시편 Chapter 3

Translation: ESV

1

O LORD, how many are my foes! Many are rising against me;

Key Message

The believer need not conceal crisis and suffering but can bring it honestly before God — this is true prayer.

▸Psalm 3 is a lament psalm composed, according to its superscription, when David fled from his son Absalom's rebellion.

Psalm 3 is a lament psalm composed, according to its superscription, when David fled from his son Absalom's rebellion. The lament 'How many are my foes!' reflects David's genuine crisis, but at the same time it demonstrates the model of prayer in which a believer brings his troubles honestly before God. Lament psalms teach that Scripture permits all human emotions and crises to be brought before God.

Related Verses

Then David said to all his servants who were with him at Jerusalem, 'Arise, and let us flee, or else there will be no escape for us from Absalom.'
2

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

Key Message

The taunt 'God will not help you' is the deepest test a believer faces, but God never truly abandons.

▸On top of physical threat, spiritual and psychological attack is added.

3

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

Key Message

Even in the worst crisis, God is the believer's shield and glory, the One who turns shame into honor.

▸This verse, where the turn from lament to confession of trust occurs, is the heart of Psalm 3.

4

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

Key Message

The God who answered in the past answers today as well; the accumulation of prayer experience forms the foundation of faith.

▸That David cried out and God answered is a confession that makes past experience the basis for trust in the present crisis.

5

I lay down and slept; I woke again, for the LORD sustained me.

Key Message

The one who trusts in God can rest peacefully even in extreme crisis, for God sustains even the sleeping.

▸That a person fleeing in war slept peacefully and woke up is the result of complete trust in God's protection.

6

I will not be afraid of many thousands of people who have set themselves against me all around.

Key Message

The believer who has experienced God's protection can overcome fear even before the most overwhelming threat.

▸'Many thousands' (rivvot am) is hyperbolic language for an overwhelmingly large number of enemies.

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.

Key Message

The believer's prayer boldly urges God to act, using faith's language that confesses the answer as already accomplished.

▸'Arise' (qumah) is the classic prayer form urging God to act (Num 10:35).

8

Salvation belongs to the LORD; your blessing be on your people! Selah

Key Message

Salvation belongs only to the LORD, and individual salvation is connected to the blessing of the community.

▸This verse, the conclusion and theological declaration of Psalm 3, is the simple yet profound confession that 'salvation belongs to the LORD.