A Psalm of David, when he fled from Absalom his son

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 awaked: 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.

 

The Point:

We meet opposition with total confidence in God’s sustenance and deliverance.

How do we feel in the recitation of this psalm?

We feel like David did when he lost his kingdom to Absalom. Enemies from the outside are one thing, but there is hardly anything more distressing than when our own people rally against us. At that point, it seems like the entire world has turned against us. As the psalm continues, David expresses total confidence in God—so much so that he can sleep like a baby on the battle field.

What does this psalm teach us?

Verses 1–2. It is Absalom’s insurrection that sets the context for this psalm. It is David’s own family, his own people, who had chased him out of Jerusalem and had risen up against him. This passage is particularly applicable to anybody in leadership. One thinks of the reformer John Calvin who was chased out of Geneva, or the pastor chased out of his pulpit, or righteous leaders who are voted out of office on fabricated grounds. It doesn’t matter who you are, you will face opposition in your life and the most painful resistance is that which comes from people close to you. Such opposition brings up reminders of our own weakness, failures, and sin. And to make matters worse, those who oppose us communicate a message to us that God cannot help us. We are beyond repair, they say. So how does a righteous man respond to this?

Verses 3–6. David doesn’t dwell on the negative for long in this psalm. Immediately, he confesses his faith in God. Regardless of what others say and do, Yahweh is his shield and salvation, his glory and the one who lifts up his head in victory. For now, David is in a state of humiliation, but he is confident that one day God will lift him up. For the Christian, humility always comes before exaltation and we do not rely on men to exalt us. We look to God to set a value on our lives and reward us with eternal glory.

David cries out to God and confidently rests in the fact that God has heard him. The Selah is a rest or a pause in the middle of the psalm. By pausing for a moment in the psalm, we express our faith and confidence in God.

Verses 5 and 6 provide a deep sense of this confidence by means of two illustrations. First, David says he can sleep in the middle of the battle. That is very difficult to do. In the day of serious tragedy, when one becomes the brunt of the enemy’s attack, it becomes almost impossible to sleep. That is because when you sleep you are willing to drop your cares and concerns for a few hours. Secondly, David pictures himself surrounded by thousands of enemies and he confidently asserts that he is not in the least afraid.

Verses 7–8. Now David calls God to action. Armed with the confidence and faith he has confessed in the last few verses, he now asks God to arise and save him out of his troubles. He makes this request on the basis of what he has already seen God do to his enemies. Though we may be somewhat unaccustomed to such violent language, we can see the aggressive power and justice of God in action as He brings a crushing blow to the jaw of the wicked and breaks out their teeth.

Something we will discover throughout the Psalms is that David is always careful not to name his enemies whom God will destroy. For example, David is not asking God to destroy Absalom in this psalm. In fact, we know from 2 Samuel 19 that David mourns over the death of his son and would rather have died in his place. Therefore, we must assume that it is appropriate to ask God to bring down His and our enemies, but it is dangerous to assign names to those enemies. Often the Devil will use faithful men like Peter to impede the work of the kingdom. That is why Jesus looks at Peter at one point and tells him that Satan will sift him like wheat.

How do we apply this psalm?

When we feel attacked we should cry out to the Lord for help. When we are tempted to sin, cry out to the Lord. When others tear us down as we do the work of the Lord, cry out to the Lord for help. Fearless confidence in leadership and in life should stem from your confidence in God’s powerful hand and His sure salvation. God is a shield and we know for sure that He will protect us when the arrows fly. In fact, we are so sure of His help that we can sleep soundly. There is no need to toss and turn for hours while we worry about our enemies.

How does this psalm teach us to worship God?

Worship includes three things. First, we explain to the Lord the nature of our troubles, then we express our strong confidence in God, and finally, with this faith, we cry out to God for deliverance. Worship is a crying out to God for help, resting in the confidence that God has saved us, and believing in true faith that God is indeed helping us.

Questions:

1. Give an example of a Deliverance psalm.

2. Give an example of a Messianic psalm.

3. What is the context of this psalm?

4. Why should we not be bothered when we are humbled by our enemies?

5. What does the word Selah mean?

6. According to this psalm, what does God do to our enemies?

Family Discussion Questions:

1. What kind of opposition have we faced as a family and how have we overcome it?

2. How do we treat our enemies?