Whatcha Eatin'

I'm sorry for being late this week, but the timing for this Psalm couldn't have been more appropriate. You see, on Monday night when I went to write this Psalm I had to turn into bed because I was feeling absolutely terrible. That night, I woke up, took a shower, passed out, hit my head, threw up all over my bathroom floor, and was left thinking, "what in the world did I eat." In life, the things you choose to eat drastically effect your well-being. I was told yesterday that 80% of the times that a person throws up is due wholly to food poisoning ... hmmm interesting. Similarly, in your walk with Christ, what you "eat" will determine your spiritual health. Matthew 4:4 tells us clearly - "man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God." For anything else, ask yourself - what will this do to my spiritual health? Psalm 38



Verses 1-14 Read this part of the Psalm. It should be obvious that something is wrong and that David has been a naughty boy. What has he done? I have no clue. The only indicator of his sin comes from verse 3 where he says - "there is no health in my bones because of my sin." Basically, David ate something that he wasn't supposed to eat (spiritually of course). We've talked a lot about sin recently on Wednesday nights, and we've come to the conclusion that sin is taboo because God knows it's dangerous. God knows that sin has consequences (even apart from his judgement), and that it shouldn't be a part of our diet. If you read these verses, it almost sounds like David has the flu - he stinks (v5), he cries (v6), he has some sort of fever (v7), he is weak (v8), his strength is completely gone (v10), and his family and friends don't want to be anywhere near him (v11). Obviously David isn't physically sick, but he feels just as terrible as if he were. The sin he has dabbled in has brought about nothing good in his life. He says the reason he feels so terrible is because his soul is weighed down by sin. Just like in the real world, when you eat something you aren't supposed to spiritually, your soul cannot be healthy. Just think in your life - how do you feel. Do you feel tired, worn out, broken, sick? What have you been taking in. The spiritual diet consists of the word of God - have you been digging in or eating garbage instead?

Verses 14-22 This Psalm is much different from most - it's a cry of repentance and a plea for forgiveness. In this section, David comes to the realization that the reason his soul is weary is because he's apart from "the bread of life" and the source of "living water" (John 4:14 & 6:35). You can taste of all the things of the world, and I can promise you that they will not satisfy - sin will eat at you and make you vulnerable and self-conscious. On the other hand, we can jump back to Psalm 34:8 and taste of what the Lord has to offer to find that it is truly fulfilling and truly refreshing. David had strayed from God. He had temporarily chosen a path of rebellion during which his soul was thirsting for the living God. He was sorry for his sin and open to confess it at God's feet. Why? He knew that God would forgive. He knew that God would fill him anew. Rather than being self-conscious, he became God-conscious. Rather than focusing on his problems and pains, he was focusing on God's love and salvation.


The Psalm this week is short, and the question in simple. What are you eating? Are you digging into the word of God, or are you trying to find satisfaction elsewhere? Do you feel whole and satisfied, or are you like David - in pain, suffering, and spiritual sickness? I'd encourage you this week to examine your spiritual diet - take a look at what you're eatin' in order to see whether you are taking full advantage of God's provisions for you. If you think maybe that you have strayed from a proper "spiritual diet", follow David's example of repentance and taste and see that the Lord is good.



dig into some word this week!
-Chris