Commentary - Psalm 38:13-16

Bird's-eye view

This section of Psalm 38 presents us with a striking portrait of godly suffering. David, afflicted by God's disciplinary hand for his sin, is also besieged by treacherous enemies. In the midst of this two-front war, one from above and one from below, he adopts a posture of radical dependence and trust. His response to the slanders and plots of his adversaries is not retaliation or self-justification, but a deliberate, Christ-like silence. He plays the deaf man and the mute, not out of weakness or ignorance, but out of a profound confidence that God is his true vindicator. He entrusts his case entirely to Yahweh, his covenant Lord. This silence is not empty; it is filled with active waiting and earnest prayer. The psalmist's central plea is that God would intervene precisely so that the wicked would not have occasion to gloat over his downfall. It is a raw, honest appeal that grounds its hope not in personal innocence, but in the character of the God who answers.

This passage, therefore, is a master class in how a forgiven sinner with backbone ought to conduct himself under pressure. It is not about pretending the attacks do not happen, but about refusing to take the bait. It is about knowing which court your case is to be tried in. David refuses to engage in the court of public opinion, where his enemies are both prosecutors and jury, and instead appeals to the supreme court of heaven. His hope is not that his foot will not stumble, but that when it does, God will be the one to act, preventing the ungodly from magnifying themselves. This is the quiet confidence of a man who knows he is a sinner, but who also knows his God.

Outline

Context In The Psalm

Psalm 38 is one of the seven great penitential psalms, a psalm of David "to bring to remembrance." David is in deep distress, and he knows precisely why. He traces his physical agony (vv. 3, 7) and emotional turmoil (vv. 6, 8, 10) directly to God's fatherly, covenantal discipline for his sin (vv. 1-5). His iniquities are a burden too heavy to bear. But his troubles are not only internal. As is so often the case, his moment of weakness is the moment his enemies choose to strike. His friends and loved ones stand aloof (v. 11), while those who seek his life lay snares and speak of his ruin all day long (v. 12). It is in direct response to this malicious plotting that David resolves on the course of action described in our text. His silence is not a standalone tactic; it is the fruit of his prior confession and his subsequent trust in God as his only hope (v. 9). The entire psalm is a prayer, and these verses form the hinge between his description of the problem and his direct appeal for deliverance (vv. 21-22).

Key Issues

The Deaf and Mute Defendant

We live in an age that demands a response to everything. Silence is interpreted as concession, weakness, or guilt. Every accusation, especially those that fly around in the digital realm, is met with a frantic flurry of counter-accusation, self-justification, and explanation. We feel we must "get ahead of the story" or "control the narrative." David's posture here is a radical and necessary corrective to all that. He is surrounded by liars and schemers, people who twist his words and seek his life. And his response is to act as though he cannot hear them and cannot speak to them.

This is not the silence of a man who has nothing to say. It is the silence of a man who knows who he is talking to. He has already poured out his heart to God (v. 9). He has laid his case bare before the only Judge that matters. Why then should he wrangle with the corrupt lower courts? To engage with his accusers on their own terms would be to grant them a standing they do not have. It would be to act as though their verdict mattered. David's silence is a profound statement of faith. It says, "My reputation is not in your hands. My vindication will not come from my own clever arguments. My hope is in Yahweh, and I will wait for Him to answer." This is a prefigurement of the Lord Jesus, who before Caiaphas and Pilate, was largely silent, entrusting Himself to Him who judges justly (1 Pet 2:23).

Verse by Verse Commentary

13 But I, like a deaf man, do not hear; And I am like a mute man who does not open his mouth.

David makes a conscious, deliberate choice here. He is not naturally deaf or mute. He says he is like a deaf man, like a mute man. The slanders of his enemies are flying around him, the whispers, the plots, the lies. He hears them, of course, but he resolves not to "hear" them in a way that requires a response. He refuses to let their venom penetrate his heart and provoke him to a sinful, defensive reaction. He turns a deaf ear to their taunts. And consequently, he is like a mute. Because he will not dignify their accusations with a reply, his mouth remains shut. He understands a spiritual truth that we are slow to learn: you cannot win a mud-wrestling match. To get down in the mud with liars is to become dirty yourself, and to lose regardless of the outcome. David refuses to play.

14 And I am like a man who does not hear, And in whose mouth are no reproofs.

He repeats the thought for emphasis, driving the point home. He is a man in whose hearing the accusations do not register, and from whose mouth no counter-arguments, no defenses, no reproofs proceed. This is a stunning display of self-control, rooted in God-control. Think of what it would take. These are not abstract criticisms from strangers; these are malicious attacks from those who want him dead (v. 12). Every natural instinct would be to shout back, to correct the record, to defend his honor. But David knows that his honor is not the ultimate issue. God's honor is. And God's honor will be vindicated when God Himself acts, not when David cleverly defends himself. His silence is an act of worship, a demonstration that he trusts God's timing and God's methods more than his own.

15 For I wait on You, O Yahweh; You will answer, O Lord my God.

Here is the reason for his silence. It is not apathy or despair. It is hope. "For" is the key word. "The reason I can be silent before men is because I am waiting for You, God." His silence is not an empty void; it is filled with eager expectation. He waits on Yahweh, the covenant-keeping God of Israel. And his waiting is not a vague, uncertain wish. It is a firm confidence. You will answer, O Lord my God. This is the certainty of faith. He knows that God is his God, the Lord of his life, and that such a God does not abandon His servants to the slander of the wicked. God will have the last word. David is content to wait for that final word, because he knows it will be a word of vindication. He has lodged his appeal in the court of heaven, and he knows the Judge is righteous.

16 For I said, “Save, lest they be glad over me, Who, when my foot stumbles, magnify themselves against me.”

This verse reveals the content of his prayer as he waits. What is he asking God to do? He is asking for deliverance with a very specific motive. He does not want his enemies to be glad over him. He does not want them to have the satisfaction of seeing him fall. Notice the honesty. David knows his foot is prone to stumble. He is a sinner, and this whole psalm is a confession of that fact. He is not claiming to be unshakable. But he knows that when he, a servant of God, stumbles, the wicked do not see it as a simple human failing. They magnify themselves against him. They use his fall as an occasion to mock not just him, but his God. His stumble becomes their platform for pride and blasphemy. And so David's prayer is intensely theological. "Lord, for the sake of Your own name, do not let them win. Do not let my weakness become an occasion for their arrogant gloating." He is jealous for the reputation of God.

Application

We must learn from David the discipline of a sanctified silence. In our personal conflicts, in our public disputes, in the face of slander and misrepresentation, our first instinct is often carnal. We want to fight back, to clear our name, to win the argument. But David teaches us a better way. The first thing to do is not to open our mouths to men, but to open our hearts to God. We must confess our own sin in the matter, because our foot is always prone to stumble. And then we must commit our case entirely to Him, trusting that He will answer in His time.

This means we must be willing to endure being misunderstood for a season. We must be willing to look weak in the eyes of the world. Our confidence must be that God is the defender of His people. This is particularly true when we are attacked for righteousness' sake. But it is even true, as we see in this psalm, when we are suffering the consequences of our own sin. Even then, our appeal is to God against the gloating of the wicked. Our sin may give them an opportunity, but it does not give them the right to blaspheme the God of grace.

So when you are slandered, when you are attacked, when your foot stumbles and your enemies rejoice, remember David. Be deaf. Be mute. And wait on the Lord. Pour out your heart to Him, and then stand still. Trust that He, the Lord your God, will answer. He will not suffer the wicked to triumph. He will vindicate His name, and in vindicating His name, He will vindicate you.