Psalm 6 – God’s spanking

For the choir director; with stringed instruments, upon an eight-string lyre. A Psalm of David.

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 loving kindness. 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. 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.

I spanked my kids today. We do spank in my household; we don’t beat, we don’t whip, but we do occasionally apply a firm swat with the hand to their bottom. There are three ways my kids can earn a spanking. The first is if I tell them “do X before I count to three or I will swat your bottom” and they don’t do it. The second is if they go where they have been told not to go (e.g. outside alone, or mom and dad’s room). The third is if they hit someone else. My kids do other bad things but usually we sit and talk with them or put them in their rooms. Overall punishment is rare but relatively consistent.

Just as I discipline my kids in hopes of developing them into mature human beings, God occasionally disciplines each of us in hopes of developing us into mature spiritual beings. I don’t like it when God spanks me, but there are times when I fail to do what God asks me to do, there are times when I go where I’m not supposed to go, and there are times when I hurt other people.

My desire during times of discipline needs to be for healing and grace.

After I discipline my kids, I usually sit and hold them for a little bit. I love them and wish that they would never experience the pain of discipline; but, I also want them to eventually become mature. Discipline and expressions of love must be interwoven for either to be effective. God is there to discipline; God is there to love.

Filed Under Bible Study | Leave a Comment