT IT IS TO PRAY WITH THE SPIRIT. 3. WHAT IT IS TO PRAY WITH THE SPIRIT AND WITH THE UNDERSTANDING ALSO. WRITTEN IN PRISON, 1662. PUBLISHED, 1663. "For we know not what we should pray for as we ought:--the Spirit--helpeth our infirmities" (Rom 8:26). ADVERTISEMENT BY THE EDITOR. There is no subject of more solemn importance to human happiness than prayer. It is the only medium of intercourse with heaven. "It is
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3

Psalms
The piety of the Old Testament Church is reflected with more clearness and variety in the Psalter than in any other book of the Old Testament. It constitutes the response of the Church to the divine demands of prophecy, and, in a less degree, of law; or, rather, it expresses those emotions and aspirations of the universal heart which lie deeper than any formal demand. It is the speech of the soul face to face with God. Its words are as simple and unaffected as human words can be, for it is the genius
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

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