356. Monday after Fourteenth Sunday after Trinity.
Psalm 6. To the chief Musician on Neginoth upon Sheminith. A Psalm of David. O Lord, rebuke me not in thine anger, neither chasten me in thy hot displeasure. Have mercy upon me, O Lord; for I am weak: O Lord, heal me; for my bones are vexed. My soul is also sore vexed: but thou, O Lord, how long? Return, O Lord, deliver my soul: Oh save me for thy mercies’ sake. For in death there is no remembrance of thee: in the grave who shall give thee thanks? I am weary with my groaning; all the night make I my bed to swim; I water my couch with my tears. Mine eye is consumed because of grief; it waxeth old because of all mine enemies. Depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity: for the Lord hath heard the voice of my weeping. The Lord hath heard my supplication; the Lord will receive my prayer. Let all mine enemies be ashamed and sore vexed: let them return and be ashamed suddenly.
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The sore trouble in which we here find David was occasioned by his persecutions suffered at the hands of his enemies. For the saints of God recognize that there is an intimate connection between sin and trouble. Their spiritual distress may be caused by some special act of wickedness, or it may be the result of some earthly affliction, as poverty, sickness, the death of a dear one, the loss of property, the malice of other men, the tongue of slander, and the like; and in many cases they do not know with certainty, whether that which they feel is “godly sorrow,” or “sorrows of the world;” and this uncertainty increases their fear. — Jesus has suffered the punishment for all our sins; and hence it is not the anger of the judge, but of the Father, which disciplines the faithful. Yet all suffering, being a result of sin, has another meaning to their conscience than it has to that of the world. We therefore, in this psalm and elsewhere in the scriptures, hear how the greatest of heroic souls fear, and tremble, and weep like children. Furthermore, the truly pious do not have the callous hearts of unbelief, but a quickened sense of good and evil. None has found suffering so bitter as did our Lord Jesus; none has felt more sorrow and shed more tears than he; — the bravest and strongest champion against death and hell.
This psalm and similar passages of scripture are of great assistance to such as are in spiritual trouble; for here they find expressed that which their own hearts have felt, and learn how to lay their troubles before God. Not all the saints of God are as sorely tried as was David, who several times in the course of his life “made his bed to swim all the night” with his sweat and tears; for he was to learn to sing songs of lamentation, in which each of us finds his own misery expressed; and to sing songs of joy, in which the heart of the whole church throbs with exultation. But at some time or other in his life as a child of God every man must taste something of the bitterness of death. Then he is conscious of nothing but the wrath which punishes. God appears in his eyes as the strange and stern master in Egypt appeared to the sons of Jacob; so that he remembers his sins. He withers and is consumed. The happy days of grace and the light of life have disappeared. He was happy and full of bliss; but this is passed away. And yet the soul cries out to God, who seems all anger: “Have mercy upon me, O Lord; save me for thy mercies’ sake.” It is the true nature and distinguishing mark of the saints that they bow before God, and always fly to him. Then the soul groans and cries out: “O Lord, rebuke me not in thine anger, neither chasten me in thy hot displeasure!” “O Lord, heal me; for my bones are vexed. My soul also is sore vexed; but thou, O Lord, how long? Return, O Lord, deliver my soul! I am thine, Lord Jesus; thy property which thou hast bought with a price. Thou must, thou must have mercy! Do with me what thou wilt; but surrender me not to the power of the devil and the darkness of death. Thou hast created me, and bought me to the glory of thy name; and this is my salvation. Thou canst not and wilt not desert me!” — And the Lord saves in truth; “unto God the Lord belong the issues from death.” Note how the psalmist closes his lamentation with shouts of joy. Wait upon the Lord; commit your way unto him with “hope against hope;” and you shall surely sing — though it may not be until a long time after your “O Lord, how long,” which has been the motto of some of the pious children of God throughout their whole life — you shall surely sing at last: “The Lord hath heard my supplication; the Lord will receive my prayer.” “Away, then, ye false and terrifying accusers, ye spirits and powers, which threaten me with anger and punishment and death, and would imprison my happy and victorious life as in a hell!” Come, thou Spirit of life, my comforter in every trouble, and teach me to sing songs of thanksgiving before God. Amen.*
Come, Holy Comforter,
Thy sacred witness bear
In this glad hour;
Thou who almighty art,
Now rule in every heart,
And ne’er from us depart,
Spirit of power!
Jesus, our Lord, descend;
From all our foes defend,
Nor let us fall;
Let thine almighty aid
Our sure defense be made;
Our souls on thee be stayed;
Lord, hear our call!
[TLH 239, LSB 905, ELH 12; listen here]
* Here the head of the family says a short morning or evening prayer in his own words, and closes with the Lord’s Prayer and the Benediction. This is to be done every day. If the stanzas are not sung, they may be read in their proper place before the impromptu petition and the Lord’s Prayer.