Psalm 3: Trusting God When Darkness Falls
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Psalm 3:1–8 (ESV)
1 O Lord, how many are my foes!
Many are rising against me;
2 many are saying of my soul,
“There is no salvation for him in God.” Selah
3 But you, O Lord, are a shield about me,
my glory, and the lifter of my head.
4 I cried aloud to the Lord,
and he answered me from his holy hill. Selah
5 I lay down and slept;
I woke again, for the Lord sustained me.
6 I will not be afraid of many thousands of people
who have set themselves against me all around.
7 Arise, O Lord!
Save me, O my God!
For you strike all my enemies on the cheek;
you break the teeth of the wicked.
8 Salvation belongs to the Lord;
your blessing be on your people! Selah
Opening Prayer
Opening Prayer
In Light of Psalm 1-2 & the Davidic Covenant
In Light of Psalm 1-2 & the Davidic Covenant
There’s a bit of foundation information to this psalm that I want to lay this morning before we actually get into the verses of Psalm 3.
I think it will really help us dive deep into the emotion of Psalm 3.
God told Nathan the Prophet to speak to David regarding the covenant God would make with David...
2 Samuel 7:8–16 (ESV) reading parts
8 Now, therefore, thus you shall say to my servant David, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, ...I will give you rest from all your enemies. Moreover, the Lord declares to you that the Lord will make you a house. 12 When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. 14 I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. When he commits iniquity, I will discipline him with the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men, 15 but my steadfast love will not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you. 16 And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever.’ ”
Now this covenant with David...
The Davidic covenant...
Which also permeates Psalm 1 & 2...
Both of those psalms, being kingship psalms, lay the foundation to the entirety of the Psalter.
And, Psalm 1 & 2 lay the foundation for the blessings that would come to the King through the Davidic covenant...
And, through the King to His people.
Now, Psalm 3...
Now, Psalm 3...
Psalm 3:1–2 (ESV)
1 O Lord, how many are my foes!
Many are rising against me;
2 many are saying of my soul,
“There is no salvation for him in God.” Selah
Here we see the trouble that King David is facing.
David’s Son is Trying to Kill Him
David’s Son is Trying to Kill Him
Think about this parents...
A Psalm of David, when he fled from Absalom his son.
Fleeing from your own child.
Your own child has plotted against you...
Turned your friends, advisors, and many of your citizens against you...
Through trickery and by discrediting you with lies and slander.
Now, he’s coming to take your life.
Think about the heart break.
Think about the gut wrenching emotional pain you’d be experiencing.
Think about the sorrow, anguish, the tears that would be flowing.
David’s Trusted Advisors Have Turned Against Him
David’s Trusted Advisors Have Turned Against Him
Ahithophel, David’s counselor and many others turned from the King...
And, fell in line with Absalom to dethrone King David...
Think of the heaviness to know that trusted friends have turned on you.
They’ve rejected the King.
They’ve conspired against him.
They’ve betrayed his trust, his loyalty, his graciousness towards them.
And, now King David is on the run...
Fleeing for his life.
Psalm 3 being on the heels of Ps. 1 & 2...
This is the opposite of what should be happening.
This is confusing, vexing, perplexing to the King.
Can Ps. 1 & 2 really be true for King David?
Those who are for Absalom are saying...
You’re no longer God’s anointed.
God has abandoned you.
God will not save you.
And, David is hearing and experiencing what seems to be in agreement with the scoffer.
And, this is what living in a fallen world brings.
The Confusion of Suffering
The Confusion of Suffering
Lots of scoffers start speaking.
In 2 Samuel 16…we see Shimei a Benjamite cursing David...
And, telling him he is getting what he deserves.
When scoffers speak and we are not fixed on God...
Doubts infiltrate our minds and hearts.
False words start penetrating our mind.
False views of God start breaking through to the cords of our heart.
Our eyes start straying from the true character of God.
Our memory strays from God’s covenant promises to us.
When suffering comes, we lose sight of what is true and ultimately real.
And, additionally we have to deal with...
The Confusion of Sin
The Confusion of Sin
When suffering enters it can not only take our eyes of of God...
But it can distort our ability to see the cause of our suffering.
Let’s think about what precedes this Psalm from the book of 2 Samuel:
David’s sin with Bathsheba.
David’s loss of his baby child.
Amnon forcing himself on Tamar.
Two years of King David doing nothing to Amnon for his crime against Tamar.
Absalom, Tamar’s brother, having Amnon killed.
Absalom fleeing to his Mom’s family in Geshur and being there three years without a word from his father King David.
Through the wise scenario setting up Joab, David comes to his senses and calls Absalom home.
But, Absalom has to live in his own house, not the home of the King.
Also, forbids Absalom to come into his presence.
Two years goes by and still Absalom is not called to see his father, King David.
Finally, by Absalom’s trickery and through Joab, Absalom gets to come before the King.
All of this is a recipe for disaster.
There is sinful circumstances around every corner...
Committed by David, Amnon, Absalom, and more.
God’s will for handling these scenarios is not being followed by any of the parties.
King David was not obeying Deuteronomy 17.
He was not insuring that justice be held for everyone in the kingdom.
We CAN bring suffering into our life...
We CAN bring suffering into our life...
We’re not told that God is using Absalom as a device to punish David.
We’re told Absalom was behaving sinfully towards King David...
And, Absalom’s excuse was based on the misbehavior of King David...
Especially in the way, King David did not punish Amnon.
The fact that King David did not deal with Absalom for carrying out punishment on Amnon.
And, just basically ignored Absalom for 5 years.
There should have been a huge counseling session...
Reconciliation should have been pursued by all parties...
And, the leader of that pursuit, pushing it to occur, should have been King David.
Now, I want to make two parenthetical statements...
Now, I want to make two parenthetical statements...
First, and please here me on this...
Suffering DOES NOT equal personal sin being the cause...
I CANNOT stress that enough.
Sickness, Unemployment, Broken Relationships...
So many Christians live in despair because they automatically assume that sin in their life has caused these things…(I’ve been sick lately & I need God to show me where I need to repent)
And, this mentality is especially dangerous when you start assuming the cause of other’s suffering.
Don’t do it!
Secondly, suffering entering our life because of personal sin DOES NOT equal losing our salvation...
It CAN equal losing our joy in our salvation.
Psalm 51:12 (ESV)
12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
and uphold me with a willing spirit.
King David knew it was not a second salvation he needed after his sin...
It was the restoration of joy for the salvation he has in God...
And, that comes from a return to resting in God.
But, we don’t just come to realize immediately...
Because the results of sin brings confusion.
And, what do we see that is bringing back King David’s heart from the lies to God?
A Psalm of Lament
A Psalm of Lament
Lament
To express present sorrow & confusion.
To present your lament to God.
To express your difficulties to God.
To strive to further trust in Him, His help, & His justice.
To strive to understand/believe that God is all you need.
We Need Clarity to Lay Hold of the Cure
We Need Clarity to Lay Hold of the Cure
Psalm 3:3–6 (ESV)
3 But you, O Lord, are a shield about me,
my glory, and the lifter of my head.
4 I cried aloud to the Lord,
and he answered me from his holy hill. Selah
5 I lay down and slept;
I woke again, for the Lord sustained me.
6 I will not be afraid of many thousands of people
who have set themselves against me all around.
What King David is doing is...
Trusting God Based on Past Providence
Trusting God Based on Past Providence
He’s recalling the time he fled for his life when King Saul wanted to kill him.
He’s recalling the safety God provided.
He’s recalling the nutrition & sustenance that Gos provided.
He’s recalling the victory and the throne that God provided.
And, there’s something about recalling fond memories.
They endear our hearts to the ones that share in those fond memories.
And, here King David is recalling with fondness the faithfulness of God to take care of him in every way.
But, King David wasn’t just recalling the past faithful providence of God...
Psalm 3:7–8 (ESV)
7 Arise, O Lord!
Save me, O my God!
For you strike all my enemies on the cheek;
you break the teeth of the wicked.
8 Salvation belongs to the Lord;
your blessing be on your people! Selah
King David is also...
Trusting God Based on His Promises to You
Trusting God Based on His Promises to You
What are your covenant promises?
Are you in the Davidic covenant?
Are you in the Mosaic covenant?
Are you in the Abrahamic covenant?
No.
Unless you’re of Jewish nationality you cannot even consider those covenants.
Those are all done away with because they’ve been fulfilled in Christ.
Like Paul said in Galatians...
If you’re hanging on to any of those covenants you’re going back in salvific history...
And, altogether missing the fulfillment of them—in Jesus.
And, this as the NT teaches is why it’s so important to know the promises you have through the covenant you are in.
We fall into despair when we meditate on our circumstances over God’s promises.
Where Are You, Right Now?
Where Are You, Right Now?
Maybe you’re suffering because of sin in your life.
Maybe you’re suffering because of righteous living.
Maybe your suffering as you watch someone you love suffer.
Maybe your suffering because you’ve lost someone or something you loved.
There’s lots of reasons that we suffer in a fallen world...
But, the cure is the same for every scenario...
Turn your eyes to Jesus.
Christ is ultimately the Son-King of the Davidic covenant...
He’s the King that deserved no punishment...
But, took the punishment for the citizens of His kingdom.
Christ builds the ultimate house for God...
His body, which is made up of all who are in union with Christ.
All the promises that are worthy of clinging to are found in Jesus.
Run to Jesus.
He will never leave you, nor forsake you.
Lament with Jesus.
Tell Him your present sorrow & confusion.
Tell Him what your having difficulties with.
Ask Him to help you further trust in Him, His help, & His justice.
Ask Him to help you understand/believe that God is all you need.
Oh, that we would learn to Lament to God.
Closing Prayer
Closing Prayer