6-14-2020 Proper Sanitizing Psalm 6
Notes
Transcript
Introduction:
Pastor Kevin Jones once told a story of an evangelist that was making his way home on a train. This evangelist sat down beside a young man, and after a while he noticed tears in his eyes. The minister asked if there was anything he could do to help him. The young man said, "Preacher, two years ago, I got so mean at home that my mom and dad couldn't do anything with me. But one day I even went so far as to strike my father with my fist. He told me then, 'Son, I hate to do it. It's going to break your mommy's heart. But we want you to just get away from here--just leave this house.'"
The young man had wandered the country for some time and 3 weeks earlier he gave his heart and life to Jesus. He wrote a letter to his parents and told them he would be coming through on that train. He wasn't sure that he would be welcomed home, so he told his parents to hang a little white rag on top of the apple tree in their yard as a signal that he was forgiven. If there was no rag in the tree he would remain on the train.
As they approached his home the young man couldn’t look & asked the preacher to look and see if there was a white rag in that old apple tree. The preacher looked and said, "Son, you can relax. That apple tree isn’t there anymore. Instead, there is a stump with a big poll stuck in it holding a huge white banner saying, ‘We forgive you, we love you!’ And that's not all. Next to the tree stump, I see that grey haired old Mom and Dad standing out there waving a big white bed sheet saying 'Come home son. Welcome home. We miss you.’"
I am here to tell you that our heavenly Father is just like that man's parents. No matter how far we have gone or how long we have been away... if we will humbly ask His forgiveness He will welcome each us back home.
The Christian life is a life of abundant joy in Christ. In the N.T., Paul said that we are to "rejoice in the Lord always". Though the Christian life is a life of joy... it is also a life of tears. Solomon (the wisest man who ever lived) said "there is a time to weep". There is a time for tears, and studies show that tears are beneficial.
Tears are beneficial concerning our emotional well being. Tears are your body’s release valve for stress, sadness, grief, anxiety, and frustration. Tears are beneficial concerning our physical wellbeing. Tears protect our eyes, they supply lubrication, remove irritants, reduce stress hormones, and they contain antibodies that fight pathogenic microbes. It is also clear through the scriptures that Tears are beneficial concerning our spiritual wellbeing. We shed tears of joy when we are in a right relationship with the Father. We shed tears as a result of a burden for lost people. We shed tears when we reach a place of brokenness and seek to return to the Father.
Transition:
This morning our Psalm is Psalm 6, another individual lament from David, and it is a prayer for divine mercy, almost close to a confession of sin, but not quite. King David laments either
(1) the condition that was caused by sin, or
(2) illness that was commonly thought to be the result of sin, or
(3) the innocent suffering caused by the opposition of his enemies (6:7, 10).
This psalm follows three Davidic psalms (3–5) that are usually historically positioned in Absalom’s rebellion. For the first time, David’s “common” enemies, in a general sense, come into view. Psalm 2 deals with his international enemies, while Psalms 3–5 domesticize his enemies, and Psalm 6 introduces us to the nondescript, common company of enemies that has caused David so much concern. For the most part, then, with this psalm we have met the three categories of enemies that are the object of so many of the psalms: international, domestic, and now common.
Scripture Reading:
Psalm 6
For the music director; with stringed instruments, on the Sheminith. A psalm of David.
1 O Yahweh, do not rebuke me in your anger, and do not discipline me in your wrath.
2 Be gracious to me, O Yahweh, because I am feeble. Heal me, O Yahweh, for my bones are terrified.
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.
5 For there is no remembrance of you in death. In Sheol, who will give thanks to 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.
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.
10 All my enemies shall be ashamed and shall be very terrified. They shall turn back; they shall suddenly be ashamed.
Whatever the cause of the David’s suffering, whether it be physical or emotional, it was a time of intense agony that caused him to cry out, “How [distressingly] long, LORD?” (6:3). This cry of anguish is from his deep pain. In the Psalms, the cry of fresh anguish is “Why?” The cry of extended anguish is “How long?” O.T. Scholar, Frank Derek Kidner said “all God’s delays are maturings, either of the time, or of the person.” I would add, “or Both” David’s anguish has arisen from the opposition of his enemies (6:7, 10), otherwise undefined in the psalm. Yet, he does not confess guilt, even though the verb “discipline” in verse 1 may imply it. If anything, he dismisses their opposition as the shaping tool in his life (6:1, 8–10) and relies upon God’s “unfailing love” (hesed; 6:4b) as the shaping power. David has encountered the “no” of God’s love in these extended circumstances, whatever form they have taken, which would be unbearable were it not for the knowledge that God’s loving-kindness (hesed) is the “yes” of God’s favor in the broader picture.
Ps 6:2–4 A double-tracking of three verbal similarities ties the first part of the psalm and the final prayer together, and a fourth verb pair beautifully reveals the answer to prayer with a wordplay.
The verb “have mercy” (verse 2) occurs again as King David declares that the Lord has heard his plea or “cry for mercy” (verse 9).
The imagery of “turn” in verse 4 is that of the Lord turning toward the contrite worshiper from an opposite direction, while the imagery of “turning back” in verse 10 is that of the enemies who turn away from the psalmist to go in the opposite direction, all in answer to his prayer.
The use of the verb “terrify” in verse 2 describes King David’s physical agony (NIV: “my bones are in agony”), while its effect in verse 10 is to describe his enemies who are “terrified” (NIV: “anguish”), again a reversal, or a transfer of the emotional/physical effect from David to his enemies.
The Hebrew verb used for the request to “turn” in verse 4 (shub) occurs again in verse 10 (“turn back”), where it forms a word pattern with a similar-sounding verb, “be put to shame” (bush). The letters of the two verbs are switched for sound effect: “All my enemies will be overwhelmed with shame (y-b-sh) and anguish; they will turn back (y-sh-b) and suddenly be put to shame (y-b-sh).” Notice that the term for “shame” occurs on either side of “turn back,” hinting that this return is a shameful defeat and constitutes the answer to prayer.
Transition:
The sudden turn from David’s pressing troubles that occurs in verse 8 is a turn in faith, based on God’s “unfailing love” (hesed). Thus verses 8–10 are a cry of victory. The psalmist could have succumbed to the distortion & deception of his enemies and accepted their view of him and his circumstances, but he found the reshaping power of love to be truly transforming. God’s reshaping love is painful, but it produces a new perspective on our lives and reshapes the distorted self-image that our “enemies” try to force on us.
All this came at a price, it took David crying out to the Lord, and we see a progression of that through this passage. So let us follow the outline of the progression of his cries to our Lord:
I. A Cry from Anguish (6:1–3)
I. A Cry from Anguish (6:1–3)
David starts bluntly:
O Yahweh, do not rebuke me in your anger, and do not discipline me in your wrath.
The verb “discipline” from the noun “discipline” (musar) is the divine chastisement of love in the direction of righteousness (Prov. 3:11–12). It is the “electric wire that shocks the cattle away from the cliff’s edge” as one professor puts it.
Be gracious to me, O Yahweh, because I am feeble. Heal me, O Yahweh, for my bones are terrified.
"I am feeble/faint … my bones are terrified/in agony.
The phrase “I am feeble” translates a Hebrew verb that is often rendered “languish,” used in the Psalms and even Job to describe wicked individuals who are doomed to wither away.
The verb “Heal me/have mercy” implies God’s favor.
Because David calls on YHWH to heal him as his “bones are in agony/terrified,” this might suggest that David is suffering some sort of illness.
My soul is also very terrified. But you, O Yahweh, how long?
“My soul … how long?”
This word often translated by the English versions as “soul,” has a range of meanings. It can be translated “life” (107:5) or occur in the place of the personal pronoun. Sometimes it comes close to our concept of personality. The interrogative “How long?” occurs in several psalms and usually carries the meaning of “how distressingly long?”
David suffered in 3 different ways here. He suffered Physically, emotionally and spiritually. He was physically weak, his bones were hurting and his vision was blurred because of his crying. He was worn out emotionally because of his crying, and spiritually his soul was hurting, and so naturally he asks God how long until he would be restored.
God sure has a way of getting our attention. When the Heavenly Father's disciplines His children it can be painful.
Sin has a disastrous effect in our lives:
a) SIN AFFECTS US EMOTIONALLY - The most miserable person on earth is not the lost man. It is the individual who has experienced the joy of God and then turned form Him. You know the backslidden people in church—not necessarily by witnessing their sin, but by their evident lack of joy!
Tragedy can come and the Christian in right standing can still have joy. A loved one can die and the Christian can still have joy. A Christian can lose their job, the bank can foreclose on the house, and the finance company can repossess the car, yet they can still have joy. But for that Christian who walks away from God, the joy goes missing. They become bitter people who find fault and complain about everything. They are suffering emotionally because their relationship with God is broken.
It is also true that:
b) SIN AFFECTS US PHYSICALLY - The Apostle Paul stated in that there were physical consequences for sin. This is illustrated in those that partook of the Lord's supper unworthily. - 1 Corinthians 11:30 .
Because of this, many are weak and sick among you, and quite a few have died.
When sin comes, joy and peace is replaced with worry and fear. Worry and fear take a serious toll on our health. I have no doubt that there are some who are suffering as a direct result of sin in their lives.
Sin affects us emotionally, physically and obviously:
c) SIN AFFECTS US SPIRITUALLY - The backslidden child of God does not pray like they should, study like they should, serve like they should and they cannot worship like they should. Sin has created a barrier between them and God. And when God chastises them for their sin...THERE WILL BE TEARS OF ANGUISH! Listen to the anguish that David experienced - v6 I am weary with my groaning; all the night make I my bed to swim; I water my couch with my tears. 7 Mine eye is consumed because of grief; it waxeth old because of all mine enemies.
Transition:
There is no doubt that David wept because of the physical and emotional pain brought on by his sin. But his anguish was deeper than that. David was devastated because of what he had done to his Father!
II. A Cry for Deliverance (6:4–7)
II. A Cry for Deliverance (6:4–7)
Dr. Alan Carr shares that there is a difference between a slave and a son. “A slave fears the master's whip. A son fears the Father's displeasure.” Those who only fear the punishment of sin are most likely not saved. Those who are genuinely saved do not weep because of the consequences of their actions...they weep because they have transgressed the will of their Heavenly Father.
Turn, O Yahweh; deliver my life. Save me for the sake of your steadfast love.
“steadfast/unfailing love”
This phrase translates to that single Hebrew word, hesed, which is close in meaning to “love” and is based on the Lord’s covenant faithfulness.
For there is no remembrance of you in death. In Sheol, who will give thanks to you?
Other translations say: “from the grave”
The Hebrew is literally “Sheol”.
Sheol
Sheol
What exactly is Sheol? Is it the same as Hell?
The Hebrew term she’ol is both a place and a state of being. All human beings go to Sheol after death—rich and poor, master and slave. Although she’ol is translated by the Septuagint as hadēs, a term used also in the New Testament, it is not the same as the New Testament concept of “hell/gehenna.” The Greek word gehenna is what we use as “hell” and is derived from the Hebrew word hinnom. In the scope of the whole Bible, Sheol simply means “the place of the dead” or “the place of departed souls/spirits.” Sometimes it is used of the extremity of the cosmos (e.g., Deut. 32:22; Isa. 7:11), intended to describe the place or state of being that is the opposite of God, although God can pursue his creatures all the way to Sheol if they try to escape Him (Ps. 139:8). As a place for the wicked, it is also a place where the righteous go (Ps. 88:3), although there is some evidence that the righteous hope to escape it (Jon. 2:2; Ps. 16:10). Other Scriptures in the New Testament indicated that sheol/hades is a temporary place where souls are kept as they await the final resurrection. The souls of the righteous, at death, go directly into the presence of God—the part of sheol called “heaven,” “paradise,” or “Abraham’s bosom”
In some instances she’ol is merely a synonym of “death” or “the grave” (Pss. 30:3; 49:14), as it appears to be here in verse 5
This state of being was one of semi-life, devoid of joy, because those in Sheol did not have the fullness of life that ensured a vital relationship with God in such an intermediate state of existence. God in his wisdom did not choose to reveal the full state of the afterlife until he had revealed himself in the fullness of his glory in Jesus Christ. We might say that God wanted us to long first for a fullness of relationship with him, one that we could understand only in the face of Jesus Christ. Who among us finds the joy of place, however lovely, more appealing than the joy of relationship?
I am weary with my groaning; I flood my bed every night. With my tears I drench my couch.
“I flood my bed … my couch.”
The Hebrew verb for “flood” means “swim,” thus giving this hyperbole/exaggerated metaphor, “All night I caused my bed to swim,” parallel with “drench my couch with tears.” King David may position himself socially with the term “couch” (“bed”), because only the wealthy would have a proper bed. The poor would sleep on a straw mat and often cover themselves with their outer garment (Exod. 22:26–27).
As Peter C. Craigie writes, “For most sufferers, it was in the long watches of the night, when silence and loneliness increase and the warmth of human companionship is absent, that … pain and grief reached their darkest point.”
My eye wastes away because of vexation; it grows old because of all my oppressors.
In other words:
A dark night
A dark night
In the first seven verses we see that David is at a very low point in his life. He has a sense of God’s displeasure that has brought emotional and physical fatigue as well as an inability to sleep.
Illustration:
Can you think of a time when fear, grief, or guilt kept you from being able to sleep? Can you think of a time when the troubles of life sucked all of your emotional, spiritual, and physical strength? How did you respond?” Psalm 6 provides both a connection to our pain (common to the human condition) and the confidence that the Lord hears our prayers.
Transition:
There is a major transition that takes place between verses 7 and 8. God gave David assurance that He had heard his prayer:
III. A Cry of Victory in Answered Prayer (6:8–10)
III. A Cry of Victory in Answered Prayer (6:8–10)
The major change comes from David new found confidence that the Lord had "heard the voice of his weeping" and that "he had heard his prayer".
Depart from me, all workers of evil, for Yahweh has heard the sound of my weeping.
You can have that same confidence today. When you know that the Lord has forgiven your backsliding then you can shed tears of joy!
Yahweh has heard my plea; Yahweh has accepted my prayer.
“The LORD has heard … the LORD accepts my prayer.”
This is the power of God in our suffering!
Illustration:
The power of suffering
The power of suffering
Literature: The Agony and the Ecstasy, by Irving Stone. In this novel, Bertoldo, Michaelangelo’s teacher, explains the thorough shaping of a piece of sculpture to his young student: “And so it must be perfect, not only from the front but from every angle.… Which means that every piece has to be sculptured not once but three hundred and sixty times, because at each change of degree it becomes a different piece.”
God is in the process of molding, shaping, and transforming us into the image of Christ (2 Cor. 3:18), and he often uses suffering in this process (James 1:2–4). God can and wants to use every life circumstance to accomplish his purposes (Rom. 8:28).
So What?
So What?
We may begin today’s “So What?” by addressing those who are in distress at the hands of those who do them wrong for no reason. While there is a possibility that the suppliant’s distress is caused by illness (6:2, 6, 7), which his enemies could interpret as God’s disfavor, the poem points in the direction of circumstances, left undefined, that were created by enemy opposition (6:7, 8, 10).
At the same time, Psalm 6 presents us with a very different tone toward David’s enemies, which we may also find instructive, in that David here, unlike his imprecatory utterances against them in other psalms (35; 55; 69; 109), simply dismisses their opposition because God has heard his tearful prayer and has acted on his behalf (6:8–9). Paul speaks persuasively on the matter of facing opposition and persecution in 2 Corinthians 4:7–18, declaring that God uses all of this “for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God” (4:15).
The seven imperatives that punctuate the first four verses (“do not rebuke,” “[do not] discipline,” “have mercy,” “heal,” “turn,” “deliver,” and “save”) are naturally commanding in force, but emotionally they are pleading petitions. The intensity of the first-person pronouns, “I,” “me,” and “my,” immediately signals the personal desperation of the worshiper and his deeply felt anguish. In fact, that feature is sustained throughout the psalm, even in the prayer of confidence of verses 8–10. Those who are infirm, whether physically or emotionally, may enter that anguish unapologetically and without guilt through this psalm. As Kidner says, “The psalm gives words to those who scarcely have the heart to pray, and brings them within sight of victory.”
After a long period of rebellion and sin in his life, David returned to his Heavenly Father. When he did He cried to the Lord and said " The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit. You will not reject a broken and contrite heart, O God". (Psalm 51:17)
I can assure you, His arms of love are open wide... come home today? Shed those tears of sorrow, anguish and repentance and you can leave here shedding tears of joy!
Jesus uses the language of King David’s imperative (Ps 6:8)
Depart from me, all workers of evil, for Yahweh has heard the sound of my weeping.
when he speaks of those evildoers who thought their pretense of doing good would get them into the kingdom of God (Matt. 7:23).
And then I will say to them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Depart from me, you who practice lawlessness!’
But their actions spoke louder than their words.
So What?
So What?
Maybe you have never surrendered to Jesus... you have the opportunity to experience joy unspeakable and full of glory! All you have to do is trust Christ and your Savior and surrender your life to Him. I beg you, come to Jesus and be saved today!
In Conclusion:
Key Themes of Psalm 6
▪ As with the psalmist, David, we too suffer at times innocently.
▪ But We are given God’s Grace which is unmerited favor.
▪ Finally, Divine chastisement is indeed perfect love.