Psalm 3

An Exposition of Psalm 3

Introductory Thoughts

* This psalm is a psalm for those who are up against the wall and surrounded by impossible problems.

* In this psalm, we find, not a quick way out of our problems, but we find about the God who is the only Source of help.

* This psalm, according to the title, was set during a particular historical event in the life of David, and to really understand the psalm, we need to know what was going on at the time.


1. The Historical Background

a. David’s many wives, and the several sons of those wives.

(1) 2 Sam 3:2-5 "Sons were born to David in Hebron: His firstborn was Amnon by Ahinoam the Jezreelitess; 3 his second, Chileab, by Abigail the widow of Nabal the Carmelite; the third, Absalom the son of Maacah, the daughter of Talmai, king of Geshur; 4 the fourth, Adonijah the son of Haggith; the fifth, Shephatiah the son of Abital; 5 and the sixth, Ithream, by David's wife Eglah. These were born to David in Hebron."

(2) Note: Amnon was the oldest, and Absalom was younger, and the son of a foreign-born woman.

b. David’s sin with Bathsheba, and the Prophecy of Nathan

2 Sam 12:10 'Now therefore, the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised Me, and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.' 11 "Thus says the LORD: 'Behold, I will raise up adversity against you from your own house; and I will take your wives before your eyes and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this sun. 12 'For you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel, before the sun.'""

(1) Please note, David was personally forgiven.

(2) But God did not remove the judgment of the natural consequences of David’s sin from his life and family.

d. The sin and exile of Absalom

(1) Absalom’s half-brother Amnon (the first born, the heir) had defiled Tamar, Absalom’s full sister.

(2) Absalom killed Amnon, and fled to Geshur, a neighboring country, the home of his mother.

(3) David pined after Absalom, who was his favorite son.

(4) Through the intrigue of Joab, Absalom was eventually brought back, and returned to favor with David. But, Absalom plotted to overthrow David

f. The plot of Absalom

(1) Helped by David’s aloof leadership

***2 Sam 15:1-6


(2) Fed by Absalom’s personal charm and looks.

2 Sam 14:25 "Now in all Israel there was no one who was praised as much as Absalom for his good looks. From the sole of his foot to the crown of his head there was no blemish in him."

(3) Initially successful

2 Sam 15:13-14 "Now a messenger came to David, saying, "The hearts of the men of Israel are with Absalom." 14 So David said to all his servants who were with him at Jerusalem, "Arise, and let us flee; or we shall not escape from Absalom. Make haste to depart, lest he overtake us suddenly and bring disaster upon us, and strike the city with the edge of the sword.""


(4) Absalom was undermined by David’s loyal servants and their counter-plotting, and the episode ended by military confrontation, the victory of David’s forces, the death of Absalom, and the restoration of David.

g. Psalm 3 is set during the time when it looked like the plot would be successful.


2. An Overview of the Psalm In Its Historical Context

a. The Plight of David—Psa 3 "LORD, how they have increased who trouble me! Many are they who rise up against me. 2 Many are they who say of me, "There is no help for him in God." Selah

(1) David was outnumbered, and the conspiracy grew as more people jumped on the bandwagon.

2 Sam 15:12 "Then Absalom sent for Ahithophel the Gilonite, David's counselor, from his city; from Giloh; while he offered sacrifices. And the conspiracy grew strong, for the people with Absalom continually increased in number."

Absalom’s faction, like a snowball, strangely gathered in its motion. David speaks of it as one amazed; and well he might, that a people he had so many ways obliged, should almost generally revolt from him and rebel against him, and choose for their head such a silly giddy young fellow as Absalom was. (Matthew Henry)

(2) Even those who were not on the side of the enemy saw his situation as hopeless.


(3) Perhaps many, recalling the prophecy of Nathan and David’s aloof leadership, felt that the situation was David’s fault anyway—and to a large extent, they were correct.

2 Sam 16:5-8 "Now when King David came to Bahurim, there was a man from the family of the house of Saul, whose name was Shimei the son of Gera, coming from there. He came out, cursing continuously as he came. 6 And he threw stones at David and at all the servants of King David. And all the people and all the mighty men were on his right hand and on his left. 7 Also Shimei said thus when he cursed: "Come out! Come out! You bloodthirsty man, you rogue! 8 "The LORD has brought upon you all the blood of the house of Saul, in whose place you have reigned; and the LORD has delivered the kingdom into the hand of Absalom your son. So now you are caught in your own evil, because you are a bloodthirsty man!""


b. David’s Reflection—David Looks to the Character of God and David’s relationship with God. 3 But You, O LORD, are a shield for me, My glory and the One who lifts up my head.

(1) God is his shield—
The word in the original signifies more than a shield; it means a buckler round about, a protection which shall surround a man entirely, a shield above, beneath, around, without and within. Oh! What a shield is God for His people! He wards off the fiery darts of Satan from beneath, and the storms of trials from above, while, at the same instant He speaks peace to the tempest within the breast. (Spurgeon, Treasury of David, page 23)

(2) God is David’s glory—the glory of Absalom, the plotting son, was his hair, his good looks, his winning persona. Absalom was a man full of himself, with no humility or respect for others at all. David’s heart is after God.

(3) God lifts his head—David does not seek for allies from the surrounding kingdoms. He even tries to persuade some of his followers from supporting him, for their own good. David does not depend upon men to lift his spirits, but upon God.

(4) Lessons: What was it that David had which was his arsenal against the anguish and hopelessness of this moment?

* Knowing God intellectually
* Knowing God Spiritually
* Knowing God personally
* Depending on God for uplifting,
not emotion, hype, or therapy.

John 17:3 ""And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent."

2 Tim 1:12 “…. I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day."

Phil 3:8-10 "Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; 10 that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death,"


c. David’s Prayer of Faith—4 I cried to the LORD with my voice, And He heard me from His holy hill. Selah.

(1) This man, who knows God well, moves from the remembrance of that knowledge to crying out to Him.

(2) He cried out, aloud

(3) He was persistent—the verb tense is “I was crying…” He cried out and continued to cry out, and the Lord honored his prayer.

(4) From His Holy Hill—the fervent effectual prayer of this righteous man was heard and honored in heaven.

d. David’s confidence in God—5 I lay down and slept; I awoke, for the LORD sustained me. 6 I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people Who have set themselves against me all around.

(1) From remembering his knowledge of God to crying out to God in persistent prayer, then David is so filled with confidence that he can sleep!

Would you be secured in evil times? Get grace and fortify this garrison; a good conscience is a Christian’s fort-royal. David’s enemies lay round about him; yet saith he, I laid me down and slept.” A good conscience can sleep in the mouth of a cannon, grace is a Christians’s coat of mail which fears not the arrow or bullet. True grace may be shot at but can never be shot through; grace puts the soul into Christ, and there it is safe, as the bee in the hive, as the dove in the ark. (Thomas Watson, from Treasury, page 28) Rom 8:1 "There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus…”

(2) See the situation: outnumbered, on the run, with no help and no source of supply or support.

(3) perhaps many of his good friends are saying, there is no hope for David, he has had it.”

(4) But, after reflecting on God and praying to Him, David slept! Another way of reading the Hebrew would be, “As for me, I lay down and slept.”

(5) I awoke, for the LORD sustains me.

(a) He awoke to a new day

(b) There was not assassin in the night, nor any terror, for God sustained him.

(c) He awoke with confidence. He is outnumbered and surrounded, cornered, yet he awakes with confidence in God.

e. David’s Exclamatory Petition—7 Arise, O LORD; Save me, O my God! For You have struck all my enemies on the cheekbone; You have broken the teeth of the ungodly. 8 Salvation belongs to the LORD. Your blessing is upon Your people. Selah"

(1) He awakes to pray again, and more forcefully than before.

(2) First petition—save me God!

(3) Second petition—“you have struck and broken…” David counts God’s will as done, not to be done.

(4) Salvation belongs to the Lord—God is sovereign in His providential deliverance.

This verse contains the sum and substance of the doctrines of Grace. Search Scripture through, and you must, if you read it with a candid mind, be persuaded that the doctrine of salvation by grace alone is the great doctrine of the Word of God. “Salvation belongeth unto the Lord…” This is a point concerning which we are daily fighting. Our opponents say, “salvation belongeth to the free will of man; if not to man’s merit, yet at least to man’s will;” But we hold and teach that salvation from first to last in every iota of it belongs to the Most High God. It is God that chooses His people. He calls them by his grace; He quickens them by His Spirit, and keeps them by His power. It is not of man, neither by man, “…not of him that willeth nor of him that runnerth, but of God that showeth mercy.”
(Charles Haddon Spurgeon)

3. An Application of the Psalm

a. This psalm is for Christians who are up against the wall.

(1) For Christians—there is no comfort here for the lost. This is a treat and a promise for the people of God only.

Psa 3:8 "Salvation belongs to the LORD. Your blessing is upon Your people. Selah"

(2) UP against the wall—those surrounded by people, circumstances, or trials, even the attacks of Satan himself.

(3) Even if your situation, like David’s, is wholly or partly your fault.

(4) This is for Christians when everyone else has given up on you, as they had David. Those around you may have given up on you, but God has a plan for His people, and He is working that plan.

b. The First key lesson—knowing God. David Knew God.

(1) He had knowledge about God—he knew the attributes and power of the God he served.

(2) He knew God personally—David had walked many hard roads with the Lord, and he knew God.




c. The Second key lesson—Dependence on God

(1) Is God your shield, or is He only the One you call upon as a last resort, after you have tried everything else?

(2) Is God your Glory, or do you glory and have confidence in something else?

(3) Is God the One who lifts you up, or do you have another source?

d. The Third Key Lesson—persistent, fervent, direct, and persevering prayer.

Mat 7:7-11 ""Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 "For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. 9 "Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 "Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? 11 "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!"

(1) The verb tense in the original: “…knock and keep on knocking, ask and keep on asking, seek and keep on seeking…”

(2) Fervent, Effectual Prayer—

*** Luke 18:1-8

James 5:16 “…The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.”

1754. energeo, en-erg-eh'-o; from G1756; to be active, efficient:--do, (be) effectual (fervent), be mighty in, shew forth self, work (effectually in).

(3) God wants to see you committed to this!

e. The promise:

(1) God will answer.

(2) You will have confidence to rest in Him.

(3) You will awake, ready for battle

(4) You will ignore the forces arrayed against you.

(5) You will give God all the glory for the victory.