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 or discipline me in your wrath. (Psalm 6:1) It is almost a quote (not exactly) of Jeremiah 10:24 which says: Correct me, Lord, but only with justice — not in your anger, lest you reduce me to nothing. (Jeremiah 10:24) It is definitely an echo of the words of the prophet. His heart, contextually is in a similar place as the prophet’s heart was when he wrote down his words.
As King, David dealt with enemies both internally (family rebellion and even rebellion from subordinates) as well as external (international threats to his country). The weight of these struggles is laid out for us in David’s stunning transparent humility with this Psalm.
We can all identify with David. We have all had our moments when even fighting was too much. Have you ever told someone who was frustrated and wanting to fight, “I just can’t do this today”? I have. I’ve been there.
Apparently, this is a Psalm for just such a moment. When the weight of all that you face, both internally and externally, seems too crushing to go on. But note how the Psalm ends. God not only hears the prayer of the one who is crushed in spirit, but he answers the prayer as well. Our enemies do not get to have the final word. God does.
This is the lasting hope of the believer. One of David’s later Psalms record the comforting words: The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. (Psalm 34:18) We know that God seemingly draws in a little closer when we find ourselves being crushed by the weight of our opposition and trials. And our sincerest hope is that he will not only carry us through those times but he will indeed have ultimate victory as well. We will not be defeated! We will overcome if we have put out trust in the Lord!
PRAY
Heavenly Father, when the world is closing in and we can feel the weight of it all, cover us. Protect us. Comfort us. Let us know you are close. Let us sincerely feel your Presence with us. Thank you for the truth of your Word. Thank you for the promise that we have that nothing we face will ever defeat us when our hope is in you!