Sunday Scripture

 

It's time for another Sunday Scripture!  This is the third post of what will be an ongoing series on my simple study of Psalms.  You can see a copy of the journal here: The Book of Psalms 1-50 or you can find all the resources right here on Women Living Well, Psalms 1-50.  I'm attempting to SOAP each Psalm too, though some of them are longer so I will likely only do a selected passage from many of them. [Quick reminder that S stands for Scripture; O stands for for observation; A stands for application, and P stands for prayer.]  Each psalm's study also includes a reflection question, which I will attempt to journal an answer to.  Today's study is from Psalm 3.  This week's study may be a little longer than some, but I hope it will be an encouragement.

S= "LORD, how are they increased that trouble me! Many they are that rise up against me.
"Many there are that say of my soul, There is no help for him in God.  Selah.
"But Thou, O LORD, art a shield for me; my glory, and the lifter up of mine head.
"I cried unto the LORD with my voice, and He heard me out of His holy hill.  Selah.
"I lay down and slept; I awaked; for the LORD sustained me.
"I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people who have set themselves against me round about:
"Arise, O LORD; for Thou hast smitten mine enemies upon the cheekbone; Thou hast broken the teeth of the ungodly.
"Salvation belongeth unto the LORD; Thy blessing is upon Thy people.  Selah."  (Psalm 3)

O= In my Bible, the title for this psalm is "A psalm of David, when he fled from Absalom, his son."  In the title is a cross-reference to this incident, from 2 Samuel 15:14 -- "And David said unto all his servants who were with him at Jerusalem,  Arise, and let us flee; for we shall not else escape from Absalom.  Make speed to depart, lest he overtake us suddenly, and bring evil upon us, and smite the city with the edge of the sword."

Cross-reference for "how are they increased that trouble me!" (v.1) -- "And Absalom sent for Ahithophel, the Gilonite, David's counselor, from his city, even from Giloh, while he offered sacrifices.  And the conspiracy was strong; for the people increased continually with Absalom."  (2 Samuel 15:12)

A note for "Selah" (v.2, 4,8) -- says "The frequent use in the Psalms of the Hebrew word Selah possibly marks those places where a musical rest in the chanting or a change of instrumental accompaniment stressed a shift of mood."

I was really interested to see what Charles Spurgeon wrote in The Treasury of David concerning "Selah", and found it helpful, so I will also share that here:

"This is a musical phrase; the precise meaning of which is not known.  Some think it is simply a rest, a pause in the music; others say it means, 'Lift up the strain -- sing more loudly -- pitch the tune upon a higher key -- there is nobler matter to come, therefore retune your harps.'  Harp-strings soon get out of tune and need to be screwed up again to their proper tightness, and certainly our heart-strings are evermore getting out of tune.  Let Selah teach us to pray

'O may my heart in tune be found
Like David's harp of solemn sound.'

    "At least, we may learn that wherever we see "Selah' we should look upon it as a note of observation.  Let us read the passage which precedes and succeeds it with greater earnestness, for surely there is always something excellent where we are required to rest and pause and meditate, or when we are required to lift up our hearts in grateful song.  'SELAH'."

In the ESV, the phrase "a shield for me" (v.3) reads "a shield about me".  So interesting.  What a picture!

Cross-references for "a shield" -- "The LORD is my strength and shield; my heart trusted in Him, and I am helped.  Therefore, my heart greatly rejoiceth, and with my song will I praise Him."  (Psalm 28:7)

"Behold, O God our shield, and look upon the face of Thine anointed." (Psalm 84:9)

"Thou art my hiding place and my shield; I hope in Thy word."  (Psalm 119:114)

Cross-reference for "lifter up of my head" (v.3) -- "And now shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me.  Therefore will I offer in His tabernacle sacrifices of joy; I will sing, yea, I will sing praises unto the LORD."  (Psalm 27:6)

Cross-references for "lay down and sleep" (v.5) -- "I will both lie down in peace, and sleep, for Thou, LORD, only makest me dwell in safety."  (Psalm 4:8)

"When thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid; yea, thou shalt lie down, and thy sleep shall be sweet."  (Proverbs 3:24)

Cross-references for "will not be afraid" (v.6) -- "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."  (Psalm 23:4)

"Though an host shall encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident."  (Psalm 27:3)

Cross-reference for "set themselves against me" (v.6)  -- "And it came to pass, when Ben-Hadad heart this message, as he sat drinking, he and the kings in the pavilions, that he said unto his servants, Set yourselves in array.  And they set themselves in array against the city."  (1 Kings 20:12)

Cross-references for "Arise, O LORD" (v.7) -- "Arise, O LORD, in Thine anger; lift up Thyself because of the rage of mine enemies: and awake for me to the judgment which Thou hast commanded."  (Psalm 7:6)

"Arise, O LORD; let not man prevail; let the nations be judged in Thy sight."  (Psalm 9:19)

"And it came to pass, when the ark set forward, that Moses said, Rise up, O LORD, and let Thine enemies be scattered, and let them that hate Thee flee before Thee."  (Numbers 10:35)

Cross-reference for "break the teeth of the wicked" (v.7) -- "Break their teeth, O God, in their mouth; break out the great teeth of the young lions, O LORD."  (Psalm 58:6)

Cross-references for "salvation belongs to the LORD" (v.8) -- "But the salvation of the righteous is of the LORD; He is their strength in the time of trouble."  (Psalm 37:39)

"In God is my salvation and my glory; the rock of my strength, my refuge is in God." 

"Tell ye, and bring them near; yea, let them take counsel together.  Who hath declared this from ancient time?  Who hath told it from that time?  Have not I, the LORD?  And there is no God else beside Me, a just God and a Savior; there is none beside Me."  (Isaiah 45:21)

As mentioned at the top, we know that David wrote this psalm "when he fled from Absalom in the cave".  He poured out his situation to the Lord:

How are they increased who trouble me!
Many are they who rise up against me.
Many are those who say of me, "There is no help for him in God".

And then he added, 

BUT (Wow!  What a change of direction!)

You, O LORD, are a shield for me.
You are my glory
You are the One who lifts up my head.

In view of this, David says:

* I cried to the LORD with my voice.
* He heard me from His holy hill.

We see such a picture of serenity and rest, even though the situation had not changed, in verses 5-6:

I lay down and slept.
I awoke, for the LORD sustained me.
I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people who have set themselves against me all around.

David goes on to cry out to God:

Arise, O LORD!
Save me, O my God!

and rehearses what God has already done for him:

• You have struck all my enemies upon the cheekbone;
• You have broken the teeth of the ungodly.

He ends with the encouraging conclusion:

Salvation belongs to the LORD.
Your blessing is upon Your people.

A= So many of David's words here become so significant when taken in light of the context in which he wrote them!  It wasn't just some random person who had risen up against him -- it was his own son!  Yet David could praise God for being a shield and defender for him.  Sustained by God, he could even lie down and sleep, knowing the Lord would care for him and he need not be afraid.  What a wonderful example for us in times of difficulty!  We can safely rest in His promises and in His care for us.

We see David here surrounded by enemies, this time led by his own son, Absalom.  The sense of betrayal must have been as intense as the danger itself.  David took his fear and pain to the Lord, speaking to Him of the many who had risen up against him and those who even believed God could not or would not help him.  After recounting this to the Lord, David quickly turned from his troubles to what he knew about God.  He looked at the character of God, and at what God had done for him in the past.  He knew he could cry to God, assured that God would hear and answer.

There is so much for me to apply here!  When I am in any kind of trouble and distress, I can take it to the Lord and pour out my trouble to Him.  I can remember what I know about God and His character, and can confidently cry to Him for help.  Like David, I can even lie down and sleep, knowing that God is in control and is caring for me every moment.  Verse 7 is also a good reminder for me that Satan is a defeated foe.

P= "Oh Lord, what a blessing and encouragement it has been to dig deeply into this psalm!  Even then I know that I'm only scratching the surface.  I thank You for all of the reminders in this psalm about who You are and how You care for Your people.  I pray that whenever I am troubled, You will help me to lift my eyes to You and remember all that I know about You and all You have done for me in the past.  Help me to remember that You have already defeated my greatest foes.  I praise You in Jesus' name, Amen."

Reflection question:  In a difficult situation, David chose to lift his eyes to the Lord and acknowledge His power.  He had a deep trust in God.  As you go through trials, how can you choose to increase your faith instead of increasing your fears?

My thoughts:  I can do the same as David did: Lift my eyes to the Lord and acknowledge His power.  In the hardest situations of life, I have found it reassuring to tell God as Jehoshaphat did, "Neither know we what to do: but our eyes are upon Thee."  (2 Chronicles 20:12)  Another helpful verse that emphasizes this truth is Psalm 121:2 -- "My help cometh from the LORD, who made heaven and earth."

I can remember what I know about God:

* He wants me to pour out my heart to Him.
* He is my shield.
* He is the One who will lift up my head when I feel faint.
* He is the One whose glory is paramount.
* He will hear and answer my prayers.
* Because of His care, I can have peace, rest, and even sleep in the presence of my enemies.
* He has defeated sin, death, and Satan.
* Salvation is found in Him alone.
* He is the One who blesses His people.

I'll end with a quote from the Daily Walk Bible: "The servant of God can cling to Him with confidence, knowing that God's help and consolation are assured in both good times and bad.  No foe, nor failure, nor frustration, nor cause for fainting can change the fact that God is in control."

And there is our very simple study of Psalm 3.  I'm enjoying studying these psalms and I do intend to do a deeper study of Psalms on my own as tune allows.  I hope this was a blessing to someone!