Psalm 32:4 - The Providence of God

Audio Bible

Context

The Providence of God
…3When I kept silent, my bones became brittle from my groaning all day long. 4For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was drained as in the summer heat. Selah 5Then I acknowledged my sin to You and did not hide my iniquity. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,” and You forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah…

Cross References

Psalm 38:2-8
For Your arrows have pierced me deeply, and Your hand has pressed down on me. / There is no soundness in my body because of Your anger; there is no rest in my bones because of my sin. / For my iniquities have overwhelmed me; they are a burden too heavy to bear. ...Job 33:19-22
A man is also chastened on his bed with pain and constant distress in his bones, / so that he detests his bread, and his soul loathes his favorite food. / His flesh wastes away from sight, and his hidden bones protrude. ...Proverbs 17:22
A joyful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit dries up the bones.Lamentations 3:4
He has worn away my flesh and skin; He has shattered my bones.Isaiah 24:4-5
The earth mourns and withers; the world languishes and fades; the exalted of the earth waste away. / The earth is defiled by its people; they have transgressed the laws; they have overstepped the decrees and broken the everlasting covenant.Jeremiah 15:18
Why is my pain unending, and my wound incurable, refusing to be healed? You have indeed become like a mirage to me—water that is not there.2 Samuel 24:10
After David had numbered the troops, his conscience was stricken and he said to the LORD, “I have sinned greatly in what I have done. Now, O LORD, I beg You to take away the iniquity of Your servant, for I have acted very foolishly.”Psalm 51:8
Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones You have crushed rejoice.Psalm 39:10-11
Remove Your scourge from me; I am perishing by the force of Your hand. / You discipline and correct a man for his iniquity, consuming like a moth what he holds dear; surely each man is but a vapor. SelahPsalm 6:2-3
Be merciful to me, O LORD, for I am frail; heal me, O LORD, for my bones are in agony. / My soul is deeply distressed. How long, O LORD, how long?Romans 7:24
What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?1 Corinthians 11:30-32
That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep. / Now if we judged ourselves properly, we would not come under judgment. / But when we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned with the world.Hebrews 12:5-6
And you have forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons: “My son, do not take lightly the discipline of the Lord, and do not lose heart when He rebukes you. / For the Lord disciplines the one He loves, and He chastises every son He receives.”James 5:14-16
Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. / And the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick. The Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. / Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man has great power to prevail.Revelation 3:19
Those I love I rebuke and discipline. Therefore be earnest and repent.

Psalm 38:2-8
For thine arrows stick fast in me, and thy hand presseth me sore…

Psalm 39:10,11
Remove thy stroke away from me: I am consumed by the blow of thine hand…

1 Samuel 5:6,7,9,11
But the hand of the LORD was heavy upon them of Ashdod, and he destroyed them, and smote them with emerods, even Ashdod and the coasts thereof…

moisture

Psalm 22:15
My strength is dried up like a potsherd; and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws; and thou hast brought me into the dust of death.

Psalm 90:6,7
In the morning it flourisheth, and groweth up; in the evening it is cut down, and withereth…

Psalm 102:3,4
For my days are consumed like smoke, and my bones are burned as an hearth…

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Psalm 32

For day and night
This phrase emphasizes the continuous and unrelenting nature of the experience. In biblical times, the concept of day and night represented the entirety of time, suggesting that the psalmist felt the weight of his situation without respite. This reflects the idea of God's omnipresence and constant involvement in the lives of His people, as seen in other scriptures like Psalm 139:7-12, where God's presence is inescapable.

Your hand was heavy upon me;
The "hand" of God is often symbolic of His power and authority. In this context, it suggests divine discipline or conviction. The heaviness indicates a burden or pressure, which can be understood as the weight of guilt or the conviction of sin. This aligns with Hebrews 12:5-11, which discusses the Lord's discipline as a sign of His love and a means to produce righteousness in His children.

my strength was drained as in the summer heat.
The imagery of summer heat conveys exhaustion and depletion, common in the arid climate of the ancient Near East. This metaphor illustrates the physical and spiritual toll of unconfessed sin or separation from God. The draining of strength can be compared to the spiritual dryness described in Psalm 63:1, where the psalmist longs for God in a "dry and weary land."

Selah
This term, often found in the Psalms, is thought to be a musical or liturgical pause, inviting the reader or listener to reflect on the preceding words. It serves as a moment to contemplate the seriousness of divine conviction and the need for repentance. The use of "Selah" here encourages meditation on the consequences of sin and the importance of seeking God's forgiveness, as further explored in the subsequent verses of the psalm.

Persons / Places / Events

1. David
The author of Psalm 32, King David, is reflecting on his experience of guilt and the burden of unconfessed sin.

2. God
The divine presence whose "hand" is described as heavy upon David, symbolizing conviction and discipline.

3. Selah
A term used in the Psalms, possibly indicating a pause for reflection or musical interlude.

4. Summer Heat
A metaphor for the draining effect of unconfessed sin, likening it to the oppressive heat of summer.

5. Confession and Forgiveness
The broader context of Psalm 32, which deals with the joy and relief of confessing sin and receiving God's forgiveness.

Teaching Points

The Weight of Unconfessed Sin
Unconfessed sin can lead to spiritual and emotional exhaustion, much like the draining effect of summer heat.

God's Loving Discipline
God's "heavy hand" is not punitive but corrective, intended to lead us to repentance and restoration.

The Power of Confession
Confession is a powerful act that brings relief and renewal, lifting the burden of guilt and restoring our relationship with God.

Reflective Pause (Selah)
Taking time to pause and reflect on our spiritual state is crucial for recognizing areas in need of confession and change.

The Joy of Forgiveness
The ultimate goal of acknowledging our sin is to experience the joy and freedom that comes from God's forgiveness.

(4) Thy hand was heavy.--The verb, as in "kept silence" in Psalm 32:3, is properly present--the agony is still vividly present.

My moisture.--The Hebrew word is found only once besides (Numbers 11:8), where the Authorised Version has "fresh oil;" the LXX. and Vulg., "an oily cake." Aquila has "of the breast of oil," reading the word erroneously. Here both LXX. and Vulg. seem to have had a different reading, "I was turned to sorrow while the thorn was fixed in." Symmachus translates somewhat similarly, but by "to destruction" instead of "to sorrow." Aquila, "to my spoiling in summer desolation." These readings, however, mistake the lamed, which is part of the word, for a preposition. Gesenius connects with an Arabic root, to suck, and so gets the meaning juice or moisture.

Into the drought of summer.--This is the best rendering of the Hebrew, though it might be either "as in summer dryness" or "with summer heat." Some understand literally a fever, but it is better to take it figuratively of the soul-fever which the whole passage describes.

Verse 4. - For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me. David sees now that his sufferings at this time came from God, and were a part of the punishment of his sin. They continued without intermission both by day and by night. His conscience was never wholly at rest. My moisture is turned into the drought of summer; literally, my sap was changed through summer drought; i.e. the vital principle, which had been strong in him, was changed - burnt up and exhausted - by the heat of God's wrath. Parallel Commentaries ...

Hebrew

For
כִּ֤י ׀ (kî)
Conjunction
Strong's 3588: A relative conjunction

day
יוֹמָ֣ם (yō·w·mām)
Adverb
Strong's 3119: Daytime, by day

and night
וָלַיְלָה֮ (wā·lay·lāh)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 3915: A twist, night, adversity

Your hand
יָ֫דֶ֥ךָ (yā·ḏe·ḵā)
Noun - feminine singular construct | second person masculine singular
Strong's 3027: A hand

was heavy
תִּכְבַּ֥ד (tiḵ·baḏ)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person feminine singular
Strong's 3513: To be heavy, weighty, or burdensome

upon me;
עָלַ֗י (‘ā·lay)
Preposition | first person common singular
Strong's 5921: Above, over, upon, against

my strength
לְשַׁדִּ֑י (lə·šad·dî)
Noun - masculine singular construct | first person common singular
Strong's 3955: Juice, juicy or dainty bit, a dainty

was drained
נֶהְפַּ֥ךְ (neh·paḵ)
Verb - Nifal - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 2015: To turn about, over, to change, overturn, return, pervert

as in the summer
קַ֣יִץ (qa·yiṣ)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 7019: To awake

heat.
בְּחַרְבֹ֖נֵי (bə·ḥar·ḇō·nê)
Preposition-b | Noun - masculine plural construct
Strong's 2725: Parching heat

Selah
סֶֽלָה׃ (se·lāh)
Interjection
Strong's 5542: Suspension, pause

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