1.0 The Statement

Psalm 3 is the First Psalm with a title, called “A Morning Psalm” Psalm 3:5). The Contents of Psalm 3 described the several difficult circumstances/situations which David experienced when he {David} fled from Absalom, his son. Psalm 3 is One of the Fourteen Psalms that are linked with Historical Episodes, all in David’s Life (Psalm 3; Psalm 7; Psalm 18; Psalm 30; Psalm 34; Psalm 51; Psalm 52; Psalm 54; Psalm 56; Psalm 57; Psalm 59; Psalm 60; Psalm 63; Psalm 142).

David’s flight from Absalom is recounted in 2Samuel 15:13. The word rendered “Psalm” in this Title appears 57 times in other Titles. The historical background for this Psalm is found in 2Samuel Chapters 15 to 18 where David had to take flight from his own palace to hide himself from his rebellious son, Absalom, as indicated by the historical note at the top of Psalm 3.

Many refer to this as a “Morning Prayer” to God (Psalm 3:5). This Psalm has been a favourite of many people facing troubles. If worry (discouragement – Psalm 3:1-2) keeps us from getting a good night’s sleep, Psalm 3 and Psalm 4 are what we need, because God never sleep (Psalm 121:3-4), so why should we stay awake and worry.

Psalm 3 and Psalm 4 are related as being Prayers of the morning and evening, in each case following a period of great danger and God’s Protection. A careful reading of Psalm 3 and Psalm 4 will show that they are closely related in structure, circumstances, and time.

• Psalm 3 and Psalm 4, in each Psalm are four stanzas of 2 Verses each.
• Psalm 3 and Psalm 4, each reflects a time of great danger, and the danger appears to be one and the same in both Psalms. Both tell of the faith of God’s Anointed (David) when the Kingdom was opposed, not from without (Psalm 2), but from within.
• The Titles of both Psalm 3 and Psalm 4 are ascribed to David. Psalm 3 and Psalm 4 were written when David was exiled from Jerusalem because his son, Absalom, had stolen the Kingdom (2Samuel chapters 15 to 18).
• Psalm 3 is “a Morning Prayer” (Psalm 3:5) and Psalm 4 is “an Evening Prayer” (Psalm 4:8).

The occasion indicated by the Title is completely suitable to the content of the Psalm 3. David’s distress of heart arose from the magnitude of the rebellion (Psalm 3:1, 6; cf 2Samuel 15:13). Troubles drives David to God in Prayer, not from Him in disbelief (Psalm 3:3; cf 1Samuel 30:6). David knew that God was for him:

• God surrounds him (Psalm 3:3) – Protection (Shield), Presence (Glory), Restorer of his dignity (Lifter of his head).
• God sustains him (Psalm 3:5).
• God saves him (Psalm 3:7).. 

Psalm 3:3-8 expresses David’s reaction, are a sublime expression of unquenchable trust in God. 

1.1 David’s Distress

Psalm 3:1-2 “LORD, how are they increased that trouble me! Many are they that rise up against me. Many there are who say of my soul, there is no help for him in God. Selah.” – David was in distress as set forth in Psalm 3:1-2.  David wrote Psalm 3 when he ran away from his son, Absalom.  Absalom was the third son of David (2Samuel 3:3), and he (Absalom) usurped the Kingdom of Israel from his father, David.

We know nothing about the second son named Chileab or Daniel (1Chronicles 3:1). The oldest son, Amnon, was in line to be the King after David, but he sinned against his sister and Absalom killed him (2Samul 13:14,28).

So, Absalom was the oldest son in line for the throne, but he could not wait for his father, David to die. He stole the hearts of the People for himself and then to take the throne of his father (2Samuel 15:6,10). At first David ran away from Jerusalem, but he returned when Absalom had been killed. David wrote this Psalm 3 as a Prayer that God would save him from his Enemies.

1.1.1 The Increase

Psalm 3:1a “LORD, how are they increased that trouble me!” –  David laments to the LORD that his enemies are numerous and increasing, in their opposition against him. These formidable enemies had joined with Absalom, David’s son, in the rebellion against him (David). Three times the Hebrew root for “many” occurs (translated “increased” in Psalm 3:1).

• David’s son, Absalom has gathered a formidable force against David, his father (2Samuel 15:1-6). Absalom stole the hearts of the People of Israel – 2Samuel 15:6 “In this manner Absalom acted toward Israel who came to the King for judgement. So, Absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel.”  
• The Book of Samuel records that “the conspiracy was strong, for the People increased continually with Absalom” (2Samuel 15:12). Again, “Absalom, and all the People, the men of Israel, came to Jerusalem, and Ahithophel with him.” (2Samuel 16:15).

Ahithophel proposed to pursue David with 12,000 men (2Samuel 17:1-3), until David becomes tired and discouraged. Then they would strike David and return David’s men to Absalom. This plan, Ahithophel said, would bring peace to Israel. 2Samuel 17:4, states that “this advice seemed right in the eyes of Absalom and all the Elders of Israel.” The actual number that goes against David is larger than 12,000 men, as 2Samuel 18:7 states that some 20,000 men were killed. Whenever adversity strike, we have a choice:

• We can turn from God, or we can turn to God.
• We can use suffering to justify unbelief, or we can use suffering as a spur to belief.

This threat of pursuit by thousands of Absalom’s men, is the background of David’s plea in Psalm 3. David leads the way; he turns to God in direct address. To be in the minority is itself a test of nerve; more so when the minority is shrinking. David’s Enemies were becoming more numerous than they have ever been before. Physically, David is in grave danger:

• David is compassed with foes. There is a consciousness of danger.
• Surrounded with plots and snares. There is a feeling of being abandon by friends.
• Scoffed at for his Piety: “There is no help for him in God.” There is a feeling of helplessness.

1.1.2 The Opposition

Psalm 3:1b “Many are they that rise up against me.” David’s Opposition is active – “Rise up against me.”  With the troubles of David mounting, many of his distrustful friends deduced that he is doomed to death. Thus, they abandoned him (David).

If we must struggle hard with Opposition, let us remember that we have “Companion in tribulation” and that the experience of David recorded in Psalm 3 is here to help us.  We may not lead Nations, but if we take a bold stand for Christ our Enemies will increase. Our families, our circle of friends, our business associates, our “public” will feel the effect. Harry Truman stated: “The Price of Leadership is loneliness.” Harry Truman used to say: “If you cannot stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.”  

1.1.3 Their Justification

Psalm 3:2 (NKJV) “Many are they who say of me, there is no help for him in God. Selah.” – The “bottom line” of David’s adversity lies not simply in the strength of his (David’s) Enemies but also in the charge: “There is no help for him in God.” Here is the threat of practical Atheism. It bears many nuances:

• The first attack is that God has abandoned David.
• The second attack is that David is not worth God’s attention, anyway.
• The third attack is in the conclusion that David should give up his faith in God and turn elsewhere for help.
• David’s spirit was weighed down by his Adversaries taunts to the effect that he is beyond the help of God.

The Accusation – For the thrust is primarily against David rather than God. These disheartening comments of “unkind cut,” are like those directed toward Job (Job 2:11-13).

• When David’s Enemies declared that God has forsaken him (David), it is intended to create fear in him that he (David) has been abandoned by God, in his difficulties.
• When Absalom rebelled against David, there is no doubt that many expected Divine intervention on behalf of David against the Rebel. But when David fled, and with so few Followers (2Samuel 15:18), and in his flight spoke so doubtfully of his prospects (2Samuel 15:26).
• And when no help seemed to arise from any quarter, then their opinion changed, and they concluded that David is God-forsaken and would succumb to his Enemies.

Absalom saw in David’s expulsion from the city as Divine judgement (2Samuel 16:8). The word “help” is the same word as “salvation” in Psalm 3:8.

“Selah” (Psalm 3:2, 4, 8) – In this Psalm each Stanza, except the third, ends with “Selah.” Selah first occurs in this Psalm, where it is found three times. The word “Selah” is found 73 times in the Book of Psalms and three times in the Book of Habakkuk.  It is probably derived from the Hebrew root “Salal” meaning “Lift up.”  “Selah” means “Stop and Pray.” The frequent use in 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. The word “Selah” often comes after an impressive statement, hence the pause for intensified reflection.

1.2 David’s Deliverer

Psalm 3:3-4 “But You, O LORD, are a shield for me, my glory, and the One who lifts up my head. I cried to the LORD with my voice, and He heard me from the holy hill.” – David now moves from the Character of his Enemies to the Character of God.  In the midst of his troubles, David remembers God’s past Deliverance. David’s trust in God grows from reassurance to buoyant confidence. He testified on Four Facts about God’s Deliverance:

1.2.1 David’s Shield

Psalm 3:3a “But thou, O LORD, art a shield for me.” –  David is exposed to the darts of false friends and false accusation, but God is his “Shield” – To protect him, as the Rebels had attacked his Person.

• David focuses on God’s Protective Power, the Power that is also Personal: “You…are a shield for me.”
• The God who rules the Heaven guards David’s heart. The expression has a special significant to David, being a “Man of War,” he fully appreciates the Protecting Power of the Shield.  
• David also knows that God had promised to be the Shield for Abraham (Genesis 15:1), and he believed that God would be the Shield for him.

David discovered what Corrie ten Boom witnessed in the Nazi Concentration Camp at Ravens brook when she and her sister were condemned to death for hiding Jews from the Gestapo, she said that in the depths of despair God was deeper still.

1.2.2 David’s Glory

Psalm3:3b “My glory.” – David appeared to be plunged into gloom, but God is David’s “glory” – To restore his dignity, as the Rebel desired his Kingdom:

• Dignity and Power – When Joseph said to his brothers “You shall tell my father of all my glory,” he meant the dignity and power to which God’s Wonder-working Providence has raised him from the dungeon.
• Provision – God is also David’s Provision, his Victory, his Glory. The word “Glory” (Kabod) literally means “Heavy.” Troops going to battle went out light, and when they are victorious, they came back heavy, bringing the spoils with them. Thus, they brought “Glory” and they received “Glory” for their triumph. In this battle the spoils, the “Glory” is God’s not David’s.
• God’s Glory is Eternal, Essential, and Unchangeable, His own: “My Glory will I not give to another.” But David by faith requested God to bestow his “glory” (dignity).

1.2.3 David’s Lifter

Psalm 3:3c “And the Lifter up of mine head.” – The verb “lift” may echo an earlier use of the term in Psalm 3:1. Lowered head signifies shame and humility. God is to be trusted as the Person who shall vindicate David against his (David’s) Enemies and Detractors, to lift David’s head (honour).

Before his rebellion, Absalom had been rejected by David and then restored to favour. This restoration is recorded in 2 Samuel 14:33: “He (Absalom) came to the King and bowed himself on his face to the ground before the King.”

What David does next, lift him (Absalom) up: “Then the King (David) kissed Absalom.”  Later David’s head is lowered in shame by Absalom’s revolt, but the God who Protects and Provides will go on to lift David’s head in triumph.  

Although David’s Enemies rose, God raised him, yet higher. Man had cast David down, but God “lifted him {David} up.” God as his (David’s) Lifter – To give him (David) new courage, as the Rebels sought his downfall. As God had raised David to the Throne (2Samuel 5:3-5; 1Chronicles 11:3) and prospered in his wars (2Samuel 8:1-14) and exalted him above all the other Kings of the period, so God is able to restore him to his rightful place, as the King.

1.2.4 David’s Prayer

Psalm 3:4 “I cried unto the LORD with my voice, and He (God) heard me out of His holy hill. Selah.” – David derives comfort from past experiences. His cry is both constant and earnest. It has been his habit to Pray, and the LORD had always answered him:

• Audible – David’s Prayer is audible. He “cried out.” If our mind wanders in Prayer, try praying out loud. It is an excellent discipline; it will help to keep us focused on God.
• Effective – David’s Prayer is also effective; “he {David} got through {“He heard me out”}” – God hears. There is a confidence that comes in Prayer itself, not simply in answers to Prayer. When we pray in faith and are open to the Holy Spirit, we receive the assurance that God hears, that we are in Communion with Him.
• Directed – David’s Prayer is directed toward Mt Zion, God’s “Holy Hills,” where God’s Presence is symbolised by the Ark of the Covenant. Though David is in exile at Mahanaim (2Samuel 17:24), his {David’s}thoughts revert to Jerusalem, to the Holy Hill of Zion, and the Ark of God, which he {David} has there “Set in its Place.” (2Samuel 6:17); and he knows that God, who “Dwells between the Cherubim” (1Samuel 4:4), will hear him, though so far off.

The Sombre Developments of the Day are summed up in David’s Morning Prayer and left with God in confidence that He (God) has heard and heeded:

• The Rebels has attacked his (David’s) Person – In his danger, God is his (David’s) Shield (Psalm3:3a) – “Shield” = To Protect him (David). 
• The Rebels desired his (David’s) Crown – In his (David’s) humiliation, God is his (David’s) Glory {Honour – Psalm 3:3b} – “Glory” = To Restore his (David’s) Dignity.
• The Rebels seek David’s Downfall – In their (Rebels’) Accusation, God is the Lifter of his (David’s) head (Psalm 3:3c) – “The Lifter of my (David’s) head” = To Restore David’s Honour.
• The Rebels has driven David from Zion – In fleeing, God is David’s Sanctuary (Psalm 3:4). “The Holy Hill” = God’s Presence.

The Verbs of Psalm 3:4 should be frequentative: “Whenever I call, He (God) Answers!” Having God, David has everything, even if he is bereft of all else (2Corinthians 4:7-11), and God is trustworthy, as the Person who shall vindicate David against his (David’s) Enemies and Detractors, to lift David’s head (honour).

All of David’s Confidence rests upon the experiences of Answered Prayer (the Verbs represent unvaried custom), and upon Revelation of God’s Nature, as He (God) has shown Himself “On His Holy Hills,” this refers to Zion. It is this knowledge of God which enabled David to sleep (Psalm 3:5).

The Sequence of Action from Psalm 3:3 to Psalm 3:4 shows us the Secret of Effective Prayer. We begin by Worshipping God and Calling to Mind of God’s Character. As we described Him (God) and remembered what He had done, our Faith Grows. The Vitality of our Prayers will reflect our understanding of God. Dr. Louis Evans, Jr., said of the Great Christian Educator, Henrietta Mears that when she Prayed, she reached up to Heaven and shook God’s Throne. She Prayed Mighty Prayers because she had the Mighty God.

1.3 David’s Confidence

The Consequences of David’s Cry to God are sketched in Psalm 3:5-6. God sustains him (David). The freshness of body and serenity of faith with which David awoke the next morning are due to an implicit Assurance of Divine Mercy and Preservation. This not only rid ominous (worrying) circumstances of any Power to intimate but initiated a claim to actual triumph over them.  Psalm 3:5-6 mentions features of David’s Deliverance.

1.3.1 The Lord Sustains

Psalm 3:5 “I lay down and slept; I awaked; for the LORD sustained me.” – David’s freshness of body and serenity of faith with which he (David) awakes the next morning are due to an implicit Assurance of Divine Mercy and Preservation.

• It could be stated this way: “I, for my part,” he says, “confident in God, calmly laid me down and slept; I did not allow the danger which I was in to interfere with my repose at night.”
• When Morning came, that is, David awoke, as usual, from a quiet and refreshing slumbers, because now and always David is sustained by God.
• David is sustained in sleep. Sleep is the Sign of God’s Peace. David is able to sleep because God is awake (Psalm 121:3-4), and David has given his (David’s) burdens to Him (God). Now through the night David is kept by God: “He gives His beloved sleep” (Psalm 127:2).
• David awakens: “For the LORD sustained me.” Thus, Psalm 3 is Composed in David’s Morning Devotions.
• David’s Confidence (Trustfulness) – the Peacefulness of David’s sleep.
• David’s Present experience also, justified his (David’s) Confidence, in God. David is speaking of the morning after a night of refreshing sleep – not in bed, but out in the open and beneath the stars, hunted by his enemies (2Samuel 22:1).
• It is not the sleep of exhaustion, but of trust in God, who sustains him (David) all the time (Hebrew).

The Knowledge that God is his (David’s) Helper and Protector makes his sleep possible. Upon awaking, he realizes that it is the LORD who sustained him. Watson: “A good conscience can sleep in the mouth of a cannon; grace is a Christian’s coat of mail, which fears not the arrow or bullet.”

1.3.2 The Lord Protects

Psalm 3:6 “I will not be afraid of ten thousands of People, who have set themselves against me round about.” – David is calm before his (David’s) Enemies. Here is the Fundamental Answer to Prayer as David’s Faith triumphs over his Fears. As is often said, God never Promises to change our circumstances; God always Promises to change us. David knows that there is no real might in “the multitude of a Host” (Psalm 33:16). God could save equally with many or with few, and against many or against few (2Kings 6:15-17).   

David’s Courage (Fearlessness).  David is sure that the LORD would protect him (David), and David could face ten thousand Enemies without Fear. The Hebrew for “ten thousand” is a reminder of the word for “many” in Psalm 3:1-2; and although encirclement (“round about”), now intensifies the Threat, David could confidently face the worst. Numbers are not everything. Absalom had the crowd, but David had God, and the Person with God is the Majority.

1.4 David’s Prayer

But one night of safety has not dispelled the danger, and Prayer remains David’s Resource. Psalm 3:7b “For You has smitten all mine enemies upon the cheekbones; You has broken the teeth of the ungodly,” could be a reference to Past Deliverances.

David’s Past-Experiences stand him in good stead and encouragement. David recalls the Changelessness, Faithfulness of God, and then Psalm 3:8 looks to Him as the Sole Deliverer of Deliverance or Salvation, and the Sole Source of His People’s Blessedness. Psalm 3:7-8 Contains the Prayer of Deliverance, but also includes Statements of God’s Past Accomplishments. Two Verbs form the basis of the Prayer:

• Psalm 3:7a “Arise, O LORD;”
• Psalm 3:7b “Save me, O my God!”

The Power and Deliverance of God are invoked by this Petition, as David seeks Divine Intervention.

1.4.1 Prayer for Himself

Psalm 3:7 “Arise, O LORD; save me, O my God; for YOU has smitten all mine enemies upon the cheekbone; thou hast broken the teeth of the ungodly.” –

David’s Prayer: “Arise, O LORD.” God’s Power and Deliverance are involved God’s Power and Deliverance are invoked by this Petition, as David seeks active intervention. He is either recalling what God has done on previous occasions or using the Prophetic Perfect. David was in imminent danger:

• All Israel had come against him (David) (2Samuel 16:15).
• David Short of Supplies (2Samuel 17:29).
• David is doubtful how God is disposed toward him (2Samuel 15:25-26).

It is the time, unless God delivers, there is no hope. Hence the intense earnestness of David’s Prayer. With God’s Assurance, David experienced God’s Peace in his heart. David is ready for Battle.

• David called upon the LORD to fight and is confident of the Outcome. The Call “Arise, O LORD; Save me, O My God” is David’s Petitions to God to go to war, on his behalf. It is Yahweh who fights Israel’s battles. He (God) is the “Commander of the Army” (Joshua 5:14).
• David’s Psalm of Security concludes with the Statement that the LORD “Has smitten all his (David’s) Enemies upon the check bone,” (Psalm 3:7c), the point of contact (of the check bone) which inflicts the greatest pain and the highest degree of insult (1Kings.22:24; Job 16:10; Micah 5:1).

The “breaking of the teeth” of the ungodly (Psalm 3:7d; Job 4:10; Psalm 58:6) represents the Destruction their Weapons (Teeth).  In our battle against Satan, we are reminded that our Lord Jesus Christ, “the Seed of the Woman” (Genesis 3:15), has mortally bruised the head of the Serpent – Colossians 2:15 “Having disarmed Principalities and Powers, He (Jesus) made a Public Spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.”

1.4.2 Prayer for the People

Psalm 3:8 “Salvation belongs unto the LORD; Your blessing is upon Your People, Selah.” – The Ungodly scoffed at David: “There is no help for him in God,” (Psalm 3:2), but David expresses his Confidence: “Salvation belongs to the LORD” (Psalm 3:8). “Salvation” is the same Hebrew word as in Psalm 3:2 “Help” or “Deliverance.” It means Deliverance/Help in any time of trouble:  

• It is God who delivers the Godly from their Enemies and brings Victory.
• It is God who bestow Blessing.

A Leader’s Heart – David has the heart for the People, as he is not deterred, by the revolt of almost the whole Nation against him, from commending them to God, entreating God’s Blessing upon them, and desiring their welfare. He echoes Moses (Exodus 32:31-32). Delivering David from his Enemies, then, is not an end in itself; it is for the sake of blessing the Nation.  God’s People – Psalm 3 ends by looking beyond the “I” and “me” of all the previous Verses to Your {God’s}People (not even “my people”), and Your {God’s} blessing, which goes as far beyond Victory as Health and Fruitfulness go beyond Survival.  Psalm 3:8 is a Benediction, but it is also a Prayer, adapting the Psalm 3 to Public Worship. David joyfully exclaims “Salvation belongs unto the LORD.” God is the Author and Originator of our Salvation, and David glories in the fact that Salvation (Deliverance), as God’s Gift to him is certain.