Psalms 6

Psalms 6:1

A more literal translation of this verse would be, “O Lord, not in Your anger rebuke me; not in Your wrath chasten me.” By putting the negative first, David emphasized the manner of the Lord’s discipline. David knew his was no ordinary illness, but God had sent it as the consequence of some sin. He felt God was dealing with him very severely and despaired of enduring much more suffering. Sometimes the Lord’s discipline can be so harsh that we may conclude, falsely, that He is angry with us.

Psalms 6:2

The king then expressed his request positively. He begged for relief from his extreme discomfort. David spoke of his bones as representing his whole body (cf. Psalms 31:10; Psalms 32:3; Psalms 38:3; Psalms 42:10; Psalms 102:3; Psalms 102:5). This is a figure of speech called synecdoche in which the writer uses a prominent part in place of the whole.

Psalms 6:3

His suffering was not just physical. It had led to the distress of his soul (Heb. nephesh, entire life) as well. “How long?” expresses the frustration he felt.

Psalms 6:4

David first appealed for deliverance from his ailment, claiming God’s loyal love to him. God had promised to bless David and had delivered him many times before. The king besought Him to prove faithful to His character and save him again.

Psalms 6:5

The second reason David cited was this. If he died, he could not give God public praise for delivering him, and God would therefore not receive as much honor among His people as He would if He spared David’s life. Believers in David’s time had some revelation of life after death (cf. Job 19:25). David’s expression here does not deny that knowledge. He was saying God would lose praise among the living if David died. Sheol was the place where Old Testament saints believed the spirits of the dead went. This term often occurs in the Old Testament as a synonym for death and the grave.

Psalms 6:6-7

3. Lament over illness 6:6-7 David described his condition in extreme (hyperbolic) language to indicate how terrible he felt. Evidently his adversaries had been responsible for his condition to some extent, perhaps by inflicting a wound.

“From my own experience and pastoral ministry, I’ve learned that sickness and pain either make us better or bitter, and the difference is faith.” [Note: Wiersbe, The . . . Wisdom . . ., p. 100.

Psalms 6:8-10

4. Assurance of recovery 6:8-10 Apparently David received an answer to his petition. It may have come through a prophet or just the inner conviction that he would recover (cf. Psalms 20:6; Psalms 22:21; Psalms 28:6; Psalms 31:19; Psalms 56:9; Psalms 69:30; Psalms 140:13). In any case, he closed the psalm with a warning to his adversaries (Psalms 6:8) to get out of his way. He was on the mend and would frustrate their attempts to supplant him. Jesus may have quoted the first part of this verse to Satan (Matthew 7:23).

Physical sickness is sometimes, but not always, chastening from the Lord (cf. 1 Corinthians 11:30; 1 John 5:16; Job 1-2). God does not always grant recovery to His saints. Consequently believers should not use this psalm to claim physical healing from the Lord. Nevertheless, sometimes God does remove His hand of chastening in response to prayer (cf. Exodus 32:9-14; James 5:13-16). This psalm is a good example of a prayer for deliverance based on the grace (Psalms 6:2), loyal love (Psalms 6:4), and glory (Psalms 6:5) of God. God will or will not grant all such petitions, ultimately, on the basis of His sovereign will (Mark 14:36).