Penitence

Another psalm on prayer...

Psalm 5 was a “tutorial on prayer”. And now we have another psalm on prayer. Psalm 6 is, in its own way, a tutorial on prayer. It’s just a different kind of prayer. Psalm 6 is one of seven so-called “penitential psalms”—Psalms 6, 32, 38, 51, 102, 130, and 143.

“Penitential” means “relating to or expressing penitence or penance”. And really, that’s all you need to know.

Don’t you hate it when the dictionary uses the word it’s defining in the definition of the word? It doesn’t really help at all.

“Penitence” is “the action of feeling or showing sorrow and regret for having done wrong.”

A more familiar form of this word is “penance”. In some faith traditions there is required penance for sins committed—voluntary self-inflicted punishment, sometimes it involves confession to a priest, a dozen “Hail Mary’s” or “Our Father’s”, a spiritual slap on the wrist.

Of course, the most familiar word (hopefully!) related to “penitential, penitence, penance” is repentance.

Repentance is something we must be well-acquainted with; it must mark our lives as Christians. Turning from our sin and turning to Christ—and this is nothing we need a priest or pastor to help us with. We don’t need to “do penance” to pay for our sins (Jesus has paid the price once and for all).

But we must repent. We must show remorse and sorrow over our sinfulness, cutting ties with our sin. We must turn from sin and run to Christ, our Savior, our Redeemer.

Psalm 6 is David expressing penitence; he’s sorry for having done wrong. He regrets his sin. He understands his sin. He mourns his sin. He looks to the Lord for mercy and healing, for salvation and deliverance. And he knows that the Lord hears and accepts his prayer.

Let’s look together at David’s psalm of confession, his psalm of penitence, and what it teaches us about ourselves and how we should pray penitentially/repentantly.

>If you have your Bible (and I hope you do), please turn with me to Psalm 6 (Page 843 in the Red Pew Bible in front of you). If you are able and willing, please stand with me for the reading of God’s Holy Word.

Psalm 6 NIV

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 the 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.

May the Lord add His blessing to the reading of His Holy Word!

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David’s prayer is meant to teach you to

Understand Your Sin (Psalm 6:1)

The most likely setting of this psalm is that David has sinned and he is sure God is going to punish him—rebuking and disciplining David for his sin.

We don’t know what sin of David’s is in view here, but we know that David (like us) is a sinner. Poor David had several of his sinful episodes published in God’s Word, preserved for several thousand years for millions of people to read about. Poor David.

David has sinned, publically and privately; on a large scale (murder, adultery) and in smaller, more “respectable” ways (stealing, lying).

But David has this much right: David understands what sin is.

Psalm 6:1 NIV

1 Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger or discipline me in your wrath.

Notice the words David uses to speak about his sin: rebuke, discipline; anger, wrath.

All of these, each of these, are the wages of sin. This is what sin deserves—rebuke, discipline, anger, wrath.

David knows that the Lord Yahweh—the covenant God—must, must, must punish sin.

David understands his sin warrants the wrath of God, the anger of God, the rebuke of God, the discipline of God.

You misunderstand your own sin if you say (or think): “Well, I’ve never sinned like David. I mean, I’m sure God isn’t please with my sin, but He’s not angry with me. His wrath isn’t directed toward me. I’m a good guy and gosh darn it, people like me!”

Your sin warrants just exactly what David says: the wrath of God, the anger of God, the rebuke of God, the discipline of God.

What you deserve, what your sin has won for you, is death.

Romans 6:23 NIV

23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

The wages of sin is death. That’s what you and I deserve.

But the gift of God—for those who believe in and belong to God by faith in Jesus Christ—the gift of God is LIFE, eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Understand Your Sin (Psalm 6:1)

May we never underestimate or misunderstand our sin.

My Grandma Lindy had a few little wall hangings in the dining room of her house, little quips and sayings. One of them said, “Don’t grumble because you don’t have what you want; be thankful you don’t get what you deserve.”

I think it was in her dining room to prevent anyone complaining about the food set before them, but I thought as I got older about the theological truth of that little wall hanging.

“Don’t grumble because you don’t have what you want; be thankful you don’t get what you deserve.”

We should be so, so grateful that we don’t get what our sins deserve—wrath, anger, eternal punishment.

We should be ever thankful that we have a God who sent His Son to spare us His wrath and anger, His rebuke and discipline.

David understands his sin.

Do you understand your sin?

>With a proper understanding of sin, comes a proper response to sin. David shows us what that response is.

David’s prayer is designed to teach you to:

Mourn Your Sin (Psalm 6:2-3, 5-7)

If you see your sin for what it is—an act of cosmic treason against the Sovereign Creator of all things—you will rightly mourn, you will feel the weight of your sin.

Look with me at verses 2-3 and 5-7. Listen to what David’s sin is doing to him:

Psalm 6:2–3 NIV

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?

Psalm 6:5–7 NIV

5 Among the dead no one proclaims your name. Who praises you from the 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.

David is faint, his bones are in agony. His soul is in deep anguish. He is plum worn out. He weeps, so much so that his bed is floating; drenched and floating. His eyes are weak from crying.

David feels the weight of his sinfulness down in the depths of who he is

It’s that kind of mourning and sorrow that you feel in your bones; it keeps you in bed or on the couch for days.

Have you been there? I’m sure there’s been a time you’ve mourned like that, a time you’ve felt grief, but have you ever mourned your sin like that?

So many people grieve and mourn, not their sin, but the consequences of their sin. Think about it.

Say you stole a candy bar when you were a kid. You swipe a Snickers on your way out. You are quite pleased with yourself. Free, delicious candy bar; no problem, no consequences. But then, later in the day, your mom notices the wrapper in the trashcan and asks you where it came from. You confess and she makes you go back into the store, tell the owner what you did, makes you pay for the candy bar, and then grounds you for a week (and that after a good whippin’).

Which part of that do you likely grieve? Did you grieve the sin itself—the stealing of the candy bar? No, that was just fine; yummy even—chocolately, caramely, peanuty, nougaty goodness. The sinning (stealing) actually went really well for you.

What you grieve is the punishment, the consequences of the stealing, the fact that you got caught and were punished.

Now think about something more serious—a bigger sin than stealing, something in line with David sleeping with Bathsheba or David having Uriah killed.

At the time, sin like that satisfies something inside you—i.e. lust, the need for affection, hatred, jealousy. At the time, the sin you commit makes you feel better, it’s a remedy of sorts. And as long as no one knows about it, it’s fine.

But when the sin is found out, when it’s made public, there’s anger; there are consequences, possibly legal action, or financial restitution. Then you rue the day you sinned because sin got you into one heck of a mess.

You regret sinning, but not because of the sin itself. You’re full of regret because of the consequences sin brought upon you.

There’s a major difference there.

It’s hard, well…it’s impossible to say if David is here mourning the consequences of his sin or the sin itself, but we know what we ought to do.

We are meant to mourn our sin, to mourn the sin itself and not the consequences of the sin.

I should be heartbroken over the fact that I gossiped about that person, not merely upset about losing their friendship.

We should be found weeping over our critical spirit and not just the discord and disunity it causes.

Our souls should be in deep anguish because of the sexual sin we commit, not just how it affects our marriages and relationships.

All sin is an affront, first and foremost, against the Lord.

From another penitential psalm, David makes this clear:

Psalm 51:4 NIV

4 Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight; so you are right in your verdict and justified when you judge.

Mourn your sin, friends. Mourn what it does to your soul. Mourn the fact that you sinned against the Lord.

There’s something else David mourns; it’s interesting.

Psalm 6:5 NIV

5 Among the dead no one proclaims your name. Who praises you from the grave?

David’s saying, “If I die, if I succumb, if my enemies get me, if you do not deliver me, there will be one less to praise you. Dead folks don’t get up and sing, ‘How deep the Father’s love for us’.”

David is making an assumption—and a right one at that—the whole purpose of his life is to praise the Lord Yahweh.

This is far from cliche for David. This cuts far deeper than that.

This prayer is here to tell you that your whole reason for existence is not to make a living, not to get a great education, not to raise a family, not to excel in the sport of your choosing, but rather your whole reason for existence is—wait for it—to praise God.

“What’s wrong with death,” you ask?

The only correct answer is: “Because then I wouldn’t be able to stand in this place with the gathered assembly of Christ’s people and sing, ‘How great is our God, sing with me, how great is our God...’—because that (praising God) is my whole reason for existence.”

David mourns the thought that his sin might prevent him from drawing breath long enough to praise God.

Mourn Your Sin (Psalm 6:2-3, 5-7)

David mourns, and deeply, his sin.

I wonder if we mourn our sin appropriately...

>David understands rightly his sin and rightly mourns his sin. But he doesn’t wallow; he doesn’t despair. David knows the answer.

David’s prayer is designed to teach you to:

Look to the Lord for Mercy & Healing, Salvation & Deliverance (Psalm 6:2, 4)

David knows from whence his help comes. He knows that he can’t pull himself up by the bootstraps. He doesn’t believe for a second that God helps those who help themselves. David knows that the Lord Yahweh helps those who absolutely cannot help themselves.

David knows the Lord is full of mercy and grace, undeserved love and forgiveness.

He uses some incredibly important words:

Psalm 6:2 NIV

2 Have mercy on me, Lord, for I am faint; heal me, Lord, for my bones are in agony.

Psalm 6:4 NIV

4 Turn, Lord, and deliver me; save me because of your unfailing love.

Mercy. Healing. Salvation. Deliverance.

Those are some Major League Bible words.

Those who are penitent/repentant know enough to appeal to God’s love and mercy, not to their own well-doing or good works.

David understands his sin and his position before God. He comes, nothing in his hands to bring; he comes crawling, a poor beggar, lost, naked, full of shame.

David’s had it. He’s beaten up. So he looks to his only Help, his only Hope.

Have mercy on me, Lord…heal me, Lord…Turn, Lord, and deliver me…save me because of your unfailing love (hesed).

That’s not a bad prayer to pray upon realizing your utter sinfulness before a Holy God. Once you understand your sin for what it is and mourn it, come penitentially to the Lord and plead, praying the Lord’s mercy for yourself.

Please remember what “LORD” in all capital letters is; it’s not just a designation for God. This is the Creator’s personal, covenantal name: Yahweh.

David is crying out to the covenant-keeping God and using covenant language to plead his case: save me because of your unfailing love.

That’s the word hesed—that “Never Stopping, Never Giving Up, Unbreaking, Always and Forever Love” the Lord promises to those who are His.

Remind yourself of that: “Your love never fails, it never gives up, it never runs out on me.”

David knows it’s that—the unfailing hesed love of God—that guarantees his deliverance, his salvation, his healing.

David rests on the character of God: Yahweh. Hesed.

Dale Ralph Davis says that we can paraphrase David’s petition as: “Save me for you have pledged yourself to deal lovingly with me and I am holding you to your word.

Sometimes our only stay in trouble is knowing what God has said about Himself and about what He will do.

We can bank our lives on it. We can trust in Him, in His character, in His promises.

Look to the Lord for Mercy & Healing, Salvation & Deliverance (Psalm 6:2, 4)

When we look to the Lord for mercy and healing, salvation and deliverance, we will receive it—for that’s Who the Lord is and it’s what He does.

My good friend, John Calvin, writes: “Besides, it is God’s peculiar office to heal the diseased, to raise up the fallen, to support the weak, and, finally to give life to the dead; this, of itself, is a sufficient reason to seek His favor…men will never find a remedy for their miseries until, forgetting their own merits…they have learned to betake themselves to the free mercy of God.”

And so it is.

David looks to the Lord, and to nothing else, for what he needs. God, and God alone, heals and saves and delivers. Mercy for sinners is God’s office. Knowing this, David looks to the Lord alone. We would do well to follow his lead.

>For his sin, David looks to the Lord and he understands this great truth about his God.

David’s prayer is designed to teach you to:

Know the Lord Will Hear and Accept Your Prayer (Psalm 6:8-10)

David finds this assurance. He is assured that the Lord hears him and accepts his prayer, even though the actual deliverance is still in the future, he’s anticipating it.

You see, when you cry for mercy and grace, forgiveness, salvation, deliverance—when you throw yourself at His feet, humbly seeking that which you don’t deserve, the Lord will, most assuredly hear and accept your prayer.

Psalm 6:8–10 NIV

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.

God has heard. The Lord Yahweh hears this pray-er praying.

This is a matchless miracle. Think about it. We take for granted that God Almighty would condescend, that the Sovereign would stoop down, that the One who breathes life would listen.

“The Lord has heard my weeping…the Lord has heard my cry for mercy.”

Whoa.

The Lord Yahweh doesn’t hear David because David deserves to be heard. He hears because it’s who God is. This is in keeping with God’s character and covenant.

Know the Lord Will Hear and Accept Your Prayer (Psalm 6:8-10)

I need a lot of correction. I need weekly correction.

I needed to read this from Dale Ralph Davis. He writes: “Prayer does not change things, but prayer lays hold of God who changes things and who, in prayer, changes you.”

It’s not united prayer that makes a difference. It’s not persistent prayer that helps a situation. David doesn’t say, “Well, I prayed about it, so it’ll work out.”

It’s not about our prayer; it’s about the One to whom our prayer is directed. It’s a matter of Who hears our prayer. I know we believe this, but we often speak of prayer as if it works (somehow! magically!) apart from the God who hears.

Thank the Lord He hears our prayers! Praise God He listens to us, measly and pathetic as we are.

Amid his sin, David knows to turn to the Lord for help and for hearing. David trusts the Lord will work on his behalf. David believes the Lord is listening to his plea.

We, too, can likewise know this. We, too, can turn to the Lord. We, too, can trust the Lord to do what He does, to listen, to hear, the heal, to save.

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Did you notice the heading to this psalm?

Psalm 6:title NIV

For the director of music. With stringed instruments. According to sheminith. A psalm of David.

It’s a bit odd—all about the music director and instruments and maybe event the tune to be used (sheminith).

This all implies the continued use of this psalm in public worship by the Lord’s people.

And why not? We all deal with sin. We need the reminder to confess our sin, to mourn our sin, to look to the Lord for mercy and healing, salvation and deliverance. We all deal with sin and we need to know the Lord will hear our prayers seeking forgiveness and restoration from Him.

What better way is there to celebrate all that God has done for us in Jesus, than to sing about what He has done for us while we were yet sinners?

Maybe this is why the Lord’s people were to use Psalm 6 in worship.

Maybe this is why we sing songs of deliverance from sin today.

“My sin—oh the bliss of this glorious thought—my sin, not in part but the whole, was nailed to the cross and I bear it no more, praise the Lord, praise the Lord, oh my soul!”