Psalms of David: Psalm 3

As you know Pastor John is going through a series on Sunday nights called the life of David, and he's asked a couple of the pastors on staff to view the pastors on staff to preach on some of the Psalms written by King David, for the purpose of adding some color on the campus of David's life. But tonight is Psalm three.

Next week is Psalm four with pastor's Abu and then the week after that will be Psalm five with pastor Khalil Psalm three is a lament with real live living tears suitable for a world like our own. It's also the first of 73 Psalms written by King David. His name is in the title. Let me begin by reading it verse 10 Lord, how many are my photos.

Many are rising against me.

Many are saying of my soul.

There is no salvation for him and God say law, but you will Lord our shield about me, my glory and the lifter of my head.

I cried aloud to the Lord and he answered me from his holy hill say law. I lay down and slept.

I woke again, for the Lord sustained me. I will not be afraid of many thousands of people who have set themselves against me all around Araiza Lord save me. Oh my God for you strike all my enemies on the cheek.

You break the teeth of the wicked salvation belongs to the Lord your blessing be on your people say law on August 5 1563.

John Calvin wrote a letter of encouragement to a woman who was the wife of an important leader of the Protestant Reformation in France. She had recently recovered from a few health struggles, and she had multiple health issues going on in Calvin wrote this to her indirect reference to her life's adversity caused by her health problems. He said this and this'll really speak to all of us regarding trials and hardship.

They, that is, our physical afflictions and trials should serve us as medicines to purge us from worldliness and remove what is superfluous in us, and since they are to us. Messengers of death. We ought to learn to have 1 foot, raised to take our departure when it shall please God. Calvin reminds us that trials are used by God to purify us in trials also serve as a reminder that this world is not our home. All of us face trials, various trials, whether health or financial burdens or wayward children.

Death of a loved one cancer constant worry or uncertainty about the future or just a hard difficult situation has turned into a trial.

Some trials come without reason, and others. Trials come from choices and missteps that we've made. Psalm three is like that one. Psalm three is one of adversity brought on by David's own sin I want to give you a little bit of context before I get into the verses so that we understand the background of this text, the superscription you'll see reads a Psalm of David.

You know the story of David Shepherd boy to King that's first and second Samuel record that journey. The second half of the title says when he fled from absolution. His son, let's not overlook those words. Let those words sink in. David is fleeing from his own son. We have asked the question how did this happen. Well, after David's sin with Bathsheba and her husband Uriah and second Samuel 11 God told David that even though he forgave him for his sin, he would still face the consequences of his sin, and so the Lord sent Nathan the prophet to tell David that disaster would come on him from within his own family and just the very next chapter we find Absalom absolution was David's third son born to him it heparin. The Bible says that he was the most handsome man in all the land he had a relentless head of hair, and I think it's safe to say that many men, perhaps even some in here wish that they had Absalom's hair problem Absalom had his own yearly haircutting event and I'm serious. Listen to second Samuel 1426, four at the end of every year when it was heavy on him talking about his hair. He cut it and waited and it was 5 pounds and this really tells us a lot about Absalom. He was very proud of himself and just as good-looking as he was. He was also determined to be the next King. He actually eventually stole the heart of the people he knew how to work a crowd and make friends and he turned many thousands of people on his father David, and so they came after him to kill him to remove him from his throne. So David and some of his men flee the city of Jerusalem, and in second Samuel 15, we learned some very important details for the background of Psalm three David is walking up the Mount of olives. After fleeing the city is walking barefoot and he's weeping in his head is covered.

He's extremely humbled and in the midst of all this, he hears that one of us close friends. I hit the fellow had sided with his son and to make matters worse going on from there. A man came out from the house of Saul and started throwing rocks at David's head and he said this to him get out get out you man of blood, you worthless man the Lord has given the kingdom into the hand of your son Absalom. So David had been betrayed.

He had been conspired against his nation, his friends and even his own son.

We know that David loved his son nearly turned on him.

So David is in a trial and really that's an understatement. It's a a life crushing event. The foundation of Psalm three is David's faith that is anchored in God's word. That said, there are four pictures in Psalm three that teach us what authentic faith looks like in a fallen world picture number one comes in verses one and two. Authentic faith knows God's word. Verse 10 Lord, how many are my foes. Many are rising against me. Many are saying of my soul. There is no salvation for him and God say law the meaning of say law is uncertain.

We don't know exactly what it means. Some of said it's a musical note of some sort or a mark that would cause us to to stop and to reflect on what was just said. But we don't know for certain. Look at verse one into you'll notice the word many. It's repeated three times. Many, many, many, all three working together to paint a picture of the growing hostility they were taunting him.

They were filling his mind with with thoughts about God that were not true. Notice what they were saying to him. There is no salvation for him and God Spurgeon once said this about this verse. He said if all the trials which come from heaven all the temptations which ascend from hell could be mixed and pressed together, they would not make a trial so terrible as the one found in verse two.

It is the most bitter of all afflictions to be led by the enemy to fear that there is no help for us in God." We may not be hiding in the wilderness, so to speak, but we do have an enemy of Peter said your adversary the devil prowls like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour Satan's desired from the moment you were born, was to fill your mind with doubt and temptation. This is one of the reasons why our pastor has so strongly challenged us as a church with Romans 12, which says do not conform to the world, but be transformed in your mind pastor Rodney this morning talked about culture and how culture will lie to us without God's word.

You are lost the enemy the world, our own sinful nature with tell us lies about God and believing those lies have crippling implications on your faith that give birth to fear, anxiety, and hopelessness in a fallen world, and I'm not sure if you noticed the text statistics.

But Christians living in these conditions are staggering. So we have to say what is the answer we must strive to know God's word so that we can discern the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. We remember how Jesus defeated Satan in the wilderness. He knew that the enemy what the enemy was saying was not true so he corrected him and quoted Scripture accurately and Satan left soon. Verse three David shifts away from the enemies voice to God. Look at verse three. But you oh Lord. The second picture that we see in Psalm three that authentic faith, trusts in God's word. Verse three and four but you will Lord our shield about me, my glory and the lifter of my head. I cried aloud to the Lord and he answered me from his holy hill for the word but is a word of contrast.

It separates one thing from another.

The enemy's words from God's word is interesting. If you if you look at verse two when David is speaking about the enemies and with the enemies were saying he was using the Hebrew word Elohim for God, but in verse three he switches to Yahweh, Lord YOU will notice this throughout the whole Psalm in verse one and verse three in verse four and verse five in verse seven in verse eight Yahweh was the personal name of Israel's God and that is the aim of all of us is to know this God LOOK at the metaphor he uses shield it's fitting for the context is in it. God is a safe place.

In times of trouble.

Surely David would have his own shield there at his side would've been a little bit smaller would've coupled covered his arm in his upper torso, leaving other parts of his body exposed, but not so the armor of God. It's a shield that covers him completely looked down at verse six the enemy is all around him is surrounded by the enemy but the Lord is protecting him on all sides. It's like Noah and the ark during the flood.

The second half of verse three my glory and the lifter of my head. Tim just mentioned this verse. It's probably the most familiar to us. David is asking God to restore his dignity before his enemies. Everyone singing about David but now there taunting David uses similar language in verse in Psalm 27, he says, and now my head shall be lifted up above all my enemies all around, and I will offer in his tent sacrifices with shouts of joy and I can help with the quote Spurgeon again here. He said this, he said. David knew that though he was driven from his capital in contempt and scorn he would get return in triumph" that's what faith does doesn't it drives us it it moves us.

It keeps us going, even when we don't even when we don't want to keep going there stays you might want to quit with your faith and keep driving because that's what faith does it's anchored in God's word. So after asking God to lift up David's head. He lifts up his voice and a prayer literally look at this to the heavens. I cried aloud the word aloud is fronted in the Hebrew text.

It's the first word and that's making a point. This is this is not a silent prayer. This is this is out loud praying, crying in verse four we see God answered his prayer from his holy hill. The holy Hill is where the ark of the coveted was located back in Jerusalem. David's in the wilderness. We got answered him from the from the art, but even there in the wilderness got answered David's prayer thing about that. It reminds us of Psalm 138 verse eight if I ascend to the heaven, you are there.

If I make my bed and she all you are there.

God is present ever present all places and all times his holy hill are very important words. Not only is it where the ark of the covenant was, but it is where God confirmed David as King David.

It's been a lot of time with God. There on his holy hill. But look back at Psalm two, verse six as for me, I have set my King on Zion, my holy Hill same word same words here in Psalm two, verse six, and we know that this finds its ultimate fulfillment in Jesus Christ. But this is where David would've been confirmed by God that he was God's King. So, to rebel against David was to rebel against God. The trust in God and he falls asleep in this trust. Look at verse five. Literally, I lay down and slept one of the privileges that I have is a pastor here at Calvary and so the other pastors as we get to go down in the into the hospitals and pray for our church family that are in need and it's such a sweet time. Many of the families that you get to talk to of been in the faith for many many years and sometimes I've got to sit down and hit cure personal stories and trials of what some of the things are our church family has been through some of them are very difficult to process but you can see even there in the valley of the hospital that God's people have trust in God's word. That is incredible, and even there in the brokenness in the trial in the struggle is this this compelling trust in God's word. The third picture of what authentic faith looks like. Is it rests in God's word. Verses five and six. I lay down and slept. I woke again, for the Lord sustained me the picture here is peace like a river is the piece that passes all understanding trouble on the outside piece on the inside.

Do you have that piece tonight. David is gone from trouble to tears to trust and now tranquility in this Psalm will ultimately in the end, triumph, what an incredible song. He slept and woke up. For this reason.

Psalm three has been called a prayer for the morning and if you look over it. Psalm for verse eight which Pastor Sidhu will be preaching on this next week. You'll find similar words and peace I will both lie down and sleep and for that reason. Psalm four is been called a prayer for bedtime so Psalm three and Psalm four prayed in the morning, prayed in the evening and you'll be all covered. But God sustained him.

Don't miss that in verse five the word sustained is a very important word. It's it's in the imperfect, and I won't bore you with that but it's important. It's important because it it stresses action that is moving God does not sleep even when David was sleeping, God was carrying for him and that is a promise to all of us that God will never leave us or forsake us that he will carry us his sustaining grace carries us through life through our struggles sometimes our faith forgets that truth that is a profound truth that I want you to tuck away in your heart as you leave here tonight to remember God's sustaining grace. David acknowledges it the answer. The answer prayer in force verse four of the good nights rest in verse five it has brought new life. Even though the circumstances have not changed verse six literally starts out I will not fear. Verse one and two, we heard a little bit of fear but fear in verse six. There is no fear reminds us of of Psalm 23, doesn't it even though I walk to the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil for you are with me your rod and your staff they comfort me. Even though David is still in the valley. He will not fear because the Lord is with him.

So now his heart is prepared. It's ready and he's gonna make a request we find his petition in verse seven. This home is about deliverance.

Verse seven arrives.

So Lord save me. Oh my God for you strike all my enemies on the cheek. You break the teeth of the wicked, strong words, we know that Jesus said pray for those who persecute us. Pray for our enemies but here this is a this is an ancient battle cry it's coined by Moses in Numbers 10 when God's people were in the wilderness, Moses would stand up and he would say arise. So Lord, and scatter the enemies abroad. This is essentially what David is doing here in verse seven he saying, arise, so Lord and put an end to the injustice to the false accusations against your name in verse one into for we know that you are a God who delivers there is salvation in God so rise and fix this. Bring deliverance.

The second half of verse seven are very strong military words.

Remember, David was a military soldier. He was also the sweet psalmist of Israel. But these are strong military words for you strike all my enemies on the cheek.

You break the teeth of the wicked. This can be compared to breaking of the jaw of an aggressive animal in order to release its prey, and surely David would've seen that when he was attending his father's flock in the sheep that it aggressive, animal, a lion or some type of animal would grab his little lamb, and he would have to take a weapon and break it over the head or the jaw of the aggressive animal in order to release the jaw so that his prey could be delivered and go free. That's the image. The verb tenses of of strike and break.

It's as if it is already done. That's what faith does trusting in God. It's resting in God's resting in his word and David is here talking about the enemies as if God had already won the battle would a wonderful picture of Paul's words in second Corinthians 5. Seven for we walk by faith and not by sight.

So we come to the peak of this great song and David concludes with words of sovereignty and triumphant in blessing verse eight salvation belongs to the Lord your blessing be on your people. This verse really brings us back to where the Psalm started the enemy the world, our own sinful nature with Telus lies about God with Telus lies about what we know God's word says, but authentic faith puts the enemies voice away and puts on the voice of Scripture so that we can discern God's will and second single 15. There are some very important words. David says before, he's leaving the city before he's fleeing that are relevant to the theology of verse eight he says this.

Listen to this. It's up to the Lord to bring me back to this land. Let God do to me what seems good to him. See verse eight deliverance belongs to the Lord is to say I'm not a control. God is in control.

The results are up to God. Deliverance is up to God. The fourth and final picture of authentic faith is. It waits on God's word. We are not guaranteed deliverance from our earthly trials.

That is up to God.

But we have God's word so you must know it must trusted you must rest in it and you must wait on it and that said I think it's fitting to close our time and focus on the word, who became flesh. The Hebrew word in verse eight salvation it's throughout the Psalm. It's a highlight it's a synonym for deliverance. It's the Hebrew word is Joshua is important because that is where the name Jesus comes from Joshua and he too was a son of David, but he was different because he was perfectly righteous. He too had many folks he too heard similar words as he hung on the cross. In Matthew 27 God cannot deliver him only this king humbled himself on the cross in the face the cup of God's wrath. The fuel fury of God's wrath for sin so that God's people could be delivered from the penalty in the condemnation of their sins. Salvation belongs to the Lord. It's not found in church attendance. It's not found in baptism is not found in our efforts in our own works. It's found in the Lord and that deliverance of sin is something that we church have today. Now and forever. And with that we are blessed we are thankful we sing praises to God for his deliverance that is found in his son.

And I know organist sing in just a minute to our Savior, who delivers us and if you're here and you've never trusted Christ as your deliver. Please plead with you to not leave tonight without doing that and if you would like to know more about God's plan. God's son. The plan of deliverance. Myself and some of the other pastors would be glad to stick around. Pray with you and spend some time with you this pray father, we thank you for your word. We thank you that you've given us your sure word that is true the father.

It helps us to discern the lies of the enemy the father when we related to changes us and transforms us so that when the enemies come against us. We can know and discern your will, your perfect and pleasing will, father, help us as a church tonight to trust in your word to rest in your word father, help us to wait on your word for you are a God who delivers so father our prayer now is that we would exalt you in this places we sing praises unto our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who delivers us from our sin and condemnation, it's in Jesus name that we pray. Amen