Psalm 3
David’s son Absalom rebelled against him verse 1- 2
LORD – how are they increased that trouble me
many are they that rise up against me
many there be which say of my soul
There is NO HELP for him in God Selah
David prays to the LORD for help verse 3- 4
BUT YOU – O LORD – are 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 Selah
David rested in the assurance of help from the LORD verse 5- 6
I laid me down and SLEPT
I awaked – FOR the LORD sustained me
I will not be afraid of ten thousand of people
that have set themselves against me round about
David asks LORD to deal with his enemies verse 7- 8
Arise O LORD – save me – O my God
FOR YOU hast smitten all mine
enemies upon the cheek bone
YOU have broken the teeth of the ungodly
Salvation belongs unto the LORD
YOUR blessing is upon YOUR people Selah
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
: 1 LORD, how are they increased that trouble me! Many are they that rise up against me. (6862 “trouble” [tsar] means someone who offers opposition, adversary, foe, enemy, distress, affliction, enemy, or destress.)
DEVOTION: In the Christian life it seems like there are more people against us than for us. It seems at times that those who claim to know Christ as their Savior are part of the problem rather than part of the solution.
Christians can seem to be the ones who find fault in fellow Christians more than those who don’t know Christ. It is sad but true that even in the church there are more discouragers than encouragers. That is why it is so sad.
Today we need to realize that fellow Christians need people who will come alongside to help someone who is struggling rather than someone who looks at them and judges them not worthy of help.
David was feeling this problem while he was king of Israel. He was feeling this problem from the time he killed Goliath. He was feeling it while he was running from Saul and his army. He was feeling it when his son rebelled against him.
Too often it can be our family and our church family that give us the rough time. This group should be the most encouraging rather than those who seem to put you down every chance they get.
The Bible is trying to teach us that fellow believers are to be the ones who encourage as much as they can. The LORD encouragers us even when fellow believers are not doing it. If you are called of God and know Jesus Christ as your Savior you should be one that helps fellow believers who are struggling.
CHALLENGE: When you see a fellow believer struggling what are you doing to help him/her out of this time period?
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
:3 But You, O LORD, are a shield for me, My glory and the One who lifts up my head. The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson,
1982), (“shield”מָגֵן, מָגֵן, מֶגֶן [magen, mâginnah /maw·gane/] n m. From 1598; TWOT 367c; GK 4482 and 4483 and 4484; 63 occurrences; AV translates as “shield” 48 times, “buckler” nine times, “armed” twice, “defence” twice, “rulers” once, and “scales + 650” once. 1 shield, buckler. James Strong, Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2001).
DEVOTION: Though the enemies of our soul encompass and rage against us we have a shield that protects and deflects the thrusts of the adversary! The best defense the believer can ever have in a battle is the shield that is erected by the Lord! Consider what the Psalmist states in others passages of Psalms; “For You, O LORD, will bless the righteous; With favor You will surround him as with a shield.” Psalm 5:12; “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 28:7.
Believer, when the enemy attacks remember who your shield is and hide behind HIM! With the knowledge of that shield you as a believer are assured of victory and can lay down and sleep (5:5); have courage against overwhelming odds (5:6); and sing songs of praise! (28:7) (Dr. Brian Miller – board member)
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: 5 I laid me down and slept; I awaked; for the LORD sustained me. (5564 “sustained” [camak] means to prop, to lean upon, bear up, establish, rest self, stand fast, or stay.
DEVOTION: Have you ever had family members act like your enemy? What did you do? How about some people in your church? What did you do?
Here we have a son of David rebelling against his father. He had killed a brother because he had disgraced his sister. The judgment of David was to exile him from the land. Finally, a friend talked David into returning him back into the land. Once he was back he tried to turn the people against David and elect him king.
David is praying to the LORD during the rebellion of his son Absalom. He had to run out of the city of Jerusalem. He had to go over the Jordan River to get away from Absalom and his army.
However, in the midst of this running he prayed. This psalm is that prayer. He tells the LORD that there are enemies all around him. His enemies say that the LORD will not help him. But David trusted in the LORD.
He cried to the LORD. The LORD heard him. The result was a good night’s sleep. He trusted that the LORD would keep him alive, even if, there were ten thousand enemies around him. He realized that deliverance came from the LORD.
When we face our enemies, we need to realize that they are not stronger than God. We need to turn every situation in our lives over to HIM. We need to trust HIM to do what is best for us in any situation. It is hard. It is especially hard, if those who are giving us a hard time are part of our physical or spiritual family.
Trusting in the LORD no matter who is giving us a hard time is a challenge that the LORD wants to put in our life to see our reaction. HE witnessed David’s reaction. Will our reaction be the same? Should it be the same? Do we believe the promise that HE will provide for our every need? Is victory over enemies a NEED most of the time?
CHALLENGE: Sleep is a necessary asset for all human beings. If we can turn our problems/enemies over to the LORD would that give us a restful night? Lean on the LORD for every enemy. Try it!!!
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DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
: 7 Arise, O LORD, save me, O my God: for YOU have smitten all mine enemies upon the cheekbone; YOU have broken the teeth of the ungodly. (7563 “ungodly” [rasha] means wicked person, someone who is characterized by wickedness and godlessness, criminal, unrighteous, or having an unrighteous cause.)
DEVOTION: In our world there are more wicked people than good people that love the LORD. It is a fact that most of the people we meet in the street are not those who are following the LORD. They are going in their own direction which is in the opposite direction from those who are trying to serve the LORD.
We have to pray each day that the LORD will protect us from those who don’t love HIM. We have to make sure that we are not going in the same direction as they are going with our actions or words.
Too often we find that even those who claim Christ are using the language of the world and doing the actions of those who don’t love the LORD. This is sad but true.
We have to make sure that each day we are walking the way the LORD wants us to and that can only happen if we are in the Word of God and asking the Holy Spirit for help to make wise decisions each day.
It would seem good to us that the LORD would keep those who don’t love HIM away from us, so that, we are not walking in the wrong direction because the majority are on that path and it seems easier than the path that the LORD wants us to follow.
Are you crying out each day for the LORD to save you from your enemies who are trying to cause you to fall away from the LORD? Are you pleading with the LORD for help as you face each day as David was in this Psalm?
We should be pleading with the LORD for help and then expect HIM to help us as we through HIS strength defeat the enemy in our life.
CHALLENGE: Remember to pray for help each day to walk where the LORD wants you to walk in your service to HIM.
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:8 “Salvation belongeth unto the Lord: Thy blessing is upon thy people. Selah.” (salvation, יְשׁוּעָה, yâshuwʿah (3444), 1 salvation, deliverance. 1a welfare, prosperity. 1b deliverance. 1c salvation (by God). 1d victory.)
DEVOTION: This is the same word from which we get the name of Jesus (Yeshua). This name calls attention to the fact that God is Salvation. This is the salvation that Jesus was to bring (Luke 2:77).
Salvation alone comes from God. This salvation is not only from our sins (past, present, and future), but also from our present trials and difficulties, as well as from ourselves! God is the only ONE who could be big enough to accomplish all of these.
It is significant that this psalm was composed by David when he was on the run from his son Absalom. Absalom had usurped David’s throne, and actually wanted to kill his father in order to solidify his kingdom. Of course, this was not the first time David had had to run for his life. Yet he remembered God’s promises to him, and how God had spared him from murderous Saul. So he reminds himself and us that only God can give salvation from one’s enemies.
The salvation that Jesus provided was not the earthly rescue that the Jews were hoping for. They hoped that God would get rid of the Romans and allow them to set up their own Jewish government again. Many did not understand that the kind of salvation Jesus came to bring was spiritual salvation!
What kind of salvation are we looking for? Are we only looking for salvation and prosperity in the here and now?
CHALLENGE: Remember that God’s plan is much bigger than this, and that we are called to bring HIM glory and magnify HIS name in our lives today! (Dr. Marc Wooten M.D. – board member)
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DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:
BODY
Chastity (Purity in living)
Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)
Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)
Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)
Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)
SOUL
Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)
Frugality (wise use of resources)
Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)
Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)
Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)
SPIRIT
Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)
Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)
Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)
David prayed for LORD to help verse 1- 4
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
Holy Hill verse 4
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DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
LORD – Jehovah (Covenant keeping, Personal) verse 1, 3- 5, 7, 8
God – Elohim (Creator, Sovereign) verse 2, 7
Shield to David verse 3
Glory to David verse 3
Lifter up of David’s head verse 3
LORD heard David’s cry verse 4
Holy Hill verse 4
Sustainer of David verse 5
Slew David’s enemies verse 7
LORD provides salvation verse 8
Blessing of LORD on HIS people verse 8
God the Son (Second person of the Godhead –God/man, Messiah)
God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)
Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)
Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)
Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)
People who trouble David verse 1, 2
Enemies verse 7
Ungodly verse 7
God’s people verse 8
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Ungodly verse 7
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Shield verse 3
Lifter up of mine head verse 3
Cried [prayer] verse 4
Answered prayer verse 4
Sleep verse 5
Sustain verse 5
No fear of enemies verse 6
Salvation verse 7, 8
Blessing verse 8
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
David verse 1- 8
Soul of David
God is his helper
LORD shield for David
LORD lifter up head of David
Sustained by LORD
Cried to the LORD
Heard of the LORD
Not afraid
Sustained by the LORD
Not afraid of ten thousand of people
Enemies smitten by LORD
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
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QUOTES regarding passage
God’s holy hill (4) was doubly relevant, as the place where God had installed both his king, David himself (with all the promises of 2:6ff.), and his ark, the symbol of his earthly throne (cf. 2 Sam. 6:2) and of his covenant. Not Absalom’s decrees, but the Lord’s, will issue from mount Zion, indeed have been dispatched from there already (lit. ‘I cry … and he has answered’), to determine David’s fortunes. The Christian equivalent of this faith is seen in e.g. the prayer of Acts 4:23ff. and the language of Hebrews 12:22ff. (Kidner, D. (1973). Psalms 1–72: an introduction and commentary (Vol. 15, p. 71). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.)
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Ps. 3:4–5. But cleansed by penitence he stands in a totally different relationship to God and God to him from that which men suppose. Every hour he has reason to fear some overwhelming attack but Jahve is the shield which covers him behind and before (בְּעַד constr. of בַּעַד = Arab. ba’da, prop. pone, post). His kingdom is taken from him, but Jahve is his glory. With covered head and dejected countenance he ascended the Mount of Olives (2 Sam. 15:30), but Jahve is the “lifter up of his head,” inasmuch as He comforts and helps him. The primary passage of this believing utterance “God is a shield” is Gen. 15:1 (cf. Deut. 33:29). Very far from praying in vain, he is assured, that when he prays his prayer will be heard and answered. The rendering “I cried and He answered me” is erroneous here where אֶקְרָא does not stand in an historical connection. The future of sequence does not require it, as is evident from 55:17f. (comp. on 120:1); it is only an expression of confidence in the answer on God’s part, which will follow his prayer. In constructions like קֹולִי אֶקְרָא, Hitzig and Hupfeld regard קֹולִי as the narrower subject-notion beside the more general one (as 44:3; 69:11; 83:19): my voice—I cried; but the position of the words is not favourable to this in the passage before us and in 17:10; 27:7; 57:5; 66:17; 142:2, Isa. 36:9, though it may be in 69:11; 108:2. According to Ew. § 281, c, קֹולִי is an accusative of more precise definition, as without doubt in Isa. 10:30 cf. Ps. 60:7; 17:13f.; the cry is thereby described as a loud cry. To this cry, as וַיַּעֲנֵנִי as being a pure mood of sequence implies, succeeds the answer, or, which better corresponds to the original meaning of עָנָה (comp. Arab. ’nn, to meet, stand opposite) reply; and it comes from the place whither it was directed: מֵהַר קָדְשֹׁו. He had removed the ark from Kirjath Jeraim to Zion. He had not taken it with him when he left Jerusalem and fled before Absolom, 2 Sam. 15:25. He was therefore separated by a hostile power from the resting-place of the divine presence. But his prayer urged its way on to the cherubim-throne; and to the answer of Him who is enthroned there, there is no separating barrier of space or created things. (Keil, C. F., & Delitzsch, F. (1996). Commentary on the Old Testament (Vol. 5, pp. 62–63). Peabody, MA: Hendrickson.)
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3:4–5. The reason for David’s burst of confidence (v. 3) is expressed in verses 4–5. God had sustained him through the night in the midst of his enemies, and that protection was a token of the complete deliverance he expected. The Hebrew tenses in these verses are difficult to translate. Though they may be rendered by the English present tense, it is probably better to translate them as past tenses: I cried to the Lord and He answered me. He would have said this the morning after he prayed. (On His holy hill see comments on 2:6.) The answer to his prayer was then explained (again in the past tense): I lay down, and I slept; I awoke, because the Lord sustained me. (Ross, A. P. (1985). Psalms. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, p. 793). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
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Confidence: He Affirms His Trust in the Lord (vv. 3–4)
But David wasn’t a man easily beaten. Without ignoring his problems, he lifted his eyes from the threatening situation around him and looked by faith to the Lord. David knew he was in danger, but God was his shield (see Gen. 15:1). Israel’s king was referred to as a “shield” because he protected the nation (84:9; 89:18), but David depended on God as his shield (7:10; 18:2; 47:9; 59:11; 84:11; Deut. 33:29). David was in disgrace because of his own sins and his son’s treachery, but God was the source of David’s glory. Absalom turned his father’s “glory into shame” (4:2), but one day that glory would be restored. The situation was discouraging, but the king knew that God would lift up his head and restore him to his throne (27:6; 2 Sam. 15:30). His faith was in the promises God had made to him in the covenant recorded in 2 Samuel 7, and he knew God would not forsake him.
The temple had not yet been built on the “holy hill of Zion,” but the ark was there (see 2 Sam. 15:25) and that was God’s throne (80:1, nasb). David may have been forced off his throne, but Jehovah was still on the throne and in control, and Absalom had attacked God’s anointed king (2:2). That was a dangerous thing to do. David kept crying out to God in prayer, knowing that God had not forsaken him in the past and would not forsake him now. “This poor man cried out, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles” (Ps. 34:6, nkjv). (Wiersbe, W. W. (2004). Be worshipful (1st ed., p. 22). Colorado Springs, CO: Cook Communications Ministries.)
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Ver. 4. I cried unto the Lord with my voice, &c.] The experience which the psalmist had of being heard in prayer, was what gave great encouragement to his faith, as to his interest in God and salvation by him, when his enemies were so increased about him; for crying here is to be understood of prayer, as it is often used in this book of Psalms: and so the Targum renders it, I prayed; and this designs vocal prayer. Sometimes there is a crying in prayer and no voice heard, as it is said of Moses, Exod. 14:15 and was the case of Hannah, 1 Sam. 1:13. but this was with a voice, and a loud one, as in Psal. 55:17. denoting ardour, fervency, and importunity; and such prayer avails much with God. The object addressed in prayer is the Lord, the God of his life, and who was able to save him, and supply all his wants. And he heard me out of his holy hill; Selah; either out of the church, the holy hill of Zion, Psal. 2:6. where David prayed and God granted his presence, and gave an answer to his prayers; or out from the mercy-seat and ark, which was a type of the propitiatory, Christ, and which David had brought to his own city, the hill of Zion; or from heaven, the habitation of God’s holiness: David was a man of prayer, and he was often heard and answered by God. And this also is true of Christ, he offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears to God, that was able to save him; and he was heard by him, yea, the father always heard him: and God is a God hearing and answering the prayers of his people, sooner or later; sometimes before, sometimes at, and sometimes after their crying to him. (Gill, J. (1810). An Exposition of the Old Testament (Vol. 3, p. 535). London: Mathews and Leigh.)
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FROM MY READING:
(Remember the only author that I totally agree with is the HOLY SPIRIT in the inerrant WORD OF GOD called THE BIBLE! All other I try to gleam what I can to help me grow in the LORD!!)
Faithful Men
“And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.” (2 Timothy 2:2)
Although this verse has been claimed by many as a model for their ministry, the Bible warns, “Most men will proclaim every one his own goodness: but a faithful man who can find?” (Proverbs 20:6).
Faithful men must be alert and aware of God’s master plan (Matthew 28:19-20), understand the reason for God’s “longsuffering” (2 Peter 3:8-10), and expect and work toward Christ’s return (Matthew 24:42-26).
Such men must be industrious and committed, conscious of the ultimate spiritual evaluation (Matthew 25:14-23), and concerned with even the “least” of the biblical instructions (Matthew 5:19). They must also be faithful stewards (managers) of the mysteries of God (1 Corinthians 4:2) and of the manifold grace (gifts) that the Holy Spirit distributed among His churches (1 Peter 4:10).
Those who desire leadership among the churches must also be exemplary family men. “One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity; (For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?)” (1 Timothy 3:4-5). Moses is renowned in this way (Hebrews 3:5), as is Abraham (Genesis 18:19).
Finally, faithful men must be able to teach others. Such capability is an obvious requirement of those who would take leadership roles in the churches (Titus 1:7-9), but the gift of teaching is noted among all of the biblical listings, implying that the need for such “faithful men” is widespread. However, the capacity to teach others, while a wonderful ability, must be exercised with gravity and carefulness (James 3:1). (HMM III, the Institute for Creation Research)
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God uses Gideon’s 300 men to rout the entire Midianite army.
INSIGHT
“Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit” is the work of the Lord accomplished (Zechariah 4:6). Few stories illustrate that principle more clearly than that of Gideon and his army of 300. God wants prepared men to fight His battles with His weapons in His way. His weapons are not earthly but spiritual. His ways are higher than our ways, and His thoughts are higher than our thoughts. We want to offer God our strength and our weapons and our insight but He does not need them. We need Him. Rather than trying to get God to accept our plans, strategies, and goals, we ought to strive to understand His. His way is the way of victory. (Quiet Walk)
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The purpose of life is not to accumulate but to give. The purpose of live is not to put people down but to lift people up (Thanks Vince)
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