Peace in the Midst of the Storm
Psalm 3
2 Sam 15 - 18
This is the first Psalm with a title: A Psalm of David when he fled from Absalom his son. The events are recorded in 2 Samuel chapters 15-18.
This psalm has a number of notable firsts to its credit. 1 It is the first psalm in the collection of psalms ascribed to David (3-41), and is the first of thirteen psalms to bear a superscription giving us historical data about the psalm. Further, it is the first lament psalm, a cry for help. Finally, it is the first psalm to use the term "selah," a term that is probably a musical notation perhaps meaning pause.
What is a lament psalm? Lament is a writing style and is not the same as lamentation over the dead. In a lament psalm, a petitioner addresses God directly on the occasion of some calamity. Given God's history with God's people, the psalmist is comfortable charging God with "dereliction of duty" and unabashedly urges a favorable response. In fact, many readers prefer the term complaint psalm, since the passive connotations of lament do not match the vociferous and active tone common to psalms of this genre. Like the psalms of thanksgiving, lament psalms are sometimes individual ("I, me"), sometimes communal ("we, us"), and occasionally a blend of both.
A psalm of Lament essentially consists of six possible parts: The Address - usually directly to God, "Hear me O God" ... Exclamation of Certainty- That the psalmists prayer has been or will be heard by God. Vow of Praise - portion of the lament where the people promise to offer thanksgiving once seeing God's intervention.
To lament is to express deep sorrow, grief, or regret. The psalms of lament are beautiful poems or hymns expressing human struggles. The psalms of lament comprise the largest category of psalms, making up about one third of the entire book of Psalms. These psalms are prayers that lay out a troubling situation to the Lord and make a request for His help.
There are two types of lament psalms: community and individual. Community psalms of lament deal with situations of national crisis—they describe problems faced by all the people of God. Psalm 12 is an example of a community lament, expressing sadness over widespread sin: “Help, Lord, for no one is faithful anymore; / those who are loyal have vanished from the human race. / Everyone lies to their neighbor; / they flatter with their lips / but harbor deception in their hearts” (Psalm 12:1–2).
Individual laments address various isolated troubles—problems faced by one member of the people of God. An example of an individual psalm of lament is Psalm 86, as David lays out his need before God: “Arrogant foes are attacking me, O God; / ruthless people are trying to kill me— / they have no regard for you” (Psalm 86:14). There are forty-two individual psalms of lament and sixteen community or national psalms of lament.
The psalms of lament are poetic hymns meant to be sung to God. They deal with issues that were and still are central to the life of faith for individual believers and the whole community of faith. The lament psalms express intense emotions, real human struggles, and the anguish of heart experienced by the people of Israel as they lived out their faith individually and corporately.
The men and women of the Old Testament were as real as we are today. They danced and sang, rejoiced and laughed, argued and confessed, lamented and mourned. They expressed emotions to God in prayer just as we do today. When we encounter difficult struggles and need God’s rescue, salvation, and help, the psalms of lament are a good place to turn.
Like the whole book of Psalms, the psalms of lament follow a pattern that begins with suffering and ends with glory. Usually, these songs start on a negative, complaining note, but they end on a positive, faith-filled note.
David was a great king and a man after God's heart. His great sin regarding Uriah and his wife Bathsheba was an exception to the rule, but it was nevertheless a monumental sin (1 Kings 15:5). The key to understanding what is happening in our text and our understanding of Psalm 3 is found in the indictment of David by Nathan:
7 Nathan then said to David, “You are the man! Thus says the LORD God of Israel, 'It is I who anointed you king over Israel and it is I who delivered you from the hand of Saul. 8 'I also gave you your master's house and your master's wives into your care, and I gave you the house of Israel and Judah; and if that had been too little, I would have added to you many more things like these! 9 'Why have you despised the word of the LORD by doing evil in His sight? You have struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword, have taken his wife to be your wife, and have killed him with the sword of the sons of Ammon. 10 'Now therefore, the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised Me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.' 11 “Thus says the LORD, 'Behold, I will raise up evil against you from your own household; I will even take your wives before your eyes and give them to your companion, and he will lie with your wives in broad daylight. 12 'Indeed you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel, and under the sun”' (2 Samuel 12:7-12).
All the power, riches, and glory of David were given to him by God. The explanation for David's prosperity was not to be found in David's greatness, but in God's grace. God indicated to David that, had he asked, He would have given him “. . . many more things like these.” David wanted more, but rather than obey God and ask Him for more, he took Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah, and then he took Uriah's life. God graciously “took away” David's sin so that he did not have to die as the law required. Nevertheless, there were certain consequences.
The first was the death of David's first son by Bathsheba (2 Samuel 12:14-23).
The second is the rape of his daughter, Tamar, by his own son (and Tamar's half-brother, Amnon; 2 Samuel 13:1-19).
Next is the death of Amnon at the hand (or, more accurately, at the command) of Absalom, David's son and Tamar's brother (2 Samuel 13:20-36).
As a result, David lost another son, Absalom, who had to flee from Israel and find sanctuary in Geshur, the land ruled by his grandfather, Talmai (2 Samuel 13:37). Absalom is not literally dead yet, but he is certainly lost to David, and for all intents and purposes will continue to be until, and including, the time of his death at the hand of Joab (2 Samuel 18).
It was David’s most traumatic, humiliating experience in his entire life. Everything that he had spent his life working for had suddenly unraveled. Many whom he had thought were allies and friends had abandoned him and sided with his rebellious son. And the most painful wound of all was the treachery and betrayal of Absalom. It brought home to David his own failure as a father. One son was murdered, a daughter was raped, and the murderer was now after his own father’s life in addition to his kingdom. Life was falling apart for David.
What do you do when life falls apart? Few of us have gone through anything close to the trauma that David was experiencing. But in lesser ways, you’ve probably had times when you could identify with David. Perhaps you thought that things were fine at work, but you suddenly got called into the boss’ office and were fired . You were out of work and the firing made the prospect of finding another job look bleak. You didn’t know how you would provide for your family. Life falls apart.
What do you do when life falls apart? David wrote Psalm 3. He wrote a psalm! Maybe that’s why he is called a man after God’s heart! Some scholars call Psalm 3 a morning psalm, and Psalm 4 (which may have been written at the same time) an evening psalm. Perhaps David wrote Psalm 3 just after he crossed the Jordan, awaiting the inevitable battle with Absalom’s forces. Verse 5 hints that he wrote it after waking up safely after a good night’s sleep. Psalm 3 shows us that…
When life falls apart, you can experience God’s peace by laying hold of Him in believing prayer.
When Nathan came to confront him of his sin. To his credit, David doesn't bluff and bluster. Though he has the power to kill the messenger, he doesn't. David's conscience has been seared by his sin and cover-up. But his heart is still hungry for the Lord he has spurned. So he confesses immediately:
"I have sinned against the LORD." (2 Sam. 12:13a)
Nathan responds:
"The LORD has taken away your sin. You are not going to die. 14 But because by doing this you have made the enemies of the LORD show utter contempt, the son born to you will die." (12:13b-14)
Forgiveness and punishment are two different things. Forgiveness has to do with relationship. God has restored the relationship between Himself and David. But David had to go through the consequences of his sin. There are consequences for David's sin. That David and Bathsheba's son dies is part of it. That David's sons follow in his footsteps of sexual sin and murder is another. It seems hard. But dear friends, that's God's order..
Before we leave Nathan's words to David, consider Nathan's indictment:
"You have made the enemies of the LORD show utter contempt." (2 Sam. 12:14a)
Our actions reflect on the Lord we claim to serve. One of the reasons that so many people are closed to the gospel in our day is because of hypocritical actions by church people. By our lives we have brought "utter contempt" on Jesus. God be merciful to us.
The phrase, "utter contempt" (NIV), "utterly scorned" (NRSV), "blaspheme" (KJV) consists of two words derived from the same stem. When a word is doubled like this in Hebrew, it indicates a more intense degree than just one word alone -- not just "scorned," but "utterly scorned."
Notice how personally the Lord brings the punishment:
"... I will do this thing in broad daylight before all Israel." (12:12b)
The Lord doesn't bring the punishment directly by zapping David from on high. Rather he uses people, as he indicated in the Davidic Covenant that he would:
"When he does wrong, I will punish him with the rod of men, with floggings inflicted by men." (2 Samuel 7:14)
I've heard naive Christians say -- and actually believe their words: " God is a God of Love He will never punishes people!" How foolish! Such people have a completely unbiblical and unbalanced understanding of God's love and justice. God's judgment here comes to pass when David's son Absalom tries to take the kingdom away from his father, and sleeps with all of his concubines publicly (16:21-22). Is God responsible for doing evil? No. Absalom sinned against his father. But God orchestrates these events, just as he did when Assyria attacks the Northern Kingdom centuries later and takes them into exile.
David knew his troubles were self-inflicted. In the account of David and Bathsheba, we find many lessons.
First, secret sin will be found out.
Second, God will forgive anyone who repents.
Third, sin’s consequences remain even when the sin is forgiven.
Fourth, God can work even in difficult situations. In fact, David and Bathsheba’s next son, Solomon, became the heir to the throne. Even in bad situations, God has a plan that serves His sovereign purpose.
He sinned against God and his loyal friend by this affair (2 Sam. 11-12); in addition, he did not bring up his sons to love and fear God as he did. Thus, he reaped the consequences he brought upon himself and yet, he asked to be forgiven and after forgiveness he cried out to God—and, our God of grace listened and gave hope and then peace. David had to face the consequences of his sin. And yet he still had faith in his God.
The secret to eliminating worry is to know where our help comes from, Christ our Lord. Our simple confidence and assurance that God is in charge and that He will care for you, His child (Matt. 6:25-34).
Some will point out David's parental failures and suggest that these failures brought about the downfall and ultimate death of his son, Absalom. It is very easy to put our failures and sins on someone else or on our genes - "this is how I am made". I do not see it quite that way. It is not that David is without sin or failure, but it is clear that Absalom's downfall is the result of his own sin, of his own choices. In the midst of the heartache and pain caused by the “loss” of Absalom, I believe God is graciously ministering to David, drawing him ever more closely to Himself, and making him even more of a man after God's own heart. The story is filled with intrigue and much sorrow, but there is also much comfort and assurance in God's dealing with David.
How sad to read the entire story. The author does not pull any punches here. The “trail of tears” began with David's sin concerning Uriah and his wife, Bathsheba. It began with the agony of David's soul, even before he repented and confessed his sin (see Psalm 32:3-4). It continued with the death of the first son born to David and the wife of Uriah. Soon, David's own daughter (Tamar) was raped by one of his sons, and then this son (Amnon) was murdered by yet another son (Absalom). Absalom flees to Gerar, and David yearns to see him, but knows he cannot. Then, manipulated by the deception of Joab, David is compelled to bring Absalom back to Israel. This is not a pleasant experience either. When Absalom gains his freedom, he uses it to undermine David's reputation and standing with the people. Next comes his rebellion, and the division of Israel, and finally the death of Absalom at the hand of Joab. It is, indeed, a trail of tears.
One of the things God is doing in the disciplining of David is to allow David to see his sin from a different point of view. Callously, David took Bathsheba, lay with her, and killed her husband. In this he used (or abused) his power as God's king to accomplish his sin. Now God is graciously allowing David to view his sin from a different perspective. Did David abuse his relationship with God, using his power to pursue his own interests? Joab seems to be doing the same thing in our text. Amnon abused his power in taking Tamar, much in the same way that David took Bathsheba. Absalom too abused his power, undermining David while seeking to gain his throne. Did David seek to deceive Saul about his absence? Now Absalom deceived David about his absence. Did David seek to deceive Uriah to cover his sin? David is deceived by Amnon, then Absalom, then Joab and the woman from Tekoa. Did David, God's “son” (see 2 Samuel 7:8-17), rebel against God in his sin? Now David's son(s) will rebel against him. Does David abuse his power, oppressing those who were powerless to oppose him? Now David will experience powerlessness as Absalom cuts off all opportunity for David to execute justice, for his daughter Tamar, for Absalom, and even for the people of Israel (2 Samuel 15:2-6). David now is able to see his sin in a different light, as it is replayed by others.
David's son Absalom has something to teach us. It is a lesson in what true submission is and is not. I think we can agree that Absalom is a man who “bites the hand that feeds him.” Absalom lacks any sense of debt to his father, and there is no evidence of gratitude on his part. But more than this, there is absolutely no true submission to his father-king. Like Satan of old, Absalom sees himself as “next in line” for the throne. He does not submit himself to his father. Instead he uses his position and power to undermine his father's authority and to disrupt his kingdom. Behind his father's back, he speaks ill of his father, making him look bad in the eyes of others. And all of this is done to “get ahead.”
Absalom is a warning to us all about submission and its counterpart, rebellion.
We have looked into the background to Psalm 3 now lets look to psalm 3 and learn from it.
Psalm 3 depicts how David’s view of a troubled situation went from hopelessness to confidence: hopelessness when he had his eyes focused on his situation; confidence when he considered the Lord’s hand in the situation.
First, we’ll talk about the genre of Psalm 3. What kind of poem is it?
We saw this at the beginning of this study.
Now, most Psalms are a reaction of the poet to some stimulus. In Psalm 3, what is the stimulus? What is driving David to write this lament poem? What’s happening in his life?
Well, look at the first line of the psalm. What does it say? This is “A Psalm of David, when he fled from Absalom his son.”
When you think of David, you might think of him in pastoral settings out in the countryside. Or you picture him in his royal palace kind of taking it easy. But this man’s life was filled with conflict.
Even when he was a nobody he was wrestling bears and lions away from his father’s sheep. He defeated Goliath and won some acclaim among the people and even in King Saul’s sight. But then Saul turns on him and David basically becomes a fugitive for years until Saul dies.
Finally, David becomes king. But he’s still constantly going to war – that’s what kings did in those days. But one time he doesn’t go out to war. He stays behind. And he ends up catching a glimpse of a young woman from his palace. As we all know, he ends up committing adultery with her and then ordering the murder of her husband. God rebukes David for those horrendous crimes. And God promises David that the sword will never depart from his house the rest of his life. He will have war and conflict until he dies.
And that’s where Absalom enters the picture. Absalom has a sister who is violated by one of David’s sons from one of his other wives. Absalom kills that brother and flees. Finally he’s persuaded to come back and live close to David. But David won’t talk to him – for years. So, Absalom eventually gathers a number of people together, wins their hearts, and leads a rebellion against his father David. Absalom and his entourage actually run David out of Jerusalem and are trying to literally kill him. And that’s the situation that called for the writing of this Psalm.
So, this Psalm captures some of the emotion that David felt as he fled for his life from Jerusalem. Can you imagine the embarrassment of being pursued by your own child who’s looking to take your life? Can you imagine the regret and self-hatred that David would have experienced – knowing that his own sin with Bathsheba so many years ago had caused this turn of events? Can you imagine the pain of being betrayed by so many trusted advisers and friends in addition to the people you served as king for so many years? All these emotions and many more I’m sure are in David’s heart as he flees Jerusalem.
So, we’ve discovered underlying situation that called for the writing of this Psalm. And we also said that this is a lament Psalm.
And these lament Psalms have a discernible structure to them. There are actually 5 components to any lament Psalm. So, let’s discover the structure of Psalm 3.
The first component of a lament Psalm is the invocation of God. And we see that in this Psalm 3:1. What’s the first word out of David’s mouth in this Psalm? He says, “Lord”. He immediately invokes the Lord.
So, that’s the first component of the structure of this Psalm.
The next component of a lament Psalm is the lament or the complaint itself. And we find that in Psalm 3:1-2 verses.
“LORD, how are they increased that trouble me! many are they that rise up against me. 2 Many there be which say of my soul, There is no help for him in God.”
This is where the poet defines the crisis that he’s experiencing – and that he’s going to try to master with God’s help.
Another component of the structure of a lament Psalm is an expression of confidence in God. We see this in Psalm 3:3-6 where we have these reassuring statements from David regarding his confidence in God.
“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. 5 I laid me down and slept; I awoked; for the LORD sustained me. 6 I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people, that have set themselves against me round about.”
David is confident that God will deliver him from his multiplied adversaries.
So, that’s the 3rd component of a lament Psalm – the poet’s expression of confidence in God.
Then, comes the petition – where the poet actually asks the Lord for something. We see that in Psalm 3:7. And in this Psalm it consists of a petition to God for him to remedy David’s crisis.
“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.”
By the way, it took 6 verses for David to actually ask God for something.
So that’s the 4th part of the structure of this Psalm.
Finally, Psalm 3:8 ends the Psalm with the last component – which is the praising of God.
“Salvation belongeth unto the LORD: thy blessing is upon thy people.”
I think the praise here occurs when David proclaims that it is in the Lord’s power alone to provide deliverance. That’s a glory that belongs to the Lord alone. And so he’s to be praised for it.
So, that’s the structure of this Psalm. 5 parts – invocation, lament, confidence, petition, and praise.
Now, with the genre, underlying situation, and structure established, we’re going to discover the topic and theme of the Psalm.
The topic is what a Psalm is about. The theme is what the author says about that topic.
So, we’re going to try to summarize the content of Psalm 3 in one word . And then we’ll summarize what David says about that topic .
So, let’s read Psalm 3:1-2 again. Because usually the topic of the Psalm appears near its beginning.
“LORD, how are they increased that trouble me! many are they that rise up against me. 2 Many there be which say of my soul, There is no help for him in God.”
So, from Psalm 3:1-2 verses we get the idea that David is facing enemies. And their number isn’t dwindling or remaining steady, even. David is facing multiplied and multiplying enemies.
And what are these enemies claiming? They’re saying that God won’t help David. The word “help” has to do with salvation. Or in this context – deliverance. So, here David’s enemies are saying that God will not deliver David from their plans to kill him. And that happens to be the topic of this Psalm – deliverance. And we’ll see evidence of that throughout the Psalm.
Now, David has something to say regarding God’s delivering him from his multiplied enemies. Psalm 3:7 – he says “Save – or deliver – me, oh my God.” And in Psalm 3:8 he reminds himself that “salvation – the kind that David so desperately needs – belongs to the Lord.” There’s the topic again – salvation or deliverance. And it’s the Lord’s to grant deliverance like what David is looking for. And so, despite multiplied enemies claiming that God will not deliver David from their schemes to kill him – look at what David says in Psalm 3:6. “I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people, that have set themselves against me round about.” Ten thousands – that sounds like multiplied adversaries. And yet, David is not afraid of them. Why? Because he’s confident that the Lord will deliver him.
So, here’s what David says about the topic of Psalm 3. He’s talking about Confidence in God’s deliverance from multiplied adversaries. He’s confident that God will deliver him.
OK, we’ve looked at the genre, underlying situation, topic, theme, and structure of Psalm 3. But now we’re going to dive into the details of this Psalm.
We’ll go back to Psalm 3:1-2.
“LORD, how are they increased that trouble me! many are they that rise up against me. 2 Many there be which say of my soul, There is no help for him in God.”
You can sense David’s dismay from the very first verse. “Lord! How many…” he exclaims. He expresses amazement at how many enemies he’s acquired. He was their king, their leader, God’s chosen ruler for them. And now so many of them had turned on him. So, David is shocked.
Now, note once more the concept of increasing opposition. They’re – Psalm 3:1 – “increased”. There are – Psalm 3:1 again – “many” that rise up. And he goes ahead and states it one more time in case we missed it – Psalm 3:2 – “Many” speak discouragingly to him. So, let’s really sympathize with David’s utter dismay. His whole country has turned on him.
And these folks aren’t just sitting around. They’re actively opposing David. They’re troubling David. They’re rising up against him.
Let’s think about that image of rising up. And it is an image. Let me ask you – Were the enemies all previously sitting down, but now they’re standing on their feet – and so that’s what David is truly concerned about? No, David’s not concerned about their physical position. So when he tells us that these people are “rising up” he’s putting a picture in our mind. It’s like he’s imagining this large group of angry enemies physically rising up as one to confront and physically destroy him. It’s a terrifying picture. And it accurately portrays how David feels.
But these enemies aren’t just physically imposing in David’s mind. Their very speech is terrifying to David. They’re claiming that God will not deliver David. Can you think of why they might say this? How many people do you think knew about David’s sin with Bathsheba and against Uriah her husband? Nathan did. In addition, God through Nathan told David “by this deed [David’s sin] thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme” in 2 Samuel 12:14. So then, many people apparently knew of David’s sin. It was public knowledge. And what David was now experiencing was actually chastisement from the Lord for that sin. So, think about it. The very fact that these enemies were attacking and reproaching David was by God’s allowance. Can you see why these folks might think that God won’t deliver David from their plans to kill him? David’s own sin got him in to this mess. Maybe God was going to let David’s enemies finish him off.
And that’s where Psalm 3:2 ends.
I’ll briefly mention “Selah”. As far as I know and anyone can say, this probably calls for a musical interlude. But the fact is that no one definitively knows what it signifies. So I won’t be paying much attention to it.
Now, in complete contrast to what these increasing enemies are saying about David, we have Psalm 3:3. God is David’s “shield”, his “glory”, and “the one who lifts up” his head. These sayings are obviously poetic devices. They’re images that put pictures in our minds. God does not physically manifest himself as a shield. His hand didn’t physically and visibly reach down from heaven and lift up David’s head. So let’s talk about what these images mean.
First, a shield protects from advancing attacks. The KJV has David saying that God is a shield “for me”. The word actually means “round about”. So, picture it – if an enemy attacks David from any direction, he’s not going to get David. Why? Because David’s “shield” is in the way. That’s the Lord – protecting him.
Next, the word “glory” can also mean “honor”. David is being supremely dishonored by men – his own son in particular. But in contrast, God gives him honor.
Lastly, God lifts up David’s head. You surely know what it feels like to have increasing opposition to you – at home, at work, even among God’s people, unfortunately. And does it ever make you just want to hang your head? That’s where David was. But God lifts his head from despair.
And David may or may not know it at this point, but God was going to restore David to his throne in Jerusalem. And by doing that, God would lift David’s head – so to speak – and get rid of his reproach.
Now, note one more thing in Psalm 3:3. Notice how intimate David is with the Lord. He personally addresses the Lord. He looks at the increasing enemies and distress in his life. And then he turns to the Lord alone and reminds himself and the Lord of what God really is to him.
Now, Psalm 3:4 brings us back in time a little. David explains how he came to be so confident in the Lord’s protection of him. He cried to the Lord. He didn’t whisper under his breath. This word is actually translated a few times as “scream”. It’s translated many more times as “call” or “cry” as we have it here. David was earnest in communicating with the Lord. He needed to be heard.
And what happened when David directed his prayer to God? God “heard him”. God answered David when he called.
And he did so from his holy hill. That’s probably a reference to Mount Zion or the Temple Mount – even though the Temple hadn’t been built yet.
And do you wonder what God told David? How exactly did God answer David’s cries? Well, we don’t have the response recorded. But whatever it was, it gave David the confidence that we saw in verse 3. It also results in what he testifies about in Psalm 3:5.
David says “I laid me down and slept; I awoked; for the LORD sustained me.” Now, if you were being chased like a fugitive, could you imagine trying this? Laying down and sleeping? I think sleeping would have been very hard for David. And the reason it would be so hard is because he would be uncertain as to whether he would indeed awake in the morning. Or would his life have been taken overnight? But when God answered David’s pitiful cries, David gained confidence to sleep. And because God was protecting him, David actually woke up. The enemies didn’t hurt him. And they wouldn’t. Ever. Because God was with him. The Lord “sustained” him, it says. That word “sustained” is something like “propped up” or “supported”. How exactly do you sleep in the midst of gut-wrenching anxiety about your very life? David could because he knew that the Lord was the one who was propping him up and supporting him. David was confident in God’s deliverance.
And so because of all these considerations, David boldly proclaims in Psalm 3:6 – “I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people, that have set themselves against me round about.” David won’t fear. Even in the face of overwhelming odds – ten thousands of people against just him. He’s confident in God’s deliverance. And that’s how he pictures it. It’s ten thousands of his enemies versus… how many? Just him. Even if those are the odds and that’s what happens, he’s going to remain confident in God’s deliverance.
And so now David – Psalm 3:7 – finally makes petition to the Lord. “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.” So, in contrast to the enemies in Psalm 3:1 who rise up against David – now we have David calling on the Lord to himself rise up – and to save or deliver David from his enemies.
And we have some imagery here again. Did God literally smite David’s enemies on the cheek? Did he break the teeth of the wicked who persecuted David? Do we have that recorded anywhere? We don’t. So, what is David poetically expressing here?
First, a slap to the cheek was a sign of contempt. In other words, God thinks little of these enemies. He will not honor them. He honors David as we saw before.
And what about the shattering of teeth? Well, in a day and age before dentures – you lose your teeth and you’re rendered fairly incapacitated in certain ways. And that’s just what God was going to do to David’s enemies. They may be many, but their efforts against David would be brought to nothing and they themselves would be despised by the Lord – whom they claimed would not deliver David.
And so David can call upon God to rise up and deliver him – knowing that this is what God does. God has done these kind of things for David before. And he’ll do them in this very distressing situation.
In the midst of problems and troubles, the first place to turn is to the Lord. It is time to immediately stop all that we are doing and pray to the Lord. These are the first two words of the psalm, “O Lord.” Turn our attention to the Lord and tell him what is going on. Notice that David describes what his situation is to the Lord. We also need to express what we are enduring and the help we seek to God as well. When it seemed that everyone stood against him and the people declared that it would not be possible for the Lord to deliver him now, David turned to the Lord for deliverance and salvation. We make a faulty move when our first step is not to embrace the Lord and draw closer to Him.
Further, in the midst of problems we are not allowed to become self-centered people. This is usually the route that we take when we are suffering. We no longer pay attention to anyone else because we are wrapped up in our own troubles and pain. But David’s prayer is not all about himself. He is also praying for the interests of God’s people in the middle of this turmoil. Remember the turmoil that the people of Israel are enduring as David is made to flee and Absalom has seized the throne. David remembers his people and prays for their blessing. We must make sure that we continue to be outward looking people, even in the midst of troubles. It is easy to become consumed in our own problems and wallow in the mire of self-pity. Instead of focusing on ourselves, focus on God and focus upon helping and serving others. Seeing other people’s troubles and helping them not only will take our minds off our own mess, but will also make us realize that we may not being doing so badly after all.
Finally, we also need to look at the bigger picture and see the final outcome. Though things seemed to be the darkest for David at this time, he looked to the end result for confidence. He had trust that God would deliver him from his enemies. We also need to try our best to pull ourselves out of the depths of the situation and see that there is an outcome that we can endure. There is deliverance that can be found in the Lord. The Lord demands our trust in Him and will test us to see if we are people after God’s own heart. Have confidence that the Lord will provide.
This episode demonstrates that even the most renowned of God’s children face trials; yes, even heavy trials. Jesus prepared us for this: “In this world you will have trouble” (John 16:33). The apostles in the book of Acts recognized this: “We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God” (Acts 14:22). So we should not be surprised when we, as children of God, face affliction. As Peter says: “Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when His glory is revealed” (I Pet. 4:12-13).
So, we find that, according to the Bible, affliction is normal for the saints. This contradicts much “teaching” from the pulpits. Some would say that, when one becomes a Christian, there will be no more adversity, no more trouble, no more hardships. This view is not supported in the Bible. Moreover, this view is dangerous. If one comes to Christ on the basis that their life will be affliction-less (a faulty basis), they will most likely fall away when affliction comes. Since their “conversion” was not based on truth, odds are that it was not a true conversion. People must be brought to Christ “not with words of human wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power” (I Cor. 1:17), but with the true gospel of Christ, that is, “that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures” (I Cor. 15:3,4).
"All the water in the world, however hard it tried, could never, never sink a ship, unless it got inside the ship All the hardships of this world, might wear you pretty thin, but they won't hurt you one least bit, unless you let them in." May this psalm help you keep the world and its concerns out by filling your heart with God's love.
