We started out with gusto but we’ve kind of settled into at least one post per week. In keeping with that tradition, let’s get into the sixth of the psalms.
O Yahweh, do not rebuke me in your anger, and do not discipline me in your wrath. Be gracious to me, O Yahweh, because I am feeble. Heal me, O Yahweh, for my bones are terrified. My soul is also very terrified. But you, O Yahweh, how long? Turn, O Yahweh; deliver my life. Save me for the sake of your steadfast love. For there is no remembrance of you in death. In Sheol, who will give thanks to you? I am weary with my groaning; I flood my bed every night. With my tears I drench my couch. My eye wastes away because of vexation; it grows old because of all my oppressors. Depart from me, all workers of evil, for Yahweh has heard the sound of my weeping. Yahweh has heard my plea; Yahweh has accepted my prayer. All my enemies shall be ashamed and shall be very terrified. They shall turn back; they shall suddenly be ashamed. (LEB)
Now let’s take a closer look…
To the Chief Musician. With stringed instruments. On an eight-stringed harp. A Psalm of David.
1 O Yahweh, do not rebuke me in your anger, and do not discipline me in your wrath.
I’m not perfect. Not even close. I don’t revel in my sin, but I know that it’s there, waiting to break free if/when I slip out of walking in the Spirit. I’m not proud of my sin but to deny its existence would be to accept it. And the last thing we want to do is accept sin in our lives. When we accept the gracious gift our Father has given us, through His Son’s sacrifice, the natural response should be one of love and obedience. This verse shows the mind of a man that who loves the righteousness of his Father in heaven and seeks to please Him with all of his actions. We all know that David messed up from time to time, and some of the time it was some real doozies. But his heart was bent on getting back to the righteousness of the Father.
David is calling out for mercy. Mercy that he knows that he doesn’t deserve, but his God is a loving God who doesn’t need to discipline if He knows that the lesson is already learned.
2 Be gracious to me, O Yahweh, because I am feeble. Heal me, O Yahweh, for my bones are terrified.
In modern Christianity we have this belief that God didn’t really show grace until Jesus died on the cross. David, here, is asking for God to show that grace. God has been a God of grace since the beginning. In fact, as early as Genesis 6:8 we’re told that Noah found grace with God. Many of the more recent translations have chosen to translate the word here translated as ‘grace’ as ‘favor’, but its meaning remains the same. We’re often told that God didn’t reveal His grace until Jesus, but grace is all through the Old Testament. The word which the KJV translated as ‘grace’ is the Hebrew word ‘chen’ (H2580) and that word shows up 69 times in the OT, and 14 of those times are in Genesis, the book which deals with the earliest subject matter! This topic is a lot bigger than the scope of this writing and if people want to go into this topic then maybe we’ll do something more later, but for now, the point is that God has been gracious from the beginning as part of His nature and David was calling on this part of His nature.
3 My soul is also very terrified. But you, O Yahweh, how long?
4 Turn, O Yahweh; deliver my life. Save me for the sake of your steadfast love.
We all have times that we feel like the world is closing in on us. Where it feels like there’s no hope in going on. In those times it can sometimes feel like God is taking forever to turn the tide. Sometimes the tide will turn, and sometimes we will turn, but Yahweh will eventually bring us through and deliver us. But don’t be ashamed of asking “how long?”. You’re not the first and you won’t be the last. David, here, is questioning how long. Just know that there’s a reason for the restraint. Be thankful for that restraint because sometimes there’s someone else crying out “how long?” and you’re on the other end of that one, even if you don’t see it.
5 For there is no remembrance of you in death. In Sheol, who will give thanks to you?
Many have said that hell is the absence of God, but maybe death in general is the absence of God. We were made at creation to exist with God. His presence, and don’t ask me the specifics of it all, feeds our existence. In death, before the resurrection, there is no ability to give thanks to God because there is no remembrance of Him. This topic stretches my head when I sit down and really try to think about it. What is death? What happens when we die? It’s not really as simple as I was brought up thinking. Do we go to heaven when we die? Do we go to Sheol and wait for the resurrection? What does the Bible say about it all? There’s a fun study for you!
6 I am weary with my groaning; I flood my bed every night. With my tears I drench my couch.
7 My eye wastes away because of vexation; it grows old because of all my oppressors.
Most of us have been here. Most of us have cried ourselves to sleep. Have you ever been so worn out by all that’s going on around you that you have felt like this? You’re not alone.
8 Depart from me, all workers of evil, for Yahweh has heard the sound of my weeping.
9 Yahweh has heard my plea; Yahweh has accepted my prayer.
But here’s the turn; the place that many of us (at least myself) don’t usually get to. Oftentimes when I get so depressed that I cry myself to sleep I don’t get to the place that where I find assurance that everyone who’s struggling against me better flee because my Heavenly Father has my back. I mean, He does, but it’s sometimes hard to break out of the spiraling depression. This is where David has me beat. He can call upon his depression and still take his next step into the hands of the Father.
10 All my enemies shall be ashamed and shall be very terrified. They shall turn back; they shall suddenly be ashamed.
And just like that, the depression is gone! We’ve now done a complete 180. How many of us have faith like this? How many of us are willing to not focus on the negative? It seems ridiculous, if you look at it from afar, to focus on the negative and not want to think about the positive, but how many of us don’t allow ourselves the opportunity to focus on the positive? I know that I can have trouble with this. We say that we give it all to God, but do we really? Do I really? This is something that I know that I need to work on. I talk a big game sometimes, but do I back it up? I like to think that I do most of the time but I’m not always there. It’s hard to give up control. It’s hard to – dare I say it – place your faith in someone that’s not yourself.
There it is. This is all about the actual faith we have in the LORD. We talk about “our faith” but how much faith do we actually have? How much do we let our faith grow? I’ll leave you with that thought. As you go about your day, let yourself question how your faith is really working in your life.
Shalom!
This was originally posted at my personal blog which is linked below:
http://thepoiema.blogspot.com/2017/09/the-psalms-6-o-lord-deliver-my-life.html