The Passion Translation | Psalms Study | Dr. Brian Simmons Lesson 3 / Psalm 3: Covered by the Glory ​ King David’s song when he was forced to flee from Absalom, his own son The rabbis call this ‘The Morning Hymn.’ The words of this psalm could have been heard early in the morning from the lips of Jesus Christ as He prayed in the garden of Gethsemane. It is the song of a soul in grave peril as a new day dawns. It is the heartbreak of a father (David) that spoke these words. Although known as a psalm of lament, the true theme of Psalm 3 is: quietness in the midst of troubles. Even though the king was in a painful situation, he still had a song in his heart. This psalm begins at a very low moment in the life of David. Because of his sin with Bathsheba, his family life was torn apart with strife. Absalom was the arrogant, insolent son of David who attempted to take the kingship from his father by force. He was David’s third son by Maacah, the daughter of king Geshur. Absalom was a charming prince with the people and used his charm to steal their heart from his father the king. Exiled for the murder of his brother Ammon, Absalom eventually returned to Jerusalem and plotted to dethrone his father. David learned of the rebellion of his son and fled to Mahanaim. Although Absalom was formally anointed king, he was eventually defeated and killed by David’s army (2 Sam.15-18). A marginal (alternate) reading of the inscription is, “To the chief musician on neginoth”. Neginoth is taken from a word that means “to strike, or lay hands on”. It was sometimes used for a string instrument that was strummed with the hand, but it also means to strike down the enemy and be victorious. This psalm is the striking of God’s servant and God’s victory we discover in our difficulties. Jesus Christ is the Son of David and the Seed of David (Matt.1:1 & Luke 1:30-33). The path that David took as he fled from Absalom is the same as Jesus’ departure from Jerusalem to pray in Gethsemane on the night of his betrayal and arrest. Both David and Jesus passed through the Kidron valley (“valley of mourning”), weeping as they went up by the ascent of Mt. Olivet (II Sam. 15:30 and 15:23). It is simply amazing that King David and his loyal men traced the steps that King Jesus would one day take on His way to Gethsemane and Calvary. David, in spite of the rebellion of his son, loved Abasalom. He mourned over him while he lived and was heartbroken when he died. One of the great glimpses we have into the heart of the “sweet Psalmist of Israel” is found in the account of David and Absalom. David did not resist the rebellion or even defend himself from those who misunderstood him. He fled from his home and took his household with him, rather than battle with Absalom. During all this season of his life, David chose to trust the Lord and let God vindicate him. This was the backdrop for the writing of Psalm 3. David is fleeing from his angry son. The army of Absalom is chasing him, ready to kill them all. Psalms 3-7 give us David’s perspective of godly living, even when misunderstood. As you study this Psalm this week, ask for a heart of wisdom into seasons of trouble and pain. These seasons come to us all, just as they did for David and the Lord Jesus, but they are not wasted as we quiet our hearts before Him and find in Him our strength and safety. Discover Him as your Shield, Savior, and Hero—the One who comes—when you “simply cry out”! Outline: V. 1-2 The Humbling of a King V. 3-4 The Help of God V. 5-6 The Song of Safety V. 7-8 The Secret of Strength The Humbling of a King (v.1-2) V. 1) “LORD, I have so many enemies, so many who are against me.” David begins his prayer to Yahweh in the vocative case. How many enemies did David have? Nearly all of Israel! Almost all who once sang songs of David’s might are now turned against him in revolt and siding with Absalom, his treacherous son (II Sam.16:15, 17:11-13). His enemies are circling in for the kill. Few believers have experienced such pain and heartache as the fugitive father David did over the rebellion of his son. The accusation, the anger, the pain of betrayal, the father’s love for a wayward son… all of these emotions explode in the lines of this poem. V. 2) “Listen to how they whisper their slander against me, saying: ‘Look! He’s hopeless! Even God can’t save him from this!’” Have you ever faced a hopeless situation? David had many foes, so many who were rising up against him, and many skeptics who did not believe God would come to help him. Anyone who moves out for God can expect to experience opposition in these three realms…David’s were numerous, aggressive, and mocking. But this will be matched by three realms of God’s salvation: He will cover our vulnerability as a SHIELD, He will counter the scorns of our enemies by causing us to know Him as our GLORY, and He will reverse the towering opposition of our souls by becoming the LIFTER of our heads. 2 David and Job both experienced the words of hopelessness from others. David had nowhere to turn as many told him God was not there for him and that Elohim would not rescue him. Shimei cursed him to his face, throwing stones at David as he walked by. Not only did his enemies taunt him, but so did his friends…those who were once his faithful counsellors. They all deserted him, saying, “He is hopeless. God will not come to help him.” There is perhaps nothing that could be said to another person that is more hurtful than this. Jesus was also One who experienced this pain. His cry on the cross was this: “My God, My God…why have You forsaken Me?” David’s grief points us to One greater than David... Pause in his presence, or the Hebrew word “Selah”, is a puzzling word to translate. Most scholars believe it is a musical term for pause or rest. It is used a total of seventy-one times in the Psalms as an instruction to the music leader to pause and ponder in God’s presence. An almost identical word, Sela, means a massive rock cliff. It is said that when Selah is spoken that the words are carved in stone in the throne room of the heavens. However, most scholars view Selah as the word for a musical pause—a time to reflect on what has been sung, a time to rest. The musicians would use this pause to retune their harps. Strings so easily get out of tune…just like the strings of our heart. We must let “Selah” teach us to pray and realign our hearts with God’s ways. There are three “Selahs” in this Psalm and three deliverances: from our fears, from our unbelief, and from all our foes! This first ‘selah’ causes the heart to turn away from our enemies and turn in confidence to the Lord. Quietness turns into confidence as we wait on the Lord. We must all eventually turn our attention from our enemies to God. The Help of God (v.3-4) V. 3) “But in the depths of my heart I truly know that you, Yahweh, have become my Shield; you take me and surround me with yourself. Your glory covers me continually. You lift high my head when I bow low in shame.” God is a circle of protection around David. The “many” are wrong! God will come to His friends and deliver them from evil. As soon as David turned his thoughts away from his enemies, he was reminded of how strong God is and how loving the Lord is to protect him. God is the shield around the life that seeks Him. In the New Testament, faith is the shield…but it is a faith that trusts in GOD (Eph. 6:16). Because faith points us to God, it becomes our defense and protection. HIS faith becomes our defense. It is better to hide behind Jehovah’s shield than to defend oneself. He becomes our Defender. David discovered in his pain that God surrounded Him and would be the Divine Protector. Some of the oldest translations of this verse render it: “You, O Lord, are my Taker.” The implication is that God shields us by taking us into Himself. Jesus Christ is the “Taker” of humanity, the One 3 who was made flesh, taking our weakness into His Divine strength. He not only took our nature, but He took our sins. We have been taken, apprehended for God. This shield was all around David, it was his sacred covering. Ponder David’s declaration: “Your glory covers me continually.” When we are covered by the Lord as a shield, His glory falls upon us. Drink deep of this truth: Your King bestows glory upon you! God bestows glory in the midst of affliction and pain. Hidden in His presence, He wraps a glory blanket around us.