Use Only as Directed, Psalms 36 to 39

Use only as directed is a warning posted on strong chemicals and medicines. The same might be said of some psalms. The intensity of a psalm can lead us to a theology that does more harm than good. Psalm 38 is a good example. The poet is already weighed down by the recognition of sin. However, if an individual read this psalm as a description of the whole of human life, then one could be lead to an understanding of humanity as deserving of God's anger and a God who gleefully doles out punishment. Instead, Psalm 38 is a plea for healing, the wholeness intended by God for all of us. Psalm 38 is also very intimate. The words painfully arise from the sinner aimed directly at God. On first reading I wondered if verse 2, "For your arrows have sunk into me,…" could be like the pangs one feels searching the face of our beloved for a sign of affection only to find indifference. What it is like to long for God like a lost lover? Mine is not the biblical interpretation but a way in which the text might move in our imaginations. Use only as directed...