David talks to God, and to his enemies

In Psalm 4, the first thing that David does is to appeal to God for help. 

Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness! You have relieved me in my distress; Be gracious to me and hear my prayer. (v. 1)

David was being accused and his reputation assaulted - what do we do in his situation? Do we get defensive, or snap back at our accusers, or even make excuses for ourselves? Worst yet, sometimes we may be tempted to spread gossip about our opponents. At least that way, the attention is taken off of us, right? David doesn't do any of these . . . instead, he turns to God. He knows that God is the source of his strength and also the source of his peace. Verse one says that he knows God has relieved him in distress.

In the New Testament, Paul knew about great suffering, too, just as David did.

we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; 

 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed;  (II Corinthians 4:8-9)

Paul spoke of turning to God in distress, too.

 rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer, (Romans 12:12)

The story of David and Absalom almost sounds like a movie script, no? What a sad state of affairs between father and son. David was in the middle of perhaps the most stressful period of his life, but he chose not to escape the trial, but to turn to God. David knew that God is the true mercy-giver, and that He holds the power to grant us relief in our times of stress. So, he talked to God.

David also spoke to his enemies in this psalm. Some of what he said almost seems to be directed at his errant son; perhaps these are things that he would have liked to have said to Absalom, but they are good things for us to consider today.  In verse two, David rebukes his son for turning his glory into shame. What does he mean? Absalom turned the hearts of the people against David, and there was no need for it. If Absalom had been patient and heeded David's advice, he would have been heir to the throne. Instead, he turned to slandering David and rebelling, and causing others to rebel against the king anointed by God. The results were horrifying: not only a divided family, but a lost throne, many innocent people caught in a power struggle, and many deaths.

This is still a problem for us today; there are slandering words spoken against God's people every day. These may come from actual family members -- relatives and their friends who become jealous of the blessings of God in our lives. Many times this will result in a feud which can never be won, and is also difficult to mend. Slander can come from spiritual family, as well, and many churches split because of the turmoil that results.

David also says in verse two, "How long will you love delusions?" Now, Absalom loved deceiving the people, the army leaders, and more. He, himself, was even under a delusion because he thought that a plot against David, who had the blessing and protection of the Lord, would succeed. We can see an application for us today when we think of the people who delude themselves and scheme against believers. Or when we see believers who delude themselves into thinking that their sin is hidden from God. We must not deceive ourselves. We need to be certain that we are not trying to deceive God. (It won't work!)

In verse four, David speaks to his enemies (and to his son) and says "in your anger do not sin." Oh, boy, I think we can all agree that Absalom had an anger problem! He had a lot of unresolved anger. Maybe an Anger Management 101 course would have been good for him? I don't know that they had those back then, though! Of course, Absalom's anger against his brother Ammon was justified when Ammon raped his half-sister, Tamar, and then threw her out of his house in humiliation. Absolutely. And David fell down on the job when he did not take some kind of action after the incident. But Absalom's anger grew and grew until he took matters into his own hands. The score was now one innocent raped; one guilty was murdered. Absalom's justified anger wasn't dealt with properly.  Next, Absalom's anger at his dad festered as he considered his rights to the throne; maybe he thought David should step down because he was getting up in age. Maybe he truly didn't agree with some of his policies. But instead of dealing with his issues properly, Absalom walked right into open rebellion and sin.

My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, 

 because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. (James 1:19-20, NIV)

James is echoing the advice of David:

Be angry, and do not sin. Meditate within your heart on your bed, and be still. Selah

 Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, And put your trust in the Lord. (Psalm 4:4-5)

Unresolved anger will destroy us, no matter who we are.

David first talked to God in this psalm, and then to his enemies. We'll see that he concludes his evening psalm with words that confirm his joy, peace, and sense of safety in God's care.

Prayer requests

 

The little girl knelt by the bed and poured her heart into her prayer. Her mom bowed her head, too, and listened to her sweet words. When she was finished, she climbed into her bed, and her mom tucked her in, saying, "I'll be praying about that, too, dear," hoping that this would add to the little one's comfort as she drifted off to sleep.

"Oh, you don't have to do that, Mommy, Jesus heard me. And He only needs to hear it once!" The mother smiled and kissed her good night, heartened by her child's simple and pure faith.

Of course, He heard it the first time. 

And he heard it when the mother prayed, too. 

Why DOES God want us to pray for others? Well, for one thing, it reflects our Savior's character of love and mercy -- He wants us to think like He does, and praying for other people helps us to think beyond ourselves. It puts our focus on others and how to help them. It helps us to grow more like Him and have compassion for other people.

Now, one thing that prayer is NOT, is a numbers game. God isn't keeping count, so that when ten, or thirty-five, or a hundred people pray about something, He intervenes. Prayer isn't a petition that He has to act on if enough people "sign on." Our prayers are not going to force God to do anything; He acts when the time is best. Intercessory prayer is not a way for us to keep score and earn points, either. We can't pile up prayers for other people and "cash in" later when something bad happens in our lives. When we pray, we are to be motivated by love. We pray because of unselfish concern for others.

What about the person that needs prayer? Can that person ask other Christians to pray and then just forget about it? Not worry about praying themselves? In a word, no . . . we can't delegate prayer like we assign tasks in an office setting. (Grin) Prayer is part of our own, personal, intimate relationship with a God Who knows all about us. It's a time for us to talk fervently with Him, whether other believers are praying with us, or not. 

We should pray from the heart, and be fully engaged and compassionate about the people we pray for. We should pray often - in Matthew Jesus told us to pray, "Give us this day," and so I believe He is telling us that prayer should be a regular and often-used part of our day. And we should pray in detail - even though, as the little girl said, "He only needs to hear it once," God wants us to come to Him with our specific requests. He LIKES to hear from us! The Bible compares our prayers to incense, and says that God loves prayers that are detailed and thoughtful . . . those are more pleasing than a rushed, "bless everybody" type of prayer!

Pray for others knowing that God has all power, and that He, too, loves the people we are praying for. And finally, let's pray for others with an eye toward helping where and when we can. This might include an encouraging card or email, or a phone call or visit (after the Covid dies down). 

I hope that if you are reading here today, and you have a prayer request, that you will leave us a comment so that we can pray with you.  Of course, it goes without saying that if you have a praise, a report of answered prayer, that we hope you will share that, as well, to encourage others.

Psalm 4, the evening psalm

The superscriptions (labels) say that the psalm we just studied, Psalm 3, and this one, too, were written in that troubled time when David was on the run from his rebellious son, Absalom. It was Absalom's goal to not only discredit his dad, and replace him as king, but to humiliate him as well. Like all kids seem to do, Absalom had moments when he just KNEW that he could do a better job than his old man. (Grin) 

Psalm 3 was nicknamed the "morning" psalm, and this one is considered to be the "evening" psalm. It's very familiar to many, especially the final verse, which is both a help and a hope to believers and insomniacs . . . . 

Let's read and re-read it today, and study it next time we meet, OK?

 Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness! You have relieved me in my distress; Be gracious to me and hear my prayer. 

 O sons of men, how long will my honor become a reproach? How long will you love what is worthless and aim at deception? Selah. 

 But know that the LORD has set apart the godly man for Himself; The LORD hears when I call to Him. 

Tremble, and do not sin; Meditate in your heart upon your bed, and be still. Selah. 

 Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, And trust in the LORD. 

 Many are saying, "Who will show us any good?" Lift up the light of Your countenance upon us, O LORD! 

 You have put gladness in my heart, More than when their grain and new wine abound. 

In peace I will both lie down and sleep, For You alone, O LORD, make me to dwell in safety.

Amen!

Friday slowdown

This song has meant a lot to me lately - I hope it is a blessing for you, as well. He is indeed the God Who stays -- Paul says nothing can separate us from Him!!

38 For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:38-39)

What next? Peace and God's deliverance

When we believers do as David did, and take hold of our Lord's hand in prayer, we will experience His peace.

I lay down and slept;
I awoke, for the Lord sustains me.
6 I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people
Who have set themselves against me round about. (Psalm 3:5-6)

David cried out to God in prayer, and then? He went to bed and went to sleep. Well, I should change that. He didn't really "go to bed" because he wasn't in the palace in his fancy bed. He was camped out in the wilderness. But he slept just fine . . . kinda reminds us of the time that Peter was facing execution and was peacefully sleeping in the prison, chained between two guards -- the angel that was sent to rescue him had to hit him to wake him up! Now, that is sleeping soundly! (You can check it out in Acts chapter twelve, if you want to.)

David says he awoke safe and sound because the Lord sustained him. As the day wore on, he received reports that there were tens of thousands opposing him, but he was not afraid. Paul would express this peace many years later, like this:

 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7)

When the Lord is our shield, as we noted yesterday, and He is the One we rely on, the number of enemies arrayed against us won't matter! Another phrase from our old friend Paul says, "If God is for us, who can be against us?" (Romans 8)  He goes on in that chapter to tell us that even if we are killed "like sheep to be slaughtered," we still "more than conquerors through Him who loved us." Even if our enemies kill us, as the martyrs were before us, we can have God's peace in our soul.

Now, let's not leave on a down note, OK? Yes, we can have peace, indescribable peace, when we take God's hand and pray. And that peace will sustain us if we were to have to die for our Lord. But most of us, I believe, have been given the task, the destiny, if you will, of living for him. And we can do that, and live triumphantly, by depending on God for deliverance. We see that in the last two verses:

Arise, O Lord; save me, O my God!
For You have smitten all my enemies on the cheek;
You have shattered the teeth of the wicked.
8 Salvation belongs to the Lord;
Your blessing be upon Your people! Selah.  (v. 7-8)

Don't be too hard on David, here.

Yes, it does sound like he's getting a little bit anxious again. But perhaps we can excuse him, since he keeps hearing about all the peeps who are against him, and he looks around him at the hundreds of loyal supporters and their families, who are depending on him!

The scholars tell us there are some clues in the Hebrew words here in these verses. In verse one, many were "rising" up against David. In verse seven, he uses the same Hebrew word to ask God to rise up against his enemies. In verse two, David's opponents said that God would not "deliver" him, and then in verse seven, David uses the same word to petition God to save him.

The second half of verse seven is really interesting to me . . . David pictures his enemies as ravenous beasts that are baring their teeth; they are snarling and growling, ready to tear him apart. So he asks God to break their teeth -- they would be powerless then. And he uses verb forms that say "this has already happened." I think that it reflects the rock-solid confidence that David has; he is certain that God will act, so he writes the psalm as if it has already happened. Now that is confidence!

In verse eight, David almost seems to shout, "Salvation belongs to the Lord!" He wasn't thinking about his tiny cadre of soldiers who came with him. He wasn't planning a daring strategy (he knew he didn't have the numbers to overcome the opposing army). He wasn't relying on any spies, or on counselors or whisperers that he'd planted in Absalom's organization. Instead, he acknowledges that any victory will come from God alone. As believers today, and as a people who cast ourselves upon the Lord for deliverance, we must remember to give Him all the praise when He answers our prayers.

One final note drawn from David's prayer, here, and I think it's vitally important for each one of us. I know that I am guilty sometimes of packing my prayer full of what I need, of what I want, and why I feel it needs to happen. David's final words in this prayer were "Your blessing be upon your people." He was not praying selfishly. He was the anointed, chosen king of God's people. The rebellion of his son was affecting the entire nation - and not in a positive way! So, when he asked God to deliver him, David saw it in terms of God's blessing His people.

In our prayers, too, we need to keep God's purposes in focus. If our world is fraying at the edges, or if it's been ripped apart, we need to watch ourselves. Yes, reach out to take hold of God's hand in prayer. Pour out the troubles and heartache. But keep our sovereign God's kingdom purposes in view. I know, I know, right? We are only human. I have poured out my heart to God when my world has been falling apart . . . when we have been facing a financial wipeout, when we have been dealing with a rebellious child . . . it's easy to just pray selfishly. Lord, fix it for me! Let my heart stop hurting!  There's a reason why the Lord's prayer teaches us to pray, "thy will be done." Instead of praying for the money to come and relieve my stress, God teaches me to pray that He will be glorified by my testimony during a time when finances are stretched to the breaking point. Instead of praying for my child to change, so that my heart stops aching, God teaches me to pray that I will learn from Him, and that my child will be safe as he/she learns a needed lesson (and ignores my sage advice!).  

The most important result from our prayers is that God will be glorified, and that His people will be blessed and strengthened.

It's hard for us to believe, if we are in the middle of a crisis or a tragedy, but David turned his own horrible experience (he was betrayed, in pain, and being pursued by killers) into a song of praise! This teaches us today that God can use our worst trials to deepen our trust in Him. We can take God's hand in believing prayer and then experience His peace. When He answers, He gets the glory, we get the joy, and other believers receive encouragement and blessing.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  (Philippians 4:6)

Wow.

So, don't be anxious; pray; and thank Him for the opportunity to trust Him. Thank Him for the trial. Thank Him for the chance to rest secure in Him - and the opportunity to glorify Him. That will bring His peace.

Well, that matches up with our studies on adversity, right? Whether we are in a minor crisis, or our lives seem to be falling apart at the seams, Jesus is our high priest. We have access (through Jesus' blood) to the same God Who heard David's prayers and rescued him. Even if the crisis is the result of our own sins, if we humble ourselves before Him and pray, He will deliver us at the proper time.

Amen!

Yes, amen!

Remember Who He is

In answer to whoever pings me and says, "That's a Greek shield, not an ancient Hebrew one!" I will simply say, yes, I know. The important thing is to recognize it as a shield....not the era in which it was used. 

You would be amazed at some of the correspondence I get! (Grin)

But I digress.

Last time we studied, we noticed that the first two verses of Psalm 2 were filled with David's focus on his frightening circumstances . . . he was looking around himself, here on earth. In verse three, he starts to look UP. And it's going to be great advice for all of us.

But You, O Lord, are a shield about me,
My glory, and the One who lifts my head.
4 I was crying to the Lord with my voice,
And He answered me from His holy mountain. Selah.   (Psalm 3:3-4)

When our lives seem to be unraveling, it's vital for us to remember Who God is and to call out to Him in our prayers. 

The first thing that David says about God is that He is our shield. All through the Psalms, we will see references to God as a shield to those who trust in Him. But wait! We see this before David's songs, too! 

Waaaaaaaaaay back in Genesis, God tells Abram:

After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying,“Do not fear, Abram, I am a shield to you; Your reward shall be very great.”  (Genesis 15:1, NASB)

That verse, and others in Psalms that tend to be our favorites when we are struggling with adversity, all illustrate the fact that mean God is our protector and our defender.

For it is You who blesses the righteous man, O Lord,
You surround him with favor as with a shield. (Psalm 5:12)

And it's very personal, too, as our faith in the Lord is personal. David says the Lord is a shield "about me," and in Psalm 5, he says the Lord surrounds the righteous with favor. These are not the actions of a god who is disinterested . . . no, they are the outpourings of our God's love on us.

The next thing David says is that it's God Who is his glory - not the acclaim of his subjects, or the power that he wielded, nor the wealth and beautiful things he had accumulated in his palace and grounds. He is acknowledging that his relationship with God is his only claim to glory. Whether David is restored to his earthly wealth and prominence or not, doesn't seem to matter to him. God is his glory. 

On God my salvation and my glory rest;
The rock of my strength, my refuge is in God. (Psalm 62:7)

David next calls attention to Who God is (in the last part of verse three) by using an ancient expression, "to lift up the head." The Hebrew people would find this familiar when they heard it; it means to restore someone who is cast down. Sometimes it would be that a person was being restored to his position or his or her dignity. Like here, where Joseph is speaking to the Pharaoh's cupbearer:

within three more days Pharaoh will lift up your head and restore you to your office; and you will put Pharaoh’s cup into his hand according to your former custom when you were his cupbearer. (Genesis 40:13)

To believers today, it can refer to God restoring to us the joy that we had, before the boulder of adversity fell on us. Before the situation got so bleak and our spirits became depressed. It reminds us that God humbles the proud, but He lifts up the meek who cry out to Him. He brings joy to those who need restoration of their joy.

“The Lord makes poor and rich;
He brings low, He also exalts.
8 “He raises the poor from the dust,
He lifts the needy from the ash heap
To make them sit with nobles,
And inherit a seat of honor;
For the pillars of the earth are the Lord’s,
And He set the world on them.
9 “He keeps the feet of His godly ones, (I Samuel 2:7-9a, NASB)

The final attribute that David calls our attention to (in verse 4), and that he was focusing on in the midst of his trial, was that God is a prayer-answering God. Praise Him!

The "holy mountain" that David mentions is Mount Zion in Jerusalem; that is the location of the ark of the covenant. The Levites had started out to carry the ark and join David in his escape, but David had sent them back to the city. He had explained that if he found favor in the sight of God, then God would bring him back to the city and the ark. He said, too, that if God said "I have no delight in you," then he would accept what "seems good to Him." If the Lord did not restore him, David would still bow before Him in worship and prayer. And another important note is that even though David was separated for now from the symbol of God's dwelling place, this separation was not an obstacle to his prayer life!

No matter where we are or what kind of difficult circumstances surround us (even if they are of our own making, because of our own sin or failure) we can humble ourselves before our Lord. We can cry out to Him for grace and KNOW that He will hear and answer us, according to His purposes.

Yes, David knew well Who God is. And he "grabbed hold of" God's hand in prayer.

What happened next?

Crying out to God

We're starting into Psalm 3 today, and I forgot to mention yesterday that the reason we know all of this background information that we talked about, is that the psalm has a "superscription" or explanatory note at the beginning. It tells us the circumstances of the psalm:  "a psalm of David when he fled from Absalom, his son." What a sad notation that is . . . 

The psalm divides itself for us rather neatly into four groups of two verses each. Let's look at the first two:

O Lord, how my adversaries have increased!
Many are rising up against me.
2 Many are saying of my soul,
“There is no deliverance for him in God.”Selah.   (v. 1-2, NASB)

David (figuratively speaking) grabs hold of God's hand in prayer. He cries out to Him.

All translations have their differences, but in the New American Standard, when we see "Lord," it is translating the Hebrew word "Adonai." This means "Sovereign Lord." When we see the word in small capital letters, it translates "Yahweh," which is the personal, covenant name of God. This is the name by which God revealed Himself to Moses at the burning bush.  It's closely related to the Hebrew verb, "to be," so that in effect, God is telling Moses "I am who I am." The Expositor's Commentary says that for David to address God as Yahweh is very similar to the New Testament believers saying "Abba, Father," because in both cases it is a very personal way to address Him -- it's a cry for help.

In these first two verses, David refers to the fact that his adversaries were increasing in number. The ranks of those who were aligning themselves with Absalom was growing daily. That, in itself, would be enough to scare someone and shake them to their core, but in verse two it gets worse.

Verse two actually records the words that his enemies were saying. They aren't just saying bad things about how he was handling his family. Or how he was handling the kingdom.

Nope.

They were poking at David's relationship with God. Specifically, they were saying some really negative things about it. If we were scholars of the Hebrew language, we could translate that verse literally, and it would read, "many are saying TO my soul...."  In other words, the things they were saying hit him in the soul. It pained his soul and his heart to hear what they said, "there is no deliverance for him in God." 

I kinda think that his sin with Bathsheba and his murder of her husband must have been public knowledge by now. I expect that the "grapevine" in Jerusalem had circulated all the details. Don't you reckon that they were calling him a hypocrite? Poking fun at the fact that he claimed to follow God? Perhaps this was even being used by Absalom's allies, since they could say, "What? He claims to be anointed by God to be our king? And he committed these heinous sins? How could God be on his side?" 

Perhaps the most bitter pill of all would be his own thoughts in times of quiet . . . is God really still on my side after what I've done?

We mentioned yesterday that some of David's experiences mirrored those of our Redeemer, the Messiah Jesus. As He hung on the cross, His enemies jeered at him:

 He trusts in God; let God rescue Him now, if He delights in Him; for He said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” (Matthew 27:43)

Even worse, Jesus felt forsaken by the Father as He bore our sin. His awful cry:

About the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” (Matthew 27:46)

David, however, knew that he was being taunted because of his own sins. Our Savior was without any sin or guilt. 

We may not have encountered the depth of despair that David was feeling - or perhaps we have - but our response should be the same as his. Even though God is fully aware of what is going on, David tells Him all the details. He isn't informing God of it, because He already knows! Instead, David is laying his burden on the Lord, just as we should. He's acknowledging to God and to himself, that he is not able to handle this overwhelming situation on his own.

That's the way we should respond to troubles and traumas, too. Cry out to God in prayer.

The very next verse shows us that David is shifting focus. He's going to quit looking at his frightening circumstances and start looking at the Lord.

We'll see that the Lord is our shield and our answer in the tough times.

Tune in tomorrow!