Outline: The Voice of My Weeping

PSALM 6:1-10

Introduction:

Crying is part of the human experience.  From the first tears as a baby to the deep loss of a loved one we all know what it is like to shed a few tears.  In this psalm David was overwhelmed by emotion and cried with the “voice of weeping.”

• Consider the various people in God’s Word who cried
• Even Christ wept
• Consider circumstances in life that brings tears

1. The Travail of His Soul (v1-5)

A. The Chastisement of David

• “O, LORD, rebuke me not in thine anger, neither chasten me in thy hot displeasure.”
• David feels the judgment of God against his soul- the word rebuke means to stand in judgment, or to be reproved.
• “Hot displeasure” is chema in the Hebrew which means the warmth or the heat of wrath or rage
• Be certain, sin comes with a cost
• The greatest fear of the soul is the wrath of God

B. The Confession of David

• “O, Lord, I am weak, for my bones are vexed.”
• Bones refer to the substance, the essence of a person- David is broken before the Lord
• His cry in brokenness is for mercy
• He confesses that he is weak- the picture we have here of David is not of a warrior-king,  but of a man who is sick in body, feeble, and broken in spirit
• We should understand that the mighty, when they stand before God are weak and lowly

C. The Concern of David

• “My soul is also sore vexed: but thou, O, LORD, how long?
• Again, his body, or his bones being vexed is mirrored in his soul
• He wonders how long this can and will go on
• Tragedies and travail seem to slow time down- he felt as though his trial would never end.

D. The Cry of David

• “Return, O LORD, deliver my soul: oh save me for thy mercies’ sake.”
• David could not go on in the condition that he was in- he desperately needed the Lord to return unto him and deliver mercy.
• Next to a person who is lost, the most miserable soul in the world is the soul who has known the Lord but is being rebuked and chastised by God

2. The Tears of His Sorrow (v6-8)

A.  The Weariness of His Cry

• “I am weary with my groaning”
• The word weary speaks of someone who has been on a long journey and cannot continue

B. The Weeping of His Cry

• “…all the night make I my bed to swim; I water my couch with tears.  Mine eye is consumed because of grief”
• David was in a constant state of weeping.  Whether it was on his bed during the night or on his couch during the day
• His emotions, his enemies, and his estrangement from God caused him to be overwhelmed with much weeping.

C. The Witness of His Cry

• “Depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity; for the LORD hath heard the voice of my weeping.”
• God sees and knows every tear that is shed.
• In Psalm 56:8, David said the Lord bottles our tears.
• God saw all of David’s long nights of despair- this gave David strength to rebuke his enemies.

3. The Trust of His Savior (v9-10)

A. The Lord’s Response to David’s Tears

• “The LORD hath heard my supplication”
• The LORD hears the prayers of those who are truly broken and sorrowful
• Consider the multitudes of millions, and He hears our prayers- He also sees our tears.

B. The Lord’s Reception of David’s Tears

• “The LORD will receive my prayer.”
• This implied that David’s prayer had been answered.
• Not only did God hear David, he helped David
• At the beginning of the psalm David is weeping, at the end of the psalm, David is rejoicing in the notion that God heard his prayer.
• David concludes the psalm with word to his enemies- “Let all mine enemies be ashamed and sore vexed: let them return and be ashamed suddenly.
• Those who contributed to David’s weeping would too be broken and ashamed of their wickedness.

Conclusion:

Depression and anxiety filled David’s life.  This psalm is just one example of how David expressed his fear and trepidation to God.  What comfort there is in knowing that God sees our tears!  As believers we are headed to a place where God will wipe away all tears from our eyes!