Psalms 3:1-4
The LORD Helps His Troubled People
A Psalm of David as Absalom, his son, warred against him. Talking about an ugly scenario whoever wins, you as David still loses. This is the result of David having sex with Bathsheba and then ordering her husband to be killed. May the consequences of his adultery be enough to warn any man who is considering it ( the full account is found in 2 Samuel 11&12, very very sober, God does not tolerate sin in His rulers).
LORD, how they have increased who trouble me!
Many are they who rise up against me. Many are they who say of me,
“There is no help for him in God.”
But You, O LORD, are a shield for me, My glory and the One who lifts up my head.
I cried to the LORD with my voice, And He heard me from His holy hill.
David knew that God had forgiven him ( Psalm 51), but the consequences of his actions he was still going to reap.
Many are they who rise up against me. Many are they who say of me,
“There is no help for him in God.”
His own people were writing him off. Yet David knew better…
But You, O LORD, are a shield for me, My glory and the One who lifts up my head. I cried to the LORD with my voice, And He heard me from His holy hill.
Things had never looked so dismal for David. Now his son who he taught in war and many other men who were once under his command are now coming to fight against him. How many more men will betray him? In these dark times who you are at your core comes forth and it is apparent that all the battles David had fought had cemented God’s faithfulness to him. Others would betray and depart from him, even seek his death, but God who has been the “lifter of his head” will not, and that was the rock and foundation of David’s confidence and hope. How about us? Is our foundation as strong, do we know that despite those who would seek our harm or betray us or write us off or how bad the news, with God on our side we will come through?
Psalms 3:5-6
I lay down and slept; I awoke, for the LORD sustained me. I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people Who have set themselves against me all around (this is a huge statement of confidence in God’s faithfulness and might).
What David did with Bathsheba and then having her husband, one of David’s elite soldier’s killed, was terrible and so the consequences would more than fit the crime. The death of his and Bathsheba’s newborn babe, Tamar his daughter being raped by Amnon his son and then Amnon being killed by Absalom as revenge for raping his sister, then Absalom after running his dad out of Jerusalem had sex with David’s concubines thereby defiling them; which God had told David that what he did in secret He would do in public (tent was pitched on top of the palace for all Israel to see) and then lastly, Absalom death. His hair, which he was noted for, and vain over, being caught in the branches of a tree thereby suspending him made him an easy target. Joab being told of it came and threw darts thereby killing him.
That day was a horrific day for David with not only his son dying but others of David’s soldiers that had once fought for David. And now he had a divided kingdom that he would have to put together. He paid dearly for his sins. And to make matters even worse his trusted adviser Ahitophel sided with his son. Ahitophel was the grandfather of Bathsheba and David’s actions offended him greatly. How David must have wished a thousand times over to have turned his head from Bathsheba and done what God expected of him. He was the Shepherd King of Israel.
David as a young man may have thought he was just watching and protecting his father’s sheep but God had him in training. He was being groomed for something so much greater. His love and protection for the sheep would become his over the people as their Shepherd King. This is what made him great. Yet his actions with Bathsheba and her husband made him the wolf that came to steal, kill and destroy. How his actions must have pained him. Yet despite his sins he had deep reservoirs of faith from years and years of fighting battles and seeing God’s faithfulness. He was shaken for sure, but he was far from being beaten. His sin only served to bring him back to his rock solid base with his Shepherd King, “The Lord is my Shepherd….”( Psalm 23).
Psalms 3:5-6
I lay down and slept; I awoke, for the LORD sustained me.
I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people
Who have set themselves against me all around.
I do not think there is any other chapter that so clearly gives a direct window into David’s relationship with the Lord. David did not just one day sin, prior to all this the scriptures say that God had given David peace on all sides, no more war. Things were calm now and going well. It is in these times that the flesh comes. The enemy via our pride says look at what you have done, you have built this empire and conquered all your enemies. And even if we don’t agree we start to get a little relaxed. Prayer or reading the scriptures isn’t done with the same urgency and or hunger (God had commanded His kings to daily read the scriptures Duet. 17:18&19). For David to have committed such crimes he had to have stopped reading the scriptures and spending time with the Lord. His passion for His God lessened and he began to backslide. This is the danger of the “good life.”
We begin to lose our need and hence our dependence upon the Lord. Not until a trial comes or sin enters in and then we see how far we have fallen. This had become David’s rude awakening. He would never have done such a thing in the years of battle. Yet at the same time this is what awoke him and brought him back into the passion and trust he had with the Lord during the years of battle. Battles keep us lean and mean; I want only a few “green pastures,” but many walks through the “valleys of the shadow of death,” for in them I learn “not to fear no evil for thou art with me, thou rod and thy staff they comfort me ( Psalm 23). ” His constant presence is forever worth the trials that cause my soul to need Him.
Psalms 3:7-8
Arise, 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.Salvation belongs to the LORD.
Your blessing is upon Your people.
Be careful Christian, we must walk circumspectly. We must always ever keep check on our passions and desires. Contrary to normal thought the battle is not where the danger is, for in the battle your eyes are ever focused on your General and Lord. It’s in the times of rest and relaxation were “we think we can do life ourselves,” that trouble manifests itself. The Bible says the heart is deceitfully wicked no man can know it.
Jeremiah 17:9-10
“The heart is deceitful above all things,And desperately wicked;
Who can know it? I, the LORD, search the heart, I test the mind,
Even to give every man according to his ways,
According to the fruit of his doings.
As a young believer this verse scared me. I couldn’t trust myself. I felt myself become prideful when life went well, as though it was my doing when all along it was God’s principles of sowing and reaping. I had been sowing righteousness through the trials and in the calm reaping the benefit. It had nothing to do with me other than my choice to follow God. It was His doing to bring just the right people and opportunities to me. And it was His wisdom in me helping me to navigate life and do my job well. I prayed for a humble heart and memorized Psalm 51vs. 16&17, David’s Psalm of a repentance.
Psalms 51:16-17
For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it;
You do not delight in burnt offering.The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit,
A broken and a contrite heart—These, O God, You will not despise.
I sought God for this and these verses combined with a book I read earlier in my life by Andrew Murray called the Pearl of Great Price, moved me greatly. This then became my foundation and footing. I learned via humility that when God is big my problems are small, but when my problems are big God has become small. Everything in life related back to the size of my God. So the best way to navigate and conquer life’s challenges was to grow my faith in the Lord. This then became my new adventure and honor, to know and be known by Him.
Also the Lord reminded me that He was The Good Shepherd, and as the Good Shepherd He would not lose His own ( John 10). I could not deal with the “what if’s of tomorrow,” that was His job, but I could deal with today and make sure that today I would spend time in prayer and His Word. That time for me was lunch. It was the one part of my day that I could control. If it meant saying no to going out with my follow co-workers for lunch then that was the price I paid to be with The Lord. I desperately needed The Lord much more than a few passing laughs.
Life is tough with all it’s challenges and work, though very grateful for work it is demanding and I need His guidance and wisdom. It is more than worth the price to make sure that each day I spend time with Him. And as I take care of today, He takes care of and prepares me for tomorrow. I have learned to ignore my emotions. Instead of focusing on the state of my heart, that some days wants to seek Him and some days not, I just seek Him and expect that my emotions will do what emotions will do. So through the years obedience and trust they have formed in me strong habits and the feeling of not wanting to spend time with my Heavenly Dad are all but gone. Now my day doesn’t feel right or complete if I haven’t spent time with Him.
Jeremiah 17:5-8
Thus says the LORD:
“Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength,
Whose heart departs from the LORD.For he shall be like a shrub in the desert, And shall not see when good comes,
But shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness,
In a salt land which is not inhabited.
“But” Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD,
And whose hope is the LORD.For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters,Which spreads out its roots by the river,
And will not fear when heat comes; But its leaf will be green,
And will not be anxious in the year of drought,
Nor will cease from yielding fruit. (it’s unfortunate that there are not a lot of believers thriving like we read, too too many of us are lukewarm, in-between faith and the desires of our flesh).
Psalm 1 is almost identical… David might have received his inspiration from reading Jeremiah.
Also I recognized that when I didn’t want to read, that that emotion represented a spiritual battle for it was contrary to God’s Word and I needed to defeat it. We are not supposed to live or obey God according to our emotion, it’s by faith that we obey. And we obey God because He is so worthy of our obedience. It’s a choice we make, emotion though nice when it agrees, has nothing to do with my walk of faith. A really great group of verses to jump start our soul and kick our flesh down the road is Matthew 4 & Joshua 1.
Matthew 4:3-4
Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.”
But He answered and said ( and remember Jesus had not eaten for 40 days, this was no walk in the park), “It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” And if Jesus says that and uses God’s Word to defeat Satan so should we.
Joshua 1:7-9
Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go. This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”
If I use the words “I fed on these verses” for years it would not be an exaggeration. I learned that whatever my struggle was I was to find the answer, or “my armor” in the scriptures. I had my normal “go through the Bible chapter by chapter study,” plus I mediated upon the verses that dealt with the struggles I was going through. I would tape the verses to my bathroom mirror and could read them first thing while I was getting ready for work. I would also tape the verses to the dash board of my truck and since smart phones I take a picture of the verses and review them while I am in line or waiting.
Some struggles took months, others took years but in every case there was gain and the spirit man grew stronger.
So what about you, how do you overcome the challenges and difficulties you face. Do you just hope that it will work out, you give it your best shot and sometimes succeed and other times fail? Do you seek counseling from others, visit a life coach, or use substances to get through the day. Are you open to exploring a walk of faith? I will leave you with one of the most famous Psalms written by a man who faced more challenges and battles than all of us combined and this is what he learned, King David.
Psalms 23
The LORD the Shepherd of His People
A Psalm of David.
The LORD is my shepherd;I shall not want.He makes me to lie down in green pastures;He leads me beside the still waters.
He restores my soul;He leads me in the paths of righteousness.
For His name’s sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil;For You are with me;Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;You anoint my head with oil;My cup runs over.Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
All the days of my life;And I will dwell in the house of the LORD
Forever.
The choice is ours, God has given us a free will and according to what and how we choose with not only determine our life here but our Eternal future. Eternity is a long time and we don’t want to be wrong on this one. I encourage us to set aside our pride and humble ourselves before the Lord and seek Him a God who loves us so much that He gave His life for our life. If we would chose Him, the path towards Him has already been paved with the blood of Christ, our Savior.
Father God….
Thank you for this study on David’s life. Let us learn from him and take advantage of the opportunity that he didn’t have, The Cross that defeats sin and shame and brings us into relationship with You. Thank you and Amen
Go in the Fullness of Grace – Arthur Arthur Navarrette
Vida4U.com is the website where all past Vida’s are archived. In addition to the weekly devotionals, the yearly inspirational writings featured in December’s House2Home Magazine are archived under “Faith Talk.” Please use this site for your benefit and refer your friends to it as well. If they would like the weekly series emailed to them, they can send their requests to Arthur@Vida4U.com.