Psalm 3

A psalm of David. When he fled from his son Absalom.

1 Lord, how are they increased that trouble me! many are they that rise up against me.

2 Many there be which say of my soul, There is no help for him in God. Selah.

3 But thou, O Lord, art a shield for me; my glory, and the lifter up of mine head.

4 I cried unto the Lord with my voice, and he heard me out of his holy hill. Selah.

5 I laid me down and slept; I awaken; for the Lord sustained me.

6 I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people, that have set themselves against me round about.

7 Arise, O Lord; save me, O my God: for thou hast smitten all mine enemies upon the cheek bone; thou hast broken the teeth of the ungodly.

8 Salvation belongeth unto the Lord: thy blessing is upon thy people. Selah. (KJV)

This psalm recalls a recount of the story of David fleeing from Absalom. I am not one that fills in the blanks so I will not try to determine the relationship that David had with his son Absalom. Absalom was David’s third son (2 Samuel 3:3) and the half-brother to Ammon who was David’s oldest son but whom also had raped Tamar Absalom’s sister. Read the story in 2 Samuel 13:1 – 19:43 to get a full account of the story that leads to this psalm. These verses record the judgment of God upon David after his sin against Uriah the Hittite. The first of these judgment was the death of the son that was born to Uriah’s widow Bathsheba. The story of how Absalom took the matter of Amnon’s raping of his sister Tamar into his hands after David’s inactivity into this matter set the stage of Absalom’s desire to become the King. It is important to remember the words that Nathan told David in II Samuel 12:11 “I will raise up evil against you from your our household” when studying the rebellion of Absalom. David must have realized that the events of this rebellion was judgment of God as the result of his our sin. The Lord took away David’s sin, however the price of the payment for this sin would play a very heavy hand in the rest of David’s reign. And still God provide David a blessing by giving him another son with Bathsheba, a son name “beloved of the Lord”.

However, until you have one of your own children rebel against you to the point of wanting to destroy you and go against the truth; you can never fully understand how David felt here. Instead of taking action against Absalom when he took Amnon’s life, David waited on the Lord. This is different from the approach that many believed that David should have taken. Waiting on the Lord is usually a difficult path for Christians to follow in the age in which we live. When David heard of Ammon’s raping of Tamar he became angry, but no other actions by David was recorded in the scripture. This could have been because Absalom told Tamar to be quiet about the matter, because he was her brother which probably kept this incident from being very public. Absalom however used this time to develop a plot to take Ammon’s life. When Absalom took Ammon’s life David mourned for his son Ammon; however, after this mourning period his heart longed to go after Absalom.

The belief that God takes care of those who take care of themselves is a belief that carries over to almost every aspect of our life. We are living in an age where we must make it happen, and when good results happen it must have been God’s will. Yet, I believe we have really forgotten the art of waiting on the Lord. When reading these verses one must look at David’s response to the trial he is going through. He is trusting in God as his shield and the one that gives glory. He will rest and lie down because the Lord sustains him. He will not fear because from the Lord will comes deliverance. David knew how to trust God.

When we measure the battles that we face in the fleeing moments of this life they are nothing compared to the victories we will have with him for eternity.

Thy blessing be on your people reminds us to walk in the way of the Lord. Remember there is only one way and he is the way, the truth, and the life, so walk in this way and be bless.

Here we see David the father of Absalom running from his son. When studying David’s life, the main theme I have realized is his personal relationship with the Lord and how this relationship changed David. In I Kings 15:3-5 David’s character is described as having a heart that was wholly devoted to his God. The only blemish on David’s life was the case of Uriah the Hittite. David’s examples of how he lived his life reflects a man who was truly a man after God’s own heart. He was not a man who was searching for God, but a man who walked in the way of God who waited on God’s transforming power to make his heart like God’s heart. This is reflected in the way he handled himself at the death of his son Absalom. He wept. Joab and Israel could not understand this weeping, just as the world today cannot understand the love and patience of God as Peter writes about in II Peter 3:9. Just as the thought that David had in his heart as he walked in his chamber “O my son Absalom, my son Absalom! Would I have died instead of you.” is the same love God has for us his children. In fact, that is why Christ died on the cross for us. With his death and resurrection, he made a way to restore the broken relationship between God and man. So, when you study the psalms as well as all scripture wait on God to open up his Word to you. Then you will start to see God’s transforming work in your heart as he makes you into a child of God. Stop searching for God in your way and start walking and growing in his way by studying his Word and letting it speak to you. Let your walk be characterized as a man or women who is walking with the Lord and enjoying sweet communion with Him. Let your communion with Him be a candle that sheds light to those who are searching for God.