Salvation Belongs to the Lord
Psalms 3:1-8
July 29, 2018
Last week we focused on one verse, Psalm 23:4 ~ in the most famous of Psalms, David wrote, Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me, your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
We talked about our fears, the fear of death, but also the hope we have in God, who promises to be with us in those deep dark valleys of life. As we continue looking at Psalms over the Summer, we’re looking at another of David’s Psalms. Today we’re looking at Psalm 3. It’s the first of the Psalms with a short title and inscription.
The title is ~ A Psalm of David, when he fled from Absalom his son.
Usually when we’re on the run, it’s because we’ve done something stupid. We’ve hurt someone and in our minds, the only way to get out of it . . . . is to run! It never works. We think we can go and hide. We even think we can hide from God, but there is no hiding from God.
Scripture reminds us we cannot run from God. We read ~
13 And no creature is hidden from His sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account. - Hebrews 4:13
24 "Can a man hide himself in secret places so I do not see him?" declares the LORD. "Do I not fill heaven and the earth?" declares the LORD. – Jeremiah 23:24
So, as we look at this Psalm today, understand that we can run from one another, and maybe for a time, we can hideout. But we can never hide from God, and while that may be a little scary, that God can see us at all times, it’s also a great thing, because God promises to always be with us. So, we are never abandoned or forsaken by God! That’s great news!!
Now, let’s look at what was happening in David’s life, as we saw in the title, he was running from his son, Absalom. Here’s the back story. Absalom wanted to be king, and he wanted it now, today. Absalom was the oldest living son, since he had already killed his oldest brother.
We find the story in 2 Samuel, in chapter 17:1-3, we read ~
1 Moreover, Ahithophel said to Absalom, “Let me choose 12,000 men, and I will arise and pursue David tonight. 2 I will come upon him while he is weary and discouraged and throw him into a panic, and all the people who are with him will flee. I will strike down only the king, 3 and I will bring all the people back to you as a bride comes home to her husband. You seek the life of only one man, and all the people will be at peace.”
That’s not the plan that was ultimately chosen by Absalom, but suffice it to say, David was on the run. He was running for his life. In the end, David’s army defeated Absalom’s, and Absalom was killed. Now, let’s look at what was going on within David and how he relied on God during his struggles.
David starts the psalm this these words ~
1 O Lord, how many are my foes! Many are rising against me;
2 many are saying of my soul, “There is no salvation for him in God.”
David felt as if he had 1,000's of enemies. It was really Absalom, but there was an army working with Absalom and they wanted power. Have you ever felt that way about a situation in your life? Maybe you wanted something at work, and it seemed people were fighting against you. Or in school, you really wanted something, maybe to be on a team, or to participate in something, and there was always a roadblock. It seemed that people were fighting you every step of the way.
And once it starts, doesn’t it seem to snowball? The enemy seems to gain momentum, while we run and hide. Nothing we do seems to satisfy the situation. We try to honor God and bring glory to Him, but still the enemy pursues us.
That was true for David. He was running the kingdom and totally oblivious how his son was working the crowd to gain support for his takeover. He quietly built up an allegiance of support. Finally, forcing David and his men to run for their lives.
Adversity, disappointment, frustration, even enemies will overwhelm us at some point in life. What we do in these moments will ultimately define who we are. They will speak about our character, our integrity, our walk with Christ!
Now, David’s enemies tell him something so disconcerting, that we need to be reminded of the way satan tries to work in our lives as well. David’s enemies tell him, “there is no salvation for him in God!”
Think about this . . . more than that . . . consider how this feels in your heart ~
You’re running, you’re scared, you’re anxious, and you’re enemies are whispering - - GOD’S GOING TO LET YOU DOWN! THERE’S NO SALVATION FOR YOU! YOU’RE DISGUSTING! YOU’RE A NO GOOD, DIRTY *******.
And here’s the sad news . . . because we’re running, because we can’t sleep well, because we’re in that fragile and vulnerable place . . . we start to believe the lies! We hold onto what I’m calling an ANTI-TRUTH!
And when we believe this garbage . . . we run even more. We fight and scratch and claw like we’re trying to hang onto a tree and we’re losing our grip. Not that we shouldn’t fight for our faith, or fight for what is right. I’m all for that! But we begin to disbelieve in the power of God to save us from our situation and that leads us down a really, really bad path.
If you read this story in 2 Samuel, you would realize David wasn’t alone. 2 Samuel 18 tells us that David’s army marched out by hundreds and thousands! But in those dark moments, we tend to feel alone and believe the lies.
We lose sight of the fact that there are people who are with us during the battles of life. That’s part of the power and beauty of the church. It’s one of the reasons faith should not be done in isolation. It’s a reason for us to be here to worship each week. It’s about community. It’s about gaining strength from one another. It’s grieving and celebrating together.
Maybe you’re going through a battle right now. If that’s the case, you shouldn’t do it alone, but do it as part of the body of believers. With your brothers and sisters in Christ. We don’t need to know the nitty gritty details, but we need to stand with you.
Maybe you’re believing all of the lies from the enemy ~
• Your faith is weak!
• You believe you don’t deserve to be with these good people of the church!
• You question your faith, do I really have salvation?!
• You believe your faith is fake, and you’re a hypocrite, a phony!
• You really don’t believe Jesus will forgive you of your sins
• With all that you’ve done in your life, there’s no way you could be forgiven!
We’re not to different than David and we tend to believe the lies. Maybe you think you’re enemies have gotten the best of you and there is no saving you. But you’re surrounded by a cloud of witnesses, saints, who love you and want to help in any way possible. Trust one another. Again, it’s one of the amazing strengths of FBC!!
Now, David shifts in his prayer to the Lord, in verses 3-4, he states ~
3 But you, O Lord, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head.
4 I cried aloud to the Lord, and He answered me from His holy hill.
David’s heart, spirit and mind have shifted. It’s part of the ebb and flow of prayer. It happens when we stop believing the lies and believe the One who is above the lies, Jesus!
You notice that David cried out to the Lord. Have you been there too? Have you cried out to the Lord? Or do you think that’s just not very Christian!! Understand this, friends, we don’t need to be all formal in our prayers. It’s part of the beauty and power of the Bible. We’re told about whispers, and quiet prayers, as well as loud and passionate prayers. All prayer contains power, because they’re bathed in the Spirit. God wants our relationship, He wants a connection with us, not something fake. He wants our heart! If you need to cry out, then cry out!
You notice in verse 3, David refers to God as a shield and His glory. That God will lift up his head. There’s the confidence in God which David is now showing.
David testifies that God not only hears, but answers his prayers. It’s that sign of confidence David had in God’s power and presence. For the Israelites, God always resided on His holy hill. It was the power of God’s presence overlooking the people, yet being with the people at the same time. When we cry out to God, we need to trust that God hears our cries and answers our prayers.
Finally, David moves to concluding the Psalm ~
5 I lay down and slept; I woke again, for the Lord sustained me.
Ahh, how nice is that to hear!! When we are in those deep, dark times in our lives, sleep seems to be far off. We struggle with sleeping, we toss, turn and think. Then we do it again. David tells us he slept, he laid down and slept. When he woke up, it was the Lord who sustained him. He didn’t sleep because he was exhausted. He felt the Lord was in control and David comfortably rested in the Lord.
6 I will not be afraid of many thousands of people who have set themselves against me all around.
Because David is reconnecting with God, he has a greater sense of God’s presence and trust. David has nothing to fear, because the Lord will walk with him through those dark valleys. He knows and trusts God is with him, His rod and staff, they comfort David. It didn’t matter how many thousands Absalom had . . . David had God with him, Absalom didn’t have God’s blessing. David knew God would win the war.
David now exclaims ~
7 Arise, O Lord! Save me, O my God!
For you strike all my enemies on the cheek; you break the teeth of the wicked.
All of David’s enemies were about to fall. All those who sided with Absalom - - were about to take a right cross and an upper cut to their cheek and their teeth would be knocked out. They would not be able to rejoice on choice meats and celebrate their victory. Instead they would be silenced, there would not be shouts of victory. In a sense, David would not be swallowed up by his enemies.
Finally, David proclaims ~
8 Salvation belongs to the Lord; your blessing be on your people!
Remember in verse 2, David’s enemies were saying “There is no salvation for David in God.”
David is turning the tables on his enemies. He’s powerfully shouting and proclaiming that SALVATION belongs to the Lord. And God showers His blessings upon His people. David moved from trial to trust and to triumph.
I read about this story as I was preparing the message this morning.
One of the most famous battles in history took place at a small village in Brussels, Belgium. At a place called Waterloo. The opponents were Napoleon Bonaparte who had a military totaling 74,000 troops. Against him was the Duke of Wellington who had 67,000 troops but was in a very strong defensive position.
Napoleon had just returned from exile, escaping prison in Italy to return and rally his troops in France.
A heavy rain the night before the battle forced Napoleon to wait until noon on June 18 before he could attack. This delay would be fatal. The extra time allowed Prussian troops to arrive and reinforce Wellington’s army. By evening, the defeat of Napoleon was a certainty. Napoleon retreated as he lost his hold on world power.
General Wellington sent news back to England of his great victory. A series of stations, one within the sight of the next had been established to send coded messages across England to notify the country of the outcome of the battle.
One station was high atop the tower of the Winchester Cathedral in London. Finally, the message came through . . . all it said was . . . Wellington. Then there was another word which came through. It said defeated. Then a thick London fog rolled in and it became impossible for the tower to read the coded message.
That was all they had - - - so, they believed that was the final word . . . .and all of England received the message “Wellington Defeated.”
News of the defeat spread quickly through the city. A somber mood fell across England, as the people were disheartened and discouraged. They had lost the war. After the fog lifted, the rest of the message was visible. The message had four words. . . not two. The complete message. . . Wellington defeated the enemy.
What a difference! Within minutes, the news spread throughout the countryside. Sorrow turned to joy. Despair to hope. Victory had been snatched from the jaws of defeat. (Adapted from Faith Under Fire, Steven Lawson, pp. 207-208).
When we look at God’s promises to lift us and hold us and never abandon us . . . do we believe them? The enemy, satan tells us the lie, God cannot help you. . . We can only see dimly. Our focus, our hope, our trust suffers.
We begin to believe there is no hope. All we hear is defeated! We don’t see the rest - - sometimes we’re too self-absorbed to allow our heart and spirit to experience the grace of God in those dark times.
BUT - - Salvation belongs to the Lord. Trust in the Lord. Don’t believe the lies of the enemy. Don’t trust the thousands who are against you. Instead, salvation is yours . . . today! Don’t wait for tomorrow to trust in God’s promises. Trust Him today and experience the power of His blessing in your life.
Trust God will never abandon you.
