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A Morning
Psalm
Psalm 3: 1-8
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A PRESBYTERIAN PSALTER - by Pastor Max A Forsythe |
A Translation of the Text: A Psalm of David, when he fled from Absalom his son. 01 O LORD, how my adversaries have increased!. many rise up against me! 02 They are saying about me, "He has no salvation in his God." Selah 03 But You, O LORD, [are] a protective shield, my Glory, you are the lifter of my head 04 I cry to the LORD aloud, He answers me from His holy mountain. Selah 05 [When] I lie down and sleep I [may] awake, for the LORD sustains me. 06 I will not fear the tens of thousands who are mobilized against me. 07 Arise O LORD, Save me, o my God! Strike my enemy's cheek and break his teeth 08 Salvation is yours to give, a blessing for Your people. Selah |
Translation Notes:
01
The four strophal
organization of this psalm is commonin most
translations. 05
The phrasing intends to bring out the reason why the
psalmist may sleep soundly and then
awake. |
Meditation on the Psalm:
Our Psalm today is the first prayer in the Psalter following after the two of introduction. The ascription here is to David during his troubles with Absalom. While that ascription reminds us of the king's personal grief, the psalm as a whole reveals the larger questions pressing upon him. Not only was the rebellion spreading, but it was rumored that David was no longer God's man. In these goings on we may see the precarious state of the population of Israel who would, if they could, reject the Lord's anointed king. Ah, how rebellious are the people of God in every time and place. More than once in history have God's servants been turned out so that rascals could demean the governing precincts of their country.
In the four sections of this psalm, we may David's initial despair, the lifting of his head towards God, the confidence that comes from that lifting and finally the King's giving of his future over to the Lord. Traditionally this is a morning psalm, and what a magnificent day lies ahead for David and all whose confidence is in the strong right hand of our Sovereign God!
The first division of Psalm Three is seen in the first two verses. Here we glimpse the great despair of David the king at the revolution of Absalom his son. How terrible must have been that despair when David heard the curse of Shimei:
"The Lord has brought upon you all the blood of the house of Saul, in whose place you have reigned; and the Lord has delivered the kingdom into the hand of Absalom your son. So now you are caught in you own evil, because you are a bloodthirsty man." (2 Samuel 16: 8)
Not only this curse, but an almost general rising of the whole nation against him. This is why David numbers his foes greatly. Even worse is the inference in verse two that cuts to the very soul as the original Hebrew has it:"There is no help for him in God". In an older version the words strike even deeper: "There is no salvation for him in God." Thus, even David's very relationship to the Almighty is questioned! That charge can hurt just as deeply, perhaps even more than the revolt itself. How often have the Martyrs of the Church heard this very charge. Selah, the psalmist interjects, there is a pause in the Psalm for the depths of this charge to sink in.
David responds in the second division of verses three and four with a statement of faith, that very saving faith relationship that supposedly does not exist according to the ungodly followers of Absalom. In these words we comprehend David's knowledge of God's presence, of His very shield protecting David in his hasty flight from Jerusalem. We see here a confidence of salvation in spite of the charges that David is not of the elect. It his saving God who bestows glory and lifts up David's head. It is to his God who grants salvation that David now cries aloud. And it is David's confidence that the Lord God of heaven and earth will answer.
As often as David calls upon the Lord he has heard and found relief. There is in this verb of petition the grammatical construction of regular, even habitual calling. Selah, again, there is a pause for the real confidence of faith to be known. In spite of the worst that can be done and said, there is still God, there is still the all powerful creator who has done so very much for David in the past, present and even into the future.
In the third division of this psalm, we find the confident courage that comes from trust. Even his hurried flight of the day before, David can even find sleep and rest. And upon waking he can know that God had indeed protected them. Because of this knowledge, he will fear the tens of thousands of his enemies. The little band of loyal followers was safe because the Keeper of Israel had kept them.
During the Napoleonic wars, the Black Duke of Brunswick led a small faithful band of soldiers into exile until the monster of Europe should be defeated. His soldiers uniformed in black served with the British Empire in several campaigns. Their paths crossed during the Waterloo campaign where the Duke gave his life on the battle line that was enabled to stand against to the worldly, humanistic might of Napoleon's veterans.
The exiled King David can voice bold defiance in the sixth verse because of the experience of the fifth. How different is the tone of reference here than in verse one. Faith has braced itself against fear and even though his whole world be mobilized against Him, David will give the victory over to the providence of God in heaven.
The call of the fourth division in verses seven and eight, is for the assistance of Divine Power. Notice that the call is to destroy the offensive power of his enemy's teeth so that they are unable to harm David and his people. Those who would raise their standard against God's rightful king know not whom they have challenged. At one time, a declaration of war was delivered by the slap of a glove or the casting down of a helmet. Who are these rascals that would dare to declare war on the Lord's anointed ruler? Do they not know that when the God of heaven declare's war, that their teeth will be shattered in the mere declaration?
Yet, verse eight show's David's heart for his people. Even though David is on the run from his own population who have rebelled, they are still God's own people. Even as David prays for deliverance, he also prays for the Lord's blessing upon Israel. Here is a love unbounded. Here is prayer beyond what we as fallen humans are capable. Here is prayer in the Spirit. And here is revealed the love of the Son of God, when centuries later Jesus prays from the cross for the forgiveness of God's own when they as well, reject and rebel against their Lord and King.
Some few years ago in Uganda, three young Christians were executed by firing squad in front of a large crowd. They died singing a hymn. One of them was heard to shout this same prayer of Christ for the members of the firing squad. "Forgive them Lord, for they know not what they do!" Yes, we have much to learn about prayer from the psalms. In this whole book we regularly find the depths of despair and the heights of joy. Here too, we see also the whole range of feelings as well, brought before the throne of God. Selah, the psalmist closes, may we reflect upon the great love of God revealed in this majestic psalm.
Particularly in this third psalm we also see the Spirit, and from the presence of the Holy Spirit, I would hope that we one and all might learn to pray in the manner of David and all the other psalmists, in order that the Sovereign will of our King and Lord Jesus Christ may be worked out day by day until He returns. May this be our morning prayer every day. "Lord, may your will be done, and grant me confidence to stand with you even if it appears that the whole world is against us." Amen.
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Resources Used: |
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Kidner, Derek. |
Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries: Psalms. | |
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Lewis, C.S. |
Reflections on the Psalms. | |
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MacLaren, Alexander. |
The Expositor's Bible: The Psalms. | |
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Spurgeon, C.H. |
The Treasury of David. | |
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Psm 003b |
14 August 88 & 17 January 98 | |
Translation Resources:
Interlinear NIV Hebrew-English Old
Testament
New American Standard Bible Best
translation for verse meaning
New Geneva Study Bible (NKJV)
New International Version Best
translation for paragraph meaning
The Jerusalem Bible Very useful
for poetic structure
Spurgeon, C.H. A Treasury of David.
The essential theological anchor
Bratcher, Robert G. & Reyburn, William D. A
Translator's Handbook on the Book of Psalms.
Barthelemy, Dominique et al. Preliminary & Interim
Report on the Hebrew Old Testament Text Project.
Dahood, Mitchell. The Anchor Bible: Psalms 1-50.
Very limited use.
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