Sermon Tone Analysis

I don’t know if you noticed, but the war in Ukraine has taken over the news.

So much so that they now have to run stories to explain that not everything else in the news relates to the war in Ukraine, like the high gas prices.

I DO NOT want to minimize this horror.

All I want to say is that with all this attention being paid to that conflict, it’s easy to forget the other conflicts that are ongoing for our brothers and sisters around the world.

The Banyamulenge in eastern DRC, Afghanistan and Iran, North Korea, and so many other places where right now, our brothers and sisters in the faith are literally surrounded by enemies, with no hope of salvation other than a miracle from God.

Psalm 3 is written by someone in the middle of a civil war.

Context is in the title, David wrote this when he fled from Absalom his son (2 Samuel 15:13ff).

Absalom had become disillusioned by David’s sins and how they affected their family.

Let’s just say that David was a pretty good king, but a really bad dad.

The results were far from pretty.

Rape, revenge, exile, political intrigue.

The Jerry Springer Show was mild compared to these guys.

David’s enemies are members of his own family.

Maybe we think we’ve experienced this, but it didn’t result in a civil war.

This psalm is about something bigger than family squabbles we may have.

This psalm is the cry of God’s righteous Messiah for the salvation of His people.

As do so many people all around the world today, David cries out to God for salvation.

What we’ll learn today is that, even in the midst of conflict, we can find confidence and rest in the salvation we have in Jesus the Messiah.

The Need for Salvation

1-2 The need for salvation: Surrounded by foes, taunting

Every leader has their detractors who may question their validity.

But when the detractors turn into outright foes, there is trouble brewing.

In David’s case, the number of active opponents was growing. 2 Samuel 15 tells us that even one of David’s advisor, Ahithophel, had betrayed him and sided with Absalom.

So here’s David’s situation: his son has rebelled against him in a political coup and is raising an army against him, David’s friends are divided, and all of David’s enemies have used it as an opportunity to pile on.

5 When King David came to Bahurim, there came out a man of the family of the house of Saul, whose name was Shimei, the son of Gera, and as he came he cursed continually.

6 And he threw stones at David and at all the servants of King David, and all the people and all the mighty men were on his right hand and on his left.

Shimei curses David and taunts him, and blames him for every bad thing that has happened to Shimei’s family.

When one of David’s generals named Abishai wants to take off Shimei’s head, David’s response is,

If he is cursing because the LORD has said to him, ‘Curse David,’ who then shall say, ‘Why have you done so?’ ” 11 And David said to Abishai and to all his servants, “Behold, my own son seeks my life; how much more now may this Benjaminite!

Leave him alone, and let him curse, for the LORD has told him to.

12 It may be that the LORD will look on the wrong done to me, and that the LORD will repay me with good for his cursing today.”

13 So David and his men went on the road, while Shimei went along on the hillside opposite him and cursed as he went and threw stones at him and flung dust.

This is incredible.

David, the anointed king of Israel, being treated like a dog, and his perspective is, maybe the LORD has something to teach me here.

I’ll leave this in His hands.

And he bore the shame.

For us, it’s important to understand where we fit in this story.

Many of us feel surrounded by enemies sometimes.

Many of us might pray out of desperation as we see more angry faces around us than friendly ones.

But we are not David in this story, surrendering the battle to the LORD.

Too many of us are like Abishai and want to take off some heads.

So it’s vital we understand who the true enemy is.

Our enemies are not flesh and blood.

People are not your enemy.

Our enemy is Satan, the accuser of the saints of God, and the father of lies.

Our enemy is the sin in our own hearts.

Our enemies are the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly realm that are deceiving many around you right now and keeping them captive until God grants them repentance.

So once we identify our accuser and his lies, we can pray David’s prayer in Psalm 3:1-2.

Look at the lie in these verses.

When you feel overwhelmed in the spiritual battle we are in every day.

When you feel surrounded and alone, misunderstood and abandoned, Satan would like nothing more than for you to give up hope that there is salvation for you in God.

You can use this psalm as your weapon against him.

Let’s see how David uses the truth to battle back this taunt.

The Confidence of Salvation

3 - The confidence of salvation: “But You, O LORD”.

David turns his attention from the voices in the mob toward the LORD.

He meditates on who God is for him.

a shield about me, even though enemies surround David, so does the LORD, but even closer in and stronger

my glory, this word literally means “heaviness”.

A person’s glory is the accumulation of their achievements and belongings, everything about you that makes you important or distinct.

David’s glory is the LORD.

What makes David important and distinct is the LORD is on His side.

the lifter of my head - David had left Jerusalem weeping and barefoot.

When he looked up, all he could see is Shimei the Benjamite.

But when David turns his attention to the LORD, God lifts David’s head higher still to see the place David has in God.

(Colossians 3)

So here is David’s confidence, 4 - The LORD is listening

from His holy hill, cf.

2:6 - the LORD set Messiah on Zion, the holy hill, but in truth, it is the LORD’s throne.

David’s throne was on Zion.

Absalom has usurped David’s throne.

But when David looks back to Mount Zion, He sees someone else there too.

Zion is also the LORD’s throne, and the LORD still sits there, listening and answering.

When you feel displaced, the LORD has not gone anywhere.

He is listening for you.

This brings us peace.

The Peace of Salvation

5 - the person who can sleep through a war zone is the one that trusts God is watching over him.

If the LORD takes his life, he’s in a better place.

And if the LORD has more for him in this life, He will sustain him.

Remember Jesus sleeping in a boat through a storm.

6 - I will not be afraid of people, no matter how many, no matter how aggressive.

Can you and I live this way?

It’s a very human temptation to fear people.

That fear can cripple us from doing the things God has called us to do.

And when we are surrounded by naysayers and accusers, it’s easy to fear that God has abandoned us or taken someone else’s side.

Maybe I went wrong somewhere.

But here is David’s trust in LORD.

He has heard me.

He sustains me.

My life is in his hands.

He is my judge.

And even if I went wrong, “Let us fall into the hand of the LORD, for his mercy is great” (2 Sa 24:14).

So David is completely assured of his salvation in God.

God has made promises to Him.

The LORD is his shepherd, he sustains Him.

Salvation is not found in having lots of friends.

Salvation is not found in everyone thinking well of you.

Salvation is not found in circumstances.

Salvation belongs to the LORD.