Psalm 6 - Troubled Souls and the Glory of God

Dismiss Children (8:30 service)

Turn to Psalm 6...

Have you ever been so overwhelmed at the circumstances of your life that all you can do is curl up in the fetal position on your bed and cry?

I know we’re at church and the sun is shining and most of you are pretty strong looking on the outside today, but let’s not pretend or play games here.

For one reason or another, at one time or another - you’ve been there. Completely in distress - whether it be from the consequences of your own sin, grief over the loss of a loved one, or guilt, or fear, or the utter inability to vent your anger, or debt, or danger.

Anguish in this life is universal.

If I dropped you in a remote part of the world where they spoke another language, you would not need an interpreter to understand the wailing cry of anguish.

That wailing cry of anguish is the tone of this psalm. The emotional expression of Psalm 6 reaches feverish pitch. And yet here is the remarkable thing that we’re going to look at closely today about this psalm: the motivating factor for David’s deliverance from the state of his troubled soul is not primarily comfort and reprieve. What David’s troubled soul longed for the most was the glory of God.

Let’s stand together and read God’s Word...

Psalm 6 ESV

To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments; according to The Sheminith. A Psalm of David. 1 O Lord, rebuke me not in your anger, nor discipline me in your wrath. 2 Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am languishing; heal me, O Lord, for my bones are troubled. 3 My soul also is greatly troubled. But you, O Lord—how long? 4 Turn, O Lord, deliver my life; save me for the sake of your steadfast love. 5 For in death there is no remembrance of you; in Sheol who will give you praise? 6 I am weary with my moaning; every night I flood my bed with tears; I drench my couch with my weeping. 7 My eye wastes away because of grief; it grows weak because of all my foes. 8 Depart from me, all you workers of evil, for the Lord has heard the sound of my weeping. 9 The Lord has heard my plea; the Lord accepts my prayer. 10 All my enemies shall be ashamed and greatly troubled; they shall turn back and be put to shame in a moment.

My aim in preaching this message today is for you to see and savor the glory of God that is on full display in the salvation and judgment of troubled souls.

In the first five verses of Psalm 6 .. I want us first to observe:

1) David’s Troubled Soul & the Glory of God’s Mercy

In verses 1-3 we see the anguish of David’s soul as he prays...

Psalm 6:1–3 ESV

1 O Lord, rebuke me not in your anger, nor discipline me in your wrath. 2 Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am languishing; heal me, O Lord, for my bones are troubled. 3 My soul also is greatly troubled. But you, O Lord—how long?

What was causing David this extreme trouble in his body and soul? Some have wondered if he was ill because of the reference to his bones. But as one commentator put it: “neither the reference to bones in agony nor the ambivalent word heal necessarily implies some sort of illness. In Oriental fashion no clear distinction is made between “soul” and “body,” because man suffers in his whole being. The agony of “my bones” means the same as “my soul is in anguish.” The truth is... regardless of his state of health, there are two things that are certainly implied as background to the psalmist’s anguish. One is his sin. In verses 2 and 9 we see that he needs God’s mercy and in verse 1 we see that he fears God’s anger. The second backdrop to David’s anguish is the malice of his enemies.”

Look at verses 6-7

Psalm 6:6–7 ESV

6 I am weary with my moaning; every night I flood my bed with tears; I drench my couch with my weeping. 7 My eye wastes away because of grief; it grows weak because of all my foes.

So David’s anguish is a compound anguish of his own sinfulness and the sinfulness of others. A lot of you can testify from experience that both the guilt from our own sin and the ill-intended accusations of others can make us feel physically sick at times. David had them both going on. Interestingly - the malice of others appears to be God’s means of discipline for David’s sin.

Now… it’s at this point that I want to immediately make a point of clarification about David’s anguish. In this context, because of the reasons I just said, I want us to acknowledge that David’s anguishing is because of the consequences of his sin. That does not necessarily mean that all suffering is a result of sin. If we were studying the book of Job right now there would be a different thrust to the message because it teaches us that there are times when our suffering is not a result of specific sin in our lives. Ok, so I want to be clear about that.

Here in this psalm David does not cry out to God and ask him to withhold correction and discipline. Instead, because of David’s uneasy conscience he appeals to God’s grace to temper the discipline he knows he deserves.

David knows that his only plea…his only hope... is the mercy of God.

As Spurgeon so eloquently put it, “He does not lay hold on God’s left hand of justice, but on his right hand of mercy.”

In verses four and five David prays...

Psalm 6:4–5 ESV

4 Turn, O Lord, deliver my life; save me for the sake of your steadfast love. 5 For in death there is no remembrance of you; in Sheol who will give you praise?

In verse 4 David does not pray to God to deliver him for his comfort. He does not ask God to deliver him for his own name’s sake. He isn’t looking to Make the Davidic Dynasty Great Again. He asks God’s deliverance for the glory of his steadfast love - his mercy. David knows that when his own sinful and troubled soul is delivered, it will put on full display how merciful Yahweh is. And in verse 5 David is hinting poetically to the fact that if he is spared by the mercy of God, he will give him praise and glory for as long as he lives.

As an aside, Verse 5 can make it seem as though David had no concept of resurrection or life after death, but that is not the emphasis here. The point in verse five is to highlight the tragedy of death as that which silences a man’s worship, cuts him off from God and man, and makes an end of him. Derek Kidner in his commentary writes, “These are cries from the heart, that life is all too short, and death implacable and decisive; they are not denials of God’s sovereignty beyond the grave, for in fact Sheol lies open before him (Prov. 15:11) and he is ‘there’ (Ps. 139:8).

At the heart of David’s plea for salvation is the Glory of God’s mercy and the praise of God’s people for his faithful love and care.

But at this point we need to zoom out to consider Psalm 6 from a Christological perspective. Because we are going to see that Jesus himself quotes from Psalm 6:3 in the book of John. And what we see there is nothing less than another troubled soul bringing glory to God.

Let’s see secondly...

2) Jesus’ Troubled Soul & the Glory of the Cross

John 12:27 ESV

27 “Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But for this purpose I have come to this hour.

Now we can emphatically say that Jesus’ anguish in his soul was not the result of his own sin. But uniquely - Jesus knew in the agonizing sorrow of his soul what it was like to bear the sins of the world.

Isaiah 53:6 ESV

6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

The Scripture says that in the Garden, Jesus sweat drops of blood. Talk about bone-shaking anguish of soul! And the prospects of Calvary were exactly what was on his mind not only in the garden, but here just after his triumphal entry in Jerusalem. Jesus explains that the purpose of his anguished soul is all about bringing glory to God in the work of the cross... look at verses 28-33 of chapter 12 in John...

John 12:28–31 ESV

28 Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice came from heaven: “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.” 29 The crowd that stood there and heard it said that it had thundered. Others said, “An angel has spoken to him.” 30 Jesus answered, “This voice has come for your sake, not mine. 31 Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out.

Remember that verse, we’ll come back to it...

John 12:32–33 ESV

32 And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” 33 He said this to show by what kind of death he was going to die.

This of course perplexed the crowd that surrounded him, because they had been under the impression that the messiah would not die. So how could it be that this what-did-you-say-it-was “Son of Man...” Yeah…who is this son of man dude and why is he talking about dying? They obviously understood, like John says that the kind of death Jesus was implying was crucifixion.

So Jesus’ troubled soul is over the anguish of bearing the sins of all who put their trust in him on the cross. Simultaneously through his anguish, he prays that God the father would receive GLORY!

“Father, GLORIFY YOUR NAME.” Can you hear David’s son and David’s Lord here?

“Do it for the sake of your steadfast LOVE, father! SHOW OFF THE GLORY OF YOUR GRACE AND MERCY as you pierce me, as you crush me, as you pour out your wrath on me so that all those who put their trust in me receive not what they deserve but the abundant RICHES of your Covenant Love.”

Listen, brothers and sisters, Jesus experienced the wrath of God for sin so that David and you and I could pray like David that God’s rebuke would come without his anger, and that God’s discipline would not be in the full measure of his wrath.

Do you see the glory of God in the cross of Jesus Christ? Is that what comes to your mind when you contemplate in your mind’s eye that bloody tree with our beaten, stripped and scourged Savior gasping for breath? Jesus’ soul in anguish - yes - but God’s glory on full display in his mercy and also his judgment.

This brings us to our third consideration of troubled souls. Because, David uses this same phrase that he used in verse three to describe his soul to now describe the estate of his enemies - who, let me remind you, were GOD’s enemies, and enemies of God’s anointed king.

So let’s look now thirdly to...

3) David’s & Jesus’ Troubled Enemies & the Glory of God’s Judgment

First, consider David’s troubled enemies. Look at verses 8-10 of Psalm 6

Psalm 6:8–10 ESV

8 Depart from me, all you workers of evil, for the Lord has heard the sound of my weeping. 9 The Lord has heard my plea; the Lord accepts my prayer. 10 All my enemies shall be ashamed and greatly troubled; they shall turn back and be put to shame in a moment.

There’s that phrase in verse 10 - all my enemies shall be greatly troubled. David goes from his own soul being in anguish to now his enemies being in anguish because the Lord has heard his prayer.

John Gill points out this interesting insight - that David three times expresses his confidence of his prayers being heard and received. He says that this may be either in reference to his having prayed so many times for help, as the apostle Paul did (2 Cor. 12:8); and as Christ his antitype did (Matt. 26:39, 42, 44); or to express the certainty of it, the strength of his faith in it, and the exuberance of his joy on account of it.

Whatever may be the case, because of the confidence of his answered prayer, the enemies of God are now put on notice that they will be put to shame and turned back. Again - I must emphasize - that this is not a prayer you pray about your personal enemies. David was uniquely the anointed king of Israel - a foreshadowing of Messiah Jesus to come, and his enemies are the enemies of God. Do you remember Psalm 2? Why do the nations rage, and the peoples plot in vain, the kings of the earth set themselves and the rulers gather together against the Lord and against His anointed one!? This is what had been taking place.

Well, what does Psalm 2 say will happen to those enemies of God and his anointed one who want to throw off the cords of godliness and righteousness?

Psalm 2:4 NIV

4 The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them.

Now notice the next verse carefully:

Psalm 2:5 NIV

5 He rebukes them in his anger and terrifies them in his wrath, saying,

Ok, this was the first time I had seen this connection - but notice what happens to the enemies of God - they DO get rebuked in God’s anger… and they DO get disciplined in God’s wrath!!! This is the very thing David asked NOT to happen to him, but it is the very thing that God promises will happen to the enemies of his anointed one.

Do you see now the glory of God in the judgment of David’s enemies? He demonstrates his just punishment toward sinners who have not heeded the gracious waring of Psalm 2:10-12

Psalm 2:10–12 ESV

10 Now therefore, O kings, be wise; be warned, O rulers of the earth. 11 Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling. 12 Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are all who take refuge in him.

And this is the very thing that happens to all those who don’t take refuge in God’s only Begotten son, Jesus, whom David prefigures.

Remember when we were reading in John 12 about Jesus’ anguished soul and the glory of the cross, we read John 12:31...

John 12:31 ESV

31 Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out.

Part of the glory of the cross was the glory the judgment of God’s enemies.

We studied this in Colossians where we learned that at Calvary God disarmed...

Colossians 2:15 ESV

15 He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.

This is why in the coming judgment our Lord Jesus will ominously repeat the words of David from Psalm 6.8 as he says to those who pretend to have been his friends but haven’t found shelter in his sacrifice at Calvary:

Matthew 7:23 ESV

23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’

Depart from me… your trouble be upon your own head as I display the glory of God in judgment.

Now…I said that my goal today in preaching was that you would see and savor the glory of God that is on full display in the salvation and judgment of troubled souls. Which leads me to my final point today. My anguish, and your anguish. The troubled souls of 2020. What is our hope today as believers? How will God receive glory?

Well, I would say in all the same ways we’ve studied so far - we must see the glory of God in his mercy toward us and in his judgment toward sin. But fourth and finally today, I want us to consider

4) Our Troubled Souls & the Glory of Christ’s Return

I think this psalm, along with many other parts of the Old Testament are a unique parable of the last days. I think that’s only appropriate for us to consider, because that is exactly how Jesus takes up the words of this psalm on his lips in Matthew 7. During the judgment, we will see the glory of God in his judgment and in his mercy - as sinners like you and me, who have put our trust in Jesus Christ are shown extravagant mercy and grace, while simultaneously those sinners who have not found refuge in Christ will be judged. We will rejoice in God’s justice as grievous injustices are corrected and massive wrongdoing is recompensed with the full weight of God’s wrath. But we’ll also more fully appreciate the mercy of the cross as we see more clearly the weight of our sin and the agony that our sin placed on Jesus’ soul while he bled and suffered for us.

But if you’re like me, sometimes it feel like that day of glorious reckoning is taking way too long to come to fruition. It’s why we say at the end of every worship service “Maranatha” - because we long for his appearing and for his return.

In this way, I feel as though Psalm 6 can be a tremendous aid to us as believers as we cry together with David in verse 3:

HOW LONG O LORD?

Psalm 6:3 ESV

3 My soul also is greatly troubled. But you, O Lord—how long?

This was the favorite prayer of John Calvin… (O Lord, how long?). It was wrung from him again and again by the countless burdens and responsibilities he bore, the physical ailments he suffered, the dangers he faced, and the misunderstandings he endured. Spurgeon adds that this should be the cry of saints waiting for millennial glories!

Do you have countless burdens? Pray Psalm 6.3 - HOW LONG O LORD? and long for Christ’s return.

Do you have immense responsibilities? Pray Psalm 6.3 - HOW LONG O LORD? and long for Christ’s return.

Do you have physical ailments? Pray Psalm 6.3 - HOW LONG O LORD? and long for Christ’s return.

Do you face dangers? Pray Psalm 6.3 - HOW LONG O LORD? and long for Christ’s return.

Are you being misunderstood? Pray Psalm 6.3 - HOW LONG O LORD? and long for Christ’s return.

That was what David desired so intensely was the return of the presence of YAHWEH - that word “turn” in the ESV is really more like “TURN BACK,” RETURN! He senses that God’s presence has been withdrawn - and that, brothers and sisters is the cause of immense anguish of soul.

I want to close with a passage from 1 Peter that our family read in devotions last week… notice the overlap of a troubled soul and the glory of God...

1 Peter 4:12–19 ESV

12 Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. 13 But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. 14 If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. 15 But let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler. 16 Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name. 17 For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God? 18 And “If the righteous is scarcely saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?” 19 Therefore let those who suffer according to God’s will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good.

If you’re here today and you are a Christian - I pray that the Holy Spirit will instruct your heart in what it means to desire God’s glory even amidst suffering or wrath-less discipline (see Hebrews 12).

But if you’re here today and you have not obeyed the gospel of God (as Peter puts it) - take refuge in Jesus. See the glory of Calvary and of the beautiful mercy of God. Turn your eyes upon Jesus. Look full in his wonderful face. And the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of his GLORY and GRACE.

Let’s pray