The Source
There is no soundness in my flesh because of Your rage, nor peace in my bones because of my sin. Psalm 38:3
There Is No – Any dictionary will tell you that ‘ayin is a particle of negation. It means “no, none or nothing.” It’s used thousands of times in Scripture to negate something. Here David describes his physical condition with the word. Soundness is negated.
But ‘ayin has a homophone. As an adverb it means “where.” As an adverb it is always connected with min, so in combination it always means “from where.” A little rabbinic reflection discovers a connection. Physical well-being comes from peace with God. “From where is soundness in my flesh?” From nowhere when God’s rage fills the air. Unless I am at peace with the Lord, even my bones are weak and destroyed.
The thirty-eighth psalm is a devastating description of a man under siege. Burdened by sin, wounded by foolishness, crushed by rebellion, his life is filled with groaning, sighing and despair. “My delight is in the Lord,” but not today. Today I am under attack, says the psalmist. Today the world is collapsing in on me. Why? Because of my own iniquities. The psalmist knows something vitally important about the source of his distress. It isn’t to be found in his circumstances, his relationships or his history. The reason for his present distress is sin. His sin. His willful disobedience before the God of shalom. He has considered his state and determined that he alone is the cause of his illness. This, of course, is the only way to health. It won’t do him any good to go to the doctor, check in the hospital or visit the clinic. His malady is “heart” disease and the only cure is confession, repentance and restoration.
As difficult as it is to read this psalm, it is vitally important for each of us. We too are sick. There are spiritual microbes circulating in our systems. Unless they are dealt with, we will experience the same ‘ayin. No soundness. Nothing of well-being. The psalmist does us a great service by recounting his own distress. He reminds us that we aren’t too far behind him. He reminds us that the source of life begins with peace with God.
Yeshua once said to a very sick man, “Do you wish to be made whole?” Oh, our usual translations say, “Do you want to be well?” But that hardly makes sense. Why would the crippled man be there day after day for thirty years if he didn’t want to be well? No, Yeshua sees more than the average bystander. “Do you want to be made whole?” Do you want real health – peace with God? Heart disease isn’t the real killer. The real killer is “heart” disease – the harboring of rebellion toward the One who offers life.
Every believer knows the importance of being a hypocrite. Every believer also knows the importance of knowing “from where” our life comes. On our knees we say, “We bless You, YHWH, for granting us life today. Make Your face shine upon us and we will know from where we come.”
Topical Index: ‘ayin, no, where, sin, well-being, Psalm 38:3
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