Three Fold Blessing

Psalm 3 -

Written by David while fleeing from Absolaom his son. Chapter 3 seems to be a morning prayer chapter 4 seems to be an evening prayer.

You will remember the sad story of David's flight from his own palace, when, in the dead of the night, he forded the brook Kedron, and went” with a Jew, faithful followers to hide himself for awhile from the fury of his rebellious son. Remember that David in this was a type of the Lord Jesus Christ. He, too, fled; he, too, passed over the brook Kedron when his own people were in rebellion against him, and with a feeble band of followers he went to the garden of Gethsemane. He, too, drank of the brook by the way, and therefore doth he lift up the head.

Divided into four parts

1. In the first two verses you have David making a complaint to God concerning his enemies;

2. he then declares his confidence in the Lord (Psa_3:3, Psa_3:4),

3. sings of his safety in sleep (Psa_3:5, Psa_3:6),

A. The threefold blessing which God affords to his suffering ones -

1. Defence, Thou, O Lord, art a shield for me. -

"Here David avows his confidence in God. The word in the original signifies more than a shield; it means a buckler round about, a protection which shall surround a man entirely, a shield above, beneath, around, without and within. Oh what a shield is God for his people! He wards off the fiery darts of Satan from beneath, and the storms of trials from above, while, at the same instant, he speaks peace to the tempest within the breast.

2. Honour, My Glory - speaks of restoration, of returning in triumph

- David was running but he would return to the throne.

There is a story of Gerhardt a minister in Brandenburg in 1659 he was exiled because the Grand Elector wanted to "Tune his pulpits.' Gerhardt would only preach what was in the Word of God. He left with his wife and children weary and weeping trying to find refuge at a wayside inn. unable to comfort the family he went out into the woods to pray. As he prayed the text came to him, "Commit thy way unto the Lord, trust also in Him and He shall bring it to pass." it comforted him so amazingly that he paced to and fro under the trees and began to compose a hymn. This hymn was later translated into English by John Wesley. We don't sing it but I wanted to share some of the words with you tonight.

Give to they winds thy fears;

Hope and be undismayed:

God hears thy sighs, and counts thy tears:

God shall lift up thy head.

Through waves, through clouds and storms,

He gently clears the way.

Wait thou His time; so shall the night

Soon end in joyous day.

3. Joy - The lifter up of my head - though I hang my head in sorrow now it will be turned up and my face filled with joy.

- Job - God restored him and replenished him

- Jesus - You will sorrow, but I'll see you again.

all these may be enjoyed by faith, even in our worst estate.

4. and strengthens himself for future conflict (Psa_3:7, Psa_3:8).