Psalm 6
Groan with the King
For the director of music. With stringed instruments. According to sheminith. A psalm of David.
1 LORD, do not rebuke me in your anger
or discipline me in your wrath.
2 Have mercy on me, LORD, for I am faint;
heal me, LORD, for my bones are in agony.
3 My soul is in deep anguish.
How long, LORD, how long?
4 Turn, LORD, and deliver me;
save me because of your unfailing love.
5 Among the dead no one proclaims your name.
Who praises you from his grave?
6 I am worn out from my groaning.
All night long I flood my bed with weeping
and drench my couch with tears.
7 My eyes grow weak with sorrow;
they fail because of all my foes.
8 Away from me, all you who do evil,
for the LORD has heard my weeping.
9 The LORD has heard my cry for mercy;
the LORD accepts my prayer.
10 All my enemies will be overwhelmed with shame and anguish;
they will turn back and suddenly be put to shame.
Sometimes when we are in a rut, we need to hear from others to “dry your eyes mate and move on.”
But what about when our eyes have dried up already from all the crying?
It’s hard to do even basic household chores when getting out of bed is a chore. In this Psalm, both the body and soul are deeply troubled (2-3). This is deep down in the marrow sorrow. Every molecule in your body is infected with it. This is not that kind of grief that you can distract yourself from with a large tub of Cookie Dough ice cream; you can’t escape it by downing some pints and shots.
In Psalm 6, the King invites us to both groan (1-7) and reign (8-10) with him.
There is a difference between grumbling and groaning. One is borne of distrust and the other is birthed in distress. The Hebrews were rebuked for their grumbling against God, where they questioned his provision, protection and presence (Exodus 17.1-8). Groaning is done by those who live in the struggles of the world-as-it-is but look forward with hope to the world-as-it-will-be (Romans 8.23).
This Psalm gives us vocabulary to voice our pain and anxieties. It gives us the words to process our wounds. It is a grammar for our groaning.
David cries, “How long LORD?” Gratitude to God does not cancel out the ability to groan. Being a good Christian is not never lamenting. It is here in God’s own word. You don’t just have permission but you have the words and framework to mourn what life looks like east of Eden, where sin has corrupted and maligned. Did you notice that three quarters of this Psalm is given over to groaning?
See how David pleads with God (vv4-6). He details his pain, seeking the compassion and mercy of God. He bases his plea on the steadfast love of God. He says that if he were to die and go to Sheol, how would he praise God.
But this Psalm is more than just a script for groaning. Here we see King Jesus groaning. Christ uses the words of v3 as he views his own impending death (John 12.27). Yet he went all the way into the grave so that death would not be our end. This is what the gospel says to us. Jesus has been down where we are. And further. He knows the way out. But first we need to know that Jesus has been where you are and is with you now. A gospel that is all victory and celebration isn’t going to sustain you in this world. But the truth of the gospel is that victory comes through the groaning King Jesus!
We don’t serve a distant and disinterested deity. We worship the God, who sent his own son to be one of us, to die on the cross for us. The King who groaned on the cross is now the king who reigns over the heavenly powers.
In v8, there’s a sudden key change from a solemn and sombre tune to one that is filled with hope and resilience.
David remembers the promises of God and knows God will answer his groaning King. God heard and he accepted (8-9). When we pray and sing this Psalm, we know that God will hear our prayers when we are united by faith to the groaning and reigning King.
For Jesus reigns with all authority, calling on his foes to depart from him (v8; see Matthew 7.23), knowing they will be “overwhelmed with shame” through his death and resurrection (v10; see Colossians 2.15).
We live in this great tension of both groaning and reigning. Our great enemy is Satan. When under the attack of the Deceiver (Ephesians 6.11-12), the King invites us to grown with him while also summoning us to stand strong in the strength of his might.
Glory be to the Father, who listens to the cries of his people.
Glory be to the Son, the groaning King who reigns in heaven.
Glory be to the Spirit, who lifts our weary and broken prayers to the heavenly throne room.