Psalms

We will continue our series through the book of Psalms. Today we will find

ourselves in chapter six. So far we have seen the theme of turning to God, and

trusting in Him during times of desperation. We’ve seen appeals to innocence, for

vindication, for victory over evil and to see the triumph of righteousness in times

where justice seemed scarce. We’ve seen this theme about being faithful in a

world that is not; and in all of that, God shows is unending and steadfast

faithfulness regardless of the circumstances.

Today, we see some more of the same, but we also see something different.

Rather than an appeal to innocence, David is going to God acknowledging his guilt

seeking God’s mercy.

How many of us in here, especially when we were children, tried to avoid

discipline at all costs? I’ll count myself in that number. I’ve not really known

anyone who enjoys discipline, much less welcome it in their lives. And discipline

can take many forms as we all know; each one with a common purpose...to turn

the one who is on the receiving end of that discipline to turn from their bad habits

or bad behaviors.

Now there is a small number of us in here, that actually take it upon themselves to

administer discipline because of the guilt they have. The discipline is self-imposed.

But I think we can all agree that this isn’t very typical.

The truth is, we don’t want to be called out when we’re wrong. We don’t like to

experience the inconvenience of discipline whether it’s being grounded, or being

sent to our rooms or finding a corner in the house to stick our noses in. Discipline

is never convenient, but it’s necessary.

What does it look like when discipline is not administered in one’s life?Proverbs 25:28

A man without self-control

is like a city broken into and left without walls.

This was written in a time where cities had walls built around them. And for what

purpose were these walls built? For protection. From the enemy’s attacks and

from robbers seeking to break in and plunder and take all they can get their hands

on. And so, a man, a woman, a girl, or a boy who has no discipline in their life will

be like a city open to the destruction and plunder of the enemy. That which ought

to be guarded, when the walls are broken down, are susceptible to this

destruction. And here’s the thing. It may not happen immediately or all once. It

may take a few days, a few years, or a few decades. And it may happen gradually

where one day, you open your eyes and the life you are currently living is not the

life you desired in your youth. That’s often how the enemy works. He doesn’t

need to take you out immediately, he can just chip away, piece by piece, block by

block and he’s patient and strategic.

That’s why we need God. That’s why we need the safety of His discipline in our

lives.

Proverbs 12:1

Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge,

but he who hates reproof is stupid.

Proverbs 22:15

Folly is bound up in the heart of a child,

but the rod of discipline drives it far from him.

Proverbs 23:13

Do not withhold discipline from a child;

if you strike him with a rod, he will not die.Do you all know what this rod talked about in these verses are? Some may be

tempted to say, well it’s merely metaphorical. Most of you know that Jesus refers

to us as his sheep. Friends, that’s not a compliment. If you’ve been around sheep,

you know what I mean. Even in modern times, the term sheep is used in a

derogatory way. “You’re all just sheep.” As Christians, that’s what we are. We’re

sheep and we belong to the chief Shepherd, Jesus.

What is the instrument called that is used to guide, to discipline and protect

sheep? A staff or a rod. Why would a shepherd used this rod in a sometimes

forceful or seemingly (from the sheep’s point of view) cruel way? To protect them.

To keep them safe from the things that they can’t even see or perceive at the

moment. But the shepherd keeps watch. And a good shepherd protects and

disciplines.

Why does God discipline us? He loves us.

Revelation 3:19

19 Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent.

Proverbs 3:11-12

My son, do not despise the Lord's discipline

or be weary of his reproof,

12 for the Lord reproves him whom he loves,

as a father the son in whom he delights.

Hebrews 12:11

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.

Now, that we’ve established the necessity for discipline, let’s read Psalm 6.Psalm 6:1

O Lord, rebuke me not in your anger,

nor discipline me in your wrath.

Here we can see that David is not seeking a way out of this rebuke, or discipline.

He requests that God not rebuke him in His anger. The ordering of the Hebrew

words is as follows, “Do not, in your anger, rebuke me.” The implication is that a

rebuke may be well deserved; but David’s request is that it be administered not in

anger, but tempered with mercy.

As a father of young children, I know the difference between disciplining out of

anger vs. disciplining out of a desire to see change occur in the hearts of my

children. I’ll admit that I have disciplined wrongly out of frustration and out of

annoyance at times not even considering the lasting ramifications and effects that

would have on my children. What I ought to do more often is to discipline in the

same way a shepherd does. Be strong, be firm, don’t withhold discipline, but

temper it with love.

Man, I remember the days when I was little and my dad would take out his belt

and it didn’t feel so good. But one thing I can say, is that I never felt his anger. I

never thought that he hated me. It’s weird, but when I reflect on those times of

discipline, I can honestly say that my dad disciplined me in the mostly Godly way.

Oftentimes, after the discipline was administered, he would sit beside me on my

bed and talk with me about why the things I did or said were wrong. My dad

never wanted to crush me, but he wanted to see my heart change for the better;

to mature and to grow and be strengthened and to be built up. Through my dad, I

saw the heart of God. That’s what I want to be for my children. That’s what we

ought to desire as God’s children because discipline is an expression of His love for

us.

In the following verses, we will see what David is experiencing and the emotions

he is feeling that he perceives to be God’s discipline in his life.Psalm 6:2-3

Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am languishing;

heal me, O Lord, for my bones are troubled.

3 My soul also is greatly troubled.

But you, O Lord—how long?

David is calling out to God for His grace. We see that David is troubled in both

body and soul. That his entire being is in anguish and he’s terrified. He is feeling

this overwhelming sense that death is near, whether it would come by his failing

health or by the sword of his enemies. This term languishing is to denote a sense

of dread and become weaker in weaker in your resolve and/or physical strength. It

is what we feel when we say, “we are hanging on by a thread.”

“O Lord, how long?” This is something that you and I have all experienced at one

time or another? God, I know you are faithful.

Deuteronomy 7:9

9 Know therefore that the Lord your God is God, the faithful God who keeps

covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his

commandments, to a thousand generations,

“How long God, until I see your faithfulness?” is what David is inquiring.

Psalm 6:4-5

Turn, O Lord, deliver my life;

save me for the sake of your steadfast love.

5 For in death there is no remembrance of you;

in Sheol who will give you praise?

Save my life, save me is what David is pleading. And David appeals to God’s mercy

and his steadfast love. The Hebrew term for the phrase “steadfast love” as

translated in our Bibles is the word “hesed”. This word denotes a loving-kindness,

favor, goodness and merciful kindness. This love is one borne out of a genuine

desire to do good to someone. That’s what God has and has continued to showus. And we can understand why David appeals to this part of God’s nature as he

pleads for mercy. “Out of your kindness God, please have mercy on me, save me.”

And then there’s verse five. What an odd phrase for the Christian. “For in death

there is no remembrance of you; in Sheol who will give you praise?” The Bible

doesn’t give us much of an account about how much David knew about the

afterlife at this time in his life. Jesus had not come yet and therefore would have

no knowledge of the kind of eternal life that was to be found in Him. And so we

see, in the eyes of David, his estimation of his current predicament and his future

concerns. From a very human point of view, when we see someone who has died,

their body is completely lifeless. There are no more prayers to be prayed from

them, nor praises to be sung to God nor joy to be expressed through dancing or

laughing. And so form a strictly temporal sense, there is that dread that comes

upon David. “I don’t want to die.” “I want to continue to worship you as I have

been doing.” “I want to continue to feel your joy.” “Please, don’t take that from

me.”

One thing that we can all agree upon is that death, in a very real and tangible way,

brings and end to the activities of this life.

Psalm 6:6-7

I am weary with my moaning;

every night I flood my bed with tears;

I drench my couch with my weeping.

7 My eye wastes away because of grief;

it grows weak because of all my foes.

Charles Spurgeon

“It will sometimes happen that where there is the most sorrow in the

antecedents, there will be the most pleasure in the sequel. As the furious storm

gives place to the clear sunshine, so the night of weeping precedes the morning of

joy. Sorrow the harbinger; gladness the prince it ushers in.

[William] Cowper says: “The path of sorrow, and that path alone, Leads to the

place where sorrow is unknown.”To a great extent we find that we must sow in tears before we can reap in joy.

Many of our works for Christ have cost us tears. Difficulties and disappointments

have wrung our soul with anguish. Yet those projects that have cost us more than

ordinary sorrow, have often turned out to be the most honorable of our

undertakings. …You may expect a blessing in serving God if you are enabled to

persevere under many discouragements. The ship is often long coming home,

because detained on the road by excess of cargo. Expect her freight to be the

better when she reaches the port.”

As I read David’s words, that his bed has been flooded with tears and that his

couch is drenched in weeping and that he has essentially become blind because of

the constant tears that continue to flow, it reminds me of another quote. It points

us to the idea that our tears can become our prayers to God in the absence of

words.

Charles Spurgeon

“Let us learn to think of tears as liquid prayers, and of weeping as a constant

dropping of importunate intercession which will wear its way right surely into the

very heart of mercy, despite the stony difficulties which obstruct the way.”

In the same vain, I want to give this encouragement that I found in an article on

the subject of praying through our tears. The article ends like this.

“God hears you.

God remembers you.

God sees you.

God knows you.

So trust Him with your tears.”

David did. Jesus did. So should we.Psalm 6:8

Depart from me, all you workers of evil,

for the Lord has heard the sound of my weeping

It is here that we see a turn. We see a change that occurs in David’s heart. His

whole countenance has changed. And it seems very abrupt. “So you’re telling me

this guy David cried and cried and was feeling all kinds of desperation and dread”

and then at the flip of a switch, he’s all good now?” Such is the power of going to

God in prayer. And I think it’s incredible that we get to see that moment when

David’s heart moves from dread, to hope and confidence in God. It’s encouraging,

because that means that the very same thing can happen to us.

And it’s not just a “flip of the switch” as it were, as if it were something as

unfeeling or neutral as a switch. No, when we pray to God, we connect to the

Creator of the universe and his power and might is unrivaled. And His grace and

His mercy, and His love is without bounds and just in those things alone, one can

find resolve. One can find their footing again and are strengthened by their faith

and trust in God. There’s nothing like it.

A commentator puts it this way.

“David went from deepest despair to blessed assurance…the experience of God’s

response was such a reality to the psalmist that his heaviness was turned to joy,

and those who had taunted him were put to shame.”

Psalm 6:9-10

The Lord has heard my plea;

the Lord accepts my prayer.

10 All my enemies shall be ashamed and greatly troubled;

they shall turn back and be put to shame in a moment.

In Matthew 7, we get a scene presented by Jesus of the great Judgment. To the

condemned he says, “I never knew you, depart from me, you workers oflawlessness.” Jesus quotes directly from Psalm 6:8. And now we can understand

from the filter of a future reality, what it means for the wicked to be put to shame.

I can’t help but draw a direct parallel to what we read today and the cross. Last

week we sang a song called, “When Death Was Arrested.” One line in the song

says, “My Savior displayed on a criminal’s cross, darkness rejoiced as though

heaven had lost. But then Jesus arose with our freedom in hand. That’s when

death was arrested and my life began.”

And so we see this theme repeated over and over again throughout our Bibles.

This movement from a perceived sense of defeat to an overwhelming reality of

victory in Jesus.

One commentator says, verses 9 and 10 (of our psalm) are just such words as he

might have utted on the cross – The Lord has heard…in the midst of his defeat,

there was victory; from the depths of a tomb, there was resurrection; out of death

came life forevermore. Let all his enemies…be ashamed! And seek his forgiveness

and his way.

My mom, several weeks ago sent me an Instagram reel that really got me thinking.

Especially when it comes to God’s discipline and the trials that we often face. It’s

starts off with someone saying, “It’s so unfair to me, that I have to be broken to be

close to God?” And then what follows is a perfect response.

“There was a group of women who got together to study the book of Malachi in

the Old Testament. They get to verse three that says, God will sit as a refiner and a

purifier of silver and they were puzzled. They’re like, “What does that mean about

the character and the nature of God?” One of the women says, alright, I’m going

to go find out about the process of purifying silver and I’ll come back and tell you

about it at the next Bible study. She calls a silversmith and makes an appointment

to watch him work. She watches him hold the silver in the fire and heat it up. He

explains that when you refine the silver, you have to hold it right in the hottest

part of the fire right in the middle because that’s how you burn away the

impurities. The woman thinks about God holding us in such a hot spot thinking

about that verse about how He sits as a refiner and purifier of silver. So she askedthe silversmith, “is it true that you have to sit here the entire time that the silver is

being purified?” He explained that, “not only do I need to hold it here, I need to

keep my eye on it the entire time. Because, if the silver is left in the flame for just

a moment too long, it’ll be damaged. The women sat there for a moment thinking

and asked, “How do you know when the silver is fully refined?” The silversmith

smiled and said, “that’s easy…when I can see my image in it.”

I want us to know that our greatest end in life isn’t that we can experience the

most comfort that the world has to offer, but rather, that we are continually

molded into the image of Christ. And I want you to know that God is there with

you every step of the way.

“God hears you.

God remembers you.

God sees you.

God knows you.”

So let’s find our confidence in Him.