Psalm 3 – Stay confident in God, He’ll never let us down.

The superscript of Psalm 3 gives us the context to why it was composed. David was fleeing from Absalom his son, who rose up in rebellion against him. More than that, the content reveals that he was pursued by many other foes. They all came upon him in waves, like a bolstering force one after another. This Psalm describes the depth of David’s despair and cries for help. It tells us of his heartaches and deep anguish. Without knowing the extensiveness of a revolt led by Absalom, described in 2 Samuel 15 to 17, it will be difficult to imagine the depth of David’s anguish and despair. He was in a dilemma. Absalom, his own son, a person he loved so much had engineered this revolt. The people of Israel, who were once his subjects, were now with his rebellious son. We are told in the book of Samuel that that rebellious son had stolen their hearts. They now worked in collusion with him to usurp and topple David’s throne. And David was forced to escape for his life. Yet Absalom pursued him relentlessly.  

The account in 2 Samuel also narrates how he was confronted and cursed by Shimei while he was fleeing Absalom. Shimei even had the audacity to rebuke David and suggest that his trouble was divine retribution. The words of verse 2, “There is no deliverance for him in God,” could well be the very words that Shimei had whispered loudly for his hearing. They were words calculated to unsettle him and rock his faith in God. But in the response, David just looked up to God and yelled out, “But You, O Lord, are a shield about me, my glory, and the One who lifts my head.” Every time condemning words assailed him, David would remind himself of the countless times God had answered him in his perilous times. So he paused to remind himself that “I was crying to the Lord with my voice, and He answered me from His holy mountain.” So he took the time to stop, reflect, and drink it in. So here we find the word, “Selah.” Bear in mind that every time this word appears, David and his listeners actually paused for reflection.

David’s past experiences also taught him to trust God. He could sleep soundly in the most trying of circumstances. He had learned to place his life confidently in the hands of God. So he expressed his confidence saying, “I lay down and slept; I awoke, for the Lord sustains me.” Even for what has not yet come, he also placed them in God’s hand. So we see verse 6 reads, “I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people who have set themselves against me round about.” David must have also resolved not to take matters into his own hand. He would rather turn his problems over to God in prayer. So he audaciously prayed, “Arise, O Lord; save me, O my God! For You have smitten all my enemies on the cheek; You have shattered the teeth of the wicked. Salvation belongs to the Lord; Your blessing be upon Your people! Selah.”

 The key message of this Psalm is this: God is available and is ready to help, and we can call on Him in times of trouble. David had known God to be his shield when he was running away from Saul and now from Absalom. He was sure God would be more than able to protect him. Like David had expressed, God will also not let us down. We must have that same confidence in God as David had. His confidence in God also helped to see his return to Jerusalem with head lifted up in glorious triumph. In the same way, God will lift up our head in glorious victory over our difficult circumstances. But like David, we must keep faith with God through our trials and difficulties. We too must learn to cry out confidently to the Lord. Be assured that our voice will be heard and deliverance will come from the very presence of God. So be sure to stay confident in God!