Get Cancelled

TITLE.—This Psalm is commonly known as the first of THE PENITENTIAL PSALMS,* and certainly its language well becomes the lip of a penitent, for it expresses at once the sorrow (verses 3, 6, 7), the humiliation (verses 2 and 4), and the hatred of sin (verse 8), which are the unfailing marks of the contrite spirit when it turns to God.

C. H. Spurgeon, The Treasury of David: Psalms 1-26, vol. 1 (London; Edinburgh; New York: Marshall Brothers, n.d.), 56.

The Toll That Sin Takes

Depression

A sense of God’s disapproval

v. 1 establishes the tone of the Psalm:

Overwhelmed

Guilty - don’t underestimate the power of guilt.

David seems to be very aware that he deserves to be rebuked. v. 1 - more on that in a moment

He even has a hard time just getting out of bed. v. 6, 7

“I am weary with my moaning”

David had moaned and groaned until his voice was horse.

Emotionally this is rock bottom.

“Every night I flood my bed with tears.”

Literally this phrase is “I shall make my bed to swim every night.”

David is saying metaphorically that his bed is going to float away because of his tears.

“I drench my couch with my weeping.”

“My eyes waste away because of my grief.”

His eyes are red and swollen from his weeping

To the point where he cannot hide it from anyone.

In this case David’s depression seems to be born out of two things

His own sin - guilt

His enemies - broken relationships

Anxiety

A loss of a sense of God’s presence

“I am languishing”

Definition: grow weak or feeble, be kept in an unpleasant place or situation: he was languishing in jail.

I am weak, faint, frail and feeble.

“My bones are troubled” - don’t underestimate the physical toll that depression, anxiety and stress can have.

What we have here is a description of when emotional turmoil creates physical suffering.

Stress can cause

Headaches

Neck pain

Fatigue

Chest Pain

Nausea

Weakened Immune System

“My soul is greatly troubled”

“Soul-trouble is the very soul of trouble. It matters not that the bones shake if the soul be firm, but when the soul itself is also sore vexed this is agony indeed” - Spurgeon

The most likely understanding of the bones and soul are that the whole person is affected by this trouble.

The question “How long?” is frequently repeated in the Psalms. Taken together they teach that God is sovereign and in control and that waiting brings maturity and spiritual growth. However, in the moment

Physical Suffering

A loss of sleep

You would be surprised how often in counseling situations I tell people that they simply need to go to bed at a reasonable hour.

You might be astounded how much turning off your phone can help your anxiety.

Spiritual Suffering

A sense of spiritual fatigue

“I don’t get anything out of my devotions so why even try?”

“Does God even hear my prayers?”

“Am I even saved?”

The Petitions We Make

Chasten Me v. 1

v. 1 sets the tone for the chapter.

It is important to note that David doesn’t say “Please don’t rebuke me or discipline me.” Rather he says “Please don’t rebuke me in your anger or discipline me in your wrath.”

It seems that David is admitting the need for rebuke and discipline, and perhaps even that he deserves God’s anger and wrath. His request is that God separate the two.

All parents struggle with this. It is always best to refrain from disciplining your children while you are angry. Undoubtedly that is the perspective that is driving David’s comment here. However, God even in His anger has never nor will ever unjustly discipline as we might when our anger is provoked.

The chastening hand of God may be the cure you have been avoiding. Illustration: A famous Christian whose secret sin was revealed. After years of hiding it the first time he slept well in years was when it was revealed. Maybe the best thing that ever happened to him was “getting cancelled”.

How much better is it to deal with our sin before it gets to that point?

Be Gracious to Me v. 2

How many days per week do we need God’s grace?

How often should we remind ourselves to request mercy of the Lord?

David understands something important. His appeal for grace is not based on merit but weakness.

“God have mercy on me not because of who I am, but because of who you are!”

Heal Me v. 2

It is entirely appropriate for you to ask God for relief from physical suffering.

I don’t know if David only had physical suffering in view here but it is certainly not outside the purview of his request here.

Sometimes our request is for the relief of symptoms rather than the curing the disease.

For instance we might request that the Lord give us the strength to deal with a person who is negatively influencing us, but we are unwilling to put any distance between ourselves and that person.

To be clear I am in no way saying that all anxiety and depression are caused by sin. That does however seem to be the category that this Psalm is dealing with.

Deliver Me v. 4

v. 4 begins “Turn, O Lord...” or we might say “Return, O Lord.” A major part of David’s anguish was the loss of a sense of God’s presence. Thus one of his petitions is to return. Do you have an active sense of God’s presence in your daily life?

“Deliver my life, save me for the sake of your loving-kindness”

Again David gets his request right.

Save me, not because of who I am but because of who you are.

On top of that David recognizes that deliverance from his trouble is an opportunity to glorify God. v. 5

Hear Me v. 8-10

There seem to be two turning points in this chapter. The first is in v. 4 when David’s focus turns toward the steadfast love of God. The second is in v. 8 when David remembers that God hears his prayers.

“The Lord has heard the sound of my weeping”

“The Lord has heard my plea”

“The Lord accepts my prayer”

The Solutions We Find

Forgiveness is an Opportunity

To Declare - who God is and what He is like

To Praise - for what he has done

Many people fail to get right with God because they make it about themselves. I want to get right with God because I think that it will make me feel better. When in reality getting right with God is more about God himself. It is an opportunity to bring Him glory and magnify His Son.

Prayer is Effective

Forgiving yourself is not really what you are looking for. Your sin was committed primarily against God and He has forgiven you.

If you are still clinging to the guilt of a past sin my question for is this, are you really seeing yourself the way that God sees you?

If you know Christ as your savior does God view you through the lense of the sin that has riddled you with guilt?

God is Victorious

David’s sins became public. Perhaps it was the best thing for him. Maybe we need to “get cancelled” from time to time. However, as brothers and sisters in Christ we do not “cancel” each other we embrace one another and rejoice in repentance. We bear one another’s burdens. We learn to see depression, anxiety and stress not as weaknesses but as things we all deal with and seek to lift each other up to the Lord. We must seek to create an environment where confession is appropriate and celebrated.