For Those Who Groan
Psalms 6
August 12, 2018
Tonight we embark upon the 6th Psalm,
And I’m going to tell you from the outset that we are going to look at it
A little differently than how it is historically viewed.
• I want to be upfront about that at the beginning so that you will know that my
take on this Psalm doesn’t necessarily match the traditional view here.
• And I mention that because I have tremendous respect for the traditional views
and don’t take straying from them lightly.
Throughout the history of the church this Psalm has been widely viewed
As the first of the “Penitent Psalms” of David.
That is to say that this is the first of David’s Psalms of repentance.
(The list includes Psalms 32, 38, 51, 102, 130, 143)
Even upon reading Charles Spurgeon’s notes on this Psalm
It is abundantly clear that he and his contemporaries
Saw this Psalm as a Psalm of David’s grief over his sin.
And I have no problem showing you why they say that.
There is no doubt that the Psalm shows David in deep emotional and even spiritual turmoil.
• (2) “I am pining away”
• (2) “my bones are dismayed”
• (3) “my soul is greatly dismayed”
• (6) “I dissolve my couch with tears”
• (7) “My eye has wasted away with grief”
(and many others)
It is clear that David is in spiritual torture.
The question of the Psalm is WHY?
Traditionally that question has been answered like this: “Because of his sin”
They read verse 1 which says:
“O LORD, do not rebuke me in Your anger, Nor chasten me in Your wrath.”
And the interpretation goes like this.
• David is aware that he has sinned;
• He knows that he deserves rebuke;
• He knows that he deserves chastening;
• His only request is that God do it out of grace and not out of anger.
That coupled with
• David’s request for God to “save me” in verse 4
• And David’s eventual demand that all who do iniquity “depart” from him.
Many have seen this Psalm as David in a deep state of repentance,
Crying out for forgiveness, and finally after much grief and despair,
Reaching a point where he is ready and eager to throw off
Every sinful influence from his life.
And that’s really the historical view.
So if you hold that view, just know that you are in very good company.
I want you to know it because, as I said,
I don’t take straying from a traditional view lightly.
But I don’t think that’s David’s heart in this Psalm.
I don’t think this is a Psalm of repentance.
For one reason,
David never mentions that his own personal sin is the reason for his dismay.
Contrast that with some of the other penitent Psalms.
Psalms 32:3-4 “When I kept silent about my sin, my body wasted away Through my groaning all day long. For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; My vitality was drained away as with the fever heat of summer. Selah.”
Psalms 38:3 “There is no soundness in my flesh because of Your indignation; There is no health in my bones because of my sin.”
Psalms 51:2-4 “Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity And cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions, And my sin is ever before me. Against You, You only, I have sinned And done what is evil in Your sight, So that You are justified when You speak And blameless when You judge.”
Psalms 130:7-8 “O Israel, hope in the LORD; For with the LORD there is lovingkindness, And with Him is abundant redemption. And He will redeem Israel From all his iniquities.”
And while Psalms 102, and 143 don’t specifically mention sin either,
They do allude to the fact that
God’s anger and judgment have fallen on the Psalmist.
Psalms 102:10 “Because of Your indignation and Your wrath, For You have lifted me up and cast me away.”
Psalms 143:2 “And do not enter into judgment with Your servant, For in Your sight no man living is righteous.”
But not this Psalm.
We know David is in extreme distress,
But he never says that it is because of his sin
Or God’s judgment upon him.
SECONDLY to assume that David is distressed over his sin, actually overlooks the clear statement David makes in verse 7.
(7) “My eyes has wasted away with grief; It has become old because of all my adversaries.”
This Psalm ISN’T about David’s distress over his sin before God.
This Psalm IS about David’s distress over
Having to live in a world of people who live in and love sin.
David’s distress is over dwelling among people
Who are against the righteous life that he desires to live.
And the Psalm ends as a song of hope for all who share his frustration
Because David prophetically announces
verse 10 “All my enemies will be ashamed and greatly dismayed; They shall turn back, they will suddenly be ashamed.”
• David doesn’t end with the victory of personal forgiveness.
• David ends with the victory of the day when the wicked are ashamed.
Now, that’s just a couple of the reasons I’m going a different direction with this Psalm than the church fathers did.
Now, as I told you, if you go that direction you’re in good company,
But I must also tell you, that I’m in pretty good company too.
In fact, Jesus agrees with me.
Look at verse 8.
(8) “Depart from me, all you who do iniquity,”
Jesus actually quoted this Psalm in one of His sermons.
And it most certainly was not in reference to His own desire to put away a sinful influence from His life.
Do you recognize it?
Matthew 7:21-23 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. “Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.’
When Jesus referenced this Psalm,
He referenced it in regard to all the phony, hypocritical, religiousites
Who went through the motions but who didn’t really love God.
And Jesus revealed that at the final judgment
When they begging and pleading for their souls,
He will actually quote to them Psalms 6:8, “Depart from me, all you who do iniquity,”
Jesus applied this Psalm to the satisfaction of the righteous
When they no longer must endure the fellowship of the wicked.
And that is why I call this Psalm: “For Those Who Groan”
What do I mean by that?
I am talking about that select few in this world
• Who have been redeemed from their sin,
• Who now hate their sin,
• Who long for the glory of Christ and His perfect reign,
• But who are presently stuck in a situation where sin abounds and brings
tremendous grief to their souls.
This is NOT A GRIEF because they don’t like the consequences that sin continues to bring on their world (though certainly they don’t).
This is a grief because sin is honored, their God is dishonored,
Their Savior is rejected, and yet they have been left in this world
As lights in the midst of the darkness.
It is the groaning of the righteous who must dwell among the wicked.
And Scripture is FULL of this reality.
Consider Paul writing to the Philippians:
Philippians 3:17-21 “Brethren, join in following my example, and observe those who walk according to the pattern you have in us. For many walk, of whom I often told you, and now tell you even weeping, that they are enemies of the cross of Christ, whose end is destruction, whose god is their appetite, and whose glory is in their shame, who set their minds on earthly things. For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself.”
Consider Jeremiah as he watched the wickedness of his nation around him:
Jeremiah 8:18-19 “My sorrow is beyond healing, My heart is faint within me! Behold, listen! The cry of the daughter of my people from a distant land: “Is the LORD not in Zion? Is her King not within her?” “Why have they provoked Me with their graven images, with foreign idols?”
Jeremiah 9:1-2 “Oh that my head were waters And my eyes a fountain of tears, That I might weep day and night For the slain of the daughter of my people! Oh that I had in the desert A wayfarers’ lodging place; That I might leave my people And go from them! For all of them are adulterers, An assembly of treacherous men.”
Consider Habakkuk:
Habakkuk 1:1-3 “How long, O LORD, will I call for help, And You will not hear? I cry out to You, “Violence!” Yet You do not save. Why do You make me see iniquity, And cause me to look on wickedness? Yes, destruction and violence are before me; Strife exists and contention arises.”
Even consider the righteous MARTYRS of Rev. 6 who dwell below the altar:
Revelation 6:9-10 “When the Lamb broke the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God, and because of the testimony which they had maintained; and they cried out with a loud voice, saying, ” How long, O Lord, holy and true, will You refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who dwell on the earth?”
And in reality this is a groaning of all believers
Who know this world dishonors our God and exalts what He hates.
Romans 8:23 “And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body.”
2 Corinthians 5:2-4 “For indeed in this house we groan, longing to be clothed with our dwelling from heaven, inasmuch as we, having put it on, will not be found naked. For indeed while we are in this tent, we groan, being burdened, because we do not want to be unclothed but to be clothed, so that what is mortal will be swallowed up by life.”
It is just that constant affliction of soul that
Has to live as a child of God in a world operated by Satan.
And beyond the obvious emotional and spiritual strain that this brings,
Scripture also references that many times that contrast
Results in actual persecution which is also a source of grief.
1 & 2 Peter say much to this regard as Peter writes to those who are suffering as the righteous in a wicked world.
1 Peter 4:4-5 “In all this, they are surprised that you do not run with them into the same excesses of dissipation, and they malign you; but they will give account to Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead.”
Peter knew the persecution that was occurring
Because people had been redeemed and no longer wanted sin.
The Hebrews certainly faced this:
Hebrews 10:32-35 “But remember the former days, when, after being enlightened, you endured a great conflict of sufferings, partly by being made a public spectacle through reproaches and tribulations, and partly by becoming sharers with those who were so treated. For you showed sympathy to the prisoners and accepted joyfully the seizure of your property, knowing that you have for yourselves a better possession and a lasting one. Therefore, do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward.”
Jesus even warned of it
John 16:1-4 “These things I have spoken to you so that you may be kept from stumbling. “They will make you outcasts from the synagogue, but an hour is coming for everyone who kills you to think that he is offering service to God. “These things they will do because they have not known the Father or Me. “But these things I have spoken to you, so that when their hour comes, you may remember that I told you of them. These things I did not say to you at the beginning, because I was with you.”
And sadly at times this persecution even comes from
Those who you thought where redeemed brothers and sisters in Christ
Who later revealed themselves to be apostate:
Psalms 55:4-14 “My heart is in anguish within me, And the terrors of death have fallen upon me. Fear and trembling come upon me, And horror has overwhelmed me. I said, “Oh, that I had wings like a dove! I would fly away and be at rest. “Behold, I would wander far away, I would lodge in the wilderness. Selah. “I would hasten to my place of refuge From the stormy wind and tempest.” Confuse, O Lord, divide their tongues, For I have seen violence and strife in the city. Day and night they go around her upon her walls, And iniquity and mischief are in her midst. Destruction is in her midst; Oppression and deceit do not depart from her streets. For it is not an enemy who reproaches me, Then I could bear it; Nor is it one who hates me who has exalted himself against me, Then I could hide myself from him. But it is you, a man my equal, My companion and my familiar friend; We who had sweet fellowship together Walked in the house of God in the throng.”
What we are talking about is the groaning of the righteous.
• We are talking about that deep grief and lament poured into the soul of those who are redeemed
• Because they are forced to live in a world which dishonors their king
• And runs as fast as they can for depravity and wickedness.
And let me tell you that THIS SHOULD BE a grief and a groan
In the life of a believer.
This is tied up so clearly in the admonition to not love the world.
• We shouldn’t love the world, we should grieve over the world.
• We shouldn’t enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, we should lament sin.
• We should applaud godless behavior, it should grieve us to the core.
IT DID JESUS.
Mark 8:11-13 “The Pharisees came out and began to argue with Him, seeking from Him a sign from heaven, to test Him. Sighing deeply in His spirit, He said, “Why does this generation seek for a sign? Truly I say to you, no sign will be given to this generation.” Leaving them, He again embarked and went away to the other side.”
When approached about the demon-possessed boy His disciples could not cast out:
Matthew 17:17 “And Jesus answered and said, “You unbelieving and perverted generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring him here to Me.”
Mark 3:1-5 “He entered again into a synagogue; and a man was there whose hand was withered. They were watching Him to see if He would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse Him. He said to the man with the withered hand, Get up and come forward!” And He said to them, “Is it lawful to do good or to do harm on the Sabbath, to save a life or to kill?” But they kept silent. After looking around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored.”
Mark 7:31-34 “Again He went out from the region of Tyre, and came through Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, within the region of Decapolis. They brought to Him one who was deaf and spoke with difficulty, and they implored Him to lay His hand on him. Jesus took him aside from the crowd, by himself, and put His fingers into his ears, and after spitting, He touched his tongue with the saliva; and looking up to heaven with a deep sigh, He said to him, “Ephphatha!” that is, “Be opened!”
Luke 19:41-42 “When He approached Jerusalem, He saw the city and wept over it, saying, “If you had known in this day, even you, the things which make for peace! But now they have been hidden from your eyes.”
Do you see the attitude of Jesus in this world?
• He wasn’t giddy…
• He wasn’t fascinated…
• He wasn’t drinking it up…
• He was grieved, He was heart-broken, He groaned
No wonder Isaiah said:
That He was “a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.” (Isaiah 53:3)
And I might just go ahead and add that
This dissatisfaction with the evil world system
Is ACTUALLY A FRUIT of the redeemed.
In fact, even in the Old Testament
It was a sign to God of those who truly loved Him.
If you read Ezekiel 8 and 9
• You read first about gross atrocities that are occurring in Jerusalem by those who claim to be God’s people.
• Then you read about how God is going to send executioners into that city to kill everyone who dishonors Him in that way.
However, before God does send the executioners,
He sends a man to go through the city
And mark those who grieve over what is going on there.
Ezekiel 9:4 “The LORD said to him, “Go through the midst of the city, even through the midst of Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and groan over all the abominations which are being committed in its midst.”
Peter reveals that this is why God saved both Lot and Noah in the days of their great destructions:
2 Peter 2:4-10 “For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to pits of darkness, reserved for judgment; and did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a preacher of righteousness, with seven others, when He brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly; and if He condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to destruction by reducing them to ashes, having made them an example to those who would live ungodly lives thereafter; and if He rescued righteous Lot, oppressed by the sensual conduct of unprincipled men (for by what he saw and heard that righteous man, while living among them, felt his righteous soul tormented day after day by their lawless deeds), then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from temptation, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment, and especially those who indulge the flesh in its corrupt desires and despise authority.”
• Lot was a man whose righteous soul was tormented
• Noah was a preacher of righteousness in a sinful society
Those where men who did not enjoy the passing pleasures of sin,
But rather grieved over it, and preached against it.
This was a mark of Christ.
This is a mark of those who follow Him.
And I know that’s a lengthy and pretty heavy introduction,
But I’m aware that there aren’t many sermons
Being preached on that topic today.
And I just sort of wanted to flood you with the facts
So that you would see that if you grieve over this world,
YOU’RE NOT WEIRD; YOU’RE REDEEMED.
And tonight I want us to look at Psalms 6 TO SHOW YOU
That if you grieve over this world, then do so with hope,
Because it won’t always be like this.
That is really the driving message behind Psalms 6.
• If you grieve over sin in the world like Lot or Noah…
• If you grieve over sin in God’s people like Jesus…
• If you grieve over sin in the church like Paul…
• If you suffer being treated as an outcast because you won’t join others in their sinful behaviors…
• If you inwardly groan for the day when Jesus Christ is honored…
Then this Psalm is for you.
It is a song for those who groan.
It is David’s testimony about his own personal groaning
And the hope he was given from the Lord
That his groaning would only be temporary.
It won’t take us long to look at this Psalm, so don’t groan.
4 points
#1 EXTREME DISMAY
Psalms 1:1-3
We already glanced at verse 1.
“O LORD, do not rebuke me in Your anger, Nor chasten me in Your wrath.”
And I pointed out to you that church tradition puts the focus on
The phrases “in Your anger” and “in Your wrath”
Indicating that I know I’m going to be rebuked,
Just don’t be angry when You do it.
I think that’s the wrong place to put the emphasis.
I think the word to emphasize is “me”.
That is to say,
“God, I know You are angry, and I know Your rebuke is coming, and I know Your chastening is coming, but don’t’ send it on me, I’m the one who loves Your truth.”
It would be similar to the prayer of Jeremiah:
Jeremiah 15:15-17 “You who know, O LORD, Remember me, take notice of me, And take vengeance for me on my persecutors. Do not, in view of Your patience, take me away; Know that for Your sake I endure reproach. Your words were found and I ate them, And Your words became for me a joy and the delight of my heart; For I have been called by Your name, O LORD God of hosts. I did not sit in the circle of merrymakers, Nor did I exult. Because of Your hand upon me I sat alone, For You filled me with indignation.”
That was Jeremiah looking into a face of an angry God and saying,
“Hey, don’t be mad at me, I’m on Your side!”
That is David’s request here.
• He is well aware that God has indignation at the wicked every morning.
• He is well aware that God’s wrath may soon be kindled.
• He is well aware that God may break forth in judgment at any moment
• And he wants to make sure that God knows that he doesn’t stand with everyone else.
In fact, David doesn’t rejoice over the pleasures of the world,
David laments them.
(2) “Be gracious to me, O LORD, for I am pining away;”
(The word there means “weak” or “feeble”)
“Heal me, O LORD for my bones are dismayed.”
“dismayed” translates BAHAL
It means “to be nervous” or “to tremble”
David is well-aware of the wrath of God, indeed it is a terrifying thing,
And he wants to make sure that God understands that
He doesn’t stand with other people in regard to the sin of the world.
This world runs to sin…
This world spurns God…
This world things lightly of judgment…
This world scoffs at the necessity of salvation…
All of that only flames the anger of God even more
And David, aware of that, says, “I’m not like them.”
(3) “And my soul is greatly dismayed;”
(same word – David is trembling in the inner man)
But the reason we know that David is not talking about his own sin is because he says, “But You, O LORD – how long?”
He DOESN’T SAY, “But You, O LORD – please don’t judge me!”
David wants the wrath of God to come.
David wants the judgment of God to fall.
He just wants to make sure that it doesn’t fall on him.
He is not the man who is loving sin,
He is the man who is dismayed over it.
Extreme dismay
#2 EXTREME DESPERATION
Psalms 6:4-5
The simple point here is that David understands that he is near to death.
WHY?
Well obviously it has to do with those “adversaries” he mentions in verse 7
Or those “enemies” he mentions in verse 10.
Jesus said they’d want to kill you.
Peter said they’d malign you.
It was happening to David.
He was a persecuted man in the midst of a sinful world.
And might I remind you that this is AN EXCELLENT INDICATOR
Of what type of person you are?
2 Timothy 3:12 “Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.”
Paul wrote to the Philippians
Philippians 1:27-28 “Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I will hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel; in no way alarmed by your opponents — which is a sign of destruction for them, but of salvation for you, and that too, from God.”
And this is what David speaks of.
His decision to love God and not to follow the pattern of the world
Has landed him in hot water.
In fact, he’s convinced he is about to die.
So he prays:
(4) “Return, O LORD, rescue my soul; Save me because of Your lovingkindness.”
This is like the prayer of all those who are persecuted who wish that Jesus would split the sky this very moment and deliver.
• God, come help me!
• God come save me!
• God return and bring Your judgment now!
That is David’s prayer.
Don’t let them kill me.
(5) “For there is no mention of You in death; In Sheol who will give You thanks?”
That verse is confusing to some
For we know that those who die in the Lord now go to be with Him
And most certainly they are ever-praising Him.
What David is saying is
If God just lets the wicked kill every righteous person
Then there won’t be anyone left on the earth to praise Him
And give Him thanks and bear witness for Him.
Consider the prayer of Hezekiah when he learned he was near death:
Isaiah 38:18-20 “For Sheol cannot thank You, Death cannot praise You; Those who go down to the pit cannot hope for Your faithfulness. “It is the living who give thanks to You, as I do today; A father tells his sons about Your faithfulness. “The LORD will surely save me; So we will play my songs on stringed instruments All the days of our life at the house of the LORD.”
Hezekiah knew that if he died
Then he would no longer be an influence on earth for the glory of God.
Paul said the same thing:
Philippians 1:21-26 “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. But if I am to live on in the flesh, this will mean fruitful labor for me; and I do not know which to choose. But I am hard-pressed from both directions, having the desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better; yet to remain on in the flesh is more necessary for your sake. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all for your progress and joy in the faith, so that your proud confidence in me may abound in Christ Jesus through my coming to you again.”
That is what David is saying as well.
God, don’t let them kill me
For then my influence on this world will be gone.
You can see that David’s opposition to the world
Has caused him extreme dismay
And put him in an extremely desperate position.
Extreme Dismay, Extreme Desperation
#3 EXTREME DEPLETION
Psalms 6:6-7
He is worn out isn’t he!
(6) “I am weary with my sighing; Every night I make my bed swim, I dissolve my couch with tears.”
That is a picture of the type of grief
That we as believers should feel as we observe this world.
The apostle Paul certainly felt it.
2 Corinthians 2:4 “For out of much affliction and anguish of heart I wrote to you with many tears; not so that you would be made sorrowful, but that you might know the love which I have especially for you.”
Acts 20:18-21 “And when they had come to him, he said to them, “You yourselves know, from the first day that I set foot in Asia, how I was with you the whole time, serving the Lord with all humility and with tears and with trials which came upon me through the plots of the Jews; how I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you publicly and from house to house, solemnly testifying to both Jews and Greeks of repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Romans 9:1-3 “I am telling the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience testifies with me in the Holy Spirit, that I have great sorrow and unceasing grief in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed, separated from Christ for the sake of my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh,”
2 Corinthians 11:28-29 “Apart from such external things, there is the daily pressure on me of concern for all the churches. Who is weak without my being weak? Who is led into sin without my intense concern?”
He knew what it was to weep for the sin of the world.
We’ve already read about Jesus weeping over Jerusalem.
This was the anguish of a believer who lived in a world that loved sin.
(7) “My eye has wasted away with grief; It has become old because of all my adversaries.”
“wasted away” is a Hebrew word that
Speaks of a face that has “become lean”
Or even a garment that was “falling apart due to wear.”
And David said, “Even my personal appearance is noticeable to the world around me.”
• I weep so much
• I lament so much
• I grieve so much
• That my face even shows the markings of grief.
• I look old, David says.
And to that we could just say that all the emphasis today is that
Believers should always look happy.
We’re all just supposed to walk around smiling like Joel Olsteen.
And certainly we are called to “rejoice always”.
We are called to count all our suffering joy.
But I also know this,
• The Bible speaks of Jesus grieving way more than it speaks of Him laughing.
• The Bible speaks of the apostle Paul weeping for more than it speaks of Him
joking around.
And that is David.
• He is overwhelmed with the offense that this world is to God.
• He is overwhelmed with the hatred he receives for not loving this world.
• He is overwhelmed with the grief he feels for a world that continuously
opposes what is right.
He doesn’t laugh about it, he weeps over it.
It is real to David!
DAVID GROANS THE EFFECTS OF SIN
And so I just tell you that if you do to, then you are in good company.
In fact you are in company with the holiest men who ever lived.
• If you hate the sin of this world…
• If you hate your own struggle with sin…
• If you groan inwardly and weep outwardly in your frustration of living in this sin-infested planet…
That doesn’t mean there is something wrong with you.
That’s just an indication of redemption.
But what this Psalm wants to make sure you understand
Is that your weeping won’t last forever.
This song ends with a mighty triumph!
#4 EXTREME DELIVERANCE
Psalms 6:8-10
David does a complete 180 here.
He goes from intense weeping to issuing a severe warning.
“Depart from me, all you who do iniquity,”
David boldly telling the wicked that
“No longer will he look upon or tolerate their wickedness.”
WHY?
“For the LORD has heard the voice of my weeping. The LORD has heard my supplication, The LORD receives my prayer.”
David’s prayer
• That God would return
• And rescue him
• And save him from this wicked and vile world
• Is a prayer request that God has promised to grant.
God revealed to David that regardless of how agonizing
This stay on earth may be, it will not be permanent.
God’s people will NOT forever be
A trampled mat at the doorstep of sinners.
(10) “All my enemies will be ashamed and greatly dismayed; They shall turn back, they will suddenly be ashamed.”
There will come a day,
When those who loved this world
Will be shocked to learn that judgment was real
And they are about to face it.
Want to see that shock again?
Matthew 7:21-23 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. “Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.’”
Does this Psalm make sense to you now?
It is exactly the Psalm Jesus was referencing.
Jesus was living in a day when wickedness abounded
And He was a tormented soul because of it.
The weeping of David here is the weeping of Christ.
• Can you hear Him weeping over the sin of Jerusalem?
• Can you hear Him sighing deeply over those who only wanted a sign?
• Can you see Him in anger clearing out the temple because it was a robber’s
den?
• Can you hear Him in agony in the garden?
What drove Him forward?
He knew that this circumstance of suffering was not permanent.
He knew that God would deliver and the wicked would be ashamed.
And Jesus, like David, even announced that to them.
And might I add, that Scripture recounts that final song as well.
Revelation 19:1-6 “After these things I heard something like a loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying, “Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God; BECAUSE HIS JUDGMENTS ARE TRUE AND RIGHTEOUS; for He has judged the great harlot who was corrupting the earth with her immorality, and HE HAS AVENGED THE BLOOD OF HIS BOND-SERVANTS ON HER.” And a second time they said, “Hallelujah! HER SMOKE RISES UP FOREVER AND EVER.” And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who sits on the throne saying, “Amen. Hallelujah!” And a voice came from the throne, saying, “Give praise to our God, all you His bond-servants, you who fear Him, the small and the great.” Then I heard something like the voice of a great multitude and like the sound of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, saying, “Hallelujah! For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns.”
This is a Psalm for those who groan.
• This is a Psalm for those who have a tormented righteous soul regarding this world in which we live.
• This is for those who long for the day of the return of Christ when the enemy is crushed and sin is no more.
In these days of grief and despair, sing this song.
• It foresees the day when you grief will be no more.
• It looks upon the day when King Jesus will reign and sin will never again flourish in the land.
John 16:33 “These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”
