Psalm 3
Psalm 3
A psalm of David. When he fled from his son Absalom
1 Lord, how many are my foes!
How many rise up against me!
2 Many are saying of me,
‘God will not deliver him.’
3 But you, Lord, are a shield around me,
my glory, the One who lifts my head high.
4 I call out to the Lord,
and he answers me from his holy mountain.
5 I lie down and sleep;
I wake again, because the Lord sustains me.
6 I will not fear though tens of thousands
assail me on every side.
7 Arise, Lord!
Deliver me, my God!
Strike all my enemies on the jaw;
break the teeth of the wicked.
8 From the Lord comes deliverance.
May your blessing be on your people.
Let us study Psalms and learn how to pray. Today let us study Psalm 3.
I. Many foes (1, 2)
See verse 1. David expresses he has many foes. Devils are accusers. No one is without sins, but they try to make you lose confidence in God by accusing you of your sins.
See verse 2. David says what his foes say of him: ‘God will not deliver him.’ It may be their bad wishes and curses. We can learn this is what the enemy wants and if you believe this, you will not be able to pray to God.
II. Confidence in the LORD (3-6)
Then, how David pray in this situation? See verse 3. He declares LORD is a shield (protection) around him, his glory (reputation), and the One who lifts his head high (encouragement). God has accepted his repentance and forgiven him even though God put him in chastisement.
See verse 4. He calls out to God. He cries aloud to God. God answers him from His holy mountain Zion, Jerusalem, where the Ark of God is.
He had confidence in God’s protection and did not afraid of ‘the number’ (5, 6). Like David, we can confess our faith/confidence in our prayer!
III. Deliver, Strike, Break (7, 8)
See v7. This expression shows the intimacy between David and God. He confidently and actively asks God for deliverance. Also, he expresses outright how his enemies and the wicked to be destroyed. Let us see the evil and wickedness behind the scene and learn this prayer.
Differently to ordinary citizens, policemen would face many more criminals because they stand for justice. Likewise, anyone who stands for the truth would see hatred and (spiritual) attacks from the wicked much more clearly and frequently. Proverbs 8:13 says,
13 To fear the Lord is to hate evil;
I hate pride and arrogance,
evil behaviour and perverse speech.
V7 shows David's stance.
David declares the truth about deliverance, “The deliverance comes from the LORD.” (8a). Amen.
“May your blessing be on your people.” (8b)
David probably said this as the king to bless his people of Israel.
