Presented to The Salvation Army Alberni Valley Ministries by Major Michael Ramsay, 14 August 2022
Psalm 3 is the first psalm ascribed to King
David in the book of Psalms.[1] This psalm is a poem, a
song which David wrote when he was in great distress. It may even have been
sung to a tune at the time.[2]
David had some serious
problems and they were exasperated by his relationships with his own family. At
this point in his life, when this psalm was written, David has already lost some
of his children. Some of their deaths and other tragedies are at least
partially his fault. David owes a lot to his family – both good and bad, like
all of us. God used his nephews to help put him in power and certainly to keep
him there. More than one of David’s sons rebelled against him – not only as dad
– but also as King.
David wrote this poem,
this song, this psalm, as he was fleeing his son who desires to replace his dad
as king (cf. 2 Samuel 16-19). Absalom probably feels quite justified attacking
his father given their family dynamics and the way that his dad has dealt with
him and his brothers and sister.[3] Absalom in his rebellion
has just slept with his father’s concubines, turned some of David’s supporters and
extended family against him and Absalom is in full rebellion – Absalom is his
son.
David’s nephew Joab,
who has had a lot of conflict with David and has done probably more than many
others to protect David’s life and his throne, is leading David’s army. David
is so distraught that he seems to care more about his son who is rebelling
against him and his family than about the rest of his family, his loyal
servants, soldiers, concubines, and others who love and serve him - or even
himself. His supporters notice this and feel this pain and some act on their
feelings as the king is not leading here.
It is in this context
when David, some of his family, and his supporters are fleeing for their lives
and he sees that many in his own family and close circle of friends and
advisors are rising up against him that he writes this poem, this song, this
psalm. He writes, verses 1 and 2:
1 Lord, how many are my
foes!
How many rise up
against me!
2 Many are saying of
me,
“God will not deliver
him.”
David is a leader. How
many times do we read of yet another scandal in the news affecting our Prime
Ministers and think, surely, this is it! Surely, he won’t be re-elected again!
In Britain, the Conservatives have just risen up against their PM and he is a Conservative,
a member of their own party and they are replacing him. Foes arose from within
his own political family as well as from without.
David’s political foes
are not just members of his own party; they are also members of his own family,
and they are not looking to only replace him. They are probably looking to kill
him.
None of us in this room
lead any countries or political parties (as far as I know). But some of us have
certainly led within the church and some of us have led other organizations. I
know, as well as being one Officer in charge here and previously elsewhere, I
am currently on a number of boards and committees, trying to give leadership. I
know that at times in the past it has sometimes felt like everyone was against
me. I know I have had times when I thought many were hoping for my downfall and
I can’t imagine what it would feel like if those people were my own children.
David is downcast but he does have some solace. He writes, verses 3 and 4:
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.
The Lord is a shield;
the word is even more than a shield in Hebrew; it is something akin to a
protective forcefield. The Lord is our protection.[4] This is a key comfort. I
have just written a book about Salvation.[5] I just spoke at the Summer
Rain Evangelism Festival/Crusade this past weekend (though it seems like a
millions years ago now). This stanza is a key element of salvation. Salvation
is for the future. Salvation is for eternity but Salvation isn’t only for the
future; Salvation isn’t only for eternity; Salvation is also for now. We need
and can have Salvation now!
We will all go through
terrible times; we will all go through hard times; we will all go through sad
times; we may go through times of unimaginable peril or terror but we can
always call on the Name of the Lord; we can always call out to the Lord. He
will answer us. God will be with us. He will keep us. He will sustain us.
Verses 5 and 6:
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.
David sounds like he has
been may have even been tempted to be justifiably afraid here – certainly overwhelmed
and sad. He is at the end of his own emotional resources. The security he
thought he was surrounded by through family, friends, work, leadership, kingship
and kinship has crumbled. He reaches out to the Lord and he realizes that he
need not be afraid. He is not afraid. God is in charge. God is in charge
through everything. God is even in charge of whether or not David will even
wake up from one morning to the next. The Lord loves him; the Lord sustains
him.
The Lord loves us; the
Lord sustains us. It is the Lord who allows us to open our eyes every morning;
it is the Lord who gives us the strength to carry on. It is the Lord who – no
matter what else happens, no matter what goes sideways in life, no matter what
collapses, no matter who may betray us, no matter what we mess up, no matter
what may collapse beneath us, it is the Lord who will never leave us or forsake
us.[6] And so we can pray in
confidence, like Dave, Verses 7 and 8:
7 Arise, Lord! Deliver
me, my God!
Strike all my enemies
on the jaw;
break the teeth of the
wicked.[7]
8 From the Lord comes
deliverance.
May your blessing be on
your people.
The Lord did deliver
David. It was not, however, all roses and happy songs. He did lose his son; he
seem to have finally broken with his nephew; he almost lost his crown; he was
completely humbled. It was a sad, sad time. Even his coming through it does not
turn it into a personal celebration; it was sad. But he did come through it.
The Lord delivered him. The Lord continued to bless him in the midst of his distress.
This is the reality of
our lives: sometimes we have tough times; sometimes we have times so tough that
it does not seem that we can even get through them. Sometimes life is unbearably
sad, sometimes life is hard, sometimes life is… life.
But this is Salvation.
God will be with us in the midst of our darkest hour. God will be with us in our
saddest time. God will be with us when we feel most alone. He can and He will
deliver us both for today and for forever.
If anyone here does not
know God, if anyone here would like to turn to Him so He can help with whatever
and everything that is going on in your life, just let me or Susan or any
soldier here know and we will be happy to introduce you to God and He will help
you; He will never leave you nor forsake you for even and especially when we
are most humbled, His blessings will be poured out upon us, His people.
Let us pray.
[1] Willem
A. VanGemeren, The Expositor's Bible Commentary, Pradis
CD-ROM:Psalms/Exposition of Psalms/BOOK I: Psalms 1-41/Psalm 3: Quietness Amid
Troubles, Book Version: 4.0.2
[2] Peter
C. Craigie, 'Psalms 1-50', 2nd ed. (WBC 19: Word Books: Dallas, Texas, 2004), 72.
[3] Cf.
Captain Michael Ramsay, 2 Samuel 13-18: Taking Matters in His Own Hands: the
Story of Prince Absalom. Presented to Nipawin and Tisdale Corps November 18,
2007 and 614 Warehouse Toronto 230 pm service, Aug 20, 2017. Available on-line:
https://sheepspeaks.blogspot.com/2007/11/2-samuel-13-18-taking-matters-in-his.html
[4] Cf.
Charles H. Spurgeon, ‘The Treasury of David Vol. 1: Psalms 1-57’, Peabody, MA:
Hendrickson Publishers, pages 24.
[5] Michael
Ramsay, Salvogesis Guidebook to Romans Road, Vancouver Island, BC: The
Salvation Army, 2022.
[6] Cf.
Charles H. Spurgeon, ‘The Treasury of David Vol. 1: Psalms 1-57’, Peabody, MA:
Hendrickson Publishers, page 29
[7] Peter
C. Craigie, 'Psalms 1-50', 2nd ed. (WBC 19: Word Books: Dallas, Texas, 2004),75.:
this may not be as violent a phrase as it sounds like, it may merely mean that
the wicked words are silenced
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