Psalm 6 Jan. 3 For the Chief Musician; on stringed instruments, upon the eight-stringed lyre. A Psalm by David. 1Yahweh, don’t rebuke me in Your anger, neither discipline me in Your wrath. 2Have mercy on me, Yahweh, for I am faint. Yahweh, heal me, for my bones are troubled. 3My soul is also in great anguish. But You, Yahweh—how long? 4Return, Yahweh. Deliver my soul, and save me for Your grace’ sake. 5For in death there is no memory of You. In Sheol, who shall give You thanks? 6I am weary with my groaning; each night I flood my bed, I drench my couch with my tears. 7My eye wastes away because of grief, it grows old because of all my adversaries. 8Depart from me, all you workers of iniquity, for Yahweh has heard the voice of my weeping. 9Yahweh has heard my supplication, Yahweh accepts my prayer. 10May all my enemies be ashamed and dismayed. They shall turn back, they shall be disgraced suddenly.  

Commentary

6:5 Even a righteous man like David didn’t look forward to conscious survival of death. He wanted to keep on living in this life because he wanted to praise God; and this should be our motivation for asking God for health and victory against illness. If the righteous immediately praise God in Heaven after death, then David’s words and reasoning here make no sense. Instead he looked forward to the Biblical hope of resurrection at Christ’s return and the establishment of His Kingdom on earth. Note too that “sheol”, the Hebrew word translated “hell” in some Bibles, is clearly understood as referring to death or the grave. As righteous David expected to go there after death, it isn’t the place where sinners go after death.