David wrote this as he fled for his life from his son Absolam, who had turned on him and tried to take over as king. David only had a few friends who went with him. But Absolam had thousands. Nathan, the prophet once told David (after he had an affair with Bathsheba and had her husband killed) that because of his actions “The sword shall not depart from thy house.” But David’s relationship with God caused him to trust God despite the circumstances. So he could lay down and sleep knowing God was watching over him.
1 Lord, how many are my foes! How many rise up against me!
2 Many are saying of me ,“God will not deliver him.”
3 But you, Lord, are a shield around me,my glory, the One who lifts my head high.
4 I call out to the Lord, and he answers me from his holy mountain.
5 I lie down and sleep;I wake again, because the Lord sustains me.
6 I will not fear though tens of thousands assail me on every side.
7 Arise, Lord! Deliver me, my God! Strike all my enemies on the jaw; break the teeth of the wicked.
8 From the Lord comes deliverance. May your blessing be on your people.
SECTIONS(strophes or parts)
I expressing anxiety about enemies (verses 1-2)
II expresses confidence in God in midst of trouble (verses 3-4)
III expresses fact that despite his trouble he’s been permitted to lie down and wake again because of divine favor & protection
IV calls to God for deliverance (as God has done in the past for David.
Or
I David’s complaint or predicament(many trouble him, many rise against him, many say there is no help from God for him)
II David’s comfort or peace
a) What God is to him (his shield & glory, the one who lifts his head)
b) What God has done for him (heard his cry, sustains him during sleep, givin him courage against his enemies)
III David’s Cry or prayer (cries out for deliverance -for Godto arise & save him as he has in the past)
IV. David’s Praise: salvation belongs to God, his blessing is on his people)
THEME: the Lord sustains and delivers us
QUESTIONS
What does David’s enemies say about David (and really about God too)?
What does David answer about God?
What do you think David means when he says “who lifts up my head”(no right or wrong answer)?
What does he say to himself? What are his poitive thoughts in the midst of his circumstances?
Why do you think David had confidence in God? What had God done for David in his past?
What does he pray for God to do?
Have you ever been in similar circumstances where family or friends or colleagues have betrayed you? What did you?
Do you find it hard or easy to trust God as your protector or shield? Why?
ADDITIONAL VERSES
Read Romans 8:31- Replace we with “I”. Who can stand against you?
Our mind is powerful and we can tend to think the worse. But negative thoughts lead to defeat while positive thoughts lead to victory. David intentionally directs his thoughts to who God is and what he’s done so his confidence rises.
Bible Commentaries on studylight.org (Barnes)- Note this is my own summary of it
To “lift up the head” is to relieve distress. We tend to have our heads bent down in trials when we seem to be forsaken and abandoned by God, as well as men. We get overpowered with the weight of things.
“Out of his holy hill – Zion”- is where David had removed the ark, and which was regarded as the special dwelling-place of the Most High
The fact we wake up in the morning and can enjoy life, meet with friends and have the privilege of worshipping God, is proof of God’s goodness and should lead us to praise. “We have no power to awake ourselves; and when we remember how many are taken away from our world each night – how many there are who lie down to sleep to wake no more, we should never rise from our beds without giving our first thoughts in gratitude to our Great Preserver.”
Sometimes people betray, slander, or gossip about us. It stings, especially if a family member ror friend has turned on us. Even David’s own son starts a war against him to take over as king. Sometimes Christians are hated beause we follow Jesus and his ways and teachings. If we study our bible at work or follow his teachings we’re called a “bible thumper.” It’s not popular or safe to say you believe in God’s word as absolute truth anymore. We’re called fanatics or intolerant because we don’t believe what non-Christians believe. Do they call Muslims intolerant? Hindu’s intolerant? Christians around the world are being persecutred for their faith. Jesus warned us that if he was hated, how can we expect to be treated differently. Can you think of how David felt when Absalom and so many of the people came against him? The majority sided against Jesus too. But we must hold on and look to God and not let others try to bring us down or kill our faith no matter how many come against us.
From: https://bible-studys.org/Bible%20Books/Psalms/Psalm%203.html
All who believe in Jesus have the Lord as their Shield. We’re to take the shield of faith to fight the devil. Ephesians 6:16 “Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.”
David has faith in God to protect him. Without faith, it’s impossible to please God. The word “shield” or buckler means protector (the shield was worn on the arm and the buckler covered the entire body). God is our protector. David slept because he had every confidence in God. This sleep was not a fitful sleep, but total rest. David remembered the protection God gave him in the past when Saul tried to kill him. Can we lie down at night and rest, knowing and trusting that God’s protection is upon us?
Psalm 3:6 “I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people, that come against me.” When David was a shepherd he fought off a lion and a bear. He fought Goliath, and his military exploits show his courage. And even though many thousand comes against him and only a few friend’s joined him, he was not dismayed. Psalms 91:5-7 “You will not be afraid for the terror by night; or for the arrow hat flies by day; Nor for the pestilence that walks in darkness; or the destruction that wastes at noonday. A thousand shall fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand; but it will not come near you.” You see, one, with God is a majority. We have nothing to fear, if God is on our side. The enemies of David have been rendered helpless to harm him (broken the teeth of the ungodly). David didn’t make his enemies harmless, God did.
My reflection on Psalm 3:
Chris used to travel a lot. I remember one time when he was gone and I was alone in the house. It was late at night and I had begun to fall asleep when I heard a loud crash. It immediately came to my mind that someone had broken the window at the front door and was trying to get in. The phone was on the nightstand next to me but I was so frozen in fear I couldn’t move. Paralysis had taken over my body. As I lay there I called out to God to help me. A sense of immense peace and calm suddenly fell over me and covered me like a blanket. I don’t remember falling asleep at all. But I woke up the next morning and I was safe in bed.
I jumped out and ran downstairs to check the windows and door. There was no sign of anyone having broken into the house. I wondered what had made the noise I heard. An hour later I was in our guest bathroom and saw that the shelf rack on the shower that held the shampoo bottles had somehow come loose and must have crashed down on the floor. That was the noise I heard during the night. The lesson I learned from all of this was that in my hour of need Jesus was there. He had answered my cry for help. Of course, I didn’t realize the noise I heard that night was nothing to be alarmed about, but Jesus knew that I was very frightened and I needed his peace and comfort. So I can deeply relate to David’s prayer. I lie down and sleep; I wake again because the Lord sustains me. Jesus was my sustaining presence when I needed him most, just as he was David’s when David cried out to him.
What do you say to yourself that is negative? Find out what God answers in scripture? Read the following verses and put your name in it like God is talking to you. Are you worn out and tired? Do you sometimes feel like giving up?
Matt 11:28: “Come to me (put in your name), all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Whenever negative thoughts seem to overwhelm you look up verses in the bible that speak God’s truth. Put your name in that verse so that it is like God talking personally to you.
Make index cards about God’s attributes and label them. When I start to fear I make an index card and write verses about not fearing from scripture. When I doubt God’s sovereignty and control I’ll write down verses about God’s control on another card. When I need to see God as my shield and protector, I’ll take those verses I wrote read through them, putting in my name to personalize it and to put God’s word into my mind and heart.
Desiringgod.org (God Will Sustain You a Day at a Time by Vaneetha Randall Risner) 9/30/18 )
Earlier this year, my arms completely gave out as I was getting ready. I couldn’t even get dressed by myself. I was exhausted, and it wasn’t even nine in the morning. I suffer from post-polio syndrome, and I’m never sure when some new pain is a daily setback or the new normal. What was this day going to hold?
I cried out to the Lord, telling him that all of this felt colossally unfair. I ended by declaring, “I can’t live like this for the rest of my life. I just can’t do it!” I felt frustrated, angry and overwhelmed all at the same time. I realize that may sound deeply unspiritual, but that’s how I felt. I couldn’t imagine living the rest of my life with those physical struggles.
After my lament, I was quiet. I had said all I wanted to say. And then I waited. I’m not sure if I was expecting a response from God, but I knew I needed to be still and listen. In the silence, the following words came to my mind: “I’m not asking you to live like this for the rest of your life. I’m just asking you to live like this today.” It felt like God was speaking to me. Immediately, an unmistakable sense of peace settled over me. My situation was unchanged, but I felt strangely different. Today was a finite period that I could focus on. Today seemed doable. Today was much less frightening than “the rest of my life.” Coping with anything today seemed possible. Possible, that is, with God.
After that flood of relief had washed over me, I thought of those words again: “I’m not asking you to live like this for the rest of your life. I’m just asking you to live like this today.” Could they have been the words of God to me? Were they consistent with God’s character? What does Scripture say about the words that came to me?
I remembered that Jesus taught us to pray, “Give us this day our daily bread” (Matthew 6:11). God will meet our needs today. His grace is available for today. We are not to be anxious about the future, or even tomorrow, for every day has its own trouble (Matthew 6:34). The future is in God’s hands. Tomorrow morning may bring joy and even a miracle (Psalm 30:5), for his mercies are new every morning and nothing is impossible with God (Lamentations 3:22–23; Luke 1:37).
The widow of Zarephath’s oil and flour were miraculously available as long as she needed them (1 Kings 17:14–16). After Hezekiah prayed, 185,000 Assyrians were killed by the angel of the Lord without Israel even going to battle (2 Kings 19:35). Gideon defeated the vast army of the Midianites with only three hundred men (Judges 7:1–25). Humanly speaking, none of them saw a way out of the situation. And often we don’t either. But with God all things are possible to those who believe (Mark 9:23).
God reassured me that I didn’t need to despair over the future. But he wasn’t assuring me that my circumstances would change if I trusted him. He was calling me to endure today and trust him for tomorrow. But I wondered “How will I manage today? Today still loomed before me with all its difficulties.
I was reminded that God’s grace is sufficient for me and hat his power is made perfect in my weakness If I waited for him, he would strengthen me and would supply all my needs because God “is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.” And as I went through my day, I needed to rejoice in what God was doing, to pray and give thanks, knowing all of this was God’s will for me.
Rejoicing in trials is not easy for me. I have to deliberately focus on what God is doing in the midst of them. I must remind myself that although my trials seem heavy and endless, they are light and momentary in relation to eternity. And they are preparing for me a weight of glory that is beyond all comparison.
When my struggles feel relentless, they force me to trust God day by day, moment by moment, breath by breath. Pain, whether physical or emotional or spiritual, has a way of capturing my attention. I can either focus that attention on myself and sink into despair, or I can direct my thoughts to Jesus and ask him for grace. That moment-by-moment dialogue with God changes me. I see his sufficiency and his glory in ways that I would never have seen otherwise. Suffering has a unique way of putting me in God’s presence, beholding his glory, because I am constantly crying out to him.
How did my day end up? Honestly, it was hard. My husband, Joel, helped me get dressed. I had enough energy to drive my modified minivan to massage therapy, which I desperately needed. The therapist was waiting at the door to walk me in — something she’d never done before. Immediately, I saw how God was providing for me.
Back at home, Joel got me everything I needed. But things did not go the way I would have chosen. I had trouble concentrating. I was in intermittent pain. I felt frustrated at my weakness. All I could do was cry out to God. And do the next thing. I understood more clearly what it meant to be “afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; . . . struck down, but not destroyed” (2 Corinthians 4:8–9). Although the day was hard, God ensured it would not crush me. My pain and strength ebb and flow daily, so I often don’t know what to expect until I get out of bed. This reality has been true of emotional pain as well. But even when the day holds suffering, I am comforted to know that God is not calling me to live with this pain and weakness for the rest of my life. He is just calling me to live with it today. Some days he will do far more abundantly than all I can ask or imagine, and other days, he will sustain me in the storm. But every day, he will provide all that I need.
SONG: Faith is our victory, God of Grace and God of Glory,