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PSALM 3
A Psalm of David,
when he fled from Absalom his son.
Lord, how are they increased that trouble me! Many are they that rise up against me. Many there be which say of my soul. There is no help for him in God. Selah. But thou, O Lord art a shield for me, my glory and the lifter up of mine head. I cried unto the Lord with my voice and he heard me out of his holy hill. Selah. I laid me down and slept. I awakened for the Lord sustained me. I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people, that have set themselves against me around about. Arise, O Lord, save me, O my God for thou hast smitten all mine enemies upon the cheek bone, thou hast broken the teeth of the ungodly. Salvation belongeth unto the Lord thy blessing is upon thy people. Sela
Notes from David
Guzik’s (Enduring Word Commentary) sermon on the Psalm
This
is the first psalm with a title. Remember
those words are not inserted by bible publishers or translators but they go
back to the text of the Hebrew Bible, they are just as much a part of the Psalm
as the Psalm itself.
A Psalm of David,
when he fled from Absalom his son.
We
not only see who wrote this Psalm but the occasion upon which David wrote this
psalm. It is 2 Samuel chapters 15 to
18. David’s son Absalom leads a rebellion
against David. David is universally
regarded as the greatest king of Israel yet nevertheless in many ways his reign
as king was crisis after crisis. His own
son started a civil war against him and tried to take the throne from him. The events regarding Absalom’s rebellion are
recorded in 2 Samuel 15 but the heard of David during this time is recorded in
Psalm 3.
Verses
1 and 2 “Lord, how are they increased that trouble me! Many are they that rise
up against me. Many there be which say
of my soul. There is no help for him in
God. Selah.”
At
the time of writing this Psalm David was in a great deal of trouble. He uses the word “Lord” or Yahweh, the
Covenant God, the God who is my Shepherd.
“How they have increased my troubles.”
He is in a lot of trouble right now.
Absalom seems to have led a successful rebellion – 2 Samuel 15 verse 13 “And
there came a messenger to David, saying, The hearts of the men of Israel are
after Absalom.” There is no help for him
in God. So bad a situation that many
people thought it was beyond God’s help.
But God was able to help David.
Imagine that accusation going around at the time of the rebellion. This came after David’s sin with Bathsheba. He not only took a woman and had sexual
relations with her in that he committed adultery but he murdered her husband
and then married Bathsheba. All this
took place before this rebellion. You
can see how people would say “there is no help in God, he is getting his just
desserts.” Now if that statement is true
the worst thing you could say is “there is no help for him in God.” Nothing worse to say. When we have lost God’s help we have lost
everything. This is a terrible thing to
come upon David.
David
does not leave it there – see his response in verses 3 and 4 “But thou, O Lord
art a shield for me; my glory, and the lifter up of mine head. I cried unto the Lord with my voice and he
heard me out of his holy hill. Selah.”
“But
you O Lord art a shield.” Even though
people said God doesn’t want to help, David instead of talking to them decides
to talk to God. Other people said, many
said “there is no help for him in God.”
David knew God was a shield. Nothing
could not shake his confidence in a God of love and comfort. An unmistakeable confidence in him. Would you not pray for that today? Even though people are talking about him
David knew he could cry out to God. God
would be his shield. He was under attack
from the ruthless and cunning enemy but he knew God’s protection. He asked God to be a shield. “You are my glory and the who lifts up my
head.” God was more than David’s
protection. He put God to a higher
honour – his glory. He was his glory and
the one who lifts his head. Men find glory
in all sorts of things – power, fame, prestige, possessions. David found his glory in the Lord. We need that today – to find our glory in the
Lord. Other people will boast of wealth,
position, success. Do you find in God
what the world finds in those things? “The
glory they take in those things is the glory the people of God take in their
God.” F B Meyer. He said “I cried unto
the Lord with my voice.” Sometimes we
cry out to God silently. Your heart is
so overwhelmed with pain and difficulty.
The need of the moment looks like all you can do is groan before God,
sob those tears when we cry out to him with our voices. Sometimes we rely too much on silent
prayers. I am not saying there is no
peace from that but I want to pray more with my mind and more with my
voice. “He heard me from his holy hill.” Other people said God wanted nothing to do
with David but David said “he heard me when I prayed.” He was still in a bad place. Absalom had kicked him out of the palace and
out of Jerusalem. David knew it was God
who still held the throne not Absalom.
He looks back at the holy hill and it looks like Absalom was on the
throne but no it was God.
Verses
5 and 6 continue on “I laid me down and slept; I awakened; for the Lord sustained
me I will not be afraid of ten thousands
of people that have set themselves against me round about.” – remember the
depth of crisis he was in when he said these words. You might think with all the catastrophic
crushing done on David he was unable to get a nights sleep but no. “I laid down and slept.” Sleep is the evidence of God’s blessing. David was under intense pressure but God gave
him the gift of peace. Sometimes we need
the restoration God gives to us mentally, emotionally, physically and
spiritually as we sleep. There is a
second wonderful thing – he slept but he awoke.
Many people wondered if he would live to see another day. It was entirely possible for David to lay
down and sleep and be murdered in his sleep.
He could have been assassinated as he slept. What a blessing it is to awake every
day. God sustains us in our sleep. We can be unconscious, dead to the world and
not thinking of breathing or the internal working of our beating heart. The same God who sustains us in our sleep
sustains us in our difficulties. “I will
not be afraid of ten thousands of people”.
David could stand against any foe – why – because God sustained
him. It would be hundreds of years
before Paul would write in Romans 8 verse 31 “if God is for us who can be
against us?”
Verses
7 and 8 – “Arise, O Lord; save me, O my God; for thou hast smitten all mine
enemies upon the cheek bone; thou hast broken the teeth of the ungodly.
Salvation belongeth unto the Lord; thy blessing is upon thy people. Selah.”
David
is not going to bless God free of all sorts of enemies – “for you have struck all
my enemies.” His mind was focused on
what he trusted God to do – “save me” and what he had done – “you have smitten
all mine enemies”. Knowing what God had
done in the past gave him confidence in what the Lord would do in the present
moment. “I remember the many ways God
has come through for me. Before I
remember those times I give him great joy.
I know this will give me confidence in the future.” As God came through for you again and again
in the past will he not come through again now?
He could recount time and again when God had shown himself faithful on
his behalf. He did not give him those so
that he would give up on him in the present circumstances.
“Arise
O Lord.” I believe that this is
recalling Moses in Numbers 10 verse 35.
Moses used that phrase as the Children of Israel broke their camp in the
wilderness. It is a military phrase, a
call on God to lead Israel and defeat their enemies. He remembered how God had broken the death of
the ungodly. That metaphor is used again
in Psalm 58 verse 6. Total elimination
of the enemy, the defeat of the enemy.
He was looking for total protection from God in verse 3 but now looking
for victory. It was not enough to be a
shield but had to be victorious. So
often we are in a place in our Christian life where we feel that we want to
survive just one more day. That is
something yes but there is something greater – to win a victory, to conquer a
land for you. Bringing him to a frame of
mind. Salvation belongs to the Lord,
your blessing is upon your people.”
Salvation in ultimate sense and immediate sense. He is God's property and he was not about to
abandon him. It is an important way to
end this Psalm. It shows David’s heart
in this calamity, that he was concerned for God’s help for himself but also on
God’s people. It is easy to read this
Psalm as David crying out to God for help but it does not end with helping David
as an individual. God wants to work in
and through you to bring blessing to others.
He did not work for the preservation of himself but also because it was
best for the people.
Let’s
ask a question – where is Jesus in this Psalm?
First is not Jesus the ultimate one of whom others said “there is no
help for him in God”? See Jesus on the
cross. He is mocked and slandered by the
religious leaders. If God wants to help
him let him bring him down from the cross they said. Jesus wanted to put himself in that position
so that he could identify with his people when they were in a similar position.
Secondly
– verse 3 God heard him and vindicated him, lifting up his heart. Other people
gave up on Jesus but God gloriously vindicated his Son Jesus. He lifted up his own body rising him from the
dead 3 days later. Yes he was gloriously
vindicated.
Thirdly
he was the one who ventured forward without fear knowing if God was with him
who could be against him.
Fourthly
we see Jesus in verse 8 – “salvation belongs to the Lord.” We are pointing to Jesus. Jesus or Joshua or Yeshua means the Lord is
my salvation. When you say “Jesus” you
are saying “salvation belongs to the Lord.”
That names brings us to salvation in God. It brings it through what he did on the cross
and raising him from the dead.
Psalm 3 is a very personal experience of David and as I read it I could not help but put myself into David's shoes. I have been thinking about my own situation over the past year and can see God's hand on my life and in my service for him.
I had been serving God for quite a number of years in my local church through the ministry of piano playing and helping out when needed in Sunday School and Holiday Bible Club. Last autumn I took on the role of teaching weekly in my Sunday School and started up the women's ministry in the church. Suddenly in January this year everything was taken from me. I felt unworthy, hurt and crushed. Like David in this Psalm I felt that many were against me - more than for me. I had no choice but to leave all that I was doing for God and step back. I accepted my fault, sought forgiveness and received it but still it hurt. As I read this psalm today I could not help but think that God was promising to me that he will deliver me from my present situation and that his blessing will be upon me both now and in the future. Some may see this as wishful thinking but the assurance from God is all I need. At a time I would have believed that many were against me and there was no help from God, that I deserved all that had happened, God became my shield and not only protected but will one day deliver me. This may not necessarily mean I will be able to serve God in any capacity again within a local church setting but restoration may be more in the mental and emotional areas of my life.
I can look back to God's goodness to me in the months since January and I thank God for keeping me. He has given me sleep and raised me up each day to serve him in my everyday circumstances. I have known his blessing on my life and will continue to trust in him to see his salvation in the future. I believe I have learned that God is still on the throne and he will remember his own.
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