Series: Psalm
Title: Our Shield, Glory and Lifter
Text: Psalm 3: 1-8
Scripture Reading: 2 Samuel 15
Date: August 18, 2011
Place: SGBC, New Jersey
Believer, do you find that those who trouble you increase? In Psalm 3, David says,
Psalm 3: 1: LORD, how are they increased that trouble me! many are they that rise up against me. 2: Many there be which say of my soul, There is no help for him in God. Selah.
Divisions: 1) A word about David; 2) A word concerning Christ; 3) A word of consolation
I. A WORD ABOUT DAVID--«A Psalm of David, when he fled from Absalom his son.»
· David’s own son, Absalom deceived David, his father, and deceived the people (2 Samuel 14: 33-15: 1-11)
· David’s own counselor betrayed David (2 Samuel 15: 12)
· David thought Mephiboseth forsook him for Absalom (2 Samuel 16: 3)
· Shimei whose of the house of Saul, that former wicked king, cursed David (2 Samuel 16: 5-12)
Behold the grace and faithfulness of God in this. When the child of God is regenerated of the Spirit of God…when the LORD graciously breaks our heart of stone—gives repentance and faith--the believer finds God purposely working all things in our lives to do two things:
1. To never allow us to again trust in our flesh
2. To keep us trusting the LORD alone
As David enemies increased and his troops decreased so that there were but a few of the faithful who continued with him so the Spirit of God makes the believer’s sins ever increase before us. Our faithful God will never allow the believer to find peace and rest in the Absalom of our deceitful hearts, of our sin and self-righteousness. He will not allow us to be deceived by the beguiling counsel of the deceiver. Though we are thankful for our brethren, love our brethren, forsake not the assembling of ourselves together with our brethren around Christ’s throne, yet we are often disappointed by our brethren as David was over Mephibosheth so that Christ remains Preeminent in our hearts. Though cursed by the house of our former king—Satan—God uses the Shemei’s that curse us to keep us casting all our care upon the Lord (1 Peter 5: 6-11.)
And in all our suffering our faithful Father makes us to behold Christ Jesus in whom, by whom and for whose sake our God keeps us. So we are brought to value the faithfulness of Jehovah in his Son Christ Jesus and to cherish our faithful brethren. Note David does not say “all—but many!” He had some faithful men God reserved to encourage his heart (1 Samuel 15: 15-30.)
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II. A word concerning Christ Jesus--BEHOLD CHRIST IN DAVID!
We see the sovereign hand of God ordering all David’s steps to show us a type of Christ Jesus our Lord. In Psalm 1, we beheld Christ the Blessed Man. In Psalm 2, we beheld Christ the King. As God set David upon his throne though the enemies of God tried to prevent it. So all the enemies of Christ did nothing but fulfill what God purposed to be done. He has set his King—Christ Jesus his Son—upon his throne in his holy hill of Zion. Here in Psalm 3 we behold in David the sufferings which Christ bore as he saved us from our sins.
Lamentations 1: 12: Is it nothing to you, all ye that pass by? behold, and see if there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow, which is done unto me, wherewith the LORD hath afflicted me in the day of his fierce anger.
Robert Hawker said correctly: “Precious JESUS! how blessed is it to eye thee preeminent in sorrow as also in glory.”
First, we behold Christ in the betrayal of David’s closest companions. As one of his sons betrayed David so Judas betrayed Christ Jesus.
Psalm 41: 9: Yea, mine own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, which did eat of my bread, hath lifted up his heel against me.
As David thought Mephibosheth forsook him so we behold Christ treading the winepress of God’s fury alone.
Matthew 26: 31: Then saith Jesus unto them, All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad.
Secondly, behold Christ in David’s path.
2 Samuel 15: 23: And all the country wept with a loud voice, and all the people passed over: the king also himself passed over the brook Kidron, and all the people passed over, toward the way of the wilderness…30: And David went up by the ascent of mount Olivet, and wept as he went up, and had his head covered, and he went barefoot: and all the people that was with him covered every man his head, and they went up, weeping as they went up
Matthew 26: 30: And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives.
John 18:1: When Jesus had spoken these words, he went forth with his disciples over the brook Cedron, where was a garden, into the which he entered, and his disciples.
It was as the despised and rejected king that David now went forth, and so it was with the Redeemer. Kedron was the sewer ditch—Christ Jesus went forth drinking of that brook—being made sin for his people on the cross. In the garden of Gethsamene we behold Christ Jesus crying out to the Father in perfect faithfulness.
Thirdly, behold in David the mocking of Christ Jesus our Suffering Savior.
Psalm 3; 2: Many there be which say of my soul, There is no help for him in God.
Hanging on the cross, they cried: ‘he trusted in GOD let him deliver him now if he will have him.’ Matthew 27:43.
III. BUT NOW BEHOLD THAT THE COMFORT AND CONSOLATION OF THE BELEIVER IS CHRIST JESUS WHO SUFFERED SO ON OUR BEHALF.
Psalm 3: 3: But thou, O LORD, art a shield for me;
Christ Jesus is Jehovah, the LORD God, in human flesh—God our Savior. And Christ Jesus as a shield bore the wrath of God as our Substitute (Isaiah 53.) God has provided himself a sacrifice to that none but God receives the glory in satisfying his own justice (Romans 3: 25-26.)
Psalm 3: 3. My glory,
The LORD is our Righteousness. We are robed in his glory!
2 Corinthians 5: 21: For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
Jeremiah 23: 6: In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.
Jeremiah 33: 16: In those days shall Judah be saved, and Jerusalem shall dwell safely: and this is the name wherewith she shall be called, The LORD our righteousness.
Isaiah 4: 5: And the LORD will create upon every dwelling place of mount Zion, and upon her assemblies, a cloud and smoke by day, and the shining of a flaming fire by night: for upon all the glory shall be a defence.
John 17: 22: And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one:
Psalm 3: 3: and the lifter up of mine head.
The glory to lift up our feeble heads is given to Christ Jesus. He is our Consolation.
Psalm 110: 7: He shall drink of the brook in the way: therefore shall he lift up the head.
Psalm 3: 4: I cried [Jesus Christ is speaking comfort into our hears—HE, Christ Jesus the Righteous Servant of God cried] unto the LORD with my voice, and he heard me out of his holy hill. Selah.
Hebrews 5: 7: Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared
Psalm 3: 5 I laid me down and slept; I awaked; for the LORD sustained me.
Luke 23: 46: And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost.
But God raised his Holy One. So it is David was heard. So it is God hear us when we cry. We are sure God hears us because he heard his Son. This was David’s hope. (Read Psalm 110.) So we cry with David…
Psalm 3: 6 I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people, that have set themselves against me round about. 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.
O believer, there is nothing we suffer in this life, but what our Redeemer has already suffered, infinitely more than we. Because he has perfect us forever—broken the jaw and the teeth of all our enemies--Satan and sin, the law which was against us—so Christ continue to do in us what he has done for us.
Psalm 3: 8: Salvation belongeth unto the LORD: thy blessing is upon thy people. Selah.