PSALMS 3


                    THE PSALMS OF DAVID IN METRE

                            Chapter 3

verse 1 "Lord, how my foes increase! Against me many rise,
         How many say of me, "In God For him no safety lies!"
verse 2 "My shield and glory, Lord, Thou liftest up my head.
         I cried, and from his holy hill The Lord me answer made."
verse 3 "I lay and slept, I woke, Kept by Jehovah's care;
         Though myriads compass me around, Their host I will not
         fear."
verse 4 "Rise, Lord, save me, my God; The cheeks of all my foes
         Thou smitten hast: the wicked's teeth Are broken by the
         blows."
verse 5 "Salvation to the Lord Alone doth appertain:
         Upon thy people everemore Thy blessing shall remain."

     Now we will begin this lesson in Psalms 3:1 "{A Psalm of David,
when he fled from Absalom his son.} LORD, how are they increased that
trouble me! many [are] they that rise up against me."

     This Psalm was sometimes called THE MORNING HYMN, or A MORNING
PRAYER.  We know the sadness in David's heart when he fled from his
own son.  This is a similar feeling that the Lord Jesus felt when the
Hebrews turned against Him. Many believers in Christ in our day, feel
those we thought to be friends, hating us. The sorrow, we see David
feeling here, is felt by many of us who have made an unshakeable stand
for the Lord Jesus. As we said, part of the sadness from David, was
that his own flesh and blood was trying to kill him and take over.
As I have said in previous lessons, we must find the application of
this Scripture to our lives today, for it to be of help to us.  Today,
in our society, you can easily alienate those around you by professing
your Christian faith. It is not a popular thing to be a true believer
in the Word of God. If you carry your Bible with you, you are called a
Bible toting so and so. If you read your Bible on a regular basis, you
are thought of as a fanatic. Praise God! I am a fanatic for Jesus.
The statement above, made by David, was true. Many people sided with
Absalom against David. The majority sided against Jesus, also. The
majority of people around the world today are not true believers. 2
Timothy says [having a form of godliness, but denying the power
thereof}. David asked, How can this be?  We also ask, LORD, how can
this be?  The first thing we must remember is that, Jesus won the
battle at Calvary. We are still in this world, but we are not of this
world. The only battle that we are to fight is the good fight of
faith. Though the world seems to be coming apart around us, look up,
for our redemption draweth nigh.

     Psalms 3:2 "Many [there be] which say of my soul, [There is] no
help for him in God. Selah."

     The condition of a man's soul is known only by him and God.
Others may speculate, but only he and God know whether he is right
with God, or not. Many have speculated what {Selah} means. Some say
Selah means pendulam. Somehow that does not seem to be the appropriate
meaning here. Others believe this is a pause from singing, where only
music is played. I believe this is a word that was not commonly used.
Perhaps, it was like a sigh, or perhaps it was saying {so be it}. We
will leave the word and go on. So many times it is easy to look at
another and say, he isn't saved, because he has committed sin. This
was the case with these accusing David. They were reminding him of his
sin with Bathsheba. They were saying God had not forgiven him. Many
today try to bring up sins in a person's life that are already
forgotten by God. When you are saved, your sins are washed away by the
blood of the Lamb. You, or anyone else, are not to go back and drag
them up again. Only you and God know if you were truly repentant or
not. No one, then or now, can judge another. God is the Judge of all.

     Psalms 3:3 "But thou, O LORD, [art] a shield for me; my glory,
and the lifter up of mine head."

     All who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, have the Lord for their
shield. We are told 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 is
expressing his faith in the Lord to protect him. We know, that without
faith, it is impossible to please God. We must have faith to be
counted righteous in God's sight. The word translated shield, here,
could have just as easily been translated protector or buckler. This
means, then, that this was not just a covering for the chest area, but
for his entire being. The word glory could have, also, been translated
splendor. {Lifter up of mine head}, shows that God will even yet
elevate David back to his former glory. Looking at this from the
standpoint of the Christian: We see God is our protector, we are saved
by His grace, not by our works. Jesus Christ will come back to this
earth to reign as King of kings and Lord of lords for 1000 years.
Jesus brings Christians with Him, who will reign with Him as His
subordinates.  Jesus Christ is the lifter of the Christian's head.

     Psalms 3:4 "I cried unto the LORD with my voice, and he heard me
out of his holy hill. Selah."

     We can see from this that, David cried out in prayer. The
effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. We are told
in the Scriptures that, God knows the desires of our heart even before
we ask. Just the same, God hears and answers quicker, it seems, when
we cry out in anguish to Him. God came to the rescue of the Israelites
in Egypt, because He heard their cries. A very good example of calling
out to God in prayer is the following Scripture in II Samuel 22:7 "In
my distress I called upon the LORD, and cried to my God: and he did
hear my voice out of his temple, and my cry [did enter] into his
ears." How beautiful it is for God to hear our prayer and answer! An
answered prayer is a joy indeed.

     Psalms 3:5 "I laid me down and slept; I awaked; for the LORD
sustained me."
     We see in the fact that David slept, that he had every confidence
in the LORD. He knew that he had done all he could, when he prayed.
He, also, believed that God had protected him and answered his prayer.
This sleep, was not a fitful sleep, but total rest. David knew that
his safety was in Almighty God, not in the armies. Remember the
protection that David had previously known when Saul was trying to
kill him. God protected him from Saul, and God protected David from
Absalom. The question that I would like to ask my Christian friends
is, do we have that much confidence in God?  Can we lie down at night
and rest, knowing that God's protection is upon us?  Is it God we do
not have confidence in, or is it guilt that causes us to doubt?  I
have said before that, trust is a state beyond faith. We must learn to
trust God in our affairs.

     Psalms 3:6 "I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people, that
have set [themselves] against me round about."

     Leviticus 26:8 "And five of you shall chase an hundred, and an
hundred of you shall put ten thousand to flight: and your enemies
shall fall before you by the sword." You see, one, with God is a
majority.  We have nothing to fear, if God is on our side. Psalms 91:5
"Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; [nor] for the arrow
[that] flieth by day;"  Psalms 91:6 "[Nor] for the pestilence [that]
walketh in darkness; [nor] for the destruction [that] wasteth at
noonday." Psalms 91:7 "A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten
thousand at thy right hand; [but] it shall not come nigh thee."
We are, also, told that the fearful and unbelievers will be lost.
Revelation 21:8 "But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable,
and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all
liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and
brimstone: which is the second death."  To be saved we must have faith
in God. Our faith will be counted unto us as righteousness. Our faith
and trust must be in Jesus Christ, who is the author and finisher of
our faith.

     Psalms 3:7 "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."

     Save me, is the cry of all mankind. Jesus is the Saviour of the
world. He is the Saviour of all who will believe. We see, in this
Scripture above, that the enemies of David have been rendered helpless
to harm him {broken the teeth of the ungodly}. Notice, David did not
render his enemies harmless, God did. All believers need to remember
that Satan was defeated by the LORD Jesus Christ on the cross at
Calvary. Jesus won the victory for us. All we have to do is stand
against the devil, and he will flee from us. The word {arise} could
mean many things, but I believe, it indicates Jesus rising from the
grave. We are assured of life after death, because Jesus arose from
the grave. O, death, where is thy sting?

     Psalms 3:8 "Salvation [belongeth] unto the LORD: thy blessing
[is] upon thy people. Selah."

     Jesus Christ our Lord is Salvation for all who will believe. In
the first verse of chapter 1 of Psalms, we read of blessings. There is
only one Way to obtain salvation. Romans 10:9 "That if thou shalt
confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine
heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved."
Romans 10:10 "For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and
with the mouth confession is made unto salvation."  We could work
every day of our life and still not be saved. Salvation is by the free
gift of the grace of God. We were actually purchased by the precious
blood of the LORD Jesus Christ. He was our atonement in full, there is
no more to pay. All mankind has their own free will to receive Jesus
as our Saviour, or to deny Him and be lost. Each individual is a free
moral agent. We can choose life through belief in Jesus, or death by
denying Him. He came to save all, but only those who accept Him belong
to Him. We find in the next Scripture that Jesus prays for His own.
John 17:9 "I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them
which thou hast given me; for they are thine."  In some glorious way,
God has called us by His grace, justified us by the blood of Jesus,
and quickened us by His Spirit. God blesses whom He will. I often
compare the calling of God to a young man seeking a wife. He calls
her, sometimes several times, it is up to her to answer that call.
All believers in Christ are His bride.
































                             Questions 3

1.  Who wrote this Psalm?
2.  Who was David fleeing from in this chapter?
3.  What were 2 names this 3rd Psalm was known by?
4.  What was possibly the greatest sadness David felt in his flight?
5.  What is an easy way to alienate worldly friends today?
6.  If you read your Bible on a regular basis, you are called what?
7.  Did Absalom have any followers?
8.  What is the only fight Christians should fight?
9.  The condition of a man's soul is known only by whom?
10. What are some of the things people believe that Selah means?
11. What sin of David's were they reminding David of?
12. What happens to our sins, when we are saved?
13. What is God to David in verse 3?
14. Who is the Christian's shield?
15. What are 2 other things that the word here translated shield,
    could have been translated?
16. Shield was not just a covering for the chest, but in fact what?
17. What was another word that could have been used instead of glory?
18. What does {lifter up of mine head} mean to David?
19. Who is the lifter of the Christian's head?
20. The effectual fervent prayer of a __________ ____ availeth much.
21. Quote 2 Samuel chapter 22 verse 7.
22. I laid me down and ______.
23. What message can we get from David sleeping here?
24. David knew his safety was in whom?
25. Do we have as much confidence in God as David did?
26. What is a state beyond faith?
27. How many does Leviticus chapter 26 say that five can chase?
28. What things from chapter 91 of Psalms should we not be afraid of?
29. Who does Revelation chapter 21 say shall have their part in the
    lake of fire?
30. What will be counted unto us as righteousness?
31. What is the cry of all mankind?
32. Who is the Saviour of the world?
33. What does {broken the teeth of the ungodly} mean?
34. What is a message that all believers need to remember?
35. What is one of the things arise could mean?
36. ___________ belongeth unto the LORD.
37. Quote Romans chapter 10 verse 9.
38. What was every Christian purchased with?
39. Who is our atonement?
40. In some glorious way, God has called us by His ______.