What does Macbeth have to do with Coronavirus? A Devotional Thought From Psalm 38:1-11
Psalm 38:1–11
A Psalm of David, to bring to remembrance.
1 O Lord, rebuke me not in thy wrath:
Neither chasten me in thy hot displeasure.
2 For thine arrows stick fast in me,
And thy hand presseth me sore.
3 There is no soundness in my flesh because of thine anger;
Neither is there any rest in my bones because of my sin.
4 For mine iniquities are gone over mine head:
As an heavy burden they are too heavy for me.
5 My wounds stink and are corrupt
Because of my foolishness.
6 I am troubled; I am bowed down greatly;
I go mourning all the day long.
7 For my loins are filled with a loathsome disease:
And there is no soundness in my flesh.
8 I am feeble and sore broken:
I have roared by reason of the disquietness of my heart.
9 Lord, all my desire is before thee;
And my groaning is not hid from thee.
10 My heart panteth, my strength faileth me:
As for the light of mine eyes, it also is gone from me.
11 My lovers and my friends stand aloof from my sore;
And my kinsmen stand afar off.
With all this talk about washing hands I can’t help but think of Lady Macbeth and how she rubs and scrubs her murderous hands until the blood is gone but still she can’t get rid of the guilt.
Guilt is too great a burden for anyone to carry, that’s what David said in Psalm 38.
For mine iniquities are gone over mine head:
As an heavy burden they are too heavy for me. Psalm 38:4
The affects of guilt are seen in Psalm 38 and they are varied. I believe we see guilt manifesting spiritually, mentally, physically and socially in this Psalm.
GUILT IS TOO GREAT FOR US SPIRITUALLY
Of course, we understand that sin brings conviction from God which is what we find in the first two verses of this Psalm.
1 O Lord, rebuke me not in thy wrath:
Neither chasten me in thy hot displeasure.
2 For thine arrows stick fast in me,
And thy hand presseth me sore.
Psalm 38:1-2
The Spirit of the Lord is pressing on David. He has sinned and the Lord is trying to get his attention. Conviction is the caution light God has placed on the dashboard of our souls. It is there to warn us. Guilt comes when we fail to address the caution light within us.
GUILT IS TOO GREAT FOR US MENTALLY
Guilt can rob of us of much needed rest.
There is no soundness in my flesh because of thine anger;
Neither is there any rest in my bones because of my sin. Psalm 38:3
Like David, I know from personal experience that there is no softer pillow on which to lay your head at night than a clear conscience and no harder one than a guilty mind. I have kept myself up at night, tossing and turning, trying to justify my actions or fretting over their consequences. Oh the heavy burden of a guilty, restless mind!
Guilt certainly can rob you of your joy
I am troubled; I am bowed down greatly;
I go mourning all the day long. Psalm 38:6
Has anyone else lost their inner song and smile because of sin? Has any other than me allowed their life to become a heavy burden because of guilt? That burden is too great for us to carry.
GUILT IS TOO GREAT FOR US PHYSICALLY
7 For my loins are filled with a loathsome disease:
And there is no soundness in my flesh.
8 I am feeble and sore broken:
I have roared by reason of the disquietness of my heart.
Psalm 38:7-8
David testifies in this Psalm to physical consequences from guilt. Without sleep and with the additional stress brought by unaddressed sin is it any surprise that our immune system is weakened and our bodies suffer?
GUILT IS TOO GREAT FOR US SOCIALLY
Guilt will even affect how you get along with others.
My lovers and my friends stand aloof from my sore;
And my kinsmen stand afar off. Psalm 38:11
I have allowed a guilty conscience convince me that others see in me the same person I see in my mirror. When I dislike myself I assume others dislike me too. Sometimes that assumption is true but there are times when it is a cruel hoax perpetuated by guilt. I have been deceived by low self esteem into believing I had no one in my life that cared and have had friends and family members distance themselves from me, accusing me of “judging” when in reality all I wanted to do was love them and help. Guilt is too heavy a burden to bear and it is even heavier when you are lifting the load alone.
There Is An Alternative To Guilt
Our choice is clear, we can vainly attempt to rid ourselves of our guilt like lady Macbeth. We can try but that burden will be too great! Believe me, I have tried to carry that burden and fallen under the load! The other option is to turn to the grace of God and let him remove the guilt. That is what David did in the last verse of this Psalm.
Make haste to help me,
O Lord my salvation. Psalm 38:22
Guilt was too great a burden for David to carry, it is too great for you and I, but our guilt was laid upon God’s Son at Calvary so that we wouldn’t have to carry it.
Receive him as your Savior and get rid of the guilt.