Today was take what I was going
to say in this hour and just carry it right on over. I'd forgotten
that I'd told Craig I'd switch with him because he's gone today.
So it didn't quite work out that way. And then on top of that,
I've had one of my headaches yesterday. First one in, I don't
know, a month. And the only things I thought
I was through with yesterday, I threw away when I got up this
morning. So I've had to start from scratch since three o'clock.
So y'all can imagine what a mess I've got up here. But we're going
to try and make our way through it. We're going to try and make our
way through it and see what we can learn, maybe a few things.
Because it is more of a Sunday school mode for sure. I was going
to say the good stuff for the 11 o'clock hour, if y'all can
believe that. All right, Miss Betty, are you
ready? OK. All right, if you would,
let's bow our heads before we get started this morning. Dear Lord, we have so many things
to be thankful for, and one of which is this rain which you've
provided for us in the last few days. We're a greedy people. We ask for more. We always have
something to beg for, and you know that. You made us, and what
weak creatures we are. But for this little while we're
together, we beg that you come to us and share with us the truth
that's revealed here in this book that we are attempting to
study. What it says about you, what
it says about your son, and what it says about salvation. We thank
you for sending your son, for providing a savior, No way we could save ourselves.
We are so weak, we can do nothing for ourselves. We need Him completely. Open our hearts to rely on Him
more and more. Amen. When I got up to about nine pages
of notes and I was only about halfway done this morning, I
said, this ain't gonna work. So I threw out my introduction,
I rearranged everything I had, sort of much started over. So let's see how this comes out. I made a short introduction.
What I want to do today, and unless I change my mind, I am
a wood, I have that prerogative, but unless I change my mind,
next week we're gonna spend in Psalm 3. What I want to do today
is take a look at its author and how it applies to him, and
maybe with that, learn some things about how it could apply to us.
But then I also want to take just a few minutes, and it'll
be just a few, because as I said, I found myself running out of
time. but how it applies to a larger group of people. And then next
week, we'll take a look at it with another person in mind.
And if you had to choose who this psalm is really about, it's
that person. But there's no way I'll get there
today, so we'll just have to save that till next week. But
let's read this psalm real quickly. It's just eight short verses,
and then we'll start diving into it a little bit. Psalm 3. A Psalm of David. So now we have
an author. It's King David. And when did
he write it? He wrote it when he fled from
Absalom, his son. And he writes, 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. But thou, O Lord,
art a shield for me. my glory, and the litter up of
mine head. I cried unto the Lord with my
voice, and he heard me out of his holy hill. Selah. I lay 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. Arise, O Lord, save me, O my
God. For thou hast bitten all mine
enemies upon the cheekbone. Thou hast broken the teeth of
the ungodly. Salvation belongeth unto the
Lord. Thy blessing is upon thy people.
Selah. What I'd like to do first of
all is see why David wrote these words. How did he come to this
point to write these eight short verses? So if you would, first
of all, keep your place here. Turn over to 2 Samuel. We're
going to start in chapter 12. 2 Samuel 12. And I'm going to have
to chop up the reading a little bit because of time constraints,
but I hope with what I do read we can Come back and apply it
once again and you'll know exactly what was in David's mind when
he was writing these words of our scripture that we have before
us. Now, where we arrive at here in 2 Samuel chapter 12, David has committed his sin with
Bathsheba, committed the sin of adultery. And to top it all
off, He had Bathsheba's husband killed in battle. Nathan comes to him and brings
the word of God to him. And this is where we begin reading,
here in verse 7. And Nathan said to David, Thou
art the man. Thus saith the Lord God of Israel,
I anointed thee king over Israel. and I delivered thee out of the
hand of Saul, and I gave thee thy master's house and thy master's
wives into thy bosom, and gave thee the house of Israel and
of Judah. And if that had been too little,
I would moreover have given unto thee such and such things. Wherefore
hast thou despised the commandment of the Lord to do evil in his
sight? Thou hast killed Uriah the Hittite
with the sword, Bathsheba's husband, and has taken his wife to be
thy wife, and hast slain him with the sword of the children
of Ammon. Now, therefore, the sword shall never depart from
thine house, because thou hast despised me, and hast taken the
wife of Uriah the Hittite to be thy wife. Thus saith the Lord,
behold, I will raise up evil against thee out of thine own
house. And I will take thy wives before
thine eyes, and give them unto thy neighbor. And he shall lie
with thy wives in the sight of this sun. For thou didst it secretly,
but I will do this thing before all Israel and before the sun. And David said unto Nathan, I
have sinned against the Lord. And Nathan said unto David, the
Lord also hath put away thy sin. Thou shalt not die. Howbeit,
because by this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies
of the Lord to blaspheme, the child also that is born unto
thee shall surely die. And Nathan departed unto his
house, and the Lord struck the child that Uriah's wife bare
unto David, and it was very sick. At first, where I run across
Psalm 3 was when I was studying for Joshua 5, and I told you
I was going to bring some lessons from Joshua 5, and I'm going
to return to that. But all the commentators kept
referring to Psalm 3 when I was studying the first part of Joshua
5. And if I don't have time to review it, and I did make such
a mess of it, I probably should have just tried to give that
lesson again. But what I was trying to talk about last time
was the promises of God to His people and how He keeps them
and the care that He gives His people. I see that in this little short
bit that we read here. God's promises to His people. I came up before as I read this
short passage and looked over it. God told David through the
words of Nathan that the sword shall never depart from thine
house. He told him that I will raise up evil against thee out
of thine house. He told him I will take thy wives
before thine eyes and give them unto thy neighbor. He also told
him that the child also that is born unto you shall surely
die. Sometimes God's promises are
a long ways off. They take a long time to be fulfilled,
sometimes very quickly. This child dies within a few
short days. Some of these other promises
are far out. We're going to take a look at
them also. But the care God gives to his
people. even when times are bad. It's
evident here in this passage in what we're going to read and
as we read David's words from Psalm 3. Even during these bad tidings
that Nathan had to bring, God sends David word of comfort. He told him, David said unto
Nathan, I have sinned against the Lord. And Nathan said unto
David, the Lord also hath put away thy sin, thou shalt not
die." David's sin had been paid for already. It had been paid
for through the death of another. That sin had been put away. And
with that, David had some hope. He had some comfort, and he had
some peace. But let's take a look at at God
fulfilling these promises, these other three promises that we
looked at. Just turn over a few short pages to 2 Samuel chapter
15. I'm telling y'all to turn, I still
haven't got there. And I've got a glare on this little machine
up here I'm fighting with. And I'm going to pick out some
selected verses. What we're looking at is God
fulfilling his promises and how David arrived at the words he
wrote in Psalm 3. And we're going to begin at the
first verse. And it came to pass after this that Absalom, which
is David's son, the one in Psalm 3 that he's fleeing from, Absalom
prepared him chariots and horses and 50 men to run before him.
And Absalom rose up early and stood beside the way of the gate.
And it was so that when any man that had a controversy came to
the king for judgment, then Absalom called unto him and said, of
what city art thou? And he said, thy servant is of
one of the tribes of Israel. And Absalom said unto him, see,
thy matters are good and right, but there is no man deputed of
the king to hear thee. Absalom said, moreover, oh, that
I were made judge in the land that every man which hath any
suit or cause might come unto me, and I would do him justice. And it was so that when any man
came nigh to him to do him, a word I cannot say, obscence is close,
he put forth his hand and took him and kissed him. And on this
manner did Absalom to all Israel that came to the king for judgment.
So Absalom stole the hearts of the man of Israel. Now there's
just not enough time to give a complete history between David
and his son. But if you want some interesting
reading, pick up where we left off in chapter 12 and just read
right on through chapter 16. The history between these two men It's interested indeed I Can't get down that path It just
take too much time But what we see here in these first six verses
is the beginning of a conspiracy or a mutiny Absalom wants to
be king and he didn't want to wait until David died to become
that king and I can never get a good timeline
of the events which were related between chapter 12 and here in
chapter 15, but years have passed since Nathan has spoke these
words that, Behold, I will raise up evil against thee out of thine
own house. What we just read was this promise
being fulfilled. Evil has raised its ugliest head.
The troubles that David are about to experience was promised by God years before
and it's coming from His own loins. Chapter 13, I mean chapter 13,
verse 13, I'm sorry. More time has passed and through
deceit Absalom has gotten permission to leave Hebron and go to, I
mean, to leave Jerusalem and go to the other town, Hebron.
And there he begins to consolidate his power. He begins to consolidate
his fame. And he begins to bring other
people to him. And his popularity gains among
the people. And with that, this message comes
to David, beginning here at verse 13. And there came a messenger
to David, saying, The hearts of the men of Israel are after
Absalom, or they are now on his side. And David said unto all
his servants that were with him at Jerusalem, arise and let us
flee, for we shall not else escape from Absalom. Make speed to depart,
lest he overtake us suddenly and bring evil upon us, and smite
the city with the edge of the sword. And the king's servants
said unto the king, behold, thy servants are ready to do whatsoever
my lord the king shall appoint. And the king went forth, and
all his household after him. And the king left 10 women, which
were concubines, to keep the house. And the king went forth
and all the people after him and tarried in a place that was
far off. Now what we read just a few minutes
ago from 2 Samuel chapter 12, one of the promises was, I will
take thy wives before thine eyes and give them unto thy neighbor.
David and I guess he unwittingly did this he played a role in
doing this to himself by leaving these ten They call them concubines,
but back then the concubine was same as a wife. I do believe
best I could figure out he left those ten women behind and there
again time plays a role this morning, but That prophecy is
fulfilled in chapter 16 when these women lay as it said, in
the sun with another man, so that all could see. But we have here a picture also
what I see of God bending the hearts of men to do His will.
I tried to bring that out to you in my last lesson from Joshua
5 also. We see this in the city of Jerusalem. There will come a day when Jerusalem
is to be destroyed, but it's not this day. On this day, the
city and its inhabitants are to be spared, though David is
a man of war, and war will come quickly between his army and
Absalom's army. On this day, he's a man of peace.
Why? He said, lest Absalom and his
forces smite the city with the edge of the sword. To bring that to us, we have
no way of knowing just how often God moves hearts and minds and
events on the behalf of His people. One of the guys that come to
work, that works with me, he had the revelation. I think he
shared it with me Thursday or Friday. He said, you know, if
you started counting at one and Tried to get to two, you'd never
get there. Talking about how many numbers
there are in between. He's a grown man and just come
to that realization. As I was preparing this, I had
the thought, maybe that's why our numbers are infinite. The
things God does for his people, they cannot be measured. No number
can be put on them. He's all the time in the care
of his people. I also want you to keep, and
I hope to get back to it, the end of verse 14, where it says,
smite the city with the edge of the sword. I might try to
get back there this morning. So if I do, we won't have time
to turn back. So just try and keep that part
in mind. But to return to our passage
here, David gathers his things up. He gathers his servants.
He gathers 600 guards or 600 men of war. Some priests go along with him,
some advisors, some close friends, and they flee Jerusalem. They
flee toward the east. They cross the brook of Kidron
as they make their way to the wilderness. As they leave their
homes behind, it's interesting to note, Jesus took that same
path. He took that same path. That
was his last trip before he was dragged back by the guards. Let's
pick up at verse 24. And lo, Zadok also and all the
Levites were with him bearing the ark of the covenant of God.
And Zadok is a priest. And they set down the ark of
God, and Abathur went up until all the people had done passing
out of the city. And the king said unto Zadok,
carry back the ark of God into the city. If I shall find favor
in the eyes of the Lord, he will bring me again and show me both
it and his habitation. But if he thus say, I have no
delight in thee, behold, here am I. Let him do to me as seemeth
good unto him. Now David is in no quandary over
just who is in control over all things. But I have to wonder that though
he'd been extremely busy at this time with all he had to do trying
to flee and protect the city and protect those that are with
him, I have to wonder if he's had time yet to reflect on those
words that Nathan brought to him, the promises God made to
him because of his sin. But it says in verse 30, and
David went up by the ascent of Mount Olivet, or he went to the
Mount of Olives, 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. And one told David, saying, Ahithophel
is among the conspirators with Absalom. And David said, O Lord,
I pray thee, turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness. Now this gentleman, he had at
one time been a counselor of David. He was high up in David's court.
David took his opinion. But he's hitched his wagon to
Absalom now, and he's joined this son to try and overthrow
the king. But if you read this history,
you continue on, you find that he eventually hangs himself.
And this just sounds so eerily similar to another who betrayed
God's anointed one. And he ended his life by hanging
himself. Of course, I'm speaking of Jesus. The more I've studied
this passage, you know, from 12 to 15, well, right on through
16, the more and more you see David as a picture of Christ.
There's another. picture I see between those two
men. But it says in verse 32, and
it came to pass that when David was come to the top of the mount
where he worshiped God. This is a lesson I need to take
to heart and maybe you do also. You just think about all that's
going on in David's life at this time. There's a song out on the
radio now, and I'm sure probably most of y'all haven't heard it.
Y'all probably don't even get this station, but there's a line
in it that says, heavy is the head that wears the crown. With the weight of that crown
that's on David's head at this time, his nose should be dragging
the ground. The weight of the whole world is on his head. A king would always be on the
lookout for conspiracies. But when it arises out of his
own family, and the responsibility that he
would have to the people that he loved, to the people that
God gave him the right to govern, the man had a whole lot of troubles. But to top it all off, And to
make it worse is to know that you brought it all upon yourself.
It was His sin that brought this upon Him and upon His country. That's a heavy weight indeed. A heavy weight indeed. But it
was then, and this really struck me, it was then that when things
were at their bleakest, you wouldn't think it could get much worse. David stopped and worshipped
God. Mr. Gill said that that's probably
when he penned Psalm 3. We don't have no way of knowing
for sure, but his opinion carries a lot of weight with me, and
it made a lot of sense on his argument on that. That's when
he sat down and wrote those words. So if you would, return to Psalm
3. Let me read it again, the whole
psalm in its entirety, and see if you can relate to just those
two passages that I read where David has reached this point.
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 and God. 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. 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. Arise,
O Lord, save me, O my God, for Thou hast bitten all mine enemies
upon the cheekbone. Thou hast broken the teeth of
the ungodly. Salvation belongeth unto the
Lord. Thy blessing is upon Thy people. I took the time this morning
to review in 2 Samuel, I'll emphasize again, to directly show us how
David came to these words that we just read. But I also hope
it gives us a little better appreciation of what a great picture of faith
we have here. The faith that David had in God,
but it did not come overnight. It took him a lifetime to get
to this point. Let's just go through a few verses
and we'll relate them to David once again. I don't have time
for all of them, but we'll just hit a couple here and there.
Lord, how are they that increase, how are they increase that trouble
me? Many are they that rise up against me. These current problems
David had, We read of it there in verse 15. It started innocently
enough. His son, using David's own money
and David's own influence, he started riding around town in
his little chariot with his little 50 men running before him like
he was somebody. It all started there, almost
innocently, to lead to this point. But I also read those words to
you. I'm going to refer back to him again also. But notice
how he gained the hearts and minds of the people. He tickled
their ears. He tickled their ears when they
would come to him. He'd tell them exactly what they
wanted to hear. Be wary of that, in case I don't
say it later on. But with all these troubles that
are surrounding David, he finds peace. He finds some
peace. How does he find it? By turning
to the One who is in control of all things. He writes in verse 3, But thou,
O Lord, are a shield for me, my glory,
and the lifter up mine head." Why do God's children suffer
trials? It brings about faith as shown
here by King David. David had been in trouble before
and God had brought him through it. Listen to what he wrote when
he was delivered from the hand of Saul. He wrote, The Lord is
my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer, my God, my strength,
and whom I will trust, my buckler, and the horn of my salvation,
and my high tower. God had delivered him before, and he knew where he could go
again. If God's delivered you out of
the fiery furnace before, He can do it again for you also.
David has learned that lesson well. We'd heed to learn that
lesson also. He writes in verse four, I cried
unto the Lord with my voice and He heard me out of His holy hill.
It's so easy to give praise and thanks to God when life's going
well. But when times get bad, when
they get really bad, I don't know about for y'all, but that's
when I seem to go the wrong way. Many people run to family, many
run to friends, talk shows nowadays. I'm sure Rupert's had it. People go running to the preacher.
I go running to the worst one of all. I go running to myself. But not David. David only had
one hope. God. The God of heaven and earth. And with this hope that he had,
he had some peace. He had some peace of mind, he
had some peace of heart. He writes in verse 5, I laid
me down and slept. I awakened, for the Lord sustained
me. I don't know that I could have
went to sleep that night. David did. This verse brings me once again
to put in my mind about the care that God takes of his children. And we can't put any limitations
on God. Not in God's sustaining of his
sheep. It goes so much further than just putting food on our
table, putting a little money in our bank account, helping
us recover from the flu. God sustains us spiritually.
He sustains his people spiritually. We go through those trials. We get tried, but he brings us
out. time and time again, just as
he did David. You read David's history, it's
a continuous cycle, up and down, up and down. Though he was a
king, no different than you and I. Life would beat him down,
and God would bring him back again. David was at peace. He was at
peace, so he was able to lay down and sleep. But, you know, he was at peace
of mind and peace of heart and at peace with God. Remember, he did not make peace
with God. God made peace with him. There's
a big difference, big difference. What was it Nathan told him back
in chapter 12? The Lord also hath put away thy
sin. God did the work. God made the
peace. Nothing David did. David's role
was in the sin. God's role was in the forgiveness. is the case with you. If God's
forgiving your sin, no matter how bad things get, really just
how bad can it be? Solomon wrote in Psalm 127, he
said, it is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to
eat the bread of sorrows, for so he giveth his beloved sleep. It's what God does for his children
as he cares for them. I don't know how Solomon learned
that lesson, if it was by reading David's words, by reflecting
on his life, or something in his own life, but they are some
words to live by. Some words to live by. Verse
8, salvation belongeth unto the Lord, thy blessing is upon thy
people. Just to, we won't go back, but
2 Samuel, in fact, I'll skip some. What David said unto the priest,
he said, carry back the ark of God into the city. If I shall
find favor in the eyes of the Lord, he will bring me again
and show me both it and his habitation. I got a feeling that's just another
way of saying salvation belongeth unto the Lord. David knows that
if he's to be brought out of this God's got to do it again But it also says in verse 26
But if he does say if God does say I have no delight in thee
I Have no delight in David behold Here am I says David let God
do to me a seeming good unto him What a picture of faith we
have here but also a picture of understanding. David knows
of whose hands he's in, and that if salvation is to come, it comes
from the Lord and the Lord only. But just as salvation was had
on the day that Nathan told him that his sins were forgiven by
God, if salvation is to be given again in this instant, to be
saved from his enemies, his own son, It will come from God. Salvation is God's. And it's God's to give as he
sees fit. David understands this and he
praises God for it. But David also knows the creature
that he is and he knows his failings. So he ended up If God has no
delight in me, behold, here I am. Let him do to me as seemeth good
unto him. David understands, and I hope
you do also, that we all need God's grace and mercy continually. We never receive what we deserve. If David received what he deserved,
Nathan would have never come to him. God would have struck
him dead on sight for his sin. The same could be said of us. But praise God, he does bring
grace and mercy to his sinner. I got five minutes to finish
up and I got a whole section to go. I told you I wanted to
see how this applied to David. Now I want to see how this applies
to the church of God, to the church as a group, as a whole. And I'll just hit the highlights
here. Lord, how are they that increase,
that trouble me? Many are they that rise up against
me. If the church of God could cry
out with one voice, isn't this what she'd say? Enemies all about us Enemies in a lot of places in
places you just wouldn't expect like David wouldn't expect his
son to rise up against him Of course the ringleader Satan He'd
love to get his hands on just one of God's people Just look
back at what he did to Joe when he had the opportunity to I told you I wanted to refer
back to earlier in verse 14 and all that, and I just don't have
the time. But think about Absalom, and I'll remind you again, his
tickling of the ears and how we need to be wary of that. I'm
so afraid that so many people are going to churches today.
I've got some people I care dear about. They've been going to
the same church I'm 50 and they were born and raised there so
they got to be pushing 70. But they don't like some of the
things that are going around there now and they just keep jumping
around. Looking for something. I'm afraid
they're just looking for something to tickle their ears. Be wary
of that. Be wary of that. But I have another
picture of our enemies. And we see that in Job also. Job's friends that came to him
to comfort him. They turned out to be his enemies.
When you really look at it. You would think that. Other churches
and. They would look at us and. But
now they despise us. They really do. They have no
understanding of the God we believe in the God we worship. It's hard
to talk to them. Just the simplest of things goes
over their heads. But yet, we're the crazy ones. So, the church, she has her enemies. Verse 2 says, Many there be which
say of my soul, There is no help for him in God. And that's what
our enemies say about us. Any time a little trouble comes
our way, to them, that's just proof. That's just proof. I spent extra time with David
this morning just to try and disprove that. David's trials, David's tribulations,
what did they result in? Increased faith. He learned more and more about
God. He learned more and more about His Savior as He came through
those trials. That's revealed to us right here
in this psalm, I believe. Verse 3, But thou, O Lord, art
a shield for me, my glory, and to lift her up, mine head. Listen to Psalm 84. It says,
For the Lord God is a sun and shield. The Lord will give grace
and glory. And listen to this part. No good
thing will He withhold from them that walk uprightly. And He's
the lifter up mine head. He lifts us up out of the miry
clay. We'll skip a little bit. Verse
5, I lay me down and slept. I awaken for the Lord sustain
me. Thank God at times we do find
some peace. We've had a lot of peace in this
place for many years now. We might not have that peace
when we walk out the doors, but when we walk in here, we're at
peace. The Lord sustains us. I'm going to finish it up with
this last verse. It's just wonderful. Salvation
belongeth unto the Lord. Thy blessing is upon thy people.
God is the author of salvation. Whether it's from enemies and
troubles, and most especially sin, salvation belongs to God
the Father, God the Son, and God the Spirit. God the Father chose man from
everlasting to save. He came up without a better word
to scheme for the plan of salvation. He went into covenant with His
Son so that it would be secured. And in the fullness of time,
He accomplishes it. God the Son, Jesus Christ, our
Lord and Savior, definitely qualified for it.
Mighty to save. He came in the world to do that
one thing, and accomplish it He did. fulfilled
the law. As I referred to, David's sin
being paid for earlier, he satisfied God's justice with his death
on the cross. Better than that, he made an
end of sin. Finished it. We don't see that because we
are sinners But in God's eyes, no we're not. He sees His Son,
the perfect one. And God the Spirit, He brings
it to us. He brings salvation to us. He
works a work of faith in us. He brings us to Christ. The church in David's day sang
salvation is of the Lord. But it's going to be the song
for all eternity. I'll finish with Revelation chapter
7 verses 9 and 10. After this I beheld in low a
great multitude which no man can number of all nations and
kindreds and people and tongues stood before the throne and before
the lamb, his very son, clothed with white robes and palms in
their hands, and cried with a loud voice saying, salvation to our
God which sitteth upon the throne and unto the lamb. Thank you.