Psalm 6

NAVIGATING DIVINE DISCIPLINE

INTRODUCTION

Expositional idea: When God chastens his people with the rod of their adversaries, the truly penitent may pray for relief because of God’s faithful love.

Every one of us has been on the receiving end of discipline at one point or another in our lives, whether in a private or public setting, and it is generally never viewed as a positive thing. In fact, most would agree that when disciplined you are thinking, “How can I get out of this?”

There is another dimension to discipline that is often ignored, and it is “What should I get out of this discipline?”

It has been contended by scholars that the context for this Psalm is David being disciplined by the Lord after his sin with Bathsheba (), but there is no solid evidence to support this claim.

BODY

Start

I. David’s Acknowledgement Discipline (1-7)

A. CONFESSION (1-3)

Though the text does not specify, David’s call out to God is an implied confession of sin. David was “troubled” that he was being disciplined with God’s anger, and was therefore “terrified” at the possible duration of the discipline. When you begin to experience what you sense to be the Lord’s discipline, you must do a little soul searching to discover whether or not there is sin in your life that needs to be confessed to the Lord. However, don’t always assume, as those in the ANE did, that sickness or trouble is a definite result of sin. Jesus was clear that it was neither the man nor his parents that had sinned that caused the sickness, but rather it was that God would be glorified ().

B. PETITION (4-5)

David asks the Lord to deliver him based on two things:

1. DELIVERANCE BY PROMISE (4)

The Israelites knew that God’s love was steadfast (i.e., faithful to the covenant promise []), so he asks the Lord to deliver him from the discipline based upon the promise that he would always have the throne. Likewise, you can base your petition to the Lord upon the fact that he said that he would never leave you nor forsake you. Nothing can take you from the hands of the Lord.

2. DELIVERANCE FOR PRAISE (5)

David states that he would be unable to praise God if allowed him to be disciplined to the point of death, so he states that he should be delivered so that he can glorify God and praise him. While asking the Lord for deliverance, you should be looking to praise God for delivering you for the mess he just brought you out of. In short, David feels that he still has more to do for the Lord, and he is ready to get on with it.

C. CONTRITION (6-7)

David has experienced physical exhaustion and prolonged stress as a result of this discipline, so he laments the situation to the Lord. Lament means a “passionate expression of grief,” and it is David’s lamentation that is meant to invoke God’s great compassion upon him.

ILLUSTRATION: According to , divine discipline is not meted out by an irate judge but is given by a loving Father to help his children mature. When God disciplines you, you can despise it, resist it, collapse and quit, or submit and learn. God seeks our submission and education of the experience.

APPLICATION:

II. David’s Assurance of Deliverance (8-10)

This is the pivot point of the Psalm, and David warns those whom God has been using to discipline. David is assured of two things:

A. GOD HEARS (8-9)

David’s warning to his enemies indicates that he is certain that God has heard his appeal for deliverance.

B. GOD ACTS (10)

God had allowed the present hatred of David’s enemies to be used as discipline, but David is assured that since God has heard his appeal, God would now act and take the terror from David and place it upon those who had inflicted the terror.

ILLUSTRATION: David was about to have a burst of confidence because God’s discipline is temporary but his favor lasts a lifetime.

APPLICATION:

CONCLUSION

Discipline is designed to make you better, not bitter. So navigate divine discipline through acknowledgment of depravity and assurance that God hears your request for deliverance. Since the discipline is done in love, you can appeal to God for relief on the basis of his divine love for you.

God loves you so much that he sent his son Jesus to take your place of divine judgment