“Let a righteous man strike me—that is a kindness; let him rebuke me—that is oil on my head. My head will not refuse it, for my prayer will still be against the deeds of evildoers.”
Psalm 141:5 (NIV)
This psalm is the prayer of a man who is concerned that he remains right with God.
Some of us are not that concerned, we have become slack and so our focus goes away from our personal holiness and righteous living before God.
But David wants protection, he wants God to guard his soul and not allow him to fall into traps that have been set to destroy him by leading him into evil.
He is praying urgently for help, and for protection, and he wants God to know that he is willing to receive God’s help and protection through the rebuke of a righteous person.
Most of us can’t or won’t pray this prayer, for we believe that no one has the right to speak a word of rebuke into our life.
David is willing to allow a righteous man to strike him, to rebuke him, to call his behaviour out.
Could it be that as David was praying this urgent prayer that Nathan’s public rebuke of him flashed through his mind? That as he prayed urgently for protection, he remembered that a God sent a man to smarten him up, to correct his course and save him from himself and his own sin?
Have you ever had a righteous person rebuke you?
Did you count it as a kindness from God- or as a cross you must bear?
May God place righteous people in our midst who love God and us enough to rebuke us.
May we have the attitude to see that this God’s kindness to us.
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