Psalm 6

Psalm 6 is a lament Psalm, full of anguish, pain, desperation.  When the early church appointed certain psalms to be used in services on particular days, Psalm 6 became one of the penitential psalms to be sung during Lent.  Saints through the generations have used it to learn how, and with what confidence they may pray in the midst of physical pain, depression, or God’s discipline.

Verse 1.  There is an implied confession of sin in these verses, and David is not nearly as concerned with the anger of his enemies, which surrounds him, as he is with God’s anger.  Sometimes God’s discipline is so harsh that it seems he is angry.

Verse 2. David’s request for mercy shows us that while he knows he deserves discipline, he asks for grace.  He uses the word ‘bones’, which may refer to the whole physical body, but often this word means the spirit within the body, the center of the painful distress.  

Ross writes, “Not all physical suffering or affliction at the hands of enemies is chastening for sin.  However, when devout believers find themselves in such trying situations, they naturally will do some soul searching to see if they are in fact being chastened.  If no obvious sin can be uncovered, then the believer may consider other explanations for suffering.”

Verse 3. David pours out his pain to God, and is stopped from speaking by his extreme stress and frustration.  He cannot even finish his sentence, but simply says, ‘how long?’  If he had been able to complete it, the thought may have finished something like, ‘how long will you allow me to go on living like this?’  

To David, it must have seemed as though God had gotten carried away with his discipline, and left David to suffer, alone, distressed, weak and anxious. As the commentator writes, “his suffering at the hands of his enemies had wreaked havoc with his health and well-being.  What made it so frustrating was that the Lord was silent and apparently willing to let him languish in pain and depression.  He knew his suffering was divine discipline, so all he could do was appeal for a gracious deliverance.”

Verse 4. David boldly says to the Lord, ‘Turn’, or ‘Return’. He wanted and needed God, at that very moment, to stop the chastening.  And here we see the basis for David’s boldness with the very God he has wronged - unfailing love.  This is hesed, again.  This is what we named ourselves with in Psalm 4.  This is the covenant-keeping, never-failing, never-giving up, always and forever love of the God of Abraham.  And so David pleads with God only on the basis of this love for his people.  David has nothing with which to bargain, nothing to offer God but his pleas for mercy and confidence in God’s character and promise.

Verse 5. Death is the great leveler, and the one thing that stops all worship.  David appeals to God with this logic - people will not hear about how God saved him from this present suffering if he is not present for the next gathering where praises were offered.  Though this may sound like bargaining with God, it is simply an acknowledgment that the outcome of answered prayer would be glory to God and the encouragement of God’s people. 

Verses 6 - 7. David may have been experiencing physical suffering because of attacks of his enemies.  But even worse was the mental anguish caused by God’s silence. 

Verses 8 - 10.  This sudden boost of confidence tells us that David has seen some answer from God, almost ‘as if we saw the singer’s face light up in recognition’ (Kidner). 

put to shame - This is a figure of speech which expresses a sudden reversal of fortune and defeat which the enemies will experience.  

As Ross writes, “God does chasten people for sin, and God does use other people as part of the chastening process.  For a king, this may have involved personal enemies or national enemies with their armies.  When God is through using the natural animosity of enemies as part of the discipline, he then judges them for their eagerness to destroy his people.”  This is the power and sovereignty of our God.  He uses all things, all people, whole armies and nations, for the loving discipline of his beloved.

Food for thought:

1. We know that David was suffering because of his own sin.  His suffering was great.  And yet he confidently asked for God’s mercy, for relief from his discipline.  How do you talk to God when you know you have sinned? Do you hide from him? Walk about in shame? Try to make it up to him? Do you ask confidently as David did for help? Do you see a pattern in your dealings with God over your sin that is different than what the gospel lays out?

Sources:  Intro to the Psalms, ESV Study Bible

Psalms by Derek Kidner

Expositor’s Bible Commentary by Willem A VanGermeren, Edited by Tremper Longman and David Garland

The Commentary on the Psalms, Volume 1, Allen P. Ross

Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible