Psalm 6:1-5 “For the Chief Musician; on stringed instruments, upon the eight-stringed lyre. A Psalm by David. LORD, don’t rebuke me in your anger, neither discipline me in your wrath. Have mercy on me, LORD, for I am faint. LORD, heal me, for my bones are troubled. My soul is also in great anguish. But you, LORD—how long? Return, LORD. Deliver my soul, and save me for your loving kindness’ sake. For in death there is no memory of you. In Sheol, who shall give you thanks?”

This is a Psalm of lament, where the worshipper cries out to God in despair. Its circumstances are unknown, but whatever is going on, David has considered that his own sin had a part to play in it. He asks for God’s grace and favor to prolong his life so that he can continue to praise God on the earth.

There is a tension in life that we see represented by having both the Old and the New Testaments. We can think that any thoughts of a prolonged life are evil. That we should all want to go to heaven and not be concerned about how long our earthly life is. But the Old Testament reminds us that long life is a gift from God, a thought that is echoed in two places in the New:

1 Peter 3:10 “For, ‘He who would love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit.'”

Ephesians 6:2-3 “‘Honor your father and mother,’ which is the first commandment with a promise: ‘that it may be well with you, and you may live long on the earth.’”

While we shouldn’t necessarily fear death, we recognize that God has a purpose for us in this life, and it’s not a sin to want to continue to serve and to praise Him here. Especially since we have a chance to influence people for eternity while we live!

For additional worship: Psalm 6 – Isaac Watts

Lord, I can suffer thy rebukes,
When thou with kindness dost chastise;
But thy fierce wrath I cannot bear:
O let it not against me rise.

Pity my languishing estate,
And ease the sorrows that I feel;
The wounds thine heavy hand hath made,
O let thy gentler touches heal!

See how I pass my weary days
In sighs and groans; and when ’tis night
My bed is watered with my tears;
My grief consumes, and dims my sight.

Look, how the powers of nature mourn!
How long, Almighty God, how long?
When shall thine hour of grace return?
When shall I make thy grace my song?

I feel my flesh so near the grave,
My thoughts are tempted to despair;
But graves can never praise the Lord,
For all is dust and silence there.

Depart, ye tempters, from my soul,
And all despairing thoughts, depart;
My God, who hears my humble moan,
Will ease my flesh, and cheer my heart.

Additional notes: Sheol can be either the general abode of the dead, or the place where the wicked go upon death. Here it simply refers to the grave. Everyone dies, their voices are snuffed out, and they can no longer praise God in the land of the living.

We also recognize that the premature taking of life, whether murder or suicide, is seen as wrong in the Bible. Murder is explicitly condemned. Suicide can be seen as “self-murder,” and is shown as the Bible as a product of depression and pain instead of trust and submission.