Overcoming Struggles: Lessons from Psalm 3

Have you ever had a really bad day? Well, David, in this Psalm, is in the midst of one of the worst possible days that he could have ever experienced. The Psalm of David, the transcription at the beginning, says that when he fled from Absalom, his son, Absalom was David’s third son, and he was pursuing his father, trying to take the throne from David, to remove his own father, and make sure that those who were against his father would join him.

And so he’s not only himself an enemy, but has turned the people of Israel against their king. This is indeed a bad day for David. And so as he runs away, he sits and pens this Psalm.

The Psalm is one of David where he places such an emphasis on the hurting of the soul, and yet the balm that comes from those who are able to trust in their shield, their refuge, their fortress, the God in whom we trust. Psalm 3. Oh 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, but you, oh Lord, are a shield for me, my glory and the lifter of my head. I cried aloud to the Lord, and he answered me from his holy hill.

I lay down and slept. I woke again, for the Lord sustained me. I will not be afraid for many thousands of people who have set themselves against me all around.

Arise, oh 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. This Psalm has always had a special place in my heart, as when I first went on a missions trip to Wales overseas, our choirs sang this song in a powerful arrangement. But thou, oh Lord, are a shield for me, my glory and the lifter of my head.

And we sang this in the town of Neath, in Wales. St. David is the patron saint of Wales. And so all around we have inscribed the name of David and appropriately singing his Psalm, thinking about the power and the glory that is there for those who surrender to God, who put their faith and their trust in him.

The first lie that we see from this Psalm is that God does not know, that he doesn’t care, and that he certainly doesn’t act.

These lies always come from those who are against God, and they’re delivered to David. These are lies of the enemy.

They say probably the most painful thing they could say to David, which is that there is no salvation for him in God. In other words, there’s no hope. David, there’s nothing that you can do.

The kingdom is taken from you. Everything is gone. He’s not sitting in opulence and penning this Psalm with just lots of comfort around him.

Instead, he’s on the run as he was through many parts of his life, but this time his own son. But David responds with absolute faith in God. He says, but you, O Lord, are a shield about me.

It means to encompass him in protection, to know that no matter what enemy comes against him, no matter what lies he has to confront, these overwhelming struggles are not uncommon for the people of God. It’s the first thing that we see in this Psalm, that this is not something that is foreign to those who even follow God. They will have to face overwhelming struggles.

It is not the case that David argues for a elimination of struggle, but that the Lord would be with him through the struggle. The second thing chate in this Perin a that to twill roted he

answered me from his holy hill, is what David says.

And so he rests in God. He is able to even lie down and sleep. I think of Jesus taking a nap in the boat while the waves crash around him and the storm rages and the disciples scream in terror.

And Jesus is able to rest because he knows, just as David does here, that the Lord will protect him. And then when he wakes, he’s sustained by the Lord. He’s not afraid of even thousands of people, in this case, his own people.

He knows that God will protect those who seek shelter in him.

Thirdly, rest is found for those sustained by the Lord.

William Cowper famously said that, “It makes no matter what our enemies be, though for number, legions, for power, principalities, for subtlety, serpents, for cruelty, dragons, for vantage of place, a prince of the air, for maliciousness, spiritual wickedness, stronger is he that is in us than they who are against us. Nothing is able to separate us from the love of God. In Christ Jesus, our Lord, we shall be more than conquerors.”

With Cowper, I heartily commend that look at the Psalms that we see this as God’s rescue, not just for David, but also for Jesus Christ, who in Hebrews, were reminded of him putting his faith in the Deliverer, and that Jesus is our All-Sufficient High Priest, and he also was tempted with the same kind of struggles, the same kind of lies, and yet he stood and reminded himself of the promises of God, and that God will save the righteous, but he will also judge the wicked. One note on this final line of the Psalm that says, Salvation belongs to the Lord. Your blessing be on your people.

Well, that is wonderful, and that is the hope that we have as believers, especially in Jesus. We look for that hope, but we must not neglect the breaking of the teeth of the wicked. How can that be said when we are supposed to bring blessing even against our enemies?

Well, I think that Godfrey, he writes well on this and says that we must remember that the imprecations of the Salter are not prayers that we selfishly direct against our personal enemies, but are the prayers of Christ and the Church against the intransigent and unrepentant enemies of God. We should certainly pray first for their conversions, he says. But for those who refuse to submit to God, judgment is surely coming.

Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord Romans 12.19.

That’s a good reminder for us, because as we pray, even in precatory Psalms, we are praying that God would break down the pride in the human heart, that he would bring repentance and faith even to our enemies. And the greatest enemies that we face are the world, the flesh, and the devil.

May God give us that assurance that we can trust him as our shield, no matter what we face, and that we can do it in the strength of our shepherd. Lord, we thank you that you are our shield, that there is no salvation for anyone apart from you. It is only in you that you give us hope, that you are our shield, our glory, the lifter of our head.