We all sin and King David knew that the Lord absolutely detested sin. Sin makes God angry. The consequences of sin are not only damaging to us,but can play a key part in causing others to sin. David had neglected the running of his kingdom, and the lackadaisical neglect was the fuel which led his son into treachery and treason. Modern man’s sins can have the same dire consequences on nations or individuals. David’s sin caused him agony of mind and body, even his bones ached. But in all David’s understanding of God’s hatred of sin, he knew that God is a God of love and deliverance.

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Throughout the Psalms, David had many prophetic glimpses of the coming King, and he believed that after death we will rise. But as Bible commentator Michael Wilcock wrote, “What [David] cannot imagine is how he will be able after death to express his awareness of God. How is anyone in that land of shadows able to commemorate, to celebrate God’s great doings? Who praises you from his grave, when voices and harps and temples have all (to the best of David’s knowledge) been left behind?” We followers of Jesus have, if not a full revelation, a clearer picture as Paul explains in 2 Timothy: “Jesus Christ, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.”

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But even with this revelation and the profound security that it brings to believers, it is this temporal life which will take up most of our thoughts and concerns and may even sometimes produce agony of soul. We may in times of desperation drench our duvets with tears. We may grow weak with sorrow as the forces of mental instability threaten to envelop us. Praise God then that the Lord of our well-being hears our cry for mercy.