The Christian’s Response To Their Own Sin (Psalm 6)
I love the psalms, and I think that is probably obvious to people who have heard me preach for any length of time. The psalms help us to see the very personal response that we should have in any given circumstance. Here we see the response of David to a sin that he had committed.
We aren’t given a situation. We are not told of what it is that David did. What we know is that David felt tremendous guilt over something that he had done and went to God for forgiveness. And so, in David we see what our response should be when we feel conviction over sin in our lives.
The Christian should own their sin and go to God for forgiveness where he finds forgiveness.
So, let’s read Psalm 6 and take a look at what our own personal response to sin in our lives should be.
God, I’m Guilty (Psalm 6:1-3)
Guilt is not a feeling that we like to feel. But here David feels it in abundance. Though we do not know what David did to cause him to feel this way, we are told about a feeling that is probably quite familiar to most of the people in this room.
This Psalm begins with an understanding that we deserve to feel the weight of guilt when we sin. Notice that David begins this psalm, not by asking to not be punished, but asking for God to not discipline him in His wrath (V. 1). He knows that he deserves what he is receiving.
Sometimes it’s easier to notice this behavior in others when it comes. It’s especially easy for parents to see this behavior in their children. There is a stark difference in a child whose attitude is one of understanding and accepting responsibility for their sin and one who is just trying their hardest to stay out of trouble. When a child has real sorrow for their sin they generally accept the consequences of their action and is generally more accepting of their punishment. It is the child that has no remorse for their sin that just keeps trying to get out of trouble. Now, consider how this works with adults. Are not repentant adults more accepting of their punishment?
So, David does not plead with God to take away the discipline. He only pleads with God not to discipline him in wrath. He is asking for God to discipline him in love and not in anger. And then pleads with God for grace. And let us do the same thing when we sin. When we are racked with the pang of guilt, let us go to God for grace. Because, like David, the weight of guilt that we feel can seem like it has been with us for far too long. As David feels it he pleads with God and cries out “how long?” (V. 3) Some of us have probably uttered the same words, and for good reason, that feeling really stinks.
That feeling of guilt that our society is trying to do away with is actually a good thing when it lives in proportion. A person who feels guilty about everything is not feeling it in proportion. But a person who feels guilty for sins they’ve actually committed is not feeling things wrongly. Their feelings are lining up quite well with reality because they have rebelled against God. That feeling is attempting to drive you somewhere.
Feelings of guilt are there to drive us to God for mercy. The person who makes a million excuses for their sin rather than fleeing to God for mercy is rebelling against God. Don’t excuse your sin, feel that guilt and go to Christ for forgiveness. R.C. Sproul rather famously said that “sin is cosmic treason”. And an act that heinous should cause you pain. When we rebel against Christ, who died for us, it should cause us mourning. Don’t let this modern therapeutic age that we live in trick you into thinking that you should feel okay all the time, even when you have sinned against God! Misery accompanies guilt before God and that misery should drive us to the Savior for the remedy.
God, Forgive Me Because You Are Gracious (Psalm 6:4-5
So, we plead with God to deliver us from our guilt, not because of our own goodness but because of God’s faithful lovingkindness. We understand that it is the kindness of God and not our own merit that gives us forgiveness. I hope that this is easy for us to understand for it is really the basis of the Christian faith. We are not saved because of our own personal goodness. We are saved because of the love and grace of God given to us.
David also does something else here. He pleads with God to save him for God’s glory. He says,
For in death there is no remembrance of you; in Sheol who will give you praise? (Psalm 6:5 ESV)
I have never walked in an empty graveyard and heard the sound of singing. I’ve never heard anything from the people that are lying below the dirt in a graveyard. And that is the point that David is here making. He fears that if his sins are never forgiven, he will be separated from God forever and his praises will never again be heard in the land of the living. David is pleading for God to forgive him so that he can continue to praise the Lord.
Our relationship with God is not restored because of our own merit. It is restored because God is gracious. God doesn’t help those who help themselves, He saves those who know they cannot save themselves. God accomplished our salvation completely without us by sending His Son to Earth to take on human flesh and live a perfect life, doing everything that we should have done. Then God the Son died on a cross bearing the punishment for our sins and rose from the grave three days later. In doing this Jesus Christ completely accomplished our salvation for us and without us. Christians are not saved from their sin because they are special. They are saved from their sin because God is gracious. And we don’t come to Christ by faith and then live the Christian life by our own work and merit. Grace is the Christian life from beginning to end. No matter where we are in the Christian life we go to God for forgiveness when we fail Him. He forgives us because He is gracious and faithful to forgive us our sins (1 John 1:9).
I have a serious question for you at this moment. When you sin, do you think that you have to clean yourself up before you can receive God’s grace, or do you immediately flee to Christ for forgiveness? If you think you have to clean yourself up before coming to God for cleansing, then you are doing this wrong. The Christian pleads with God for forgiveness and trust that He will forgive us because He is gracious, faithful, and full of lovingkindness toward His people.
God, My Sin Has Brought Tremendous Pain (Psalm 6:6-7)
Intense grief oftentimes accompanies the guilt over our personal sins. This was definitely the case for David. Tears flooded his bed and his couch as he mourned over his sin and likely the affect his sin had on himself and on others. You can probably remember a time when this was the case for you.
I am not much of a crier. I can only remember a handful of times when I’ve actually shed a tear. I can remember a time or two where it was my sin that brought me there. And I can also remember times when I obsessed and grieved over my sin without tears. And that is really the idea being put forward here. Our sin has brought to us tremendous pain. And we recognize that intense grief as being something that we brought upon ourselves because of our rebellion against God.
David here also talks about his eye growing weak because of his foes (V. 7). There are a few different things this could be. Without an understanding of the event that led to this predicament it’s hard to know exactly what is going on here. Most commentators think that this is either people who tempted him to sin or people who were taking advantage of him in his time of weakness. No matter what position you take on the matter there is application that can be made in your life. If it is the first then this is grieving over the sin that these people led him into and then this psalm is also an act of repentance and turning away from people who led him astray. If it is the second, then it is simply a lament that people are kicking him while he is down and taking advantage of his weakness.
Christians are not those who are without sin. We are not self-righteous. But Christians are deeply troubled by the sin that exists within them. And sorrow over sin will accompany them throughout their life. When you sin, understand that grief and sorrow will likely accompany that. Seek your refuge in Christ and Christ alone. That is the only place that we can find forgiveness for sins.
This means that as a church we should be a support and help when our brothers and sisters are in need. We confront sin and lead people to the Savior. We never wound people for the fun of it or just because. We are always to point people to the place where they can find help for their soul.
God Has Forgiven Me (Psalm 6:8-10)
I love the end of this text. It is the song of a person who has been in the throes of sorrow over sin and come out on the other side of this thing with incredible joy that God has forgiven them of their sin. David is here incredibly confident that God has forgiven him.
This is what I want for you when you sin. And this is what I want for myself when I have sinned. I want to come out on the other side of it confident that God heard my cries for forgiveness and answered my prayer. In other words, I want to be confident that God has forgiven me.
David was no longer troubled. He arose vigorous after a time of grieving over his sin. In fact, he was now confident that his enemies would be facing the trouble he had been facing for a while. Again, these “foes” may be the people who tempted him to sin. If that is the case then this is an act of repentance, he was getting away from those who caused him to sin and hoping that they would face the conviction of sin that he had previously faced.
Forgiveness, the true and lasting kind, comes from God. Self-forgiveness is not your greatest need. Your biggest problem is that you need forgiveness from God. When you have actual guilt from actual sins then you need actual forgiveness from God whose Law you broke. That is your greatest need. And Christ has accomplished that forgiveness for you. When we live in the light of that forgiveness there is tremendous joy and confidence for the Christian life. It gives vigor to the formerly downtrodden.
Christian, you should be one of the most joyous people around. Church, we should be the most joyous people in Conway, Arkansas. This is not a fake joy, but a true and lasting joy because we have been forgiven of our sins.
Conclusion
In Psalm 32 David writes,
Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. (Psalm 32:1 ESV)
This is where our guilt is supposed to lead us, the blessedness of forgiveness. When we feel guilt over sins we have committed we should allow that guilt to drive us to Christ where we find forgiveness. The Christian should own their sin and go to God for forgiveness where he finds forgiveness.
R. Dwain Minor