Scripture: Psalm 3
Theme: Victory
Title: God’s Got Your Back
INTRO:
Grace and peace this morning from God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit!
I hope you have enjoyed an incredible week! I hope that it has been a week of great joy, love and peace. And I hope it has been a week that you have experienced the LORD in some new and amazing ways.
Lately, it seems like our weather has been all over the map. One day it will look like it almost spring and then another day it feels like we are still in the grips of winter. It is not always easy to know how to dress or how to prepare for each new morning.
Take the other morning for example. Where we live it was a little cold but not really anything to complain about – around 32° F. That’s normal for this time of year. But what was not quite so normal was the fog. We experienced a heavy fog from around 5 am until it was finally gone around 10 am.
There were times it was hard to see anything at all. You could hardly make out any of the trees in the distance. It was the right time to use your car lights and especially your fog lights if you have them.
Now, if you have driven in the fog you know that there are some people that seem to think that they don’t need to have any lights on; either their regular beams or their fog lights. I don’t know what they are thinking about, but personally, I don’t see how they can see to drive. But there are those people that no matter how foggy it is they refuse to turn on their lights.
Thankfully, though there are more people who do take advantage of their lights and their fog lights. I like those people. You can see them coming and you can see them in front of you. It is hard enough at times to see anything but you don’t want to find yourself suddenly on someone’s back bumper or them coming into your lane without their lights on. When it is fog time it is light time. That’s just good common sense.
King David as he wrote Psalm 3, I believe would agree with us. He was going through a very difficult time. You could say it was a very foggy time. It was a time when his vision was clouded and his future was anything but certain.
I would like for us to look at Psalm 3 this morning. While David was uncertain about some things he was confident that in the end he and his people would experience victory. Things may look foggy and uncertain in the natural, but David knew who to call on, who to put his trust in and how to navigate through the fog of uncertainty.
I believe that David’s insight into the supernatural can help anyone here this morning discover their own path toward victory. I believe David can help us and enable us to help our friends successfully navigate through any foggy or uncertain time that they may be experiencing.
I. David paints for us His Struggle – v. 1-2
To get the full story of Psalm 3 we need to go back and read 2 Samuel 13 – 18. They are some of the saddest chapters in the life of King David.
+His eldest son Ammon had raped his half-sister Tamar who was the full sister of one of David’s other sons; Absolom.
+Absalom retaliates by getting his half-brother Ammon drunk and then has him murdered. Absalom could not tolerate Ammon getting away with such a horrendous crime. He also could believe that his own father, King David would allow Ammon to get away with such behavior.
+ Absalom then flees to Talmai, who was the king of Geshur and Absalom's maternal grandfather. He knows that as long as he stays in Geshur he is safe.
+After three years go by, King David sends for Absalom and brings him back to Jerusalem. He is not charged with murder but he is also not allowed to come to the palace or see King David. In essence Absalom is exiled.
+After another two years and at the strong request of one of David’s Generals; Joab, King David and Absalom finally reconcile. Absalom is allowed to see David, travel around Jerusalem and be a part of the royal court. It has been a long five years but now everything seems to be forgiven and back to normal.
However, that was far from the case. For the next four years, Absalom methodically plotted against his father, King David. He slowly began to do anything he could to undermine him and get the people to follow him rather than his father.
What helped Absalom a great deal was he was extremely good-looking. In fact, the Bible says that he was flawless from head to foot. Added to all of that, Absalom had this long flowing hair that just added to his beauty.
With his beauty and with his charm, Absalom set up everything to take over the throne. He had everything ready to kill his father and take the Kingdom of Israel. He had never forgiven his father for not being there for his sister after she had been raped. He had never forgiven his father for not punishing Ammon. And so, he decided that Israel needed a new king. And since it didn’t appear that he would ever be given the kingdom after what he had done; he decided that he would just take it.
And when this psalm was being written it looked very much like Absalom was on the verge of accomplishing his dream. Most of the citizens, the army and King David’s former counselors had already transferred their allegiance to Absalom. King David was running for his life.
Not only was David fleeing for his life but in many people’s eyes it was what he deserved. Many had never forgiven David for his own sexual sins. You may remember that King David had molested Bathsheba and when she found out she was carrying David’s child; David had her husband killed. Many thought that David was now getting his just deserts.
Many felt that God had abandoned David. That for a long time David had been a good king and had done a great many good things but his sins had caught up with him. God was now raising up his son Absalom to take his place. God was raising up someone who would be great to look at, who said that he loved them and cared for them and would become the greatest and kindest king in the land.
David here in verses 1 – 2 lets us know the situation. David is surrounded by enemies that just a few years ago would have laid down their lives for David. Family members that were siding with Absalom who just a few days ago were laughing with him while eating the food David provided, wearing the clothes David provided and sleeping in the beds David provided.
David is devastated and for good reason. He feels abandoned. He feels betrayed and there are people sharpening knives ready to plunge them into his heart. He has had to run away for his life and on top of that people are saying that the same God who anointed him and allowed him to become King was now rejecting him and behind all this rebellion.
II. David puts His Confidence in the LORD
While all of this was being said, David rejects all the noise. David knows God. He knows that what is happening is not coming from God. David sees not only things in the natural but he can also see through God’s help things in the supernatural.
In David’s heart and mind he knew that his relationship with the LORD was good. God had not rejected him nor had God turned his back on him.
To reject that tone of voice, David shouts out:
+God – You Are My Shield
But not just any shield. God, Yahweh, LORD; you are a shield that covers me from all sides – from the top, the bottom and all four sides.
David was a military man. He knew that importance of having the right kind of shield. He knew that if you had the right kind of shield you could fight any battle and be victorious. In this verse he writes that the LORD is his 380 degree shield. There is no place above David, below David or around David that he can be harmed.
God not only has not forsaken him the LORD has completely covered David.
+You are My Glory
In other words, God you are the One who makes me who I am. I am nothing without you but I am not without You. I am Yours; My existence is in You.
David knew what it meant to be non-existent. If you remember when the rest of the sons were lining up to eat with the prophet Samuel (1 Samuel 16) the family didn’t invite David, even though he was a son. The rest of the family didn’t believe in him and considered him an outcast. He was just an add on to the family. He was the runt of the liter who no one liked or cared for and that included his own father.
But the LORD had taken that runt of the liter and had taken him from the sheep pen to the palace. And David knew that his existence rested in the LORD. He was anointed by the LORD, called by the LORD and would continue to exist and be victorious in the LORD.
David was in effect declaring himself to be a part of God’s Glory. He was a child of the Most High. He was anointed, approved and accepted and David was not going to back down from who he was in the LORD. He didn’t care what the circumstances looked like because he knew who He was in God.
+You hold my head up high
Even when others were doing their best to tear him down, David believed that he was still in God’s will. He believed that the LORD GOD ALMIGHTY was not looking down on him but helping him look up.
David refuses to focus on the negative. He refused to focus on his pain, his torment, and all the betrayal. Instead, he is going to focus on God. He is going to allow the LORD to raise up his heart, his mind and his head. He is going to allow the LORD to help him understand what is going and what needs to be done right at the moment.
All of this – God is My Shield, God is My Glory, God raises up My Head are all Faith Declarations.
In the natural there is nothing around David that would support any of this – Absalom was within days finding David and running a knife or spear through his heart. At the moment David was walking barefoot and covered in shame. David, the members of his loyal family and friends were running from their lives. There were people that they met along the way that spit on David and cursed his name.
David takes all of the abuse. He doesn’t allow himself to feel defeated. Instead, David makes these faith declarations and declares that the same God who raised him many times before will raise him again.
David proclaims as he leaves the Ark of the Covenant behind and as each step takes him further away from the Tabernacle that it doesn’t matter. The God of Israel is going with David. The God of Israel is going to Protect David. The God of Israel is the God who hears David and not just hears David but answers David.
David shows how important faith is in our walk. David shows us here in the midst of the darkest days of our lives – when the doctor’s report is not good, when there is not enough money in the bank, when depression is trying to take over, when it seems like the Devil is getting the upper hand, when the children and the grandchildren are ruining their lives that it is not time to say with Job’s wife – Curse God and Die.
But it is time to make some faith declarations. It is time to tell the world that in the midst of all the pain and suffering The Lord God Almighty is Our Shield. The LORD is Our Glory and the LORD is the ONE who lifts us up and not puts us down.
There are times that we need to get out some pencil and paper and write down some faith declarations:
+ I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (Philippians 4:13).
+God is My Refuge and My Strength; He is always ready to help in times of trouble (Psalm 46:1).
+God has not given me a spirit of fear. Instead, He gives me power, love, and self-discipline (2 Timothy 1:7 ESV).
+God forgives all my iniquities and heals all of my diseases (Psalm 103:3).
+I am blessed when I come in and blessed when I go out (Deuteronomy 28:6).
+The Lord makes me the head and not the tail, above and not beneath (Deuteronomy 28:13).
+I am steadfast of mind. The LORD keeps me in perfect peace because I trust in Him (Isaiah 26:3).
+I am confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in me will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ (Philippians 1:6).
When things start going against us we don’t need to hide or be afraid. We don’t need to focus on just the natural. We need to open our hearts, our minds and our souls to the Supernatural Power and Presence of the LORD. We need to do as King David does here in the midst of the biggest battle he ever faced and that is declare that the LORD loves you, protects you and will sustain you.
III. David Rests in His Relationship with God – v. 5-6
Verses 5 and 6 testify of how much David’s relationship with God gave him a peace that passes all human understanding.
You could imagine that with all that was going on David would be pacing throughout the night. You could imagine him not being able to get a minute sleep being overcome with worry, anxiety and concern.
But that is not the picture David shares. Even when all has crashed around him, David is able to sleep.
And not only did he go to sleep he is able to wake up.
He is able to wake up because he believes that God will protect him in the middle of the night against an enemy that may have infiltrated his camp.
It would have been easy for a family member, a person from Shimei’s camp or even one of his own trusted men to have slit his throat during the night and brought an end to all of this running and hiding. It would have been easy for someone to be tempted to just end it all for David and proclaim Absalom as King of Israel. After all, there might have even been a big reward if King David is found murdered the next morning.
But David is not worried about that. Even as the LORD had delivered him from the sword of Goliath and the hands of King Saul the LORD would enable him to be able to get a good night sleep.
Have you ever had a sleepless night?
+Doctor’s appt. the next day – wondering what they are going to say
+School event or test the next day
+A meeting with the boss
+Having to deal with an unruly child or unpleasant family situation
+A bill is due but there is not enough money to pay for it
David’s faith and relationship reminds me of the story we read about in Mark 4:38-40. While everyone is freaking about the storm the Bible tells us that Jesus is sleeping on a cushion at the back of the boat.
Paul talks about this kind of peace in Philippians 4:4-7:
“Always be full of joy in the LORD. I say it again – Rejoice! Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the LORD is coming soon.
Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.”
Perhaps the Apostle Paul had King David here in mind. David had testified of God’s greatness. He had prayed to the LORD and now he was enjoying God’s peace which we have to admit had to make everyone wonder how David could sleep at a time like this.
But then again when you live in the supernatural you can do things that people in the natural don’t quite know what to say or think. In the natural, David should have been a basket case. But because he knew who God was and who he was in God we see that he can experience a peace that transcends our understanding. That is what it means to live in the supernatural; to live in the Holy Spirit.
IV. David Hopes in Victory
Some in the modern church have great difficulty in how David finishes his psalm. They rejoice in his confidence and they are amazed at how he can experience so much peace. But they are repelled by the verse that speaks of:
“slapping/hitting/striking all my enemies in the face!
“Shattering/breaking the teeth of the wicked!”
They talk about the fact that this shows that David was not yet a true man of God. They believe that there is still too much warrior in the old king. He needs to be a man of gentleness and meekness.
I believe that they misunderstand verses 6 – 7.
David is not being vengeful. I believe David understands the situation not just from a natural viewpoint but like the Apostle Paul from a spiritual viewpoint.
In Ephesians chapter 6 the Apostle Paul shares with us about the Armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-18). Now, he is not saying that we are to take up a sword and begin killing non-Christians or people who are not on our side.
He makes that plain in Ephesians 6:12 –
“For we are not fighting against flesh and blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.”
David knew who his real enemy was that day. It was not his son Absalom. It was not his former generals, counselors and citizens. It was not relatives of King Saul. It was first and foremost Satan and his legion of demons. It was evil spirits and dark powers.
David knew the truth that when you go to battle against evil it is never easy and you have to go in to win the battle. Spiritual darkness cannot be played with. Evil spirits cannot be tamed or toyed. Evil must be cast out. Evil in any form cannot be tolerated.
David knew this. The reason for this whole mess started back with what he did to Bathsheba and her husband.
David was not being vengeful. What he was being was truthful. Salvation can be and usually is a nasty piece of work.
Think about that for a moment.
-Salvation can be and usually is a very nasty piece of work-
Think for a moment what it took for your salvation and my salvation. We read the story in Matthew 26-27; Mark 14-15; Luke 22-23 and John 18-19.
All of those passages describe horrible scenes of betrayal, false arrest, spitting, slapping, beating, a crown of thorns and an old rugged cross. All of those speak of Jesus being mocked, falling down under the weight of the cross and suffering of thirst on the Cross.
Our salvation did not come at a small price nor was it a nice event. It was Hell; pure and simple. Jesus fought Hell to secure our salvation.
Psalm 22 looking forward gives us these words:
“My life is poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint. My heart is like wax, melting within me. My strength has dried up like sun baked clay. My tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth.”
“They have pierced my hands and feet, I can count all my bones. My enemies stare at me and gloat. They divide my garments among themselves and throw dice for my clothing.”
Isaiah 52:14-15 puts it this way:
“But many were amazed when they saw him. His face was so disfigured he seemed hardly human and from his appearance, one would scarcely know he was a man.”
Isaiah 53:3
“He was despised and rejected – a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief, We turned our backs on him and looked the other way. He was despised, and we did not care.”
There is nothing beautiful or gentle about the price Jesus paid for our redemption. There was nothing beautiful about what Hell tried its best to do. All the hate that Hell, that Satan, his demons and even humanity could pile on Jesus they did. They did everything to shame Jesus, to mock Jesus and to inflict the worst possible pain and suffering that they could.
Our salvation came at a nasty price. It was a bloody scene.
David knew that to win this war against evil and against sin it would not be pretty. And so he prays for evil to be slapped down by God’s Mighty Hand. He prays for evil to have its teeth shattered so that it can no longer tear or cause damage. He wants evil to be silenced. That is what we read about in verse 7.
And the David ends his song (psalm) with a testimony and a prayer
Lord, only you can bring about Victory. This is a battle bigger than King David and all his people. This battle is even bigger than our human enemies. This battle is one only You LORD can help us win.
Lord, may You bless (have grace, compassion) Your People. We lift ourselves up to You. We worship You. We bow before You.
If you have read Absalom’s story then you know it did not end well for him or for his followers. His pride and arrogance caused him to be destroyed. He allowed the devil to lead him to his own ruin.
David wins back the throne and prepares the way for King Solomon. David wins back the throne through God’s grace as he works with his leaders and soldiers. David’s return and the people’s salvation came at a tremendous cost.
This morning, you may be going through a tough time or you may know someone who is going through a tough time. A struggle that in the natural looks like it might destroy either you or them.
This morning, if you want to pray for someone or for yourself that God will give you supernatural strength, that God will give you supernatural knowledge and wisdom then I am going to invite you to come down and either sit on the front pew or stand here as we close in prayer.
I believe this morning that we serve a God who wants to save our souls, our hearts, our minds and our bodies. I believe that we serve a God who wants to show us the way to victory.
Closing:
Prayer/Hymn/Open Altar
