Psalm 3
Psalm 3
Peace in the Midst of the Storm
Paragraph format, Bible notes, per your standard.
This is the first psalm in the Psalter with a historical title: A Psalm of David when he fled from Absalom his son. These superscriptions are part of the canonical Hebrew text and must be taken seriously. They anchor the psalm in real redemptive history. The events surrounding this composition are recorded in 2 Samuel 15 through 18, where David’s own son Absalom leads a calculated and politically savvy rebellion. David is not merely facing foreign enemies; he is betrayed by blood and deserted by trusted companions. Psalm 3 gives us the inner spiritual response of the anointed king in the darkest season of his reign.
A. David’s Trouble and God’s Help
Psalm 3:1–2 — The Voice of Crisis
“LORD, how are they increased that trouble me! many are they that rise up against me.
Many there be which say of my soul, There is no help for him in God. Selah.”
David opens with an exclamation directed to the covenant name of God, LORD, Jehovah. This is not a complaint to men, but a prayer addressed upward. The crisis is numerical and psychological. “They are increased.” The rebellion is spreading. The political tide appears to be turning irreversibly against him.
The historical context confirms this escalation. 2 Samuel 15:13 says,
“And there came a messenger to David, saying, The hearts of the men of Israel are after Absalom.”
This was not a minor faction. This was national defection.
The deeper wound, however, is theological accusation. “There is no help for him in God.” The attack is not only military or political; it is spiritual. The enemies interpret David’s circumstances as divine judgment without remedy. They assume that God has abandoned him. In essence, they are saying that David’s past sin with Bathsheba and Uriah has permanently disqualified him from divine assistance.
Shimei becomes the living embodiment of this accusation. 2 Samuel 16:7–8 states,
“And thus said Shimei when he cursed, Come out, come out, thou bloody man, and thou man of Belial: The LORD hath returned upon thee all the blood of the house of Saul, in whose stead thou hast reigned; and the LORD hath delivered the kingdom into the hand of Absalom thy son: and, behold, thou art taken in thy mischief, because thou art a bloody man.”
This is the most painful layer of suffering. Physical danger is one thing, but the suggestion that God Himself has withdrawn covenant mercy is the sharpest blade. The enemy narrative is that divine justice has closed the door of grace.
“Selah” appears here for the first time in the Psalter. It calls for pause and reflection. The weight of that accusation must be contemplated. The believer must reckon with seasons when circumstances appear to validate the enemy’s interpretation. David pauses, not in despair, but in meditation.
Psalm 3:3–4 — The Voice of Confidence
“But thou, O LORD, art a shield for me; my glory, and the lifter up of mine head.
I cried unto the LORD with my voice, and he heard me out of his holy hill. Selah.”
The hinge of the psalm is the word “But.” The enemy speaks in verses 1 and 2. Faith speaks in verses 3 and 4. David’s theology overrules his circumstances.
“Thou, O LORD, art a shield for me.” This is declarative, not petitionary. He does not say, “Be my shield.” He says, “Thou art.” In ancient warfare the shield was not decorative; it was survival. The king who once held a literal shield in battle now declares that Jehovah Himself is his defense. The battlefield has changed from Philistine valleys to civil war within Israel, but the Defender remains the same.
Scripture consistently affirms this attribute of God. Genesis 15:1 declares,
“After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.”
The covenant God is personally protective of His chosen servant.
“My glory, and the lifter up of mine head.” Absalom may have taken Jerusalem, but he has not taken David’s glory. True glory is not the throne, crown, or palace. It is relationship with God. David’s head had been bowed in shame and grief. Yet the LORD lifts it. The imagery suggests restoration of dignity and hope.
There is profound covenant theology here. God disciplines His people, but He does not abandon His covenant promises. David understands chastening, but he refuses to accept rejection.
“I cried unto the LORD with my voice.” This is not silent resignation. It is vocal dependence. The king in exile becomes a praying man. The battlefield of Psalm 3 is first won in prayer before it is resolved in history.
“And he heard me out of his holy hill.” Absalom sits temporarily in Jerusalem, but the true throne is still occupied by God. The “holy hill” refers to Zion, the place of divine presence. David’s geography has changed, but God’s sovereignty has not.
This connects to the covenant promise regarding Zion. Psalm 2:6 says,
“Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.”
The ultimate King remains established by divine decree. David’s confidence rests not in political optics but in theological reality.
The enemies say there is no help in God. David says God has already heard him. That is the difference between fear and faith.
“Selah” again calls for reflection. Pause and consider the contrast. The multitude speaks despair. Faith speaks certainty. Circumstances shout defeat. Prayer receives answer.
B. Blessing from and to God
Psalm 3:5–6 — God Blesses David
“I laid me down and slept; I awaked; for the LORD sustained me.
I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people, that have set themselves against me round about.”
David now moves from crisis to quiet confidence. The battlefield has not disappeared, Absalom is still in pursuit, yet David testifies to something profoundly supernatural. He slept.
“I laid me down and slept.” In the natural order, a dethroned king fleeing from his own son, betrayed by counselors, hunted by thousands, does not sleep well. Yet David treats sleep itself as evidence of divine mercy. Rest in the midst of war is a gift from God. Anxiety would have been understandable, but trust overcame panic.
Scripture affirms that peaceful rest is covenant blessing. Psalm 4:8 declares,
“I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, LORD, only makest me dwell in safety.”
Peaceful sleep is not ultimately secured by circumstance but by the sustaining hand of God.
“I awaked; for the LORD sustained me.” The preservation of life through the night is not accidental. Many in David’s situation might not have survived until morning. The rebellion was real, assassination was possible, and betrayal was active. Yet the reason David awoke was not luck, military skill, or favorable terrain. “The LORD sustained me.” The sustaining power of God operates invisibly and continuously.
Theologically, this speaks to divine providence. God governs even the unconscious hours. During sleep, man contributes nothing to his own survival. The heart continues beating, the lungs continue drawing breath, and life continues because God wills it. If He sustains us in sleep, He will sustain us in trial.
David then makes a bold declaration of courage. “I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people.” Fear is a natural response to overwhelming odds. Ten thousands “round about” indicates total encirclement. This is not a minor skirmish; it is national revolt. Yet courage flows from theological certainty, not from numerical advantage.
The New Testament principle mirrors this confidence. Romans 8:31 says,
“What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?”
David lived this truth before Paul penned it. The presence of God outweighs the multitude of adversaries. The faithful man may be surrounded, but he is never abandoned.
This section teaches that blessing from God is not the absence of trouble but supernatural stability in the midst of it.
Psalm 3:7–8 — David Blesses God
“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.
Salvation belongeth unto the LORD: thy blessing is upon thy people. Selah.”
Having testified to God’s sustaining grace, David now moves into petition and praise.
“Arise, O LORD.” This is covenantal military language. It recalls the wilderness formula spoken when the ark set forward. Numbers 10:35 states,
“And it came to pass, when the ark set forward, that Moses said, Rise up, LORD, and let thine enemies be scattered; and let them that hate thee flee before thee.”
David invokes this language intentionally. The rebellion against the anointed king is, at its core, rebellion against God’s established order. Therefore, David calls upon God to rise in defense of His covenant purposes.
“Save me, O my God.” The request is direct and personal. David’s theology does not eliminate petition. Confidence in God’s character fuels prayer rather than replacing it.
“For thou hast smitten all mine enemies upon the cheek bone; thou hast broken the teeth of the ungodly.” David speaks of past victories as the foundation of present faith. The “cheek bone” and “teeth” imagery is vivid and forceful. In ancient imagery, breaking the teeth of a beast renders it powerless. A predator without teeth cannot devour. The metaphor signifies decisive defeat.
This language appears again in Psalm 58:6,
“Break their teeth, O God, in their mouth: break out the great teeth of the young lions, O LORD.”
The idea is not petty vengeance but complete neutralization of evil. David does not merely seek survival; he seeks victory. The anointed king must be preserved because the Davidic covenant is at stake.
“Salvation belongeth unto the LORD.” This is one of the great doctrinal affirmations of Scripture. Deliverance is not man’s property. It is not nationalistic. It is not tribal. It belongs exclusively to Jehovah. Whether temporal rescue from Absalom or eternal redemption from sin, salvation originates in God alone.
This truth echoes throughout Scripture. Jonah 2:9 declares,
“Salvation is of the LORD.”
And ultimately, in its fullest revelation, Revelation 7:10 proclaims,
“Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.”
All deliverance, immediate and ultimate, is divine in source.
“Thy blessing is upon thy people.” David closes not with self-centered preservation but with covenant concern. Though personally afflicted, his heart remains with the nation. He recognizes that the stability of the throne affects the welfare of God’s people. His prayer extends beyond himself.
This reflects the heart of a shepherd-king. Even in exile, he thinks covenantally. His concern is that God’s blessing rest upon Israel.
“Selah.” Pause and reflect. The psalm that began with multiplied enemies ends with multiplied blessing. The accusation that there was “no help in God” is silenced by testimony that salvation belongs entirely to Him.
