Psalm 3 [series: Lessons On Psalms] Series

Saturday, December 21, 2013

Tom Lowe

Psalm 3

Title: A psalm of David. When he fled from his son Absalom.

1 O LORD, how many are my foes! How many rise up against me!

2 Many are saying of me, "God will not deliver him." "Selah"

3 But you are a shield around me, O LORD; you bestow glory on me and lift up my head. 4 To the LORD I cry aloud, and he answers me from his holy hill. "Selah"

5 I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the LORD sustains me.

6 I will not fear the tens of thousands drawn up against me on every side.

7 Arise, O LORD! Deliver me, O my God! Strike all my enemies on the jaw; break the teeth of the wicked.

8 From the LORD comes deliverance. May your blessing be on your people. "Selah"

Introduction

This psalm, by using the example of David when he was experiencing distress, shows us the peace and security of the redeemed, under the divine protection of Almighty God—how safe they really are, and how safe they think they are. David, after he was driven out of his royal city by his rebellious son Absalom, is described as doing five things:

1. He complains to God about his enemies, specifically that there are so many of them (vv. 1, 2).

2. He confides in God, and is encouraged as he is reminded of His protection and blessings (v. 3).

3. He recollects the satisfaction he had in the gracious answers God gave to his prayers, and the joy he experienced because God had been so good to him (vv. 4, 5).

4. He expresses his confidence in God’s ability and willingness to protect him from his enemies. (v. 6).

5. He asks the Lord to rise up against his enemies and strike them on the jaw and break their teeth; give him victory over them (v. 7).

6. He gives God the glory and takes comfort of the divine blessing and salvation which are sure to come to all the people of God (v. 8).

David here speaks of the power and goodness of God, and of the safety and tranquility of the godly.

Commentary

1 O LORD, how many are my foes! How many rise up against me!

2 Many are saying of me, "God will not deliver him." "Selah"

This Psalm is said to have been written by David on the occasion of him escaping from his son Absalom. The details of this event are recorded in 2 Samuel 15-18, but the heart of the matter is recorded in this Psalm.

When he wrote this Psalm David was in a great deal of trouble. His own son led what seemed to be a successful rebellion against him. Many of his formerly close friends and associates deserted him and joined the ranks of those who supported Absalom. Absalom must have been very popular with the people of Israel, for we read in 2 Samuel 15:13, “A messenger came and told David, ‘The hearts of the men of Israel are with Absalom.’” David knew that Absalom was a ruthless man who valued power over principle. He didn’t want the city of Jerusalem to become a battleground, so he fled the city.

David’s situation was so bad that many of the Israelites felt he was beyond God’s help. It was not that they believed God was unable to help David; they probably felt that God was unwilling to help him. They looked at David’s past sin and figured, “This is all that he deserves from God. There will be no help for him coming from God.” Hushai was an example of someone who said that God was against David and he was just getting what he deserved—“Hushai said to Absalom, ‘Why should I? You are the one the LORD has chosen. These people and all of the men of Israel have also chosen you. I want to be on your side. I want to stay with you’” (2 Samuel 16:8). This thought was the most painful of all for David - the thought that God might be against him and that there is no help for him coming from God.

The glorious teaching of these first two verses lies in the fact that, "Trouble drove David to God in prayer, and not away from God in disbelief." When disaster threatens and everything seems to have gone wrong, it is never a time for falling into a spirit of bitterness, depression, and unfaithfulness, but a time for prayer and for casting ourselves upon the mercy of God.

Charles Spurgeon, when writing about this verse said “If all the trials which come from heaven, all the temptations which ascend from hell, and all the crosses which arise from the earth, could be mixed and pressed together, they would not make a trial so terrible as that which is contained in this verse. It is the most bitter of all afflictions to be led to fear that there is no help for us in God.”