“Be Ye Holy.”
Holiness is the chief moral attribute of God. The angels surrounding God in heaven have no trouble recognizing this truth as they cry out, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty.” (Isa. 6:3) In the same way, what God desires in the believer’s life, more than anything else, is personal holiness. God says to his people, “Be ye holy, for I am holy.” (1 Pet. 1:16) This call for holiness requires that the believer live a pure and separated life, rooted and grounded in God’s Word. (Ps. 1:1-3) But what happens when a believer falls into sin? When he fails to acknowledge and confess his sin, God will apply his chastening rod to restore him to holiness. (Heb. 12:3-11) This is the message of Psalm 6, which is a penetrating insight into the life of David. During an unspecified time of his life, he pursued life without acknowledging his sin to God. The consequences of unconfessed sin in his life were devastating. This “psalm of David” does not record the actual confession of his sin, but it is a reality to be understood. David knew he had lost favor with God: “O Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger.” He was painfully aware that he was under God’s rebuke, anger, and wrath, which in reality was the Lord’s loving discipline for unconfessed sin in his life. He was aware that God was displeased with him. Crying out for relief from God’s painful discipline, David yearned, “Be merciful to me, Lord, for I am faint.” He was so physically weak that he was faint, suffering loss of energy, drive, and ambition. Knowing that he deserved what he was receiving from God, David asked for mercy, not justice. He asked for the undeserved relief and tender compassion of the Lord in the midst of his misery: “Heal me, for my bones are in agony.” The word bones was a poetic way of describing his inner turmoil. Having forfeited inward peace, David mourned, “My soul is in anguish.” His soul, representing his entire inner being, was downcast, discouraged, and in deep dismay. With a heavy heart aching for relief, he cried out, “How long, O Lord, how long?” This time of anguish had existed for a long time. Sensing that his once-close intimacy with God had been forfeited, David prayed, “Turn, O Lord, and deliver me.” The closeness of their relationship had been breached because of his unconfessed sin. He felt estranged from God, as if the Lord had turned his back on him and hidden his face. This had resulted in a loss of sweet fellowship between himself and the Lord. Does it bother you when your fellowship with the Lord has been forfeited? Do you have unconfessed sin in your life that is robbing you of the peace that passes all understanding? In verses 8-10, Turning to his adversaries, who had been taunting him, David commanded them, “Away from me, all you who do evil.” Suddenly he was as bold as a lion, rebuking those who had threatened his life. Why the dramatic change? David explained it was because the Lord had heard his weeping. This weeping surely involved the confession of his sin, which renewed his fellowship, peace, and power. May we desire to be holy so that we might enjoy the sweet fellowship with the Lord that results in a powerful testimony that brings glory to God.
Personal Prayer Requests:
- Lord, please help me to enjoy more than anything in the world, a sweet peace that results from fellowship with you.
- Lord, please help me to be sensitive to the convicting power of the Holy Spirit. Help me to keep short sin accounts.
- Lord, thank you for being a patient and merciful God who is always ready and willing to forgive me.