Psalm 3
A psalm of David. When he fled from his son Absalom.
1 LORD, how many are my foes!
How many rise up against me!
2 Many are saying of me,
“God will not deliver him.”
3 But you, LORD, are a shield around me,
my glory, the One who lifts my head high.
4 I call out to the LORD,
and he answers me from his holy mountain.
5 I lie down and sleep;
I wake again, because the LORD sustains me.
6 I will not fear though tens of thousands
assail me on every side.
7 Arise, LORD!
Deliver me, 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.
McGurgle Comments:
David was king of Israel 1000 years before Jesus came to the earth. Absalom was a son of David. Absalom was envious of David and wanted to become king so he attacked David. A Father being attacked by a son, It shook David to the core. It was not something David had bargained for. David full of fear and shock escaped to a safe place. Absalom full of pride and arrogance said, "Now I am king of Israel".
But David asked God for help. David became king again. Absalom died. The story of what happened can be found in the Second Book of Samuel, chapters 15 - 19. Why not read it?
David wrote Psalm 3 not long after he ran away. He wrote it in anguish one morning. In it, David thanks the LORD for a safe night. Therefore Psalm 3 is called a "Morning Song". It is no small thing to say that perhaps this psalm encourages us firstly to thank God every morning for keeping us safe in the night.
The meaning of Psalm 3 "The Morning Song"
David Sees Trouble
In Verses 1 – 2: David Sees Trouble. David calls God by the name LORD. David is a friend of God, so he uses a special name, LORD, with 4 capital letters. In Hebrew it is translated YAHWEH. Absalom and his men call God ELOHIM which we translate God. They do not use the special name. There is something wonderful here about the relationship that David has with God. YAHWEH is used by David in an intimate way. Every day more people followed Absalom. Absalom and his people said, "God will not save David". David was afraid but also trusted in God so he prayed for help.
David Looks to the Lord
Verses 3 – 4:
David Looks to the Lord. Verse 3 tells us that David prayed. He asked the LORD to be a shield over him. David wanted the LORD to hide him from Absalom and from any trouble that he would bring to him. David wanted to see the glory of God again. The glory of God is like a light inside God. It is linked with the very nature and character of God. It is his essence. It shines brighter than the sun! God has this glory because he is holy. David prayed this aloud and the LORD answered him. Thanks be to God for answered prayers and for his presence in the place of evil and despair. The holy mountain is Mount Zion, where the Jews thought that God lived. For us God lives in the heart so everywhere we go the glory of God can be found and experienced. Some Commentators believe "Lifted up my head" to mean "made me into a king". I on the other hand believe it's David's way of saying "You are the one who encourages me" the lifting of the head that is bowed so low in despair.
The Lord answers David.
Verses 5 – 8: The Lord answers David. The LORD answered David when he prayed. The LORD answered by doing something, not just words but God's action on David's behalf. He did not say anything. The LORD had already hit the enemies of David in the teeth. This is what you would do to a wild animal. It happened when David became king. David wants it to happen again. He also wants good things to happen to all the people of the LORD which Includes us too.
Something easy you can do.
1. Learn Psalm 3: 5 by heart. Say it every morning. ("By heart" means that you can repeat the words without looking at them.)
2. When trouble happens:
· tell Jesus about it
· look away from the trouble to Jesus
· wait for the answer
McGurgle
