Psalm 3

Deliver Me Oh God

I think I’ve been praying this prayer a lot lately – deliver me oh God! There are days when I feel the world around me is attacking and my foes are increasing! This Psalm reminds me that God is still with me every step of the way. The Psalm was written by David when he was fleeing his son Absalom. A bit of background might be in order here.

2 Samuel 13-18 records the story and I am going to give the really shortened version. Here goes: It begins with David’s son Amnon, who is Absalom’s brother from another mother, raping Absalom’s sister Tamar. David, although angry about this situation, choses not to punish Amnon for some reason. Two years later, Absalom sets up a scenario that leads to him killing Amnon for this crime. Absalom then flees from the presence of David. Even though David misses Absalom he doesn’t send for him to return home. Through a set of circumstances, David finally relents and Absalom returns to Jerusalem, but David will not see him. After two more years, David finally agrees to see him, but it is already too late. Absalom has been left for over four years to grow more and more bitter and now he hates his father David. So he plots and ends up turning the hearts of the men of Israel away from David and toward himself in a bid to take over the kingdom. He is successful and now David is on the run from his son Absalom.

Many would say David deserved what he got. After all, he ignored the sin of Amnon and allowed Absalom’s bitterness to fester. David did make some very poor decisions when it came to his children and now he is paying the consequences. He is running for his life, deserted and cursed by men. Even his trusted advisor Ahithophel has deserted him and is now giving counsel to Absalom. So what does David do? He cries out to the One he knows will sustain him. He turns to God. Psalm 3 is in three phases with each phase ending with the word Selah. The word is used several times throughout the book of Psalms as a pause mechanism – a time to reflect. It is a Hebrew word meaning to lift up and exalt. So now, let’s dive into this amazing Psalm by David.

Vs. 1-2 Lord, how my foes increase! There are many who attack me. Many say about me, “There is no help for him in God.”Selah

David was certainly feeling abandoned. His enemies were all around him and many were saying that God wasn’t going to help him now. Have you ever felt that way? There are going to be times in life when we just are at the end of our rope. Nothing is going right. A job is lost, the bills are due, a friend or loved one has died. There are going to be time in life when everything is hopeless and even those around you are saying there is no help from God. During this current pandemic many have lost their lives, their livelihood, their security, and many feel utterly alone. What is the message that we can bring to people who feel abandoned? Let us pause and reflect on God who is our answer.

Vs 3-4 But You, Lord, are a shield around me, my glory, and the One who lifts up my head. I cry aloud to the Lord, and He answers me from His holy mountain. Selah

God is our shield. He will lift up our heads. When I cry out, he will answer. This is an amazing promise. God will lift up our heads. He is our glory. Dietrich Bonhoeffer was quoted as saying: “God loves human beings. God loves the world. Not an ideal human, but human beings as they are; not an ideal world, but the real world. What we find repulsive in their opposition to God, what we shrink back from with pain and hostility… this is for God the ground of unfathomable love.” God loves us as we are. This is why David knew God still loved him. Even though he had messed up big time and “deserved” what he got, God still loved him. He knew who to cry out to. He knew who to seek after. There is a song out by an artist named Toby Mac. (I believe he is a modern day prophet btw.) The song is called Help Is On the Way and the chorus goes like this: It may be midnight or midday. It’s never early, never late. He gon’ stand by what He claim. I’ve lived enough life to say Help is on the way. Toby Mac is right – God is never early. He is never late. He is right on time. God’s promises will never be broken and His help is always on the way. We must stand on that promise knowing God will lead us into a greater relationship with Himself. His answer may not be what we expect – but it will be the right and best path for us to follow. Finally, because of these promises we can… Time to pause and reflect on God’s goodness before we continue.

Vs. 5-8 I lie down and sleep; I wake again because the Lord sustains me. I am not afraid of the thousands of people who have taken their stand against me on every side. Rise up, Lord! Save me, my God! You strike all my enemies on the cheek; You break the teeth of the wicked. Salvation belongs to the Lord; may Your blessing be on Your people. Selah

And we find because of God’s promises – we are not afraid. I am reminded of the story of Jesus in Mark 4:35-40: “On that day, when evening had come, He told them, “Let’s cross over to the other side of the sea.” So they left the crowd and took Him along since He was already in the boat. And other boats were with Him. A fierce windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking over the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped. But He was in the stern, sleeping on the cushion. So they woke Him up and said to Him, “Teacher! Don’t You care that we’re going to die?” He got up, rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Silence! Be still!” The wind ceased, and there was a great calm. Then He said to them, “Why are you fearful? Do you still have no faith?” The storms are going on, but Jesus had no fear. He was able to sleep knowing God was in control. David was able to sleep knowing God was his shield. He was able to wake up knowing God would sustain him. I love the word in Hebrew for sustain. It is samak ,which means to lean, lay, rest, and support. We can lean on God. We can rest in Him. David was also unafraid knowing God would rise up and save him. Romans 8: 28-31 reminds us of this: “We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God: those who are called according to His purpose. For those He foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brothers. And those He predestined, He also called; and those He called, He also justified; and those He justified, He also glorified. What then are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us?” God has the ultimate good in mind for us. We do not have to worry or be afraid. No matter what happens, God is for us. And if this is so – there is no one that can be against us. We know the ending of the story – God defeats the enemy. That doesn’t mean there will not be hardships along the way. It doesn’t mean we will not encounter opposition. It doesn’t even mean we are spared the storms of life. What it does mean is in those storms, God is with us. During the hardships, we can lean on Him. And finally, we pause to reflect on the fact that help is always on the way – just in God’s time.