Down to Earth But Heavenly Minded

What does Psalms Chapter 3 mean?

David’s son, Absalom, began a violent revolution. He even contemplated sending a 12,000-man army to kill his father (2 Samuel 17:1–3). Only the interference of David’s ally prevented that overwhelming assault from happening (2 Samuel 17:15–16). That was the background for this prayer of David.

David begins by expressing the trouble he faces. His enemies are vast in number, and increasing in their power and influence. Beyond that, it seems David’s peers are suggesting he’s been abandoned by God. The situation seems bleak. Other people are telling David to give up and accept his doom (Psalm 3:1–2).

However, this is not the first time David has faced dire circumstances. Many times, he has trusted God to carry him through danger. Faced with those struggles and threats, David slept soundly knowing God was entirely in control. This present trouble, for David, is no different. Even though there are—literally—thousands of people against him, his faith is not shaken (Psalm 3:3–6).

Based on that conviction, David prays for God to deliver victory over these enemies. The imagery here is graphic, picturing a devastating blow that shatters an enemy and leaves them incapable of fighting back. Confidence based on experience shines through in David’s prayer over his dangerous situation (Psalm 3:7–8).

Chapter Context
Psalm 3 finds its background in David’s flight from his rebellious son Absalom (2 Samuel 15—18). David had fled from the palace in Jerusalem and was hiding in the desert. This psalm is closely related to Psalm 4, both of which were written by David when he was a fugitive from Absalom. It is the first psalm in the first division of Psalms (Psalm 1—41) that is specifically ascribed to David. In this division only Psalms 1, 2, 10, and 33 do not bear an ascription. David’s expressions of confidence in the Lord to protect him from his enemies are also seen in Psalms such as 25, 27, 28, 31, 35, and 41.

Verse by Verse

Verse 1. O Lord, how many are my foes!Many are rising against me;

David laments to the Lord that his enemies are numerous and increasing in their power against him. These formidable enemies had joined David’s son Absalom in a rebellion against David. Second Samuel 15:1–6 tells how Absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel. With a substantial number of supporters, Absalom conspired against his father, King David. Upon hearing about the conspiracy, David and his servants fled from Jerusalem. David had become a fugitive in the wilderness as he was pursued by Absalom’s military followers.

Second Samuel 17:1–3 tells us Ahithophel counseled Absalom to allow him to take 12,000 men to pursue David until David became tired and discouraged. Then they would strike David and return David’s men to Absalom. This plan, Ahithophel said, would bring peace to Israel. Verse 4 informs us that this “advice seemed right in the eyes of Absalom and all the elders of Israel.” Fortunately for David, his ally, Hushai, intervened and convinced Absalom to delay his attack, then warned David (2 Samuel 17:15–16).

This threat of pursuit, by thousands of determined enemies, is the background of David’s plea in the psalm.

Context Summary
Psalm 3:1–6 discloses David’s plight, arising from the violent coup being waged by his son, Absalom. David’s enemies abounded and mocked him. Those around David said God would not deliver him. Psalm 7 complements this passage by expressing David’s concern that his enemies constantly assault him. Despite their opposition, David trusts in the Lord as his shield and deliverer. He anticipates God’s judgment on his enemies. The mockery expressed in Psalm 3:2 is similar to that of those who crucified Jesus (Luke 23:35–37).

Verse 2. many are saying of my soul,”There is no salvation for him in God.” Selah

This psalm was written by David as he fled from his son, Absalom. Absalom attempted to overthrow David and even considered sending 12,000 men to pursue and kill his father (2 Samuel 17:1–3). David avoided that fate only by the influence of his ally, Hushai (2 Samuel 17:15–16). Faced with those odds and the power of the enemy against him, it’s not surprising that some would consider David’s situation hopeless.

Shimei, most likely a descendant of former king Saul, was one of those who taunted David as he fled from Absalom. He threw stones at David and his servants and said, “Get out, get out, you man of blood, you worthless man! The LORD has avenged on you all the blood of the house of Saul, in whose place you have reigned, and the LORD has given the kingdom into the hand of your son Absalom. See, your evil is on you, for you are a man of blood” (2 Samuel 16:7–8).

However, David’s flight from Absalom was not the first time he had been mocked. When he was a youth, David was the target of the taunts of the Philistine giant Goliath. As David drew near to fight Goliath, he endured Goliath’s insults. Goliath cursed David by his pagan gods and said, “Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and to the beasts of the field” (1 Samuel 17:43–44).

Verse 3. But you, O Lord, are a shield about me,my glory, and the lifter of my head.

David is fleeing from a massive army, sent by his own son, Absalom. It is only through the influence of an ally that this army did not rush on him in a vulnerable moment (2 Samuel 17:15–16). Prior verses indicated that many were writing David’s situation off as hopeless (Psalm 3:1–2). And yet, as he had in the past, David successfully overcame his enemies’ threats and taunts by trusting in the Lord.

He addresses the Lord as a shield around him, his glory, and the lifter up of his head. Just as a shield protects a warrior from swords, arrows, darts, and spears, so David envisions the Lord protecting him from his enemies. This is the same confidence David expressed as a youth, when he confronted Goliath. At that time, he called out to Goliath, “You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the LORD will deliver you into my hand…For the battle is the LORD‘S, and he will give you into our hand” (1 Samuel 17:45–47).

The Lord was David’s boast, and David fully expected Him to restore him to his position as king of Israel.

Verse 4. I cried aloud to the Lord,and he answered me from his holy hill. Selah

Psalm 3 was written by David while fleeing from his murderous son, Absalom. In fact, David narrowly escaped being overrun by an army of some 12,000 men (2 Samuel 17:1–3). Hushai’s influence spared David from being overrun (2 Samuel 17:15–16). David has likely heard people tell him to abandon hope, but he insists on being faithful to God (Psalm 3:1–3). This is not, after all, the first time David has faced danger in his life.

As a testimonial to the Lord’s faithfulness, David proclaims that from His holy hill, Mount Zion, the Lord answered his prayer for deliverance. Psalm 18:3–6 recalls an extremely dangerous time when the Lord delivered David. That was when Saul, the prior king, attempted to kill David. He writes: “I call upon the LORD…The cords of death encompassed me; the torrents of destruction assailed me…In my distress I called upon the LORD; to my God I cried for help. From his temple he heard my voice, and my cry to him reached his ears.”

God still delivers His people from threatening situations. In his letter to the Philippians, the apostle Paul affirms that the Lord is at hand, and exhorts believers, “do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:5–7). David’s answered prayer can encourage every Christian to pray, instead of tremble, when adversity strikes.

Verse 5. I lay down and slept;I woke again, for the Lord sustained me.

In the middle of a dire threat, David is praying to express his faith that God will ultimately deliver him (Psalm 3:1–4). This specific psalm relates to the threat of David’s own son, Absalom, who was counseled to send a 12,000-man army to kill his own father (2 Samuel 17:1–4). That plan was narrowly thwarted by Hushai, an ally of David (2 Samuel 17:15–16). This is not the first time David has encountered danger, however (Psalm 18:3–6). Recalling a prior stressful event when his enemies threatened his life, David says he “lay down and slept.” Although David was surrounded by his enemies, he felt secure because the Lord was on his side. Psalm 91:14–15 promises: “Because he holds fast to me in love, I will honor him; I will protect him, because he knows my name. When he calls to me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him.”

Daniel 6 relates the story of how King Darius’ high officials and viceroys conspired against Daniel to have him executed. They persuaded the king to pass a law that forbade anyone to ask anything of any god or man except of the king for thirty days. Whoever disobeyed the law would be cast into a lions’ den. They knew that Daniel prayed three times a day to the Lord, so they expected him to break the law and be thrown to the lions. Although Daniel knew about the law, he prayed as usual to the Lord and was apprehended and cast into the lions’ den. However, God sent an angel to seal the lions’ mouths. The next morning the king rushed to the den and learned that Daniel was safe. Daniel testified that God had delivered him. The king released Daniel, but had his accusers and their families cast into the den, where the lions killed them.

We may not always be aware of all the potentially harmful situations from which God delivers us, but we can trust that nothing happens outside of His power or control.

Verse 6. I will not be afraid of many thousands of peoplewho have set themselves against me all around.

This expresses intense confidence on the part of David. That is remarkable, since the reference to “many thousands of people” is not symbolic. David’s own son, Absalom, considered sending an army of 12,000 men tasked only with killing David (2 Samuel 17:1–3). The influence of David’s friend, Hushai, was the only reason this plan was not enacted (2 Samuel 17:15–16). Absalom’s army still pursues, but now David has time and space to prepare. Prior verses in this psalm reflect David’s confidence in God, based in part on his prior encounters with death and danger (Psalm 18:3–6; 1 Samuel 17:43–47).

Being confident of the Lord’s protection led David to say, “I will not be afraid of many thousands of people who have set themselves against me all around.” The Bible contains many exhortations to fear not. After Abram refused the rewards the king of Sodom offered him for rescuing the hostages that had been taken from Sodom, the Lord told Abram: “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great” (Genesis 15:1). If the king of Sodom felt insulted by Abram’s refusal to accept what he offered, he might have planned to attack Abram. However, the Lord was a shield of protection for Abram, and his reward far outweighed what the king of Sodom offered.

When the ship carrying Paul to stand trial in Rome was being tossed violently by a tempest, Paul brought a message of hope to all onboard. He said an angel of God had told him, “Do not be afraid, Paul; you must stand before Caesar. And behold, God has granted you all those who sail with you” (Acts 27:23–24). There is nothing to fear if God is our shield.

Verse 7. Arise, O Lord!Save me, O my God!For you strike all my enemies on the cheek;you break the teeth of the wicked.

David appeals to the Lord to save him from his many enemies. Specifically, in this case, his son has contemplated sending an army of 12,000 men with orders to kill him (2 Samuel 17:1–3). Hushai, David’s ally, managed to convince Absalom to wait, and warned David (2 Samuel 17:15–16). David’s prior experience, however, has given him confidence that God will not abandon him in this situation.

He recalls how the Lord struck down his enemies in the past and was confident he would do so again. Perhaps David was thinking especially about how the Lord had delivered him from a bear and a lion, from Goliath, from the Amalekites, and from King Saul’s forces (1 Samuel 17:37, 49–50; 2 Samuel 1:1). “You strike all my enemies on the cheek; you break the teeth of the wicked” evokes the image of landing a crushing blow in combat. The Lord would defeat David’s enemies so thoroughly that they would be harmless.

Believers may not be surrounded by military foes, but we are surrounded by trials and afflictions. The apostle Paul assures us “we are more than conquerors through him who loved us” (Romans 8:37). Even physical death is a defeated foe. By his resurrection, Jesus delivered a crushing blow and gained the victory over it for us. In 1 Corinthians 15:54–57, Paul writes: “Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is in the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Context Summary
Psalm 3:7–8 ends David’s prayer with a specific plea and an expression of confidence. David was surrounded by many foes, sent to kill him by his own son, Absalom (2 Samuel 15—18). Yet David recognized the Lord was on his side and would deliver him. He knew that salvation belongs to the Lord. The Lord would eventually answer David’s prayer by delivering him from this desperate situation (2 Samuel 18:31–32).

Verse 8. Salvation belongs to the Lord;your blessing be on your people! Selah

David concludes this psalm by declaring that salvation belongs to the Lord. That understanding enables him to express confidence in the Lord to deliver him from his enemies, and he ascribes all the credit to the Lord. Although David refers to deliverance from his enemies (2 Samuel 17:1–4; 15–16) as “salvation,” here, Scripture teaches that eternal salvation from sin and perdition also belongs exclusively to the Lord. God saves by grace; that is, undeserved favor. Ephesians 2:8–9 teaches: “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” Romans 6:23 also teaches us that salvation is a gift from God. This verse states, “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

David pronounces a benediction as he closes Psalm 3. He prays that the Lord’s blessing will rest upon His people. This benediction reveals David’s shepherd heart. He thinks about and prays for the well-being of the people of Israel despite his difficult personal circumstances.

End of Psalm 3.

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