I am worn out from sobbing. All night I flood my bed with weeping, drenching it with my tears. My vision is blurred by grief; my eyes are worn out because of all my enemies.
Psalm 6:6-7
One of the reasons why I love the Psalms is because of their writers’ transparency. They held nothing back in their writing even though much of their poetry was designed, not only be read by others, but to be sung by choirs. In their songs, the psalmists ingrain their innermost thoughts and emotions. They made things public that I am often afraid to even bring up when it’s just a conversation between God and me.
Things are definitely different now. In those days, it took a lot of effort to communicate with someone. Reading and writing were even hard to come by. Now, we can splash information all over an online profile; expect we are usually pretty careful about what we allow people to see.
One of the things that we can say about King David (the author of Psalm 6) is that he was one of the most public figures of his time (being king and all, you know). His personal life was filled with so much turmoil that it makes some of the recent scandals we’ve heard about lately seem miniscule. While news may not have traveled as fast then, the court of public opinion was likely no more lenient and ready to jump to conclusions and judge.
So, in his psalms, David was honest. He knew the weight of his crimes, and he certainly experienced the consequences. The reality pressed itself into his chest so much that he found himself worn out from sobbing, covered in anguish. In verse 1, David begs for mercy from God; he demonstrates a truly contrite heart. There’s little else you can do in a situation like that but be honest with yourself. I would say that he recognized his guilt, and he openly and willingly brought it to God, not hiding a thing. King David sought the rescue of God – unfailing love.
Because of His love, God was willing to bestow grace on one of the most undeserving (read some of David’s history if you would say otherwise). At the brink of the reality of all that he had done, David found himself on his knees (or more likely flat on the floor), and God showed him love by getting down on one knee and lifting him up again. David carried him into a new reality: grace.
Cross Section 