Psalm 3 - The Lifter of My Head

Welcome to Through the Bible with Pastor Paul from Life Bible Ministry. Journey from Genesis to Revelation as Pastor Paul guides you through every verse, leading you to a deeper understanding of the scriptures that will strengthen your faith and transform your life. Now, let's get started with today's teaching as we open God's Word together.

We're in Psalm chapter 3. and difficulty and hardship are universal experiences for all people. And that's one thing that none of us are ever going to get away from or get, you know, escape from. How we respond to those things is absolutely huge, however. And that is often what really separates people in terms of, you know, their suffering. Because as I said, we all suffer.

but how we suffer and the attitude with which we suffer. And I'm singularly impressed with the life of David, who wrote so many of these Psalms and particularly the way he responded in the midst of them. And I think you'll agree that his attitude is absolutely huge. Because rather than responding to God out of anger or bitterness or any other negative sort of a feeling of, you know, I guess I'm searching for the word here, just, you know, something that just wants to blame God. David instead turned to the Lord every single time, something challenging. happened in his life. And as we get into chapter 3, and Scotty, I'm going to have you bring me down just a little bit. I feel like I'm echoing a little

too much. But in Psalm chapter 3, this is the first psalm that begins with a title, and the title tells us just what kind of difficulty David was enduring during this time. And it says, a psalm of David when he fled from Absalom his son. Now take out the name Absalom, and it sounds even a little more ominous. Here's a prayer, a song, if you will, that David offered up when he was fleeing from his son. Who in the world flees from their son? You guys know the story.

This corresponds to the events that are recorded for us in 2 Samuel chapters 15 through 18. You'll remember that David's son, Absalom, who had already committed murder against one of his own brothers and had been banished for all intents and purposes, is now back in Jerusalem and he has now risen up against his father and declared himself king of all Israel. And that meant, of course, that David's life was in danger. Because whenever someone was doing this kind of a coup, that meant that you had to eliminate any possibility of competition, of the other king coming back into power. And so his main goal would be to kill his father, and David knew that, and that's one of the reasons that he ran along with many of

his trusted people. However, as he was on his way, you'll remember word got to David that more and more of those people that he thought he trusted were actually siding with Absalom and had gone to the other side to join Absalom in that rebellion. This is a prayer that comes from one of the most challenging or difficult of circumstances that you can imagine I mean it's one thing to run from your enemy when you know that this guy You know has been your enemy for a long time He hates your guts and and there's never been any question about that sort of this deal But do to have your own son rise up against you a son whom David loved by the way and never stopped loving And even when Absalom lost his life due to this rebellion,

David mourned so much that Joab, you'll remember, actually went and rebuked him. Because it says that after the army was successful in defending King David, they all kind of came creeping back into the city like they were something to be ashamed of. And so Joab, you'll remember, went to the king and said, hey, buddy, you need to get out there and recognize and honor your troops.

Or by tomorrow morning, there won't be a man left to you. That's how much David loved Absalom. This man who betrayed him. This man who created this rebellion. So we're going to get into this. And by the way, as we do get into these verses, you're going to see the word Selah occur a few times and then beyond in some other Psalms. Scholars aren't completely agreed. as to what this word even means. It either means to lift up or to be silent. We're not really sure which, and even if those are correct, if it means to lift up, it could be something as simple as lift up your hands, lift up your eyes. If it means be silent, then it could be a notation to pause for reflection, or it could just be a musical term. But either

way, when we come to it, I'm not going to read it. Now, you know what the deal is, but here's how David's prayer begins. Verse 1, Oh Lord, how many are my foes? Many are rising against me. And this first verse gives you a really, really good idea of David's current heart state, if you will, the state of his heart. Verse 2, he goes on to echo the opinion of some who were around him. saying, many are saying of my soul, there is no salvation for him in God. Now, I want you to understand that when David uses the word salvation, he's using it primarily in terms of the understanding of deliverance. Because that is one of the main interpretations or translations of that word It can refer to your salvation as

far as eternal salvation, but David doesn't have that in view here He's talking about deliverance He's literally on the run from his son and he's telling the Lord that there are many who are saying of me God's not going to deliver him. There's nothing God can do he's out of God's reach if you will and and and you know, we know that there was even a man named Shimei who was saying that and worse. You'll remember when David and his companions were leaving the city or they were on the run from Absalom, this man Shimei was on a bluff above where they were walking and he was throwing dirt clods and rocks on David and his troop as they were traveling along. And he was yelling at David saying, you man of blood,

get out of here. You're getting exactly what you deserve. And so this is kind of what, you know, David is saying to the Lord. Some are saying to me that there's no help from you because I'm actually being punished by you. This is actually a punishment of some kind. And that's a terrible thing to say to anybody when they're going through hard times. That that the the only one who could really deliver you is the one who's actually against you I mean it really is a terrible thing to say because When God's opposed to you There's nobody who can come to your aid. You know I I found a quote in fact by CH Spurgeon that kind of says this better than I could up on the screen here He wrote if all the trials which come from

heaven All the temptations which ascend from hell and all the crosses which arise from the earth could be mixed and pressed together. They would not make a trial so terrible as that which is contained in this verse. It is the most bitter of all afflictions to be led to fear that there is no help for us in God because He's our last salvation. And for somebody to come along and say, you have no hope. Even God is against you in this. That's a horrific thing to say. But David wouldn't accept that line of reasoning.

Look what he goes on to say in verse 3. And some of you are going to have an old Maranatha song going through your head. But you, O Lord, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head. I really love that statement, and of course a lot of people have loved it too, and that's why we've been singing this for years and years and years, but what David is doing, remember he's a warrior, he's a soldier, and so he's using the language of the battlefield to describe God's protection and care, and he says, You are my shield." And he actually makes that declaration. In the midst of all of this that's going on, when people, you know, his son is hunting him down like an animal, when people are saying to him, there's no hope. I think you're

even beyond the reach of God, because I think God is actually the one who's against you here. David comes along and makes this declaration of faith, and he says, but you, O Lord, are my shield. My glory The word the word glory refers when he says my glory he's referring to the one who honors and vindicates in other words what David is saying is you're the one who's going to vindicate me and And and keep me from walking in shame and defeat and then he says you are the lifter of my head And that's an interesting phrase, isn't it? the lifter of my head It's kind of describing the reality of one's head naturally being weighed down as if heavy from the weight of battle. But he speaks of the Lord lifting that weight and being able to lift his

head to say, relieving the distress and focusing his eyes on God. Because as you know, and we talked about this last week, probably the most challenging thing that we do when we're going through hardship is get our eyes off our hardship. I mean, no question about it. When we're hurting, we focus on the source of our pain. Whether that source is a person or a group of people or an organization or a nameless enemy of some kind, we tend to fixate on that very thing. And in so doing, we have our eyes pointed down. at the battlefield, at the place where the difficulty is raging. And David says that, he says, not only are you a shield, a protection around me, not only are you my glory, the one who vindicates

me, but you are also the lifter of my head, the one who keeps my heart from being consumed by this difficulty. How is that possible? By looking up. And that's what we talked about last week. That the Psalms help us to look up. And that's why reading them has been such a powerful comfort for many Christians over the years. Because it changes our perspective. So what does it take on our part for our hearts to be kind of lifted up by the Lord It's in verse 4, and this is a very important verse that you see. I cried aloud to the Lord, and He answered me from His holy hill. Now that verse right there, there's so much there you guys. I cried aloud to the Lord.

You know, I've been in the same room with a lot of people when they're going through great difficulties in life, and I can tell you that we are very good at crying. But we're not that great at crying out to the Lord. We'll cry to people, far before we'll cry out to the Lord. And what David is saying here is, I cried aloud to the Lord. And that is why he was able to have his head lifted to begin to see things from God's perspective.

You know, so many times Christians, they'll talk about that peace, you know, that passes understanding. They're like, where's the peace? God promises peace. Where is it? I want to have that kind of peace when I'm going through difficulties I want to know the peace of the Lord Hey, listen that peace is does is not free. It's not it's it's not unconditional it comes with conditions Let me show them to you. It's it's given to us in the Philippians Chapter four it says do not be anxious about anything Here's the here's what we need to be doing but in everything by prayer and petition with Thanksgiving Here's David's words cry out to the Lord in other words present your requests to God cry out to God and then

it tells us and the peace of God which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds Christ Jesus now there's that wonderful promise of that guarding of our hearts with great peace But notice it is conditioned upon crying out to the Lord bring your burdens to the Lord don't cry to people Well, I mean if you got people who are willing to listen to your cry I suppose but don't let that stop you you know from crying out to the Lord and you know when someone comes to you and they're crying, and they may not be physically crying, but you can hear the cry of their heart. You and I need to be bold enough to say, have you taken this to the throne of grace? And if not, then let's cry out to the

Lord together. Let's petition the Lord together on this thing, because you need peace to guard your heart, and I can see that you don't have it. So let's get it. It's there. It's a promise. It's a sure thing, but the condition is cry out to the Lord Don't be anxious but take that time you would otherwise spend being worried and anxious and and Complaining and and so forth and cry out to God. Oh it just It's it's a it's a wonderful thing God promises to meet the heart that humbles itself before him and cries out to Him with everything that you have. He promises to meet you. He will meet you. He'll meet you there at the place of your greatest need. You cry out to Him. You get down on your knees and you cry out to Him and

He'll meet you at that place. So what's the result of crying out to the Lord finding His peace? Verse 5, I lay down and slept. I woke again for the Lord sustained me. David here says, you know, proof of the confidence that I've been given, the peace that God gives. God enabled me to lay down and sleep. He's actually going to talk about this in another Psalm as well. So he goes on saying, I will not be afraid of many thousands of people who have set themselves against me all around. And you've got to understand here, people, when David makes statements like this, like he does here in verse 6, when he says, I will not be afraid, you've got to understand, He's not saying that he's never going to be tempted

to be afraid, okay? He's voicing, rather, his determination not to give in to that fear under any circumstances. I will not, you can almost hear it through clenched teeth, I will not be afraid, for I will trust in the Lord, you know? I will not be afraid. Am I tempted to be afraid? Every day. Every minute of every day. But I will not be afraid. And I think that you and I could learn a thing or two from David's attitude along these lines because he's looking straight into the face of the fears that he would otherwise be tempted to just give way to. And he's saying, no, I'm not going to give way to you. Because David understood that fear was just as formidable an opponent as a warrior. fully armed coming

at him with sword and shield, David knew fear was just as bad, just as threatening to his life. And you and I need to understand that too. Giving into fear is inviting the enemy into your home and into your heart. And I'm not saying that to condemn anybody because I've struggled with fear just like all the rest of you. But I so I say this to exhort myself as well and when we do fear you guys when we do find that you know Fear has broken down whatever barriers we erected and it has broken through and gotten in It's time to repent it's time to confess it as Sin, you know, this is the interesting thing about fear so many times people They don't know how to deal with fear. And so it just kind of goes on and on and on in their lives. And you

know, the reason that it just goes on and on is because they never deal with it for what it is. It's a sin. Fear is a sin. God has not given us a spirit of fear, right? So it's coming from somewhere else. It's either coming from my flesh or I'm being prompted. So there's a necessity for you and I to recognize fear for what it is.

It's a sin. So when we give in to fear, we need to come to the Lord and say, Lord, I confess to you that I am afraid. My heart is melting like wax, to use a biblical phrase. It shouldn't be. I should be walking in the confidence of knowing that you are in charge in my life, but I'm not. I'm not doing that right now. In fact, I'm walking in the opposite of that, and I ask you to forgive me, okay? I ask you to forgive me for being afraid. Now, what have you done?

You've taken this enemy and you've brought it to the cross, right? And oh, the power that you and I begin to wield in our walk with the Lord when we take the sins that we commit and we take them to the cross and we find forgiveness. The enemy can no longer take that thing and beat you over the head with it. And the power of those things begin to lose their power. Through the blood of Jesus Christ and the forgiveness that he gives and we find that we have a different attitude And you know if you have to confess sin a hundred times a day and do it 200 times a day do it Lord forgive me me again Gave in to fear. I'm sorry. I should be trusting you, but I'm not and Don't be afraid to admit that you're not trusting him. He knew it already And

then ask him to help you trust Lord give me the power give me the strength to keep my eyes on you and to trust you you know This is why David is making just this declaration. I will not be afraid those many thousands Come against me all set against me to destroy me or what I will not Give in to fear even though I may be tempted As we go on here, beginning in verse 7, here's David's prayer regarding his enemies. You know, there have been times when I've been praying the Psalms, when I've been going through a time of prayer, and sometimes I don't have... a physical enemy. Sometimes I have spiritual enemies. Sometimes my enemy is my own soul. My own emotions rising up against me and being exploited for whatever

reason. I see words like this. I see statements like this. Arise, oh God. Save me. Strike all my enemies on the cheek. I'm thinking, maybe that's fear. Maybe that's the fear in your life. You're saying, Lord, strike it on the cheek. Break its teeth. break its ability to grab on and to bite and to tear. Just break that ability in my life. If that's your enemy, then so be it. David may be talking here about physical enemies. Fact of the matter is, you and I know from the New Testament that our battle is not against flesh and blood. So that's one of the great ways to use these imprecatory Psalms to speak about whatever issue you're up against.

You know, Lord, break it. Break the power of this thing over my life. Now, I want you to know too that this idea of David speaking words of declaration, even though he may not be feeling it, this is something we're going to see a lot in the Psalms. Here's what I mean by that. David would often speak great words of faith, but then as you read on in any given psalm, you'll find out that he was really under it. I mean, there are some songs that start off just real, sound like he's just starting really strong, but by the end of the psalm, or maybe the midpoint of the psalm, he's telling God what's really going on, and he's saying things like, if you don't help me, I'm dead. Seriously, I'm gonna die.

And that's what's really going on. And you read those words alongside the way he started off speaking at the beginning of the Psalm, and it almost sounds like you got two different people talking, you know? There's the strong man, and then there's the weak man. You got the strong man that says, the Lord is my, you know, my refuge and my salvation. In Him I will trust. And then you get into the Psalm farther, and David's going, you know, I am weary and my bed is... drenched with my tears and all these... and you're kind of going, really? That came from the same man?

Oh yeah, that came from the same man. David was a man who believed in speaking, confidence in the Lord, even if that confidence wasn't something he was feeling. Here's why. It's because he knew that God was not dependent on his feelings. He knew that the ability of God, the power of God, was not hindered or made more strengthened by his feelings. God is who God is. Therefore, David is able to make a declaration about God, regardless of how he feels. See, this is the important thing that you and I need to get into our hearts and into our souls because we are so many times captive and in slavery to our feelings to the point where when I feel scared, nothing of faith comes out of my mouth. It's just fear. All that comes out

of my mouth. And I'm not saying that again to condemn you. I'm saying it's something I think we need to learn to emulate in the person of David where he's in the middle of literally fearing for his life, and yet he says, the Lord is my salvation. The Lord is my deliverer. The Lord loves, you know, his children. And he'll make these statements, you know. And this is kind of what he's doing here. Look at verse 8. He says, salvation. And again, that's... The idea of deliverance, so I'll say deliverance belongs to the Lord your blessing be on your people In other words what he's saying here is it is the Lord who delivers okay for him to say Deliverance or salvation belongs to the Lord. He's saying

it comes from God it comes from God Did you get that it comes from God? You know I am emphasizing that because we hear this and then We'll walk out of here and go through some kind of a hardship and we'll instantly try to deliver ourselves We'll try to create something or do something to deliver ourselves David truly believed deliverance came from the Lord Because he was tested twice with affecting his own deliverance God gave his greatest enemy King Saul into his hands on two occasions, and basically said, there you go, David, deliver yourself. You're free to do it.

And his companions were encouraging him to do so. And they're even couching it in the language of heaven. The Lord has given your enemy into your hands. Now strike, David, and it'll all be over. And David refused on both times. I will not deliver myself. Deliverance belongs to the Lord. Wow, what a man. And you know, David realized, he knew that when you try to work your own work of deliverance, it's always a bad idea. You've been listening to Through the Bible with Pastor Paul from Life Bible Ministry. For the complete library of Pastor Paul's teaching and full transcripts, visit lifebibleministry .com. We hope today's teaching has encouraged and inspired you. We look forward to you joining us again as we continue

our journey through the scriptures.

Psalm 3 - The Lifter of My Head

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