Why do the Psalms speak to us?
Because they dare to portray life as it is! David and the other Psalmists never tried to pretend that they were spiritual supermen unaffected by life's ordinary and sometimes extra ordinary trials.
They were not unaffected when they were being sinned against, or when their own sin caught up with them. No! What they did was to bring their troubles, vexations or brokenness to God, telling Him as honestly as they knew how that these things were affecting them physically emotionally, spiritually. And then they would cast themselves afresh upon God for mercy.
Very rarely do the Psalms express utter hopelessness e.g. Psalm 88 is an exception
A few introductory notes:
- This is the first of seven Penitential Psalms. cf. Psalms 32, 38, 51, 102, 130, and 143). Spurgeon: “It’s language well becomes the lips of a penitent, for it expresses at once the sorrow, the humiliation and the hatred of sin (v.8) which are the unfailing marks of the contrite spirit when it turns to God”[1]
- 6:1 is also found in Psalm 38:1
- The Psalm can be divided into two parts
(i) The Psalmists vexation (6: 1-7) and
(ii) the Psalmists victory (6:8-10)
(i) (6:1-7) The Psalmists vexation - Prayer outpoured
6:1 O LORD, rebuke me not in your anger, nor discipline me in your wrath.
It seems as if David may have brought these circumstances on himself because of some sin. He knows that God is angry. He knows and admits that God is entirely justified in His wrath e.g. such a situation as is found in 2 Samuel 24 – David’s unsolicited census, which incurred the wrath and punishment of God.
In this realization he begs God: do not rebuke me; do not discipline me. Pain is never a welcome guest. We never seek it voluntarily, but it happens, and when it happens, we seek to move heaven and earth to get rid of it. When we sin, and when God in His fatherly care of us thinks it wise to rebuke us or to discipline us (see Hebrews 12:5-11, which is based on Prov. 3:11,12; Deut. 8:5; Ps 66:10) we must not think that God is unloving or wrong to do so:
“God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us, and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.” (Hebr. 12:7-11).
But right now, David is literally begging for mercy. He is clearly experiencing pain. Look at the language!
(1) "I am languishing."
(2) "My bones are troubled."
(3) "My soul is also greatly troubled."
(4) "I am weary with my moaning."
(5) " Every night I flood my bed with tears."
(6) "I drench my couch with my weeping."
(7) "My eye wastes away because of grief."
Pain accompanied by sorrow is what David is experiencing. “Sorrow”, said John Webster (1580-1634), a playwright and a contemporary of William Shakespeare, “is the eldest of the children of sin”. However, in God’s economy, pain or sorrow may be a great tool to get us to listen to Him. C.S. Lewis says it well: “Pain insists upon being attended to. God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world.” (The Problem of Pain, p.81)
David is in pain…
6:2 Be gracious to me, O LORD, for I am languishing; heal me, O LORD, for my bones are troubled (shaken). David pleads with God to be gracious. He is asking for grace from God. He deserves God’s wrath, but he asks that God not deal with him according to what he deserves. He feels the consequences of his sin in a physical way “…for my bones are troubled” - and he is looking for relief from God. Physical pain- because of sin - is frequently mentioned in the Psalms: e.g. 31:10: “my strength fails me because of my iniquity, and my bones waste away”; 32:3: “my bones wasted away” (context: sin - see verse 5); 38:3 ”there is no health in my bones because of my sin” etc. The literal Hebrew rendering of Psalm 6:2 is, “my bones are shaken“. He was literally feeling shaky in a physical sense, but there was more to it. Physical pain because of sin must not be discounted in pastoral counselling, though care must be taken here to always attribute physical suffering to sin. The example of Job is a reminder of this danger.
6:3 My soul also is greatly troubled. But you, O LORD—how long? The same root word is used here as in 6:2. “My soul is greatly troubled (shaken)”. He is shaken in body and soul. Spurgeon observes: “Soul-trouble is the very soul of trouble. It matters not that the bones shake if the soul be firm, but when the soul itself is also sore vexed this is agony indeed.””[2] So, we have every reason to believe that David finds himself in a very deep hole – he is spiritually and physically shaken!
From this follows another very common question found in the Psalms, “But You, O LORD – how long?” - (Psalm 13:1- 2 – 4 times; 35:17; 74:10; 79:7; 80:4; 89:46; 90:13; 94:4; 101:1).
The prophets were also asking this question (Jer. 12:4; Isa. 6:11; Hab. 1:2; Zec. 1:12).
The saints under the altar in Revelation 6:9 were asking this same question.
According to Spurgeon[3] this apparently was one of John Calvin’s ‘favourite groans‘ (Domine usque quo – Lord how long?). And it sums up David’s desperation.
6:4. This is David’s dark night of the soul. It is like Christ’s cry of forsakenness – although not remotely in the same degree. He begs God: “Turn (lit. return), O LORD, deliver my life; save me for the sake of your steadfast love.”
Here we understand that the sense of God’s absence was the main cause of his misery. His sin had caused David to experience the loss of God’s felt presence. This is different to Job who had experience this forsakenness, but not due to his sin. David had grieved the Holy Spirit. However, it is significant that David tenaciously clings to God. He refuses to let Him go and he appeals to God’s steadfast love (Hebrew: chesed) - a major and oft repeated OT concept. He appeals to God’s covenantal love. God’s covenantal love is rooted in His election. The principle is clear. Those whom God chooses, He will never forsake (Deut. 31:6,8; Josh.1:5; Hebr.13:5). Though David is unfaithful, God is not (2 Tim 2:13). God will discipline His son, but He will not forsake his son. David knows that!
6:5 Listen to David’s further plea: “For in death there is no remembrance of you; in Sheol who will give you praise?” David is now throwing ‘holy arguments’ at God. Listen to Spurgeon again:
“Ah poor trembling sinners, may the Lord help you to use this forcible argument. It is for God’s glory that a sinner should be delivered…”.
This is not to say that we should expect or ask that God should compromise His holy standard by overlooking the sin. He cannot! No, here we appeal to the grace and mercy of God, offered to us in Christ. Christ has borne our sin on the cross. Those who appeal to Christ will find mercy. David by faith must appeal to God via the sacrifice offering of His greater Son. But he cannot possibly stay in this condition. Only a forgiven sinner has capacity to praise God. Those who die in their sins have none. That is David’s argument.
6:6&7 “I am weary with my moaning; every night I flood my bed with tears; I drench my couch with my weeping. My eye wastes away because of grief; it grows weak because of all my foes“. David desperately wants this miserable period in his life to come to an end. “Ah brethren, it is no light matter to feel oneself a sinner, condemned at the bar of God …” (Spurgeon 1/58)
(ii) 6: 8-10 The Psalmists victory – Prayer answered
Here is the turning point of the Psalm. It starts with these words: “Depart from me, all you workers of evil, for the LORD has heard the sound of my weeping”. Now, whatever David had done to be deserted by God, it seems that it had to do with these workers of evil. It may be that we surround ourselves with workers of evil – false alliances, bad counselors, unspiritual people on whom we have come to depend. The time has come to sweep the house clean. “The best remedy for us against an evil man is a long space between us” (Spurgeon: 1/58).There comes a time when we must say, "I can have no fellowship with you" !
Repentance is a practical thing. It is not enough to weep about our pain and our loss of peace of fellowship with God. We must address the problem. We must get rid of the source of evil. The temple must be cleaned of all its unclean elements.
Throw out the evil companions that keep your heart captive. Grace and sin are quarrelsome neighbours. One or the other must go!
6:8b ,9 The LORD has heard the sound of my weeping (Spurgeon – “liquid prayers”); He has heard my plea; the LORD accepts my prayer. What brought about the change? It is prayer which brings the need to God. God in turn works in the soul by the Holy Spirit, the Convicter of sin, the Counsellor and the Comforter to bring about repentance, and this in turn leads to our healing – hence the believer broken and healed by God!
6:10 All my enemies shall be ashamed and greatly troubled; they shall turn back and be put to shame in a moment. Those that were holding David back, causing him to fall for the sin which caused the discipline of God now have the tables turned on them. David is free. They are shamed!
Applying Psalm 6
- Understand the power of sin. Be careful of ungodly alliances.
- Sin has painful consequences
- When aware of this weep, and humble yourself before God
- Use holy arguments ; appeal to His covenantal faithfulness
- Plead with God until He breaks through
- Practice true repentance. Distance yourself from evil.
- Ungodly friends will leave you.
- God will be your friend - and you will be happy and blessed (Psalm 1)
[1] Spurgeon the Treasury of David 1/56
[2] Spurgeon, The Treasury of David, 1/1:57.
[3] Ibid.
