Psalm 6 A Prayer for Pain  © 2015 WF Cobb Truthbase.net   DailyTruthbase.Blogspot.com

To the Chief Musician. With stringed instruments. On an eight-stringed harp. A Psalm of David.  Penitential Ps 6, 32, 38, 51, 102, 130, 143

I. David in great distress pleads to God for mercy and speedy deliverance

1 O LORD, do not rebuke me in Your anger, Nor chasten me in Your hot displeasure. Rev 3:19 love..rebuke..chasten..repent

2 Have mercy/be gracious on me, O LORD, for I am weak; O LORD, heal me, for my bones are troubled.

3 My soul also is greatly troubled Jn 12:27: But You, O LORD --- how long? 79:5

Heb 12:3 For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls. 4 You have not yet resisted to bloodshed, striving against sin. 5 And you have forgotten the exhortation (Pr 3:11-12) which speaks to you as to sons: "My son, do not despise the chastening of the LORD, Nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; 6 For whom the LORD loves He chastens, and scourges every son...7 If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons... cf Heb 2:10

II. He requests deliverance/salvation on the basis of God's hesed and David's response to it

4 Return, O LORD, deliver me! Oh, save me for Your hesed/mercies' sake!

5 For in death there is no remembrance of You; In the grave who will give You thanks/praise?

Ex 20:5 you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, 6 but showing hesed to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments. Cf Jn 14:15;  6x in Dt; 1Jn 3:22 obey and do what is pleasing in His sight

Ex 34:6 And the LORD passed before him and proclaimed, "The LORD, the LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in hesed/goodness and truth, 7 keeping hesed for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children's children to the third and the fourth generation." 8 So Moses made haste and bowed his head toward the earth, and worshiped.9 Then he said, "If now I have found grace in Your sight, O Lord, let my Lord, I pray, go among us, even though we are a stiff-necked people; and pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us as Your inheritance."

Dt 7:12 "Then it shall come to pass, because you listen to these judgments, and keep and do them, that the LORD your God will keep with you the covenant and the hesed which He swore to your fathers.13 And He will love you and bless you and multiply you...

Micah 7:7 Therefore I will look to the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation; My God will hear me. 8 Do not rejoice over me, my enemy; When I fall, I will arise; When I sit in darkness, The LORD will be a light to me. 9 I will bear the indignation of the LORD, because I have sinned against Him, until He pleads my case and executes justice for me. He will bring me forth to the light; I will see His righteousness. 10  Then she who is my enemy will see, and shame will cover her who said to me, " Where is the LORD your God?" My eyes will see her; Now she will be trampled down Like mud in the streets. 18  Who is a God like You, Pardoning iniquity and passing over the transgression of the remnant of His heritage? He does not retain His anger forever, because He delights in hesed. 19  He will again have compassion on us, And will subdue our iniquities. You will cast all our sins Into the depths of the sea. 20  You will give truth to Jacob and hesed to Abraham, which You have sworn to our fathers from days of old

III. He renews his request with evidence of repentance and enemies

6 I am weary with my groaning; All night I make my bed swim; I drench my couch with my tears.

7 My eye wastes away because of grief; It grows old because of all my enemies.

IV. Confident in God's gracious response, David rebukes his enemies who in turn will be troubled

8 Depart from me, all you workers of iniquity; For the LORD has heard the voice of my weeping.

9 The LORD has heard pft my supplication; The LORD will receive impft my prayer.

10 Let all my enemies be ashamed and greatly troubled; Let them turn back and be ashamed suddenly.

Questions for Reflection/Discussion/Response:
1. Do you tend to call out to God as a last resort? Or do you seek His guidance and help early and often? What thinking causes  the difference?
2. Do difficulties draw people closer to God, or drive them away? How about discipline? What is the purpose of life?  Why go on living?
3. On what basis should God answer your prayers? How do most people respond to their prayers being answered? How do you respond?
4. What covenantal obligations do we/you have toward God (being His people), so that He will be our/your God? (Emmanuel=God with us)
5. What is your response to difficulties? How does prayer change you, your circunstances,  or your perception of your difficulties?