TRIUMPH IN THE MIDST OF TRAGEDY
Psalm 3:1-8
- In Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 King Solomon said:
To everything there is a season,
A time for every purpose under heaven:
A time to be born,
And a time to die;
A time to plant,
And a time to pluck what is planted;
A time to kill,
And a time to heal;
A time to break down,
And a time to build up;
A time to weep,
And a time to laugh;
A time to mourn,
And a time to dance;
A time to cast away stones,
And a time to gather stones;
A time to embrace,
And a time to refrain from embracing;
A time to gain,
And a time to lose;
A time to keep,
And a time to throw away;
A time to tear,
And a time to sew;
A time to keep silence,
And a time to speak;
A time to love,
And a time to hate;
A time of war,
And a time of peace.
Solomon makes it clear that in this life there will be good times and there will be bad times. In our selected text, Solomon’s Father, King David reveals that there will be times of trouble. He also shows us that if we belong to God there is always a time to trust in our Heavenly Father. And in this Psalm of praise we see that when God sees fit we will experience a time of triumph. I would like to examine this Psalm that was penned in the midst of great tragedy and preach on the subject, “Triumph In The Midst Of Tragedy”
Christians are not exempt from troubles, turmoil and tragedy. Jesus tells us that the Father “makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust” (Matthew 5:45). Job said, “Man who is born of woman Is of few days and full of trouble. He comes forth like a flower and fades away; He flees like a shadow and does not continue. (Job 14:1-2)
Psalm 3 finds King David at a time in his life when he faced immense trouble. There are many ways in which we cannot relate to King David, but when it comes to enduring troubles and tragedy we know exactly what he is talking about. Look with me to verses 1-2 as we examine:
I. A TIME OF TROUBLE
There are countless examples of troubles that we could consider today. Many of you may be experiencing your own personal tragedy as we speak. Though there are many circumstances and situations that we may endure in this life, one of the worst is when you are attacked by an adversary.
- Verse 1 shows us that:
A. YOUR ADVERSARIES MAY ATTACK YOU
v1 LORD, how are they increased that trouble me! many are they that rise up against me.
There are many of the Psalms where we do not know the author or the details surrounding its writing. That is not the case in this Psalm, for the inscription reads that this is "A Psalm of David when he fled from Absalom his son." At this point in time, David is running from one of his adversaries. To make matters worse, this specific adversary was his own son Absalom.
David had experienced a great deal of tragedy in the last few years of his life. Much of the turmoil was the result of his own with Bathsheba. David's son Ammon raped his half-sister Tamar (II Samuel 13:6-14). As a result of this, David's son Absalom plotted the murder of Ammon (2 Samuel 13:24-29). After having his brother killed, Absalom flees to Geshur where he remained for a period of 3 years (2 Samuel 13:34- 39).Then Joab arranged for Absalom to return to Jerusalem where he remained for 2 more years without seeing the King’s face (2 Samuel 14:21-24). In time, Absalom sent for Joab in order for him to mediate a meeting between himself & King David. Joab refused to come so Absalom sent his servants to set Joab’s barley field on fire. Joab then came and took Absalom to his Father.
After a while it became Absalom’s desire to be appointed a judge in Israel. He stationed himself at the gate and began to intercept all who came to the King for judgment. In the process “Absalom stole the hearts of Israel." (II Samuel 15:6). In time Absalom deviously set out to steal the kingdom from his father. This evil plot is recorded in: 2 Samuel 15:10-14, “Then Absalom sent spies throughout all the tribes of Israel, saying, “As soon as you hear the sound of the trumpet, then you shall say, ‘Absalom reigns in Hebron!’ ” And with Absalom went two hundred men invited from Jerusalem, and they went along innocently and did not know anything. Then Absalom sent for Ahithophel the Gilonite, David’s counselor, from his city—from Giloh—while he offered sacrifices. And the conspiracy grew strong, for the people with Absalom continually increased in number. Now a messenger came to David, saying, “The hearts of the men of Israel are with Absalom.” So David said to all his servants who were with him at Jerusalem, “Arise, and let us flee, or we shall not escape from Absalom. Make haste to depart, lest he overtake us suddenly and bring disaster upon us, and strike the city with the edge of the sword.”
There is no question that this was a time of great tragedy for King David. After being separated from his son for years, his son has risen up against him. There were many others who came against the King at this point in his life. As David was fleeing his own Kingdom, a man named Shimei who came against him and cursed him.
2 Samuel 16:5 Now when King David came to Bahurim, there was a man from the family of the house of Saul, whose name was Shimei the son of Gera, coming from there. He came out, cursing continuously as he came. 6 And he threw stones at David and at all the servants of King David. And all the people and all the mighty men were on his right hand and on his left. 7 Also Shimei said thus when he cursed: “Come out! Come out! You bloodthirsty man, you rogue! 8 The Lord has brought upon you all the blood of the house of Saul, in whose place you have reigned; and the Lord has delivered the kingdom into the hand of Absalom your son. So now you are caught in your own evil, because you are a bloodthirsty man!”
These are just a couple of the things that were going on in David’s life when he wrote this Psalm. His son rebelled against him and his adversaries attacked Him.
There may come a time in your life when your enemies attack you. To make matters worse, those enemies may come from your circle of friends, your own family, and even your own household. As devastating a situation as this may be, David’s story shows us that things may get much worse. In times of trouble, your enemies may attack you and:
B. YOUR ALLIES MAY ABANDON YOU
v2 Many there be which say of my soul, There is no help for him in God. Selah.
When David’s peers observed his situation, many of them were of the opinion that God had abandoned him. God was still with the King but some of his closest friends abandoned him and expressed devotion to his rebellious son. It was in the midst of this immense time of turmoil and tragedy that one of David’s closest friends and most trusted advisors betrayed him.
Ahithophel was David's close friend and counselor; he was also the grandfather of a David’s wife, Bathsheba. I have always wondered if Ahithophel harbored some resentment and animosity towards David because of the origins of their relationship. Or perhaps Ahithophel felt that it was inevitable that Absolom would succeed in his attempt to seize the throne and by aligning himself with him he would receive some personal or financial benefit. Regardless of his motives, Ahithophel betrayed his King when he was vulnerable.
Ahithophel’s betrayal greatly impacted King David, so much so that the King sought the Lord in a brief imprecatory prayer. (2 Samuel 15:31 Then someone told David, saying, “Ahithophel is among the conspirators with Absalom.” And David said, “O Lord, I pray, turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness!”). You may have noticed that there is a striking similarity between Ahithophel a Judas Iscariot, both men betrayed their master for their own personal benefit, and in the end they both committed suicide by hanging themselves.
The attack by his enemies and the abandonment of his friends lead David to a place of weakness. Though things were exceedingly devastating and many thought that Daivd had no help from God, God never abandoned His servant.
Every person here has dealt with tragedy in their own lives. We have all gone through times of attack and abandonment. Maybe you have even been betrayed by a close friend or even a member of your family. On top of this, if you are a Christian, you have faced many vicious attacks by a scheming Adversary. Peter tells us that our Adversary (Satan) is like a "a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour" (I Peter 5:8). The wonderful news is that whether it is a spiritual or human adversary we have hope in times of trouble. Like king David we can have confidence that the LORD is our shield, our glory and the One who lifts up our head.
- For those of you who are currently in the midst of a time of trouble, this Psalm shows us that we can face times of trouble with great hope. Look with me to verses 3-4 as we consider:
II. A TIME TO TRUST
No matter what you may face in this life, you can always trust in the Lord. We must ever be cognizant of the reality that our God will never leave us or forsake us. King David realized this during his time of great trouble. Notice in verse 3
A. AN IMPORTANT REALIZATION
“But You, O Lord, are a shield for me, My glory and the One who lifts up my head”.
We have seen that David was facing attacks from every side. He was attacked, abandoned and accused of being abandoned by God. However, the King was confident that the Lord was with Him. Yahweh had proven time and again that He would never abandon His chosen King. I am sure that it was not lost on David that he had given the LORD many reasons to turn away from him, but God was faithful. This reality prompted Daivd to praise the Lord even in the midst of his troubles.
You may be at a place in your life where you do not even know which way is up. The sorrow and despair that you are experiencing has made it difficult for you to lift your head. If so, follow David’s example and put your trust in God, for He is your “shield, your protector and the lifter of your head."
- There is an important realization and there is also:
B. AN IMPORTANT REQUEST
v4a I cried unto the LORD with my voice,
David had nowhere else to go; he had no one else that he could trust in, but he knew that the Lord was his helper. Because of this, he says “I cried out to the Lord”. Too often we face troubles and trials and we look for help in all the wrong places. Moreover, when troubles come we have a tendency to turn to everyone but the Lord. When we endure times of trouble, it is imperative that we go before the throne of grace because God is our only true hope of protection and relief.
Though David was the King, he was humble and wise enough to go before the true throne; the throne of God. This was not a one-time act for David, it is a practice that is seen throughout his life and recorded right here in the Psalms. (Psalm 57:2 I will cry out to God Most High, To God who performs all things for me). (Psalm 61:2 From the end of the earth I will cry to You, When my heart is overwhelmed; Lead me to the rock that is higher than I).
- If we will cry unto the LORD like David, God will hear our cries and He will answer our prayers. Notice:
C. AN INTIMATE RESPONSE
v4b and he heard me out of his holy hill. Selah.
When David cried unto the Lord He heard him and He answered Him. There is nothing in this world that can compare to answered prayers. It is absolutely amazing to know that we can call on God Almighty and that He hears us, He cares about us and He will answer us. If you are a child of God He wants to hear from you. You can rest assured that when you cry out to Him, He will hear and He will answer. When troubles come in this life (and they will) the answer is to trust in the Lord. If you will do this, then you will move from a time of trouble, to a time of trust, to a time of triumph!
- Look with me to verses 5-7 as we consider:
III. A TIME OF TRIUMPH
The word "triumph" speaks of a great victory. The troubles and tribulations of this life are great battles, but in the Lord, we can have great victory, we can experience a time of Triumph. Because of our relationship with Jesus, we can possess great comfort. Consider:
A. OUR COMFORT IN THE LORD
v5 I laid down and slept; I awakened; for the LORD sustained me.
Even when you belong to the Lord there are times in this life that are extremely difficult. But we possess hope and comfort in times of trouble. We are able to enjoy this comfort because of the promises that our Father has given us in His Word.
If you are looking for comfort in times of trouble, just open your Bible to the Gospels and listen to the words and promised that are given to us by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He said in – Matthew 11:28-30 “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light”. He said in John 16:33, “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world”. No matter how severe your situation is, remember that you belong to the One who stood on a boat in the midst of a raging sea and uttered three simple words, “Peace, be still and as a result “the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. (Mark 4:39)
- Because of who He is and all that He has done we can have comfort in the Lord. Furthermore, we can have:
B. CONFIDENCE IN THE LORD
v6 I am not afraid of ten thousand enemies who surround me on every side. 7 Arise, O LORD; save me, O my God: for you have smitten all my enemies upon the cheek; you have broken the teeth of the ungodly. 8 Salvation belongs unto the LORD: your blessing is upon your people. Selah.
God may not move when you would like for Him to. He may not respond to your prayer the way that you would like Him to. When you are in the midst of great trouble and you just want out. I hate to be the bearer of bad news but it could be that your troubles are just beginning. It may be the will of God for you to endure some long and unpleasant fiery trials.
When God doesn’t move when or how you want Him to, you can (and should) trust in His sovereignty and look to Him for comfort confidently expecting that He will be with you every step of the way. Once again, a quick survey of the Psalms will show you that David trusted in God’s protection. (Psalm 28:7 The Lord is my strength and my shield; My heart trusted in Him, and I am helped; Therefore my heart greatly rejoices, And with my song I will praise Him). (Psalm 59:9 I will wait for You, O You his Strength; For God is my defense). (Psalm 94:22 But the Lord has been my defense, And my God the rock of my refuge).
We can have the same assurance that David possessed. We belong to the same God; we are children of the same Father. No matter your situation or circumstance, no matter how dark the night or how severe the storm, our God truly is the Almighty; His wisdom, strength and power is unmatched. He loves you and will never forsake you. You can go boldly before the throne of Grace and make your request known. You can trust Him in times of trouble and in the end, you will experience a great triumph.
If you have never surrendered to Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, you are in the midst of the greatest tragedy that anyone can experience. God’s Word says that you are lost, you are dead in sins and trespasses. Furthermore scripture declares that you are without God, in fact scripture calls you an enemy of God and if you die in your sins you will spend eternity in the Lake of Fire.
To endure such a fate is an eternal tragedy, and what will make it so tragic is that it didn’t have to happen. Jesus Christ came to earth and made a way for lost sinners to be redeemed. The same Bible that promises Hell for those who reject Christ also says that “now is the day of salvation” and in another place it says, “whoever calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved”. I encourage you to repent and believe in Jesus Christ for salvation today, if you will do this, then you can experience the greatest triumph of all time. Regardless of your situation, whether you are saved or lost, if you will look to Jesus, you can experience “Triumph In The Midst Of Tragedy”.
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