People Problems!

Specific Genre: Individual Lament Psalm: The Persecuted!

This makes up the largest group if the entire Psalter.

In the Lament Psalms, the Psalmist opens up his heart to God, pours out the emotional pressure, cries out loud, holds nothing back on God.

These emotionally charged Psalms cry out in desperation for God’s help.

Often the Lament turns to God in confidence.

These are prayers of help!

Systematic Flow of Lament Psalms: The Persecuted!

Problem Stated, Psalms 3:1-2.

God Trusted, Psalms 3:3-6.

God is Petitioned, Psalms 3:7.

God is Praised, Psalms 3:8.

Statement

People are dragging me down, I feel unsettled, unappreciated, unloved, unnoticed, betrayed, abandoned, I’m alone! I’m worried! I’m anxious! I’m angry, I’m hurting, the pain is too much to bear! I’m tired, I’ve cried, I’ve screamed! Is there any help out there? I want to run, but where do I go? I have a problem with people!

Setting/Context

David is running from his son, 1 Samuel 15-18; 15:12-13; 16:7-8; 17:11; 18:7. There is a coup forming against the King, and the forerunner is Absalom David’s son.

“A lie can be halfway around the world before truth has got its boots on.” —James Callaghan.

Absalom wasting over the thrown, David and few of his close attendants have evacuated the palace in Jerusalem and are on the run. They have crossed the Jordan river, and now they are camped out at Mahanaim. David went to bed with a lot on his mind, he wakes with a fresh perspective, this is a morning Psalms. While David was preoccupied with governmental affairs, Absalom, his son, was stealing the hearts of the people. A coup was birthed in the neighboring town of Hebron.

This is the first Psalm with an historical title. It possibly was written the first morning David woke from being on the run from Absalom.

The first Psalms entitled, “Psalm.” “Psalms” is the Hebrew word “mizmor," meaning, “running or cutting off the superfluous twigs.” David gets rid of the wordy phrases and gets down to business. There is not right way or pretty way of saying it when life becomes full of problems.

Psalms 3 is made up of short sentences. When a person finds themselves in trouble, they will not waste time with words, David’s in trouble and there is no other way of saying it.

Serious Problem, Psalms 3:1-3.

People cause us more problems than any other problems we encounter in life, Psalms 3:1-3 may are my foes…many are rising against me…many are saying. Psalms 34:19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous. Family problems, friendship problems, co-worker problems, church people problems, just people problems. People are problematic. People are hard to deal with, hard to stomach, hard to get along with.

People are insensitive, mean, rude, crude, unloving, unforgiving, hostile, jealous, envious, angry. People say hurtful things, make unjustified accusations, spiteful, manipulative, point fingers, talk behind your back. People will turn on you in a moments time. People will throw you under a bus and throw the bus in reverse. Selfish, egotistical, arrogant, and will leave you high and dry for the betterment of their own lives. They don’t forget and they never truly forgive.

It feels like people problems never end. Is there no limit? C H Spurgeon, “Troubles always come in flocks, and sorrows have big families.” How many people does it take to make life miserable; just one!

Life never feels more hopeless than when it feels that not even God cares about the problems you are dealing with, Psalms 3:2 Many are saying of my soul, “there is no salvation for him in God.” To paraphrase, “Hah! No help for you in God!”

“It is the most bitter of all afflictions to be led to fear that there is no help for us in God.” —C H Spurgeon.

Thank God! If you have a few good friends… David had a few good friends! Thank God! If you have some good friends!

David had Joab, dependable, he would be there no matter what!

David had Benaiah, fearless, courageous, he will be brave for the both of you.

David had Abishai, been there and done that kind of guy, he has walked in your shoes. Abishai had once killed 300 man with one spear, he knew what it felt like to have the whole world against you.

“Sela,” here is something to think about.

“Sela,” means, “to lift up” it is thought to be a crescendo mark in music; Boom it out! Pull out all the stops! A roar of music to draw the attention. Another meaning, “there, what do you think about that!” or “Print that in italics! Print that in all capital letters!”

Too often we can only blame the person we see in the mirror. David was dealing with family problems because he had made some very bad choices in life, 2 Samuel 11; 2 Samuel 12:1-12. David was reaping the harvest of bad choices and self-gratification, 2 Samuel 12:11 Thus says the Lord, ‘Behold, I will raise up evil against you out of your own house.

Supposition

The Psalms gives a three-fold proposition to dealing with people problems.

Study Outline

Get your Eyes Off People and on God, Psalms 3:3-4.

How many people does it take to make life miserable; ONE. It only takes One God to change it all.

Psalms 3:1-2, David is not ignoring his problems, downplaying his problem, denying his problem, David is getting a new perspective on his problem. Instead of becoming reactive, David had to become proactive. David could not allow his problem to grow to a disproportionate size, to control his life, and set the trajectory.

Psalms 3:3 But you… The change came when David refocused his attention. David had to come to the place where he is fully aware of what he had in God. God is bigger than my problems! In comparison to God, our problems shrink to a manageable proportions; God can fix this! God is always bigger than my problems. But it is hard for me to see this when I am always looking at my problems!

God would Protect David, Psalms 3:3 But you, O LORD, are a shield about me. Often God has to protect us from ourselves when it comes to dealing with people problems; attitudes, reactions, our tendency to retaliate with hurtful words, the impulse to do wrong.

God can Put it back together, Psalms 3:3 my glory… God can fix crumbling and broken relationships. God can fix it, God restores!

God would help David maintain Perspective, Psalms 3:4 the lifter of my head. God will keep my head above the water!

God would Provide the answers David is looking for, Psalms 4:4 I cried aloud…he answered. God has all the answers to my problems. I have to stop trying to fix it, figure it out, formulate a plan. Psalms 34:6 This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him and saved him out of all his troubles.

1st proposition: Get your eyes off of people and on God.

Give it God and Leave it! Psalms 3:5-6.

2 Samuel 17:1–2 ESV

1 Moreover, Ahithophel said to Absalom, “Let me choose twelve thousand men, and I will arise and pursue David tonight. 2 I will come upon him while he is weary and discouraged and throw him into a panic, and all the people who are with him will flee. I will strike down only the king,

The most dangerous thing David did was go to sleep. But it was all David could do.

The situation outsized David, this time there were no stones, only sleep!

Closing your eyes sometimes is the only way to see God!

Nothing will keep you awake at night like problems with people. Problems, anxieties, fears, worries, and every emotion that accompanies people problems, will make for sleepless nights. Minds wondering, thoughts racing, fears imprisoning, resentment fueling, solutions needed.

There is always a spiritual root to sleeplessness. It is the best time to do inventory of areas I’ve failed to give over to God. Ask yourself the question, What do I need to turn over to God?

This is not promoting the “Let go, and let God” concept.

God gives you the ability to think, act wisely. God never encourages us to fold our hands and do nothing. Faith is never passive!

2 Samuel 17:22, David did not sleep the first night of running from Absalom, but at some point David laid it down and slept. When we’ve done all we can, give it to God! God is not a last resort in my problem, after I’ve exhausted my resources, but God places a certain amount of responsibility laid upon us when it comes to people problems.

We have to love them, Matthew 5:44 But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,

Go to them and try and work it out, Matthew 5:22-25

Forgive them, Matthew 6:14-15

Restore them, Galatians 6:1.

When there is an impassible point in the relationship; let go and let God. Lean on God, leave it with God, lay it before God, close your eyes and sleep knowing God’s got this, Psalms 3:6 I will not be afraid of whatever I have to face; God’s got this! Whatever I come up against, whatever the outcome, I’m leaving it with God!

Tomorrow is a new day, Lamentations 3:22-23 It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.

I cannot worry about it, Matthew 6:34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

2nd preposition: Give it to God and leave it!

Make a Good Confession, Psalms 3:7-8.

David wants the whole matter to be over! David is tired, weak, his heart is breaking over his son. David doesn’t even wish ill on Absalom, 2 Samuel 18:5 And the king ordered Joab and Abishai and Ittai, “Deal gently for my sake with the young man Absalom.” And all the people heard when the king gave orders to all the commanders about Absalom, cf. 18:6-13.

3 Take-Aways…

I can only turn to God! Psalms 3:7 “Arise,” God is our only hope. All God has to do is stand up, and all will be better. God will and can handle what threatens to destroy our relationships, Isaiah 54:17 No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn.

I cannot change my situation! Psalms 3:8, Only God can fix my problems, cf. Psalms 127:1-8. God is the only one who can! God alone can put it back together, fix what is broken, restore the welfare; health and happiness, repair, rescue from utter failure. Only God can bring victory, its in the hands of God only.

Something good will come out of this! Psalms 3:8, cf. 2 Samuel 18. We may not like how it turns out, the turn out may cause pain and tears, but knowing God will work for His glory and my God, in spite of painful outcomes, 2 Samuel 18:33 And the king was deeply moved and went up to the chamber over the gate and wept. And as he went, he said, “O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! Would I had died instead of you, O Absalom, my son, my son!”

3rd proposition: Make a good confession!