Psalm 6

I am slowly writing a theo-centric commentary on the Psalms. Here is an example.

Psalm 6 – Afraid that God is angry, David turns to God anyway

1. David believes that God may be angry with him, but he comes to God anyway. He is afraid of God’s discipline.
2. He also knows that God is merciful, especially toward the weak and those who need healing.
3. He urgently asks God how long his situation of suffering will last.
4. God is able to save and deliver him because of God’s unfailing love.
5. He sees God as open to reason, arguing that if God lets him die, God will be less praised, for who praises God in the world of the dead?
6. He tells God exactly how he feels.
7. He reminds God of his sorrow and of his enemies.
8. He is confident that God has heard his cry for help.
9. The Lord has heard his plea for mercy and welcomes his prayer.
10. David has faith that his “enemies” (internal ones such as fear, guilt, and pain and external ones, such as attacks and criticism from outsiders) will be utterly defeated.

Just and merciful God, we come to you threatened by your holiness (because we are not holy) and afraid of your justice (because we fail to act justly). Yet we have no one else to turn to. We so need your mercy, healing, and deliverance. God, we know that you love us with unfailing love and that you hear and welcome our prayers. Please forgive us, Lord, and defeat all our enemies, especially the ones in our heads and hearts. Amen.

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