Psalm 3

We have to get a little bit of background.

David sinned

2 Samuel 11:26–27 When the wife of Uriah heard that Uriah her husband was dead, she mourned for her husband. And when her mourning was over, David sent and brought her to his house, and she became his wife and bore him a son. But the thing that David had done displeased the Lord.

David would face consequences for his sins.

2 Samuel 12:9–12 Why have you despised the commandment of the Lord, to do evil in His sight? You have killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword; you have taken his wife to be your wife, and have killed him with the sword of the people of Ammon. Now therefore, the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised Me, and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.’ Thus says the Lord: ‘Behold, I will raise up adversity against you from your own house; and I will take your wives before your eyes and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this sun. For you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel, before the sun.’ 

Dave Repented of his sin.

2 Samuel 12:13 So David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” And Nathan said to David, “The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die.

God forgave David but the consequences would remain.

2 Samuel 12:14 However, because by this deed you have given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme, the child also who is born to you shall surely die.

David’s son with Bathsheba died.

Amnon the son of David raped his sister Tamar in chapter 13

Chaos in David’s family

Absalom kills Amnon.

2 Samuel 13:28–29 Now Absalom had commanded his servants, saying, “Watch now, when Amnon’s heart is merry with wine, and when I say to you, ‘Strike Amnon!’ then kill him. Do not be afraid. Have I not commanded you? Be courageous and valiant.” So the servants of Absalom did to Amnon as Absalom had commanded. Then all the king’s sons arose, and each one got on his mule and fled.

Absalom David’s Son became his enemy.

2 Samuel 15:6 In this manner Absalom acted toward all Israel who came to the king for judgment. So Absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel.

This is during the time that David wrote Psalm chapter 3

Psalm 3:1 Lord, how they have increased who trouble me! Many are they who rise up against me.

Israel rallied behind Absalom.

2 Samuel 15:13 Now a messenger came to David, saying, “The hearts of the men of Israel are with Absalom.

The People told David that God will not help him.

Psalm 3:2 Many are they who say of me, “There is no help for him in God.” Selah

Why would the people say that God won’t help David.

1 He can’t because He isn’t powerful enough

Job 42:2 I know that You can do everything, And that no purpose of Yours can be withheld from You.

Romans 8:38–39 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

2 He won’t because of David’s sin

2 Samuel 16:7–8 Also Shimei said thus when he cursed: “Come out! Come out! You bloodthirsty man, you rogue! The Lord has brought upon you all the blood of the house of Saul, in whose place you have reigned; and the Lord has delivered the kingdom into the hand of Absalom your son. So now you are caught in your own evil, because you are a bloodthirsty man!”

This is probably the best answer to David’s current perdicament.

Psalm 66:18 If I regard iniquity in my heart, The Lord will not hear.

There is some merit to this point

3 Because there is no God

Psalm 14:1 The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, They have done abominable works, There is none who does good.

Psalm 19:1 The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork.

Trust God, no matter what others say

Psalm 3:3 But You, O Lord, are a shield for me, My glory and the One who lifts up my head.

Take refuge in God.

Proverbs 18:10 The name of the Lord is a strong tower; The righteous run to it and are safe.

David was on his own, He needed God. He needed to take refuge in God he needed God to be his shield

God is the shield behind which we stand.

Ephesians 6:16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.

We glory in the LORD

Isaiah 42:8 I am the Lord, that is My name; And My glory I will not give to another, Nor My praise to carved images.

Our faith is in the LORD Jesus, the Lord of Glory.

James 2:1 My brethren, do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with partiality.

with partiality we are all equal in God’s eyes even someone like Absalom

God is the one who lifts us up.

James 4:10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.

David experienced a very humbling event, Think of what happened to his family. It was very public very humbling. But God would lift him up through this evet.

God exalts the humble.

Matthew 23:12 And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.

God answers prayer.

Psalm 3:4 I cried to the Lord with my voice, And He heard me from His holy hill. Selah

There is power in praying out loud.

Psalm 28:2 Hear the voice of my supplications When I cry to You, When I lift up my hands toward Your holy sanctuary.

I can bring you a lot of situations in the bible of people praying our loud or corporately. Can you name me one where someone prays in their mind

You can pray non verbally.

1 Corinthians 14:15 What is the conclusion then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will also pray with the understanding. I will sing with the spirit, and I will also sing with the understanding.

The bible doesn’t forbid it. That is not the point I am trying to make I am just making the point that their is power in praying out loud. It is something that you should do every now and then

God hears and after Jesus answers from heaven.

Hebrews 4:15–16 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

David doesn’t promise answer to prayer in this verse. He promises that God will hear.

Answered prayer is a gift of Jesus.

John 16:23 And in that day you will ask Me nothing. Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you.

In Christ you have the priesthood of the believers.

1 Peter 2:9 But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;

This is one of the great gifts of grace others include the Holy Spirit’s presence, salvation at the cross the hope of heaven. These things are different in the church.

David is confident in God.

Psalm 3:5 I lay down and slept; I awoke, for the Lord sustained me.

David slept well because of God.

Proverbs 3:24 When you lie down, you will not be afraid; Yes, you will lie down and your sleep will be sweet.

This is another bible verse to read to someone in the hospital who can’t sleep at night time. We need this type of stuff.

Jesus food was to do the will of the Father.

John 4:32–34 But He said to them, “I have food to eat of which you do not know.” Therefore the disciples said to one another, “Has anyone brought Him anything to eat?” Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work.

Jesus sustains us.

John 4:10–14 Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.” The woman said to Him, “Sir, You have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep. Where then do You get that living water? Are You greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank from it himself, as well as his sons and his livestock?” Jesus answered and said to her, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.”

Jesus provided real food to the 5,000

Jesus meets our needs.

John 6:47–48 Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has everlasting life. I am the bread of life.

John 6:53–56 Then Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him.

This is Jesus hardest but probably most important teaching. People act like they have enough Jesus in their life because they went to church one time and maybe they wear a cross around their neck, but that’s it. That’s not what God wants.

David will not fear in God.

Psalm 3:6 I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people Who have set themselves against me all around.

If God is on your side, you don’t need to be afraid.

Romans 8:31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?

God doesn’t need it, but he has armies to fight for you.

2 Kings 6:14–18 Therefore he sent horses and chariots and a great army there, and they came by night and surrounded the city. And when the servant of the man of God arose early and went out, there was an army, surrounding the city with horses and chariots. And his servant said to him, “Alas, my master! What shall we do?” So he answered, “Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” And Elisha prayed, and said, “Lord, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.” Then the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw. And behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. So when the Syrians came down to him, Elisha prayed to the Lord, and said, “Strike this people, I pray, with blindness.” And He struck them with blindness according to the word of Elisha.

Save Me, O God!

Psalm 3:7 Arise, O Lord; Save me, O my God! For You have struck all my enemies on the cheekbone; You have broken the teeth of the ungodly.

Arise from your throne.

Numbers 10:35 So it was, whenever the ark set out, that Moses said: “Rise up, O Lord! Let Your enemies be scattered, And let those who hate You flee before You.

When God gets up off his throne, His enemies should be scared.

God saves us from the enemy.

Luke 1:71 That we should be saved from our enemies And from the hand of all who hate us,

This is more than just saving us from our sin but it is also the salvation from sin our worst enemy.

God smacks our enemy.

Revelation 19:20 Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone.

that is a day of rejoicing, but I look at all the other times in the bible. Think of Haman, Sennacherib, King Herod eaten by worms in Acts. In the OT the 42 mean who cursed Elisha and mocked his bald head eaten by she bears. That is God smacking the enemy right in the cheek

Psalm 3:8 Salvation belongs to the Lord. Your blessing is upon Your people. Selah

Don’t trust in anything else to save you.

Psalm 20:7 Some trust in chariots, and some in horses; But we will remember the name of the Lord our God.

Salvation comes from God.

Titus 3:5–6 not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior,