1 O Lord, rebuke me not in your anger,
nor discipline me in your wrath.
2 Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am languishing;
heal me, O Lord, for my bones are troubled.
3 My soul also is greatly troubled.
But you, O Lord—how long?
4 Turn, O Lord, deliver my life;
save me for the sake of your steadfast love.
5 For in death there is no remembrance of you;
in Sheol who will give you praise?
6 I am weary with my moaning;
every night I flood my bed with tears;
I drench my couch with my weeping.
7 My eye wastes away because of grief;
it grows weak because of all my foes.
This psalm in many ways fascinates me. Upon recent inspect the Messianic nature has come to life. But the general nature of the psalm is one of lament and petition. In many ways this psalm is an insight into the ministry of the Messiah while He walked the earth amongst the people of Israel.
The beginning of the psalm might be troublesome to those who shy from Messianic interpretation (v. 1-3). How could our Lord utter these words? But a false understanding is being read into these verses. These are the cries of Christ on the cross. The anguish of the crucifixion was not solely the torment and righteous indignation from God. But it was also the seemingly public denial of Christ’s relationship to God. Paul states that Christ was “declared to be the Son of God” through the resurrection (Rom 1:4). Until the resurrection Jesus Christ’s position was not made clear. He had not been vindicated. He had not been “justified” (Rom 4:25).
Though the cross is certainly the climax of this trial, the persistent struggles of the day are also mentioned (v. 6). One must treasure this insight into the Lord’s prayer-life (Luke 22:44). The constant struggle against the disobedient of God weighs heavily on our Lord’s heart (Matt 23:37-38).
