Do you know what these words mean and why they are so important?  
REPENT—PENITENTIAL

Psalm 38 is usually classified as one of the “penitential” psalms, which is a good way to classify it.  The Bible regularly teaches us to repent (It’s commanded in Acts 17:30,31; it leads to remission of sins in Acts 2:38; it is motivated by such things as the goodness of God in Romans 2:4-11).  Here are brief definitions of the two words:

Repent—to feel regret about sin to the degree that one decides to change his or her ways.  It is a verb.
Penitential—an expression of regret, sorrow, repentance over sin.  It is an adjective.

As we study this psalm, let us take note of three themes:
 

I.    I Cannot Handle This Alone (38:1-10).
II.   They Won’t Help Me Handle This (38:11-20).
III.  You Can Handle This (38:21,22).

O LORD, do not rebuke me in Your wrath, nor chasten me in Your hot displeasure!  For Your arrows pierce me deeply, and Your hand presses me down.  There is no soundness in my flesh because of Your anger, nor any health in my bones because of my sin.  For my iniquities have gone over my head; like a heavy burden they are too heavy for me.  My wounds are foul and festering because of my foolishness.  I am troubled, I am bowed down greatly; I go mourning all the day long.  For my loins are full of inflammation, and there is no soundness in my flesh.  I am feeble and severely broken; I groan because of the turmoil of my heart.  Lord, all my desire is before You; and my sighing is not hidden from You.  My heart pants, my strength fails me; as for the light of my eyes, it also has gone from me (vv. 1-10).

The immense burden of sin can only be understood if we believe in God and in the reality of sin.  If we sin and add our understanding of these things to our circumstances, the weight of it comes down on us spiritually, mentally, socially, and even physically.  These first ten verses are David’s description of just such a situation.  In verses 1-4, David addressed the Lord about the spiritual burden he was bearing.  Here, he particularly concentrated on how he believed God felt about his sinful condition.  He was well aware of the wrath and punishment that God can show toward sin.

In verses 5-8, David added the emotional and physical burden to his description of his condition.  There was obviously no part of his being that was unaffected by his sin.  All of the words used by David in verses 1-10 reveal the tremendous suffering he was enduring due to his sin:  pierce, presses, no soundness, no health, over my head, too heavy, foul and festering wounds, bowed down, mourning, inflamed loins, feeble, severely broken, turmoil of heart, sighing, heart pants, strength fails, light gone from my eyes.

Surely there are many people who could say that David was overstating the case—when in fact, he was probably understating it!  God forbid that we would sin—but if we do (1 John 2:1,2)—let us feel the way David did about it (2 Corinthians 7:8-11).  

Our inspired poet did not ask for help in these first ten verses—for this description is to show his own helplessness to do anything about his condition (Apart from the will of God and any terms of salvation He gives, we are truly powerless to do anything about the problem of sin!  See Romans 1:1-3:31).

My loved ones and my friends stand aloof from my plague, and my relatives stand afar off.  Those also who seek my life lay snares for me; those who seek my hurt speak of destruction, and plan deception all the day long.  But I, like a deaf man, do not hear; and I am like a mute who does not open his mouth.  Thus I am like a man who does not hear, and in whose mouth is no response.  For in You, O LORD, I hope; you will hear, O Lord my God.  For I said, "Hear me, lest they rejoice over me, lest, when my foot slips, they exalt themselves against me."  For I am ready to fall, and my sorrow is continually before me.  For I will declare my iniquity; I will be in anguish over my sin.  But my enemies are vigorous, and they are strong; and those who hate me wrongfully have multiplied.  Those also who render evil for good, they are my adversaries, because I follow what is good (vv. 11-20).

This second section of the psalm demonstrates the inability to help, the unwillingness to help, and even antagonism against this man who was in sin.  The consequences of his sin had led loved ones and friends to stand aloof (they “kept their distance”). Enemies took his desperate situation as an opportunity to close in on him and maybe even “finish him off.”  In verses 13 and 14, David said that he had nothing to say to these people!  He could not offer any words about any of the factors that were involved—nothing about his sin, his feelings, his consequences, nothing to friend or foe about the way they were responding, and nothing he could ask them to do to help.  So, in verse 15 and 16, he offered a brief prayer to the Lord—surely he could “hope” in Him regarding the way he was being treated!  The word “hope” in this verse is very significant in light of the fact that this situation had obviously taken some time to develop. Wilson’s Old Testament Word Studies says, “properly, a long and patient waiting; a lingering hope, still expecting and earnestly desiring, though hitherto exercised with delay and disappointment” (p. 222; see also Psalm 130:5).

In verses 17-20, David wrote another series of phrases describing his “undone” and helpless condition.  He also made it clear that he was ready to declare (confess) his iniquity, thus allowing the situation to move toward being resolved by the grace of God.

Do not forsake me, O LORD; O my God, be not far from me!  Make haste to help me, O Lord, my salvation! 
 (vv. 21,22).

The only possibility that sin can be “handled” is for it to be “handled” by God.  David addressed God several times in verses 1-20, but it is here that he actually appeals for fellowship and salvation—soon.  He knew that he could not rid himself of sin, that others could not, and that Jehovah could, so in repentance, he approached God with a pleading heart.

He had an urgent need that could only be met by God, so he humbly approached the very One Whose law he had broken, the very One Whose law had promised all of these awful consequences to lawbreakers, the very One Who could and would forgive!

Are you a Christian who is in sin again?  Please see yourself the same way that David saw himself, and please return to God on His terms (1 John 1:6-10).

Are you outside of Christ, never having been immersed for the remission of sins (Acts 2:38)?  Please see yourself in your lost condition and meet the Lord’s terms of salvation (Mark 16:15,16).

          — Skip Andrews
 

Jesus wants us to preach the Gospel to every person (Mark 16:15).  That includes teaching His saving message to those in our own community.  If the members of any local church will be actively involved in trying to teach the Gospel to those who are lost, this will bring great benefits, both to those individual Christians who participate in this teaching and to the congregation as a whole.  What are some of these blessings that will come to a local church that practices personal evangelism?
Being busy in personal evangelism will —
1.  Cause Each Member to Study More.  We have to be ready to give an answer to those who ask questions (1 Peter 3:15).  The answer that we are to give them must come from God’s Word (1 Peter 4:11).  We have to search the Scriptures (John 5:39) in order to be able to be the teachers that we ought to be (Hebrews 5:12).  We cannot teach that which we do not know, so trying to teach others will force us to study more!
2.  Cause Each Active Member to Pray More.  We will certainly feel the need for our Lord’s help, because personal evangelism can present some pretty tough situations.  Have you ever noticed how often the New Testament speaks about praying for the Gospel to be preached?  Jesus said that we are to pray to the Lord of harvests so He will send forth reapers (Matthew 9:37,38).  We are also told to pray for open doors in evangelism (Colossians 4:3; 2 Thessalonians 3:1,2) and for the courage of those who preach the Word (Ephesians 6:19).  So often we have felt frustrated by our own inability to convince those whom we are trying to teach.  Such makes us turn to the Lord in prayer and seek His guidance.
3.  Cause Those Members Who Are Teaching to Grow Closer to One Another.  This is the natural result of working together to reach a goal.  God wants men to be saved (1 Timothy 2:4).  So do you and I, and when we work together to help others learn the message of salvation, that is going to draw and bind us together.  When we are busy teaching others, we will find ourselves praying together, we will ride or walk and talk together, we will cry and rejoice together.  When all the members of a congregation are busy trying to teach the Gospel to the lost, then they are giving their attention and energy to the task of helping others be saved.  That does not leave much time for fussin’ among themselves.
4.  Cause Souls to Be Saved and the Church to grow.  Yes, God’s Word will not return unto Him void (Isaiah 55:11). The church will grow when we sow the seed (Acts 2:47; 4:4; 5:14; 5:41-6:1; 6:7).  Is this not what we are working for, not our personal glory, but the salvation of souls?  Remember the message of Mark 16:15,16—it begins with preaching the Gospel and ends up with salvation!
5.  Cause Those Who Actually Teach to Have Personal Joy.  “They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.  He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him” (Psalm 126:5,6).  There is joy simply for a person in realizing that God wants me to teach others, and hey, that is what I am trying to do.  Again, we rejoice with those who obey the Gospel (Romans 12:15).  There is surely no way to top the wonderful joy that one feels as a result of helping a person be saved!