The explanation of Psalm 6. 10 lines which change life

The Psalm 6 is the Book of Job in miniature. It teaches us the proper attitude to sufferings.

Job, who is the man of substance, who is held in esteem, who is «the greatest man among all the people of the East», suddenly within a matter of hours losses all his stuff, all his ten children who died under ruins during a feast, and his health.

Suffering physically and morally, he turns to loved ones for support and consolation, but alas, he doesn’t find an assistance neither in wife, who advised «to abuse the God and die», nor in his friends who accused and put him to shame instead of healing words.

At one point Job thought that even God turned away from him, forgot about his existence, sufferings, and that He’s deaf for his appeals. He did not understand why such a grief fell on him: he was blameless, proper and god-fearing man. He was far away from evil. What was his sin? How did he wrong God?

What a peg for Job to hang a grievance on undeserved sufferings…

The lines of Psalm 6 seem like to repeat Job’s pained laments: «O Lord, do not rebuke me in Your anger, Nor chasten me in Your wrath.Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am pining away; Heal me, O Lord, for my bones are dismayed. And my soul is greatly dismayed; But You, O Lord—how long? Return, O Lord, rescue my soul; Save me because of Your lovingkindness. For there is no mention of You in death; In Sheol who will give You thanks? I am weary with my sighing; Every night I make my bed swim, I dissolve my couch with my tears. My eye has wasted away with grief; It has become old because of all my adversaries.» (Psalm 6:1-7).

These lines are a cry from pain, a yell of soul. They sound from destroyed, repressed heart which recoils, bears the carfuffle and cruel suffering.

And just as Job didn’t betray God, didn’t begin to abuse Him, so our soul must get through darkness, pain, sufferings and grief in the most frightful minutes, and then relive, come out to light and abiding faith in Lord.

It’s hard for anybody to comprehend the meaning of sufferings, especially of undeserved ones. We won’t solve the mystery to the bottom. But the story of Job helps to lift slightly the curtain showing that the Lord permits the challenges not only due to sin. He also has another reasons and destinations (in the situation of Job, the Lord let devil to tempt a righteous man). Then, martyrs and confessors were subject to sufferings and tortures to fasten in faith, to not betray the One Who chose them to bear the crown of martyrdom.

The experience of the righteous Job reminds us, believers, that no matter which challenges we face, no matter how undeserved they seem to us, we must not renounce God. We can inquire, like Job, but grumble and abuse in no way, and put our faith and trust in God, in His will, trust Him. And then, God will acquit us like he acquitted Job.

The closing lines of Psalm 6 say the same: «Depart from me, all you who do iniquity, For the Lord has heard the voice of my weeping. The Lord has heard my supplication, The Lord receives my prayer. All my enemies will be ashamed and greatly dismayed; They shall turn back, they will suddenly be ashamed» (Psalm 6:8-10).

10 lines of Psalm. The life is placed in them: all our doubts and fears, grumbles and insults, sorrows and regrets. 10 steps from disbelief to faith, from death to life, from nothingness to eternity.

Every line is like a shot: fast and powerful, accurately reaching the target. In this short perfect psalm the depth of soul humbling in the face of beauty and mightiness of God is amazingly shown.

We’re all children of Job the Long-suffering. We mature, make plans, hold feasts, and in the next moment we die under the ruins of our own passions. But righteous Job was acquitted and saved, but will we have enough spirit and soul?

Recorded by Natalia Goroshkova