PSALM 3
September, 21 2005
Psa 3:1 LORD, how are they increased that trouble me! Many are they that rise up against me.
Hear the heart cry of a great and mighty soldier unto his God! Hear the cry of one who after having won many battles still does not trust in his own arm and power to save him, but utterly relies on God’s power.
Because of his sin with Bath-Sheba, King David was told that violence would not depart from his family. This song is the psalm that he wrote when he fled from his own son who slyly took the throne away from him. Couldn’t he have him killed? Couldn’t this great military hero have done away with him? The people would have understood, his generals would have stood by him, and would have glorified him for being a king which was no respect of persons, not even for his own blood. But no, for David, this was not God’s way. Absalom had turned many people against his father and to stand against him in military action could have involved civil war and the destruction of the city of the beloved Jerusalem which he worked so hard to build. But the most wonderful thing in David’s flight from Absalom is that David knew that this was the result of his own sins, and therefore he was willing to eat humble pie in front of his God and in front of his people. No, he will not fight against God’s reckonings in his life!
Lord Jesus, help us understand when things happen in our lives that are simply reflections of the fruits of our disobedience to You. Help us not fight your chastening. Help us to eat humble pie and take your chastening bravely just as we expect our children to do.
Job 5:17 Behold, happy is the man whom God correcteth: therefore despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty:
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September, 22 2005
Psalms 3:2 Many there be which say of my soul, There is no help for him in God. Selah.
These are the foreshadow of those who sneered at the Messiah when He was dying on the cross saying, “He trusted in God; let him deliver him now, if he will have him: for he said, I am the Son of God. (Mat 27:43).
In his hour of distress, the child of God appears so lonesome, seemingly abandoned even by God Himself. Satan is master at playing this distress in our mind so that we may even start believing that no one stands with us, not even God.
Jesus felt it on the cross when He exclaimed, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? (Psa 27:46).” The prophet Elijah also felt like he was all alone against the multitude of the ungodly when he said, "and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away." But God reassured him and said "Yet I have left me seven thousand in Israel, all the knees of which have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him." (1Ki 19:10,18). Elijah's servant was also duly rebuked when one morning he awoke to the sounds of the Syrian army on the lookout for him and his master. He thought they were alone until God opened his eyes. He said, “Alas, my master! How shall we do?” And he (Elijah) answered, “Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them.” And Elisha prayed, and said, LORD, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.2Ki 6:15-17
Dear Jesus, open my eyes that I may see that I am not alone in my fight for you, and that they which are with me are more than they which are against me; stay away from me the lies of the enemy telling me that there is no help in You for me.
“Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses (all the ones mentioned, and not mentioned, as per the previous chapter), let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,
Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Heb 12:1,2)
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September, 23 2005
Psa 3:3 But thou, O LORD, art a shield for me; my glory, and the lifter up of mine head.
In the midst of betrayal from his blood relatives and from his people, here is a man, Kind David, who did not go to the Lord in a spirit of grumbling.
How many of us, when faced with even lesser predicaments indulge in a spirit of complaint, and even “righteous” indignation against God. “How could He after all be so cruel to us who have confessed His name publicly, and are devout Christians? He should be careful; His reputation could be smeared if he treats His people so!”
Oh, beloved, you have mentioned His Name, but have forgotten the injunction of the apostle that, “all they that will live godly in Christ-Jesus shall suffer persecution”(I Tim 3;13). Even Jesus Himself said, “The servant is not greater than His Lord, if they have persecuted Me, they will persecute you also”. Remember, that He was “afflicted, a man of sorrow” (Isaiah 53).
In spite of it all, He still is better to us than He was to himself when He was on the earth.
Instead of complaining, King David looked to the Lord with the assurance of forgiveness, strength, support, love, and vindication from his enemies. He rested upon Him perfectly with the perfect Peace that owns those who believe by faith, not by sight because…
Heb 11:1 …faith is the substance* of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
* “The Greek word for “substance” is huposthasis” meaning title deed. When we have the title deed for something, we know that we own it even when we haven’t seen it; “the substance of things hoped for” ”
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September, 25 2005
Psa 3:4 I cried unto the LORD with my voice, and he heard me out of his holy hill. Selah.
Our Lord Jesus told us that in order to see the Kingdom of Heaven we needed to become as little children. what baby cries and does not expect to be heard? And yet in our "growing up"our assurance of getting answered to when we cry seems to decrease; the most simple act practiced by a baby requires of us "adults" the understanding of a great educated theological principle which I fear less and less people understand as the world goes on. Alas, the knowledge of the simple abundant forgiving grace of God seems to be "out of style' and replaced by religious educated fables based on a system of bartering virtues.
But God hasn't changed; the most wicked of sinner can call unto Him in his hour of need (notice I didn't say "repentance" because calling unto God implies that the person has put itself in the position of repentance) and He will be right there, actually waiting at the door or his heart with great anticipation for that blessed moment. Even during the time of purging, Jesus is ther with us all the way through it; he is like the father of the story who after he sent his son to sleep in the attic for constantly disobeying, went and spent the night in the attic using his arm as a pillow under the head of the punished boy! Isn't it why he died for us?
Psa 23:4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me..
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September, 25 2005
Psa 3:5 I laid me down and slept; I awaked; for the LORD sustained me.
Roll over, go to sleep, let the Lord do the worrying!
How sad must the Lord feel when after all He does for us, we still sit there and worry.
But how elated must He be when, in full trust and confidence, we cease from our own fretting and trust Him to do the work of caring for us. When even in the face of the fiercest of hurricanes, in full faith we can know that no matter what, we still need to trust Him because in spite of all, He takes care of us in the hollow of His hands.
It is in the midst of trouble that our faith is tested. When we allow something to worry us, we have put limitations to God's omnipotence in our hearts. How offensive would that be if anyone did that to us!
Two painters each painted a picture to illustrate his concept of peace. The first chose for his scene a still, lone lake among far-off mountains. The second painted on his canvas a thundering waterfall during a raging storm with a fragile birch tree bending over the foam. At the fork of a branch, wet with the cataract's spray, a small bird sat on its nest, cheerfully singing. That is real peace!
Mar 4:39 And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.
Mar 4:40 And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?
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September, 26 2005
Psa 3:6 I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people, that have set themselves against me round about.
Is this being denial? If this statement is merely the result of positive or wishful thinking, or the results of a strong faith in the Lord, the end results will show for “faith” without the works to vindicate is “ (James 2:26)
When Elishah’s servant asked the Shunamite about her son who had just died of a stroke, “Is it well with the child, she responded, “it is well”; was she in denial, or acting in full faith, with supernatural assurance that God will give her back her child, which he did!
For the armies of Israel, Goliath was too big to fight, but for young full of faith David, he was too big to miss! Its all a question of perspective, but mostly its all a question of what we look at.
The man who has his eyes firmly focused on not only the Lord’s face, but His will sees no fear, no worries, no large armies of enemies, no storms, no famines, because all he sees is Jesus who calms the storm, comforts the heart, “put to flight the armies of the aliens” (Heb 11), calms the sea, feeds the hungry.
It was when Peter stopped looking at Jesus and looked at the waves around him that he started drowning! (Mat 14:30), and it was through the fearful report of “giants in the land” that the children of Israel continued wondering in the desert for 40 years instead of going into the Promised land (Num 13:33).
Lord, help me to look at you instead of to the “giants” in my life, and give me the same peace in my heart that you gave King David in front of Goliath. Help me have the peace and assurance of faith that nothing, absolutely nothing happens to one of your children without it being within your absolute control.
Psa 119:165 Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them.
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(Psa 3:7) Arise, O LORD; save me, O my God: for thou hast smitten all mine enemies upon the cheekbone; thou hast broken the teeth of the ungodly.
Still fleeing from his enemies, David forgot not the true means of his Salvation. Speaking faith, and not trying to bring this deliverance by his own power, he trusted God to bring His will to pass. In the same way that he did not want to be guilty of killing King Saul when he was the anointed king, David did not want to kill his heir (the wayward Absalom) who, for all he knew could be the next king. In this situation, God was the only one who could bring justice. David encourages himself here by remembering all the times when God had vindicated him by reproachfully defeating his enemies, and breaking their weaponry.
Are you in a corner at this very moment? Do you feel that there is nothing that you can do, and that whatever way you turn to, you loose? Commit your cause onto the Lord; He brought you into that place for this very reason--for you to turn to Him. Know that God will smite the enemies of your soul with a contemptuous slap that will shame them without remedy; He will break their devices of war! Remember His deeds of old, and be encouraged knowing that God has never forgotten you, and that in His perfect time, he will vindicate you and your cause.
Deliver me not over unto the will of mine enemies: for false witnesses are risen up against me, and such as breathe out cruelty. I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.
(Psa 27:12-14)
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(Psa 3:8) Salvation belongeth unto the LORD: thy blessing is upon thy people. Selah.
I heard someone say one day, “Worry does pay after all, the things I fret about never happen!”
This is the “conclusion of the whole matter”, the end of all cares: the knowledge and the assurance that when all is said and done, the Lord is in control of our lives. ‘His hand is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me!”
One may feel that a lot of things happen that don’t seem within the Lord’s control, but this is not true. Whatever the Lord allows to happen to us is within His perfect control and we can call upon Him with total assurance to remind Him of His promises that He “…is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.”
(1Co 10:13)
Oh, think of how excited you get when a child is in dire need of your help cries out with desperate expectancy and faith that you are able to rescue him! Even so, the Lord must get excited when, in the midst of impossibility, we hold Him to His Word and in a voice of excited anticipation, we shout with King David, “Salvation is of the Lord!”
He, “… is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race.”
(Psa 19:5)
Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.
(Mat 10:29-31)
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