The Hindsight of Hope

 

A Psalm Of David, for The Memorial Offering. O LORD, rebuke me not in your anger, nor discipline me in your wrath! For your narrows have sunk into me, and your hand has come down on me. There is no soundness in my flesh because of your indignation; there is no 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. (Psalm 38:1-4 ESV).

 

It is so much easier being a New Testament “saint.” Over and over again in the Old Testament we see the faithful men and women of God long for the hope and forgiveness in Jesus that we have already seen and experienced. It’s a little like being the second born child. The first born has already made the mistakes and suffered the consequences while we follow them and learn what not to do to avoid those painful experiences.

 

This is the context of our reading today. King David in the Old Testament had his share of suffering. That’s clear from context of Psalm 38. It is often described as “a psalm of David.” He speaks of being wounded and filled with pain. Friends and neighbors abandon him. Enemies hate him and accuse him. Some want to kill him. It’s “because of my sin,” he says. And he’s right.

 

I do want to be very clear that not every sin leads to a particular suffering. And not all suffering is from particular sins. But rebellion against God’s ways does unleash suffering into our human experience. So, David the sinner suffers, and from his suffering he cries out to God. Maybe you know what that’s like. This psalm is about sin. And no, Jesus himself never sinned. But he did suffer. He suffered because the sins of the world, including my sins and yours, were laid on him. He carried that immense burden to the cross. The silent anguish, the pounding heart, the failing strength, the cry of forsakenness—it’s all there in Psalm 38, and it was all there on the cross.

 

But that was not the end. From his own suffering, Jesus cried out to God. And his cry was heard. On the third day, God raised him from the dead. Jesus had won the ultimate victory over sin. Yes, we still sin. And we still suffer. But sin no longer has the power to separate us from God. Jesus saw to that! We can look back for our hope!