Today’s Sermon: Psalms 6-7:  “Prayer For Mercy In Time Of Trouble / The Lord Implored To Defend The Psalmist Against The Wicked” by Pastor Jim Bomkamp

Psalm 5: our last study 1. In that Psalm, we saw David crying out to the Lord for help and how he ordered his prayer to the Lord. We talked about effective prayer. 2. David began by asking the Lord to give ear to his words and consider his meditation. We will talked about what Biblical meditation is and what God’s word tells us to do in regard to meditation. 3. We talked about the benefits in our lives of meditating and being quiet before the Lord.

Background for Psalm 6: 1. King David is gravely ill & suffering greatly, vents to the Lord 2. David is also acutely aware of his own sinfulness and wonders if his illness may be directly related to his sin. 3. He asks the Lord not to discipline him in anger. 4. King David appeals to the Lord to be merciful to him and not deal with him as his sin deserves. 5. The NASB translates the heading after the title as follows: “For the choir director; with stringed instruments, upon an eight-string lyre.” 6. In spite of his sin King David knows the Lord will answer.

Psalm 6: “1 O Lord, do not rebuke me in Your anger, Nor chasten me in Your wrath. 2 Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am pining away; Heal me, O Lord, for my bones are dismayed. 3 And my soul is greatly dismayed; But You, O Lord—how long? 4 Return, O Lord, rescue my soul; Save me because of Your lovingkindness. 5 For there is no mention of You in death; In Sheol who will give You thanks? 6 I am weary with my sighing; Every night I make my bed swim, I dissolve my couch with my tears. 7 My eye has wasted away with grief; It has become old because of all my adversaries. 8 Depart from me, all you who do iniquity, For the Lord has heard the voice of my weeping. 9 The Lord has heard my supplication, The Lord receives my prayer. 10 All my enemies will be ashamed and greatly dismayed; They shall turn back, they will suddenly be ashamed.”

Background for Psalm 7: 1. In this Psalm the Psalmist implores the Lord to defend and rescue him from his enemies. 2. As we look at this Psalm it was the Lord Jesus Christ, the Messiah, who is the ultimate one pictured in this Psalm.

Psalm 7, “1 O Lord my God, in You I have taken refuge; Save me from all those who pursue me, and deliver me, 2 Or he will tear my soul like a lion, Dragging me away, while there is none to deliver. 3 O Lord my God, if I have done this, If there is injustice in my hands, 4 If I have rewarded evil to my friend, Or have plundered him who without cause was my adversary, 5 Let the enemy pursue my soul and overtake it; And let him trample my life down to the ground And lay my glory in the dust.Selah. 6 Arise, O Lord, in Your anger; Lift up Yourself against the rage of my adversaries, And arouse Yourself for me; You have appointed judgment. 7 Let the assembly of the peoples encompass You, And over them return on high. 8 The Lord judges the peoples; Vindicate me, O Lord, according to my righteousness and my integrity that is in me. 9 O let the evil of the wicked come to an end, but establish the righteous; For the righteous God tries the hearts and minds.

10 My shield is with God, Who saves the upright in heart 10 My shield is with God, Who saves the upright in heart. 11 God is a righteous judge, And a God who has indignation every day. 12 If a man does not repent, He will sharpen His sword; He has bent His bow and made it ready. 13 He has also prepared for Himself deadly weapons; He makes His arrows fiery shafts. 14 Behold, he travails with wickedness, And he conceives mischief and brings forth falsehood. 15 He has dug a pit and hollowed it out, And has fallen into the hole which he made. 16 His mischief will return upon his own head, And his violence will descend upon his own pate. 17 I will give thanks to the Lord according to His righteousness And will sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High.”

CONCLUSIONS: 1. Do you trust in the lovingkindness of the Lord in your life and that in spite of the fact that everything seems so bleak and hopeless for you that God has good intentions in mind for you and is going to work good of all that you are going through? 2. God is going to chasten and discipline you, how are you going to handle His chasening? 3. How are you going to respond when God reveals through your trials that your character needs to change? 4. Are you venting to the Lord, or just to people? Vent to the Lord!