Psalm 6 Continued… David writes in this psalm: “No one remembers you when he is dead. Who praises you from the grave?” (verse 5) That word “grave” is the Hebrew word “Sheol.” Sheol is both a place and a state of being. It literally means the “place of the dead.” Much is made by some […]

Psalm 6 Continued… As already noted, Psalm 6 was utilized even by the early church fathers as a psalm of penitence. This is important for us to understand how this psalm has been seen and thought of throughout the ages. Many fail to recognize that part of our faith is crying out to God for […]

Psalm 6 Continued… The first four verses of Psalm 6 contain seven pleas from David to the Lord. They are as follows: “Do not rebuke” (verse 1), “Do not discipline” (verse 1), “Be merciful” (verse 2), “heal me” (verse 2), “Turn” (verse 4), “deliver me” (verse 4), “save me” (verse 4). The pronouns “I,” “me,” […]

Psalm 6 Continued… Read Psalm 6 in entirety: “O Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger or discipline me in your wrath. Be merciful to me, Lord, for I am faint; O Lord, heal me, for my bones are in agony. My soul is in anguish. How long, O Lord, how long? Turn, O […]

Psalm 6 It is not really known what context Psalm 6 comes from. Most scholars do not believe it is connected to Absalom’s rebellion. We just see David laying out to the Lord his weariness from dealing with his enemies in general. Look at verse 1… O Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger […]

Psalm 5 Continued… The final verse of this Psalm has a beautiful metaphor of God’s powerful covering over those he loves. Psalm 5:12, “For surely, O Lord, you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favor as with a shield.” (NIV) There are two Hebrew words translated shield: tsinnah (large shield) and the magen […]

Psalm 5 Continued… One of the inescapable images throughout this Psalm is the way David describes those who do evil. They are described as “bloodthirsty” and “deceitful.” The descriptions of evil lie mainly in terms of the harm toward human relationships. In Romans 3, as Paul is describing the reality of the wickedness that resides […]

Psalm 5 Continued… Psalms 5:4, “You are not a God who takes pleasure in evil; with you the wicked cannot dwell.” One of the things I love about the Holy Scriptures is that it is unwilling to avoid or shy away from difficult topics. The problem of evil is one that has plagued Christians for […]

Psalm 5 Continued… This Psalm, like the two previous we dealt with, deals with David’s enemies. Although contextually, this Psalm does not originate from the same events. David’s reign was one of war and conquest. David found himself thinking a lot about his enemies. In this Psalm we see David addressing God as LORD (Yahweh) […]

Psalm 5 Although this Psalm does deal with David’s enemies, it is not in the context of the Absalom situation. We all have enemies. But, as David concludes in the Psalm, we also must remind ourselves to have overwhelming confidence in God. Our God has the last word. Evil will not win. Psalms 5:1-12 Give […]