Responding To The Lord’s Discipline

Turn in your copy, of God's word. To the Book of Psalms.

Psalm 6.

As you know, by now we're taking a break from the Gospel of Luke for the summer. And are returning to. The Psalms. will spend the summer meditating upon these, Psalms

I'm seeking to better understand them.

Psalm 6 hear the word of the Lord.

to the chief musician with stringed instruments on an 8 string, harp a Psalm of David Oh Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger nor chasing me in your hot. Displeasure have mercy on me. Oh, lord! For I am weak. Oh Lord! Heal me for my bones. Are troubled. My soul also is greatly troubled but you. Oh Lord. How long? Return. Oh, Lord Deliver Me. Oh, save me for your mercy. Sake for there, for in death. There is no remembrance of you in the grave who will give you. Thanks, I am weary with my groaning, all nights. I make my bed swim. I drench, my couch with my tears. My eyes, waste away because of grief. It grows old because of all my enemies. Depart from me all you workers of iniquity. For the Lord has heard the voice of my weeping. The Lord has heard my supplication. The Lord will receive my prayer. Let all my enemies, be ashamed and greatly troubled. Let them turn back and be ashamed. Suddenly

we are not given in this particular song, the historical occasion, that resulted in David writing these words. We're not told what was going on in his life, we're not told that this was a matter of sin that he had committed or sin that he had suffered someone else sin against him. But we are giving some hints. We're given some hints that that it really. It's not an either-or. It's a both end. he hints in this song that he's both crying out because of his own sin, that he is committed, and he's also crying out because he has suffered Under the sin that others have committed against him.

And so in this song, but we find then. Is we find David? In the midst of suffering, over sin, crying out and responding to the Lord's discipline.

So we're going to take this song and we're going to break it up into four sections.

If your Bible is arranged like mine, you'll see that that they break the the text into for little stands as it were. So, we're going to follow that division. To give you an outline for those taking notes, were first going to look at the displeasure of the Lord. And then the Deliverance of the Lord.

Third will look at the disease of sin. and finally, the discouragement of enemies.

So we'll start with the displeasure of the Lord. look again at verses 1, through 3

The psalmist writes. Oh, Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger nor chasing me and your hot displeasure. Have mercy on me. O Lord for I am weak. Oh, Lord, Heal me for my bones are troubled. My soul also is greatly troubled. I want you to notice first of all. Been in David's responding to the Lord. He is not requesting. He's not saying or requesting that the Lord would not rebuke him. Did you catch that? David is not crying out to not receive the discipline of the Lord. Rather he is asking that the Lord would not discipline him in a certain way and then by implication that he would discipline him in another way. David is asking that the Lord would not rebuke him in his anger, he's asking that the Lord would not chasing him in his hot displeasure. I'm so in this, we get this, this implication that David is, is in some sense acknowledging. The fact that he has, send his send against the Lord. And so the displeasure in the discipline that he is now suffering under is just and it's right. It is good, it is good. And just for the Lord to rebuke sinners. So David isn't so much concerned with if he is rebuked but it's how he is rebuked. He does not want to be rebuked. Your discipline as a sinner apart from the Covenant Community of God. He wants to be discipline as a covenant member. He wants to be disciplined as a child of God.

David acknowledges that the discipline of the Lord, as we already read on a couple of occasions that the discipline of the Lord is. Right? And just and it's good.

Particularly as we saw in the book of Hebrews, the discipline of the Lord is good for Sons because it's an expression of love. Four sons and four daughters. Until David is fine. He's he's understanding that the Lord would discipline him. So long as he gets that discipline out of love that discipline. That goes two sons. Think of it, think of it in terms of of the discipline towards the Sun versus the discipline of an enemy.

The discipline of an enemy. Will not carry that same sort of love. But the discipline of a son inherently carries, the discipline of an enemy is going after strict Justice. Where's the discipline of a son? Is concerned more than with strict Justice. The discipline of a son is concerned with the son's well-being. so think of it like this to use another illustration,

We have a lot of young boys in our congregation and boys can be a bit rambunctious boys, can be a bit violent. And sometimes boys are particularly rambunctious and violence towards their own Brothers. And so when it comes to boys hitting their brothers, whether they think their brother deserved it or not we teach them not to hit their brother. Why will in part? Because we love both our sons, right? We love both of our children, but also because we want them to learn that resort to punching is not how you interact with people. We don't want them to grow up thinking that, oh well my brother upset, me and offended me. And so I punched him and then as they get older they think well, I punched my brother when he upset and offended me so I can just go and punch the next person who upsets and offends me. and for us as Christians, we take it a step further, it's not just that we want some outward moral Behavior. rather what we want is behavior that falls in line with the commands of God in his word, And so we teach our boys, not to punch their brothers. Because we don't want our boys to be like Cain who in his anger and jealousy murdered his brother. We don't want our boys to think that it is okay. To go in in our anger. To rebel against the Commandments of the Lord. And that is really what we must keep first and foremost, before our eyes

So David. He's not opposed to rebuke. But he wants that rebuke to be of the sort that a son would get. But David doesn't just want the discipline that a son would get. He also wants Mercy. He wants the Lord's Mercy. And what is Mercy is good for us to be reminded of things of these things. They're not just some biblical or theological terms. Are we like to throw out whenever it suits us? Mercy, Mercy deals with not receiving. What we do deserve? Mercy is not receiving what we do deserve. So David cries out to the Lord and in his crying for Mercy, he's acknowledging that he is send. And he's acknowledging that his sin against the Lord is great. Indeed, there is no such thing as we like to say today. There's no such thing as a little white lies. There's no such thing as little Sims Sims, may have little consequences or larger consequences in this life. But when we understand that all of our sin, no matter what it is, is an offense against the holy and righteous God, then there is no such thing as a little white lie. There's no such thing as a small sin. And we know from Romans, Paul's epistle to the Romans that the wages of sin. The wages of all sin, big sins and little sins, the wages of sin is death. ISO David cries out to the Lord and he cries out. For Mercy acknowledging that having send against this great and awesome God. He deserves all of the wrath for his sins. Until he calls out. For mercy.

And I want you to notice. He doesn't just call out for mercy. He calls out for healing. For healing. It is, as if he saying I deserve the chastisement that you have given me. And I asked that you would be merciful and not give me what I fully deserve for my sin. But also having discipline me that you would know he'll me.

And he says, he'll me for my bones are trouble. My soul is also troubled. Does the language of the Lord healing? Does that calls cause you to remember particular passages. Are there particular passages of scripture that bear, that same sort of theme?

Maybe of the Lord Jesus. In the book of Isaiah, when we're told that he was wounded for our transgressions and bruised for our iniquities. And we receive healing. How do we receive healing? By his stripes.

By his stripes. We receive healing from our sins.

Through the stripes that the Lord took.

Until I think there can be little doubt then. That is David is crying out for mercy. And as he's crying out for healing, he has in mind the promise of the coming Messiah. Who would defeat sin and Jack from the Devil? And he has in mind that that though, that Messiah will suffer in his battle against the serpent that though he will have his heal bruised. The David is recalling, that's that, there was still be healing that flows to him. As a result of the Lord's victory.

We also get a hint at how. Well no, I'll save that for for a little bit later. But notice notice again, as we shift 2 verses 4 and 5 that David is crying out to the Lord for deliverance.

Think about that. What is he wanting deliverance from?

Well, I think it's a two-fold, it's a two-fold answer. On the one hand, he's wanting deliverance from the guilt and shame of sin. He's wanting deliverance from the guilt of the sin that he is committed. And he also wants deliverance from the shame of send that he has suffered. He wants to be free from those things, he wants, he wants. Sin and the effects of sin to be removed and he wants complete and total Deliverance.

But it's not just that he wants Deliverance. From sin in a certain sense. You could say he wants deliverance from the chastisement of the Lord. And how does that Deliverance come about? In order to to see that we have to first understand what sin does to our relationship with God. When we send what we are saying in that moment as we desire that's in more than we desire. God, we are saying that we desire that thing that's in more than obedience to God. And so, there's a rift then in the relationship, when we choose to send And we choose it at the expense of our relationship with God. Jesus tells us that if you love me, you will keep my Commandments. And in the moment when we send, we are declaring at least in that moment that we love our sin more than our savior. And so, David is looking for deliverance, he's looking for deliverance, not only from his personal sin, and his guilt for sin, but he's looking for deliverance. From that marred relationship with his father. The Mart relationship with his Lord, that has come about as a result of his sin. Are you spraying then for healing on those grounds?

but also notice in verse five, the reason that he gives the reason he gives for this Deliverance as if, as if you needed more reason, To be delivered from sin. He then says, for in death, there is no remembrance of you Ellen, the grave who will give you, thanks. You see David understands David understands that while sin is no reason to thank God. Because why would we thank God for sin? He also understands that being delivered from sin, is a great reason to praise God. And having received the chastisement of his sons and his daughters that result in our fleeing from sin, is a great reason to praise God, and to give him things because we are not able on our own To bring that freedom from sin, we cannot save ourselves from sin. From its effects. We cannot restore our relationship with God. On our own, that requires the work of God. It requires the work particularly of the holy spirit in our hearts, to bring about that change.

The show David is asking that the Lord would deliver him and if the Lord would deliver him from his sin, the Lord would deliver him from the chastisement that he has suffered as a result of his sin and that the Lord would bring about A Renewed relationship. That would give him more reasons. Then To praising to thank God and took to declare his greatness.

Not only in his own house but and it is own Nation, but also in the Nations around him.

And then we get to the disease. Ascend. Want you to notice how David describes his present situation having cried out to the Lord and asked that the Lord would would deliver him. He then gives us the short account of what his suffering has look. Like while he remains under this bondage to send. He says that he is weary from his groaning. That all night, he makes his bed swim.

He drenches his couch with tears, his eyes or wasting away because of grief. and if that wasn't enough, He's growing old because of all of his enemies.

You seem?

We tend to have, I think a for too low of you of sin and its effects. As sometimes we think that that what's wrong with us in a given moment. It's just that we haven't had enough to sleep, or maybe we had too much coffee or not enough coffee.

Maybe it's just a matter that we are offended, and then we question wall. Is this a good reason to be offended? It's my right to be offended and what we fail to realize Is that Sin Sin? Affects not only our spiritual standing with God, but it affects our health, it affects our spiritual health, it affects our physical health. So that whether it is send that we have committed,

That we remain unrepentant over or if it is send that we have suffered that other people have committed against us. It becomes this burden when it's not dealt with when it's not addressed. When we don't take it to the cross, it becomes this burden that weighs us down.

And it's like it's like as as Christian describes, his burden as he's living in the city of Destruction, then it's a weight on his shoulders and no one else can see it, but he can feel it.

Send.

Jen has a great impact. A great impact on our health.

And this is Express first. In terms of David, having become aware of his of his sin, and his, his sorrow that he's that he's expressing over that sin. That his sorrow.

His sorrow over his sin, has has been so great and unmitigated that he he's now at the point where he's weary, he's weary physically weary from his groaning.

He's crying. So much over this sin, whether it's his own sin or sin committed against him. He's crying so much that he describes it in two ways. First, He's making his bed swim.

Think about the imagery? They're just as far as how many tears he's shedding. He's describing it as having cried so much over sin suffered or sin committed. That his bed is caused to swim. That's a great deal of Sorrow. That's a great deal of Anguish that David is describing.

But it goes beyond that we're going to skip over the drenching of the couch cuz it kind of goes hand-in-hand with the bed swimming. But he goes on to say that his eyes waste away. Have you have? You had an experience where you cried so much? It hurt to cry. I get physically. Your eyes would purr. Because you're crying so much. That is what David is describing that his grief and his suffering and anguish over sin is so great. Not only is he shedding a lot of tears but he's shedding so many tears that it feels as though his eyes or wasting away.

That's a great deal of suffering.

so, when we speak of the disease of sin, we're not just speaking of it, in terms of of How it affects our souls in some immaterial sort of way. But the disease of sin is such that it can work to the hardening of the heart and it can work to the grinding down of the Soul. Such that, our bodies literally waste away. As a results. Obsession committed or send suffer.

And he he adds to this again.

He adds that it grows old that he grows old because of all his enemies.

And this is where I think we really start to see that. David has in mind, not just his own sin that he's committed personally. But also sin. Which others have committed against him. One author calls that send. Suffered. Which is why I keep using the term. I really like the term. I think it describes it very well. We can up send that we commit a but there's also send that we suffer and the send that we suffer comes from without but it's against us.

any saying that this sin, Which he has suffered is causing him to grow old.

Causing him to grow old. Sometimes we, we will go and we'll attribute stress. As one of the causes for growing old. But could it be that what we are describing as stress?

Is perhaps more. So since suffered Or sin committed. Unless that's why. That's why we're growing old under that burden of sin.

No. David turns at this point and he's no longer addressing the Lord, at least not explicitly addressing the Lord, he then turns to his enemies. Those that are adding to his present State and he addresses them He addresses, these disparaging enemies these enemies who have been sources of discouragement. And he tells them to depart from me. You see these enemies. We don't know who they are and to agree. It's it's not important. We know that David had enemies within is real and he had enemies outside of Israel. He had enemies at times in his own house in his own family and he had enemies from outside of his family. He had trouble with Brothers, he had trouble with in-laws, he had trouble with literal enemy enemies on the battlefield. so, whatever form these enemies take David, now turns to them and he says, depart from me, He's essentially saying enough is enough. Leave me alone. Begone. And you see, they were adding to his suffering. They were adding to it. It seems if we can draw an inference that they were mocking, his hope in the Lord,

So they likely were sinning against him as well. And then they're adding to that when he goes to cry out to the Lord and they are effectively saying what are you doing? It's not like he's going to help you. It's not like you're going to be delivered.

They're mocking him.

For the fact that he's turning to the Lord, he's hoping in the Lord. I don't want you to notice that as he's addressing these enemies, David's hope is not found in him. Being Vindicated in the sight of his enemies. His hope is not found. In the Lord vanquishing, his enemies. His hope is that the Lord heard him.

But the Lord heard the voice of his weeping, the Lord heard his supplication. And it's a confidence that the Lord will receive his. Prayers. His confidence. His confidence in all of this and he doesn't, he doesn't conclude saying that the Lord has answered his prayers. Really, the song ends with David's prayer, not being answered at this point. But that's fine for David. because he's placing his hope not necessarily in the answering of the prayers, but in the mere fact that the Lord heard him, No, going back to what we mentioned earlier. That part of what he was wanting deliverance from, was this Rift in the relationship? The only way that he can have confidence that the Lord heard his prayers is if that relationship in some way has been mended. And David understands that the Lord's Alliance in the contract and the broken heart that the Lord Delights in the humble, those who acknowledge their wrong, and repent, and turn from it. And so having Express this, this sorrow and repentance in his words. And I think we can, we can say that he expressed that in his actions as well.

But he's in has confidence that the Lord, her not will hear. He has confidence that the Lord has heard. His prayers that the Lord has heard his supplication and that the Lord will receive them.

No. As we wrap up.

We've learned a couple things. One that there is a right way and there's a wrong way to respond to the discipline of the Lord. and,

One of the ways that we see the wrong way. if you turn back for a moment to the book of Jobe,

We read Job, chapter 5. And we know from chapter 4 that this is Job's friend. Is very helpful friend, and I mean that with all sarcasm elephants. Now in chapter 5, Eliphaz says, a lot of right things. He says a lot of theologically correct things, but where he gets it wrong. Really begins in chapter 4. And end the main point that elephants makes is seen in verse 7. where he says remember now, whoever perished being innocent Or where were the upright ever cut off? You see there's a wrong way to respond to the Chastisements or the hardships that we face in life to immediately assume that it must be and there's no other explanation. But it has to be because someone committed sin and jove is a great rebuttal to that because we know from the opening chapters, Jobe is described as blameless as upright one who feared the Lord and shun evil. And the Lord brought about or allow this suffering to come upon him as a way of testing his faith. the best not to say that we should not examine ourselves any time that we suffer to see have we send have we sinned against God and that has resulted in us being chastise and discipline. Of course, anytime we are disciplined. It is because of sin God does not discipline being a Justin right God. He does not discipline for non sin.

But it could be in the secret Council of God, but God has ordained a time of suffering. Not necessarily because of our sin. but as a sanctifying and purging process to remove some of the lingering sense that we cling to, but not necessarily for any one particular sin. Sometimes this is expressed through what times when like a couple experiences a miscarriage. I have heard I have heard people say That's a reason. that this couple or that couple experience, the loss of a child is because of their sin against the Lord. And that is a horrible and a Dreadful thing. And quite honestly, any, who would make such a claim, Not knowing the secret councils of the Lord. Should be slapped swiftly, across the face and told to shut up. but when we do send,

The proper response when we have sinned. Is to humbly turn to the Lord? To ask for the Lord's forgiveness. Just thank the Lord for his chastise, his chastisement and for disciplining us as Sons.

And then to call upon the Lord for help. In reforming our ways. In shaping Our Lives, according to his commands.

I'm beloved. We have the assurance.

we have the Assurance said in first John, that if we confess our sins,

God is faithful. Think of that, he is faithful. and just To forgive us of our sins.

That ought to be. The great encouragement. Because it means then because of Christ. And because of his healing Stripes that cover us, if we are in him, our sins are reckoned forgiving, and God is just in forgiving us. Because of Christ. Which means there's no doubt as to, if he will. There's only confidence That God, forgives the contrite and the broken hearted.

Butter spray. Our Father in heaven. We thank you for this reminder.

This reminder that you do discipline your children.

You discipline us for our sins. And you are just to do so. But father, we also thank you for this, reminder that you not only discipline, but you heal.

and so, while we suffer under the guilt of our own sin, which we have committed, or, as we experience the, the The shame and the suffering of sin against us. We thank you. Oh, Father. That because of the work of Christ, your son and our savior, we have healing from all kinds of sin. Whether it's the sand that we've committed or the send that we've suffered. and father, we ask that you would Continue through your holy spirit. That work of sanctification in our hearts. Make us aware. Of our own sin. But father also make us sensitive. Make a sensitive to the times when we sin against others, when we caused others, to suffer under the sins. We commit

Father, Grant to us, humble and contrite hearts, that are quick. They're quick to ask for forgiveness that are quick to repent of our Wicked Ways. Are quick to pursue the reconciliation of our relationship with you. As well as our relationship with others. And father, we ask that you would do this because as our Lord Jesus Christ said during his Earthly Ministry, the world will know. You are my disciples by your love for one another. so father, help us to love one another. Even when we sin against one another, And help us to be quick. To pursue reconciliation. The Christ would be exalted and glorified Among Us. Pretend his name that we asked us. Amen.