Psalm 6, Drowning in Tears

Psalm 6 is a song of penitence.  In the previous psalms, a just and righteous David appeals to God to defend him.  After all, shouldn't a just Creator protect the just man?

But this psalm is different.  Here David admits that he has not been just and that he is deserving of anger and wrath.

For the director of music. With stringed instruments. According to sheminith.  A psalm of David.

"Sheminith", like many of the strange Hebrew words which appear in David's songs, is presumably a musical term. It appears two other times in the Old Testament, in the heading of Psalm 12 and in 1 Chronicles 15: 21. Yamauchi (in his commentary of 1 Chronicles) claims that the root of the word is "eight". The Strong's concordance link above suggests that the word refers to an eight-string lyre.

Psalm 6: 1-7, My bones in agony

O LORD, do not rebuke me in your anger 

or discipline me in your wrath.

Be merciful to me, LORD, for I am faint; 

O LORD, heal me, for my bones are in agony.

My soul is in anguish. 

How long, O LORD, how long?  

Turn, O LORD, and deliver me; 

save me because of your unfailing love.

No one remembers you when he is dead. 

Who praises you from the grave?

I am worn out from groaning;

 all night long I flood my bed with weeping and drench my couch with tears.  

My eyes grow weak with sorrow; 

they fail because of all my foes.

Notice the the synonymous parallelism in verse 1:
         Do not rebuke me in your anger/

          [Do not] discipline me in your wrath

It is possible that this psalm was written close to the time of Psalm 3, in the conflict and violence of Absalom's revolt.  If so, David's guilt goes back to his adultery and apathy regarding his own family. Whether because of his guilt or because of an illness, some of David's pain is physical.

The phrase "No one remembers" alludes to worship (Kidner), not just memory.  David makes the claim (repeated elsewhere), that from the grave ("Sheol") he cannot provide worship.  There is an aspect of negotiation here: "LORD, wouldn't you rather I return to leading worship?"  Even then, the negotiation is based on confidence that God has "unfailing love."

David's desperation and crying has led to exhaustion.  He is too tired to pray or call out.  But the psalm continues in verses 8 to 10 with a resolution:

Psalm 6: 8-10, My weeping heard!

Away from me, all you who do evil,

for the LORD has heard my weeping.  

The LORD has heard my cry for mercy;

the LORD accepts my prayer.  

All my enemies will be ashamed and dismayed;

they will turn back in sudden disgrace.

This sudden confidence and praise is a characteristic of many of David's pleas for help.  Somehow David is suddenly reassured that God has heard David's cry and has responded.  

Notice the extended synthetic parallelism.  Verses 8 – 10 are really six lines of Hebrew poetry, in an ABBBAA format, each developing an deepening earlier lines.  In simple terms the six lines are:

•             Away from me, evil people
•             God heard my weeping
•             God heard my cry for mercy
•             God heard my prayer
•             My enemies are dismayed
•             My enemies are suddenly turned back

Do you see the elegant "thought rhyme" in David's song?

In the end, David expects to change places with his enemies (Alter); as David is healed, his enemies will be embarrassed, dismayed, disgraced.

This psalm is one of seven that are called "penitential psalms" (Kidner).  The other penitential psalms are 32, 38, 51, 102, 130 and 143.