Salvation belongs to the Lord

BRING YOUR COMPLAINTS TO THE LORD.

David was in trouble and was on the run from his son.

David’s troubles were real, growing, and insurmountable. But he prayed and told the Lord what his enemies were doing and saying.

HE TOLD THE LORD WHAT HIS ENEMIES WERE DOING.

“O Lord, how many are my foes!”

“Many are rising against me.”

This is military language. David was outnumbered. And the opposition was growing. More and more people were switching allegiances and taking a stand against David. David responded by telling the Lord what his enemies were doing.

HE TOLD THE LORD WHAT HIS ENEMIES WERE SAYING.

David’s heart was broken by what his enemies were doing to him. But his broken heart was stepped on by what his enemies were saying about him.

CHARLES SPURGEON said it well: “It is the most bitter of all afflictions to be led to fear that there is no help for us in God.”

“Many are saying of my soul, there is no salvation for him in God.”

The Lord will forgive our sins. But he may not remove the consequences.

A little boy continuously rebelled against his parents. To teach him a lesson, his father told him he would drive a nail into the door of the barn every time he disobeyed. After seeing the nails add up on that door, the son repented of his rebellion. To demonstrate his forgiveness, the father removed the nails from the door. Later, the son returned again with tears in his eyes. The Father asked what was wrong. The son answered, “The nails are removed. But the holes remain.”

Be like Elijah Hoffman and say to your soul...

I MUST TELL JESUS, ALL OF MY TROUBLES. I CANNOT BEAR THESE BURDENS ALONE IN MY DISTRESS, HE KINDLY WILL HELP ME HE EVER LOVES AND CARES FOR HIS OWN.

PLACE YOUR CONFIDENCE IN THE LORD.

In the opening verses of this prayer, David complains about what his enemies are doing to him and saying about him. In verses 3-6, David shifts his focus to the Lord.

PLACE YOUR CONFIDENCE IN WHO THE LORD IS.

Many people had concluded that the Lord had forsaken David.

David responds defiantly in verse 3:

“But you, O Lord, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head.”

THE LORD IS MY SHIELD.

A shield is a round military instrument a warrior would hold in one hand in battle to deflect the arrows, swords, and spears of the enemy as he fought with the other hand. But a shield could only provide limited protection. To shield yourself on one side was to leave the other side unprotected. But the one who trusts need not worry about that danger. The Lord is a shield about me. He covers every side. We have sovereign, complete, and unfailing protection in God.

“O Israel, trust in the Lord! He is their help and their shield. O house of Aaron, trust in the Lord! He is their help and their shield. You who fear the Lord, trust in the Lord! He is their help and their shield.” Psalm 115:9-11

THE LORD IS MY GLORY.

The word used here for glory is the word that typically refers to the glory of God. When used in reference to humans, it speaks of dignity and honor. David is saying here that his sense of self-identity and self-worth is rooted in God. Being banished from his throne and exiled from his city by his own son dishonored David. Yet David declares that his honor was not in his throne, city, subjects, armies, or riches. The Lord is my glory. Literally, David says, “I am somebody – not because I am a king – but because I belong to the one who is the true King of heaven and earth. The Lord is my glory.”

THE LORD IS THE LIFTER OF MY HEAD.

In the ancient world, subjects would bow before a monarch as he judged their case. If the monarch sided against the subject, he would put his foot on their neck, to express his condemnation. But if the monarch sided with the subject, he would vindicate him by lifting his head up. David says, “I have presented my case to the Lord. And I am confident that when he hears my case, he will lift up my head.”

That’s what God will do for those who trust in him. He will lift up your head.

PLACE YOUR CONFIDENCE IN WHAT THE LORD HAD DONE.

What gave David such confidence that the Lord was his shield, glory, and head-lifter? David based his confidence on what the Lord had already done for him. David had a faith file to remind himself of the faithfulness of God in his life.

This faith file reminded David of three things the Lord had done for him.

GOD ANSWERS PRAYER.

“I cried aloud to the Lord, and he answered me from his holy hill.”

This expresses the fervency of David’s prayer. There is a time for quiet, contemplative prayer. And there is a time to cry out to the Lord.

Your prayers will not mean anything to God until they mean everything to you.

“This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him and saved him out of all his troubles.” Psalm 34:6

CHARLES SPURGEON said it well: “We need not fear a frowning world while we rejoice in a prayer-hearing God.” Notice from where the Lord answered David’s prayer: “from his holy hill” – the place of the Lord’s sanctuary, where the presence of God dwelt with his people. David had been banished from his throne by his enemies. But his enemies had not banished God from his throne. God was still on the throne even though David was on the run.

GOD SUSTAINS.

verse 5:

“I lay down and slept; I woke up again, for the Lord sustained me.” Psalm 3:5

The proof that has been there for you: You are still here! You laid down and went to sleep and woke up again because the Lord sustains you.

GOD RELIEVES FEAR.

“I will not be afraid of many thousands of people who have set themselves against me all around.” Psalm 3:6

This does not mean that David did not have anything to be afraid of. He had plenty of reasons to be afraid. But because he knew who his God was and what his God had done for him, David determined that he was not going to allow fear to dictate how he responded.

“Courage is just fear that has said its prayers.”

Trust in God relieves fear. It does not matter how great the opposition may be. Numbers are not everything.

If God is on your side, you are in the majority.

Psalm 27:1–2 ESV

1 The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? 2 When evildoers assail me to eat up my flesh, my adversaries and foes, it is they who stumble and fall.

GIVE YOUR CONFLICT TO THE LORD.

The Lord is ready, willing, and able to fight for us and give us the victory.

GOD WILL FIGHT FOR YOU.

Psalm 3:7 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.

In verse 7 David prays, “Arise, O Lord!” This is a war cry in which David calls on God to act on his behalf. This was also Moses’ war cry as he led the children of Israel through the wilderness.

Then David prays, “Save me, O my God!” In verse 2, the people are saying that there is no salvation for him in God. But David refused to believe the report of unbelieving people. He went to God for himself and called him, “My God.” On the basis of his personal relationship with the Lord, he prayed that the Lord would save, help, rescue, deliver, and liberate him.

David’s bold request was based on two realities: “For you strike all my enemies on the cheek; you break the teeth of the wicked.”

This is another first. Psalm 3 is the first Imprecatory Psalm. In laymen’s terms, an imprecatory prayer is a “get ‘em, Lord” prayer.

The words are harsh. But David does not take matters into his own hands. He is asking God to fight his battle.

Striking the cheek pictures insult more than pain. David asks the Lord to put his enemies in their place.

Breaking the teeth pictures the wicked as ravenous animals. But David does not ask God to kill them. He just asks God to knock their teeth out, so they can’t devour him. God does not have to move you to protect you. You can be surrounded by predators. But God can knock their teeth out so they cannot harm you.

GOD WILL GIVE YOU VICTORY.

Psalm 3:8 ESV

8 Salvation belongs to the Lord; your blessing be on your people! Selah

Verse 8 says, “Salvation belongs to the Lord.” Many people said there was no salvation for David in God. But they did not have the last word. Salvation does not belong to man. It belongs to God.

Salvation belongs to the Lord.

Scholars call this Monergism. Synergism is when different elements work together to produce a greater result. Monergism means God does not need any elements to help him produce salvation.

God alone saves.

The only thing we contribute to the process of salvation is the guilt of our sin.

God does the rest!

Ephesians 2:8-9 says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”

Then David prays, “your blessing be on your people!” This final benediction makes it clear that this personal testimony is not just about David. It is for all who trust in the Lord. There is no secret what God can do. What God did for David, God can do for you. God will give you the victory.

The Lord is faithful to bless his people.