Psalm 7

 A Meditation Concerning the Words of Cush, a Benjamite.

 ¹O Lord my God, in You I put my trust;

Save me from all those who persecute me;

And deliver me,

²Lest they tear me like a lion,

Rending me in pieces, while there is none to deliver.

³O Lord my God, if I have done this:

If there is iniquity in my hands,

⁴If I have repaid evil to him who was at peace with me,

Or have plundered my enemy without cause,

⁵Let the enemy pursue me and overtake me;

Yes, let him trample my life to the earth,

And lay my honor in the dust. Selah

⁶Arise, O Lord, in Your anger;

Lift Yourself up because of the rage of my enemies;

Rise up for me to the judgment

You have commanded!

⁷So the congregation of the peoples shall surround You;

For their sakes, therefore, return on high.

⁸The Lord shall judge the peoples;

Judge me, O Lord, according to my righteousness,

And according to my integrity within me.

⁹Oh, let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end,

But establish the just;

For the righteous God tests the hearts and minds.

¹⁰My defense is of God,

Who saves the upright in heart.

¹¹God is a just judge,

And God is angry with the wicked every day.

¹²If he does not turn back,

He will sharpen His sword;

He bends His bow and makes it ready.

¹³He also prepares for Himself instruments of death;

He makes His arrows into fiery shafts.

¹⁴Behold, the wicked brings forth iniquity;

Yes, he conceives trouble and brings forth falsehood.

¹⁵He made a pit and dug it out,

And has fallen into the ditch which he made.

¹⁶His trouble shall return upon his own head,

And his violent dealing shall come down on his own crown.

¹⁷I will praise the Lord according to His righteousness,

And will sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High.

 

Commentary

Vs. 1-2 ¹O Lord my God, in You I put my trust;

Save me from all those who persecute me;

And deliver me,

²Lest they tear me like a lion,

Rending me in pieces, while there is none to deliver.

By the title, we see that this David wrote this Psalm while being hotly pursued and oppressed by a certain man named Cush, a Benjamite, a man of the same tribe as Saul, who was likely trying to orchestrate David’s downfall and death for Saul. 

When faced with persecution we see that David’s first inclination and cry for help is not to man; but to the Lord our God, whom he has put his trust in. And so with his life once again in grave peril, David turns to the Lord God as the Only One who can save him from all of those who are persecuting him, who want to devour him. David then does not look to his own skill, power, and might as the means of his deliverance, nor does he hope in his own weapons of war as if he could save himself through these, nor does he even call out to those who had allied themselves with him to come and save and deliver him from them, instead he looks to the Lord our God. For this is the theme of his life, of a Godly life, that seeks after the Lord our God even in his darkest and most desperate times. Which is something that we may also have to learn to do, as the Lord our God allows whatever trying times and perils that have been appointed for us in this life, to come into our lives, so that ultimately our confidence in everything but Himself will likewise be either removed, or brought into a right and true perspective.

 Vs. 3-5 ³O Lord my God, if I have done this:

If there is iniquity in my hands,

⁴If I have repaid evil to him who was at peace with me,

Or have plundered my enemy without cause,

⁵Let the enemy pursue me and overtake me;

Yes, let him trample my life to the earth,

And lay my honor in the dust. Selah

 David in appealing to the Lord to act on his behalf is doing so from a stance of having conducted himself righteously and justly towards others. And so he now says to the Lord that if there is iniquity in his hands (vs. 3), or if he has repaid evil to him who was at peace with him, or plundered his enemy without a cause (vs. 4), then he says, ^“Let the enemy pursue me and overtake me; Yes, let him trample my life to the earth, And lay my honor in the dust. Selah” Therefore, his appeal for God's help is based upon his having done what is right in the sight of the Lord. For if he has been unjust then he says do not hear my prayer for Your intervention; indeed, then let my enemies trample my life to earth and lay my honor in the dust; but if I have been just in Your sight Lord my God then please act on my behalf. David’s appeal here then is rooted in the truth that God already knows about him, and thus it is his rebuke of all of those who have spoken evil of him, who are doing and encouraging others to do evil towards him based upon the lies that they themselves have spoken about him.

Vs. 6 “Arise, O Lord, in Your anger;

Lift Yourself up because of the rage of my enemies;

Rise up for me to the judgment

You have commanded!”

David then having made his defense before the Lord; that he is not guilty of any of the slanderous and evil things that his enemies have spoken of him; lies that they are using to justify their own murderous desires to hunt him down and kill him; now calls upon the Lord to Arise in His anger, to lift Himself up because of the rage of his enemies, to render His judgment which He has commanded! For David has not sought out his own vengeance, nor has he schemed anything against his enemies in retaliation, therefore his appeal here is most just, and surely the Most Just God will act Justly!

 Vs. 7-8 ⁷So the congregation of the peoples shall surround You;

For their sakes, therefore, return on high.

⁸The Lord shall judge the peoples;

Judge me, O Lord, according to my righteousness,

And according to my integrity within me.

 David then having presented his case before God now sees a Day when the congregation of the peoples are gathered before the Lord. A Day in which God Himself will assemble all the peoples and judge the righteous and the wicked. Therefore, he asks for our sakes that the Lord return on high, to render His Judgment on our behalf. For the Lord shall Judge the peoples, He shall render to everyone according to their works and their ways. Therefore, David asks that He Judge him according to his righteousness, according to the integrity in which he has lived before Him. David then is asking the Lord to vindicate him before all of his accusers, and this every believer shall have by the Righteousness of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.

Vs. 9 “Oh, let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end,

But establish the just;

For the righteous God tests the hearts and minds.”

David like everyone who lives righteously before God now lets his heart cry out in longing for that Day when God will deal with the wicked of the earth and establish the just in the Lord Jesus Christ’s Kingdom. For God Himself tests the hearts and minds, He himself knows the inner thoughts and workings of man, He knows who truly loves Him, and who does not. Now loving God begins when one has been born again by His Spirit, who by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ now have His Presence within them, and thus now see Him as He really is, and not as this world, or Satan the ruler of it, so wrongly and horribly portrays Him to be.

Vs. 10 “My defense is of God,

Who saves the upright in heart.”

David then was confident that his defense is of God, who saves the upright in heart. Thus not the hypocrite, not the liar, but everyone who comes to Him openly and honestly, who believes in His Son, will find salvation from Him. 

Vs. 11-13 ¹¹God is a just judge,

And God is angry with the wicked every day.

¹²If he does not turn back,

He will sharpen His sword;

He bends His bow and makes it ready.

¹³He also prepares for Himself instruments of death;

He makes His arrows into fiery shafts.

Even though David was suffering persecution at the hands of wicked, and he was daily seeing troubles by their schemes; David still knew that God is angry with the wicked every day. Therefore, though God may restrain Himself from rendering His Judgment on them as they act wickedly, it is only so that repentance and remission of sins may also be offered to them (Acts 3:19-26). However, as David wisely notes in verses 12-13 if they do not avail themselves of it, then they are only storing up great wrath upon themselves. For God will sharpen His sword, He will draw back His bow, He will prepare His weapons of war to bring about their own downfall and ruin! And so, though God’s wrath on them is not immediately seen by us, it is there, (just as His love is), and it will land upon all the wicked who do not turn back from their ways. Therefore, let us never forget that our God is a consuming fire! He is not One to be trifled with, or taken lightly, but One to be believed, obeyed, and feared.

Vs. 14-16 ¹⁴Behold, the wicked brings forth iniquity;

Yes, he conceives trouble and brings forth falsehood.

¹⁵He made a pit and dug it out,

And has fallen into the ditch which he made.

¹⁶His trouble shall return upon his own head,

And his violent dealing shall come down on his own crown.

In seeing how God deals with the wicked, David now describes the ways of the wicked, by which they operate. First, they dream up their plot or scheme, then they seek to put it into practice, here making a pit for their victim to fall into. However, soon enough they will get snared by their own schemes; their own devious ways will become the means of their own ruin. And so, they fall into their own pit which they have dug for others, they are brought to ruin by their own corrupt works and ways. Therefore, their own trouble shall return upon their own heads, and their violent dealings shall come down on their own crowns. God’s judgment will find them, and in His most appropriate timing and way He will deal with them, or He will simply let them fall to their own eternal ruin, through their own works and ways.

Vs. 17 “I will praise the Lord according to His righteousness,

And will sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High.”

In understanding all of this David cannot but exude with praise. Therefore:

“I will praise the Lord according to His righteousness,

And will sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High.”

Scripture Quotations

New King James (1982):Thomas Nelson. 

Psalm 6

 To the Chief Musician. With Stringed Instruments.

On An Eight-Stringed Harp. A Psalm of David.

¹O Lord, do not rebuke me in Your anger,

Nor chasten me in Your hot displeasure.

²Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am weak;

O Lord, heal me, for my bones are troubled.

³My soul also is greatly troubled;

But You, O Lord—how long?

⁴Return, O Lord, deliver me!

Oh, save me for Your mercies’ sake!

⁵For in death there is no remembrance of You;

In the grave who will give You thanks?

⁶I am weary with my groaning;

All night I make my bed swim; I drench my couch with my tears.

⁷My eye wastes away because of grief;

It grows old because of all my enemies.

⁸Depart from me, all you workers of iniquity;

For the Lord has heard the voice of my weeping.

⁹The Lord has heard my supplication;

The Lord will receive my prayer.

¹⁰Let all my enemies be ashamed and greatly troubled;

Let them turn back and be ashamed suddenly.

Commentary

Vs. 1 “O Lord, do not rebuke me in Your anger,

Nor chasten me in Your hot displeasure.”

Psalm 6 is a plea and prayer for relief from some chastisement that had shaken David to his core. By the first verse it seems clear David believed his suffering was brought on by some sort of sin or trespass he had committed. Now that is not always the case, as the Book of Job so clearly reveals, for there are many reasons why believers suffer, even suffer unto death, and so to assume such things in all cases is only to commit that grave error that Job’s friends committed in condemning him. Nonetheless believers do sometimes sin, and as a result God does sometimes create or allow suffering, or bring turmoil into our lives, to bring about our confession and repentance, and ultimately our spiritual growth and edification. And so, hear we see that David clearly knew he had done something wrong in the sight of God, and as the nations leader his sin could not go unpunished by God. Knowing that, David in fearing the Lord, now pleads with Him not to rebuke him in His anger, nor chasten him in His hot displeasure. For in having that healthy fear of, and reverence for the Lord, is then the basis for David’s plea for His mercy and relief, which the rest of the psalm contains.

Vs. 2 “Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am weak;

O Lord, heal me, for my bones are troubled.”

David’s affliction had already weakened him; indeed, such was its nature that his pain seemed almost intolerable, reaching even to the depths of his bones. Therefore, David desperately pleas to the Lord, for both His mercy and His healing.

Vs. 3 My soul also is greatly troubled;

But You, O Lord—how long?

David was even being troubled to the depths of his soul, and so in pleading with the Lord, he asks Him how long, how long must this continue? Which is a valid question, which we ourselves often ask when faced with our own suffering. Now it must be stated that the Lord’s silence during these difficult times is never His indifference. For even in our darkest times the peaceable fruit of righteousness is often worked in us, and through us (Heb. 12:11; James 3:17-18). And so, though we may also ask these sorts or questions of God, the Scripture never promises us immediate healing or relief from all of our afflictions and plights; sometimes we will have to live with various disabilities and ailments, sometimes we will have to live with difficult circumstances, or in very trying situations, and sometimes this is so, so that God through our weaknesses, (and or inabilities to change our own circumstances), can bring about His Will, for the betterment of all.

Vs. 4-5 “Return, O Lord, deliver me!

Oh, save me for Your mercies’ sake!

⁵For in death there is no remembrance of You;

In the grave who will give You thanks?”

In midst of his suffering David felt like the Lord had abandoned him, (something not unique to him), and so in his despairing state he pleads with the Lord to return to him. To deliver him from his troubles and save him for His mercy’s sake,

“For in death there is no remembrance of You;

In the grave who will give You thanks?”

Now this too can be our own heartfelt prayer and cry. However, no believer because of the Lord Jesus Christ’s finished work at Calvary, and His Holy Spirit now being given to us who believe in Him, should ever fear the Lord leaving us, for though we maybe severely afflicted in this life, He Promises to never leave us, nor forsake us (Heb. 13:5), for He will always be with us, even to the end of the age (Matt. 28:20). Something which all need to be reassured of in our own plight, just as David did in his.

Vs. 6-7 “I am weary with my groaning;

All night I make my bed swim; I drench my couch with my tears.

⁷My eye wastes away because of grief;

It grows old because of all my enemies.”

David (like Job) deeply despaired of his on-going grief and miseries, some of which were being intentionally forwarded by his own enemies. Nonetheless it always darkest before the light shine, that is God’s light, breaks through the clouds.

Vs. 8-9 “Depart from me, all you workers of iniquity;

For the Lord has heard the voice of my weeping.

⁹The Lord has heard my supplication;

The Lord will receive my prayer.”

 David then have regained his footing, that is, his understanding of God’s dealings with him, that He has not abandoned him, now boldly says to adversaries,

“Depart from me, all you workers of iniquity;

For the Lord has heard the voice of my weeping.

⁹The Lord has heard my supplication;

The Lord will receive my prayer.”

Three things then that David now knew:

First, the Lord had heard his weeping, He had taken notice of his sufferings, (just as He did of ancient Israel’s in Egypt) and so now he knew that the Lord was going to heal and restore him, and deal with those who had, and were afflicting him.

Second, Where David once thought, are any of my prayers and supplications even being heard by God? Now he has a full confidence that they truly are!

Third, and not just heard by God, David now knew that his prayer would be received by God, and thus the Lord Himself was going to act on it, just as He acts on every righteous prayer and supplication made in faith to Him.

 Vs. 10 “Let all my enemies be ashamed and greatly troubled;

Let them turn back and be ashamed suddenly.”

And so, David now concludes this psalm with triumph, with a declaration that all of his enemies will be ashamed and greatly troubled suddenly, that is without warning or recourse, when the Lord deals with all of them.

Scripture Quotations

New King James (1982):Thomas Nelson. 

Psalm 5

 ¹Give ear to my words, O Lord,

Consider my meditation.

²Give heed to the voice of my cry,

My King and my God,

For to You I will pray.

³My voice You shall hear in the morning,

O Lord; In the morning I will direct it to You,

And I will look up.

⁴For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness,

Nor shall evil dwell with You.

⁵The boastful shall not stand in Your sight;

You hate all workers of iniquity.

⁶You shall destroy those who speak falsehood;

The Lord abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man.

⁷But as for me, I will come into Your house in the multitude of Your mercy;

In fear of You I will worship toward Your holy temple.

⁸Lead me, O Lord, in Your righteousness because of my enemies;

Make Your way straight before my face.

⁹For there is no faithfulness in their mouth;

Their inward part is destruction;

Their throat is an open tomb;

They flatter with their tongue.

¹⁰Pronounce them guilty, O God!

Let them fall by their own counsels;

Cast them out in the multitude of their transgressions,

For they have rebelled against You.

¹¹But let all those rejoice who put their trust in You;

Let them ever shout for joy, because You defend them;

Let those also who love Your name Be joyful in You.

¹²For You, O Lord, will bless the righteous;

With favor You will surround him as with a shield.

Commentary

Vs. 1-2 ¹Give ear to my words, O Lord,

Consider my meditation.

²Give heed to the voice of my cry,

My King and my God,

For to You I will pray.

This Psalm begins with a heartfelt cry to God to hear our words, and to give attention to our meditation, (i.e., the thoughts and intents of our hearts), to give heed to the words of our voice. Which is not just the substance of our words, but the emotions behind them. Now in doing so God Himself is acknowledged as our King, the only One that we pray too. This prayer then is not for the one who is causal with God, but for all of us who want Him to draw near to us.

Vs. 3 “My voice You shall hear in the morning,

O Lord; In the morning I will direct it to You,

And I will look up.”

With then our focus on God, the man (or woman) of God makes their prayers and supplications to Him in the morning, committing their day to Him. For He is the only Just and Righteous God whom we know will be watching over us through this day. Therefore, with boldness and confidence we can also say, “I will look up.” That is in the hope of His Kingdom, we look to God for all justice, righteousness, and truth, because down here all these things are grossly perverted.

Vs. 4-6 ⁴For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness,

Nor shall evil dwell with You.

⁵The boastful shall not stand in Your sight;

You hate all workers of iniquity.

⁶You shall destroy those who speak falsehood;

The Lord abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man.

 In order to settle his heart while being faced with adversity at the hands of the wicked, David now reasserts the Character of God. For God takes no pleasure in wickedness, (as the sons of men do), who in their deceived and depraved minds often make light of it, or sport of it, or in "normalizing" it in their conscience and cultures these things become okay. Nonetheless we know that God does not change, therefore He shall never let evil dwell with Him (vs. 4). For He alone sets the standards of righteousness and justice that all of mankind is to live by. Neither then does God endure the boastful, who in their pride exalt themselves against Him, His Word, or others. For they are those who love to parade themselves around in the presence of men, they are those who love to speak boastfully, whose persons walk shamelessly through the earth. Therefore, they shall not stand in His sight, nor will they have any place with Him, for they will never be seen, or heard in His Holy Presence! For the Lord hates all workers of iniquity (vs. 5), He shall destroy those who speak falsehood; The Lord abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man (vs. 6). Those then who speak falsehood, who slander and defame others through the same, or create and or forward all kinds of conspiracy theories and lies so as to create turmoil or conflict amongst men, or simply just to promote their own name and fame so as to get rich, or get elected to office off of the same, should all repent of their ways, because the Lord will destroy all of those who speak falsehood, this the Scripture Promises, how much more than will He do so to everyone who does so in His Name. For the Lord abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man, He will render His Judgment and His verdict against every one who does so. His silence now then is not His Full Judgment deferred, only withheld, until He brings it fully forth on His Day. 

Vs. 7 “But as for me, I will come into Your house in the multitude of Your mercy;

In fear of You I will worship toward Your holy temple.” 

Having denounced the works and ways of the wicked, the proud, and the violent and scheming man, David now refocuses his thoughts on our merciful Lord and Savior, on seeking Him in His house, and finding His unending and manifold mercies there. And this he (and we) will do in the fear of the Lord, that is in reverence of Him, we will worship and adore Him in His holy temple, that is those places where He is truly worshiped. 

Vs. 8 “Lead me, O Lord, in Your righteousness because of my enemies;

Make Your way straight before my face.” 

David now begins with his supplications, asking the Lord to lead him in His righteousness, so that he might choose to do what is right in the sight of God; because his enemies are always watching him, always looking for some reason to accuse him. Therefore, David asks that the Lord make His way straight before him, so he can choose to follow it, and put all of his unjust accusers to silence by it.

Vs. 9-10 “For there is no faithfulness in their mouth;

Their inward part is destruction;

Their throat is an open tomb;

They flatter with their tongue.

¹⁰Pronounce them guilty, O God!

Let them fall by their own counsels;

Cast them out in the multitude of their transgressions,

For they have rebelled against You.

 Their nature then is one falsehood and lies, of rank hypocrisy and evil, of only being skillful plotters and charmers who speak evil of others, while only doing and or desiring the same. Their very words then only bring forth death, (that is with smiles on their faces they speak with all manner of deceitful and sinful tongues, and often with inducements to sin, or down playing the same), nothing Godly then comes out of their mouths. Indeed, their mouths are full of flattery by which they seek to seduce people through the same. Therefore, David asks our God to pronounce them guilty, to let them fall by their own counsels, to cast them out in the multitude of their transgressions, because by doing so they clearly show themselves to have openly rebelled against God. 

Vs. 11-12 ¹¹But let all those rejoice who put their trust in You;

Let them ever shout for joy, because You defend them;

Let those also who love Your name Be joyful in You.

¹²For You, O Lord, will bless the righteous;

With favor You will surround him as with a shield.

David’s finial supplication then is that the Lord fill our hearts with rejoicing; for we have turned away from our own sins and transgressions, we have turned away from the lies of this world that only promote sexual sins and the same, for we believe in Him. Therefore, let us (i.e., the righteous, everyone whom God declares righteous by faith in His Son Jesus Christ, who thus now seeks to live righteous lives), ever shout for joy, because it is the Lord who defends us! The Lord's blessing then is on the righteous for with His favor He will surround us as with a shield! 

Scripture Quotations

New King James (1982):Thomas Nelson. 

 

 

Psalm 4

 ¹Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness!

You have relieved me in my distress;

Have mercy on me, and hear my prayer.

²How long, O you sons of men,

Will you turn my glory to shame?

How long will you love worthlessness

And seek falsehood? Selah

³But know that the Lord has set apart for Himself him who is godly;

The Lord will hear when I call to Him.

⁴Be angry, and do not sin.

Meditate within your heart on your bed, and be still. Selah

⁵Offer the sacrifices of righteousness,

And put your trust in the Lord.

⁶There are many who say,

“Who will show us any good?”

Lord, lift up the light of Your countenance upon us.

⁷You have put gladness in my heart,

More than in the season that their grain and wine increased.

⁸I will both lie down in peace, and sleep;

For You alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.

Commentary

Vs. 1 “Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness!

You have relieved me in my distress;

Have mercy on me, and hear my prayer.”

This Psalm begins with a cry for help by first declaring God’s righteousness. For it is our God who not only imputes His Righteousness to us all who believe in His Son the Lord Jesus Christ, and thus makes us who trust in Him justified in His sight, but He also hears us and judges us and all our cause in His Righteousness. For God is the only One who will always render a just and righteous judgment in this fallen and corrupt world. Therefore, the righteous who live and seek to live righteous lives in His sight can always turn to Him in their time of mistreatment and distress. For He alone can always be trusted to render a just and righteous verdict. Having then appealed to the One who alone is Righteous, we can find relief in our distress because we have committed our cause to Him, to have mercy on us and to hear our prayer and remember us in our distress, just as He has done so many times before.

Vs. 2 How long, O you sons of men,

Will you turn my glory to shame?

How long will you love worthlessness

And seek falsehood? Selah 

It appears that David was the victim of some very cruel and evil slander, being spoken and forwarded by some very unprincipled Godless men and women who had taken it upon themselves to try to ruin him, by openly speaking all kinds of evil lies about him so as set people against him. Now this they did ever so cunningly, knowing that in making him out to be someone others would naturally fear or hate, people would want to side with them against him, and thus ultimately, they too would want to harm him (or kill him) and overthrow him, just as they themselves desired to do. David’s words here then are his rebuke to them, that they should not turn his reputation of glory to shame, that they should not love worthlessness, that will only assure their own judgment in the end, that they should not seek falsehood and lying false testimonies against him. For neither their idols, nor their lies, nor the numbers of their men will deliver them when God judges all of them! (Prov. 16:15; Luke 1:51) 

Vs. 3 “But know that the Lord has set apart for Himself him who is godly;

The Lord will hear when I call to Him.” 

David’s confidence then was not with his own strength, or with some skillful scheme, or with the numbers of men who would side with him, but with His Lord and Savior who has set him apart for Himself because he is a Godly man. For the unchanging and incorruptible Lord will always hear everyone who is Godly when we call to Him! Their confidence then is a false and fleeting confidence, and their end will be ruin!

Vs. 4 “Be angry, and do not sin.

Meditate within your heart on your bed, and be still. Selah” 

In the midst of his distress David now calms himself, reminding himself that it is right to be angry when wronged, yet one must not let ones own anger turn into sinful words or deeds. Therefore, he reminds himself to meditate within his heart on his bed; but not on vengeance schemes as the wicked do; but on the Lord and His Word, and let that still him and quite him.

Vs. 5 “Offer the sacrifices of righteousness,

And put your trust in the Lord.” 

Therefore, instead of plotting evil or harm against others, David now counsels us all to offer the sacrifices of righteous; to put on practical righteousness and make that our offering to the Lord. Having done so we are to put our trust in the Lord, who will never allow the righteous to moved (Ps. 55:22), but He will bring forth our righteousness and plead our cause before all. For He will bring forth His justice for us, just as He brings forth the bright shinning sun in the noon day sky! For the Lord loves the righteous, He loves all of those who do what is right in His sight, He loves everyone who trusts in Him!

Vs. 6 There are many who say,

“Who will show us any good?”

Lord, lift up the light of Your countenance upon us.

Many people who do not know God, are cynical of God, or look at God as if he were to be their servant, as if He should answer their prayers as they wish and bring them His blessing and His goodness according to their will and desires. Instead, the right approach is to ask the Lord to lift up the light of His countenance upon us, to shine forth his goodness and mercy and truth upon us, so that we might be better able to follow Him. 

Vs. 7 “You have put gladness in my heart,

More than in the season that their grain and wine increased.”

Even in our darkest times the Lord Jesus Christ is the Source of our joy, for He is our Savior and Keeper (John 10:28-30). Therefore He puts gladness in our hearts, “More than in the season that their grain and wine increased.” For He is the ongoing Source of our joy and fulfillment long after all the treasures of this world have long ceased to satisfy them. Therefore, we are forever thankful, and not only for what He has done to save us; put what He continues to do in always sustaining us and keeping us, joy and hope filled in Him.

Vs. 8 “I will both lie down in peace, and sleep;

For You alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.”

David then having put to rest his anxieties and fears ’s, now makes a finial declaration of security and safety, of being absolutely sure that the Lord is watching over him (and us), so much so that he can confidently assert: “I will both lie down in peace, and sleep; For You alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.” Therefore, though evil people were surrounding him on all sides, he was confident of his forever place with the Lord, just as you and I can be because we believe in Him (Isaiah 32:18).

Scripture Quotations

New King James (1982):Thomas Nelson. 

 

 

Psalm 3

 ¹Lord, how they have increased who trouble me!

Many are they who rise up against me.

²Many are they who say of me,

“There is no help for him in God.” Selah

³But You, O Lord, are a shield for me,

My glory and the One who lifts up my head.

⁴I cried to the Lord with my voice,

And He heard me from His holy hill. Selah

⁵I lay down and slept; I awoke, for the Lord sustained me.

⁶I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people

Who have set themselves against me all around.

⁷Arise, 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.

⁸Salvation belongs to the Lord.

Your blessing is upon Your people. Selah

Preamble: This Psalm was written by King David when he was fleeing from his son Absalom, who was trying to overthrow him and take reign of all of Israel. It is a deep Psalm of a father, of a man, who having already suffered the loss of one of his beloved sons at the hands of Absalom, and also who loved Absalom as much as any of his children, and had already forgiven him and seemingly reconciled with him, was now fleeing for his life from him, as Absalom and the conspirators (some of whom were David’s closest confidents) were now closing in on him, with the goal of killing him and taking control of the nation for themselves. There are so many twists and plots and things that underlie this Psalm that one could look into and comment on, and yet to do so now would only take us far away from these Holy Words given us by God through His holy man of God, who when faced with one of the greatest adversities in his life did not turn against God, but turned to Him, with these heart felt and inspiring Holy Words of God, who was himself chosen by God to lead His people, and yet now because of the repercussions of his own sin born out of the Bathsheba affair, was now in his old age being made a refugee, cast out and hunted by the very nation and people whom he loved and served with all his might, all his life.

Commentary

Vs. 1-2 ¹Lord, how they have increased who trouble me!

Many are they who rise up against me.

²Many are they who say of me,

“There is no help for him in God.” Selah

David then in his deep distress now cries out to the Lord, asking Him to see how many people who seeing him in his vulnerable state; are now rising up against him and joining with the conspirators, even though David himself has done nothing deserving of such an attempted coup. For such is always the way of the ungodly, the ambitious, and the cowardly, who always pretend friendship and loyalty outwardly, while only lying-in wait to make their move when they see and perceive that is now advantageous for them to do so, when they believe that their can be no repercussions for them doing so. Therefore, they don’t fear God, but David does, and it is to Him that he is committing his cause. And so, believing that God has now cast him away for his sin, the evil conspirators feel emboldened, and they encourage themselves in their evil deed by saying amongst themselves, “There is no help for him in God.”

David though is not unaware of any of this, for he has lived a life of overcoming adversities, a life that has been led by God, and who by God’s Help he has prevailed against overwhelming enemies and opposition, both outside and within, but not by the strength of His arm, nor by tact of his moves, nor by the numbers of his forces, but by his utter dependence on the Lord, who strengthens him. This then is the foundation of every believer’s success, who finds themselves in similar circumstances, of having to overcome an overwhelming adversity, trial, or opposition, and yet just as we now face our God permitted trial or adversity, so too all the saints of old have also faced, who by God’s help, by faith in Him, have also prevailed, whether in life or death, so then you also will prevail and triumph (consider Hebrews 11).

 Vs. 3 “But You, O Lord, are a shield for me,

My glory and the One who lifts up my head.” 

Therefore, though the enemy of our soul increases his forces and lies against us, yet the Lord is always with us, even to the end of the age (Matt. 28:20). Therefore, we are confident in all our trials, all our afflictions, and all our adversities, because it is He who is a shield for us, it is He who guards and keeps us forever (John 10:28-30). For He is our glory, He is the One who lifts up our head, even in the presence of all of those who hate us (Psalm 23:5), who would have us be bowed in shame or defeat before them. For the Lord Jesus Christ Himself will not allow that to happen to us, nor anyone who trusts in Him, (Psalm 71:1; Isaiah 45:17; Joel 2:26-27; Rom. 9:33; 10:11; 1 Peter 2:6). Therefore, He will not allow us to be taken away from Him, nor be driven out from Him, but He will deliver us to our everlasting dwelling places with Himself, where we will dwell safely and securely with Him and His people forever (Isaiah 32:18; John 14:1-3). 

Vs. 4 I cried to the Lord with my voice,

And He heard me from His holy hill. Selah 

Know this then that everyone who cries out to Him, who believes in Him, is heard by Him (Job 34:28).

Vs. 5 “I lay down and slept; I awoke, for the Lord sustained me. 

Our confidence then grows in the Lord, as we recall these truths of Him, just as David’s confidence grew, and he was able to put his anxious thoughts away, and find rest and peace again by Him. 

Vs. 6 “I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people

Who have set themselves against me all around.”  

David’s confidence and boldness is firm because he knows it is the Lord who is keeping and sustaining him, even when tens of thousands of people have come and set themselves against him, he is not afraid. Therefore, we shall also grow in our confidence when we get to the other side of our own trials and we recall how the Lord also sustained and kept us! 

Vs. 7-8 ⁷Arise, 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.

⁸Salvation belongs to the Lord.

Your blessing is upon Your people. Selah 

Having overcome his own anxieties and fears through the night, and now knowing that the Lord is working to re-establish him, David’s finial cry is for the Lord to save him, to save him from the massive multitude of ungodly people who have risen up against him. Therefore, he can confidently assert that the Lord is the One who has struck all his enemies on the cheekbone, it is He who has broken the teeth of the ungodly. Now the first declaration indicates a strike of reproach by the Lord upon them, while the second indicates His removal of the means for them to harm and devour him (Job 29:17; Psalm 58:6). Thus, David can also confidently assert that it is not of man to save himself, for salvation truly belongs to the Lord, who saves His people and whose blessing is forever upon us, Amen!

Scripture Quotations

New King James (1982):Thomas Nelson.