John Calvin Commentary Psalms 38:1

"O Jehovah, rebuke me not in thy wrath; Neither chasten me in thy hot displeasure." — Psalms 38:1 (ASV)

O Jehovah! rebuke me not in your wrath. As I have already expounded this verse at the beginning of Psalm 6, where it occurs, and so that I may not be tedious to the reader, I will address it more briefly here. David does not expressly ask that his afflictions should be removed, but only that God would moderate the severity of His chastisements.

Hence we may infer that David did not give free rein to the desires of the flesh, but offered up his earnest prayer in a duly chastened spirit of devotion. All people would naturally desire that they should be granted permission to sin with impunity. But David restrains his desires and does not wish the favor and indulgence of God to be extended beyond measure, but is content with a mitigation of his affliction; as if he had said, "Lord, I am not unwilling to be chastised by You, but I entreat You, meanwhile, not to afflict me beyond what I am able to bear, but to temper the fierceness of Your indignation according to the measure of my infirmity, lest the severity of the affliction should entirely overwhelm me."

This prayer, as I have said, was framed according to the rule of godliness, for it contains nothing but what God promises to all His children. It should also be noticed that David does not secretly indulge a fretful and complaining spirit, but spreads his complaint before God. This he does, not in the way of sinful complaining, but of humble prayer and unfeigned confession, accompanied with the hope of obtaining forgiveness. He has used anger and wrath as denoting extreme rigour, and has contrasted them with fatherly chastisement.