Let us begin our prayer meeting
with prayer. A gracious God, we give thanks
that we're able to gather this evening. It's now a wet evening,
but we give thanks for bringing us safely here. And we pray for
help in the ministry of the Word of God and in prayer. And Lord,
may a felt sense of the presence of God be ours this evening,
we do pray. be with those not able to join
us and David ministering this evening at Bexley and Lord we
do pray for those listening online that there will be a blessing
for them too. So hear us, forgive us of our
sins and we ask it all in Jesus' precious and worthy name. Amen. and all the hymns this evening
are from hymns for worship I chose some simple hymns easy hymns
that we all know because I wasn't quite sure how Anne would be
after her cataract operation this afternoon to be able to
play this evening so have the safe option and just choose hymns
that we all know well and the first one is number one I say
all from hymns for worship number one all people that on earth
do dwell sing to the lord with cheerful voice hymns serve with
fear his praise forth tell come ye before him and rejoice. Number one to the tune 382. with him He did us made, we are His, for
He doth us be, and for His sheep doth us take. and lift up his voice and sing.
Praise God and bless his name always. ? The sea is forever sure ? ? Into
the dark times coming soon ? ? From age to age endure on ? ? He is not far from here ? We read from Psalm 3. Psalm 3. which is a psalm of David when
he fled from Absalom his son. Lord, how are they increase 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 lifter up of mine head
i cried unto the lord with my voice and he heard me out of
his holy helm sealer 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 smitten 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. This psalm may be divided into
four parts of two verses each. In the first two verses you have
David making a complaint to God concerning his enemies. He then
declares his confidence in the Lord, verses 3 and 4. sings of
his safety in sleep five and six and strengthens himself for
future conflict verses seven and eight this psalm was composed and offered
up to God when David fled from Absalom his son who formed a
conspiracy against him to take away not his crown only but his
life. Many of his previous friends
and associates forsook him and joined the ranks of those who
troubled him. And we read about it in 2 Samuel
15 and verses 1 to 14 There we read, it came to pass
after this that Absalom prepared him chariots and horses, and
fifty 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. There is no man deputed of the
king to hear thee. Absalom said moreover, O that
I were made judge in the land, that every man which have any
suit or cause might come unto me, and I would do him justice. And it was so, when any man came
nigh unto him to do him obeisance, 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 men of Israel. And it came to pass,
after forty years, that Absalom said unto the king, I pray thee,
let me go and pay my vow, which I have vowed unto the Lord in
Hebron. For thy servant vowed a vow while
I abode at Geshur in Syria, saying, If the Lord shall bring me again
indeed to Jerusalem, then I will serve the Lord. And the king
said unto him, Go in peace. So he arose and went to Hebron.
But Absalom sent spies throughout all the tribes of Israel, saying,
As soon as ye hear the sound of the trumpet, then ye shall
say, Absalom reigneth in Hebron. And with Absalom went two hundred
men out of Jerusalem that were accord. And they went in their
simplicity, and they knew not anything. And Absalom sent for
Ahiphophel the Galilite, David's counselor from his city, even
from Gilo, while he offered sacrifices. And the conspiracy was strong,
for the people increased continually with Absalom. And there came
a messenger to David saying, the hearts of the men of Israel
are after Absalom. 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 it continues on from that
in the following verses in the next
couple of chapters. So David's situation was so bad
that many felt that he was beyond God's help. And we have that
in verse 2. Those who said this probably
didn't feel that God was unable to help David. They probably
felt that God was unwilling to help him. They looked at David's
past sin and figured This is all what he deserves from God. There is no help for him in God. But it's wonderful isn't it when
we think of our own salvation that God is able to save and
willing to save despite our past. And in 2 Samuel 16 we read of
Shimei was an example of someone who said that God was against
David and that David basically was getting his just desserts. And the thought really that there
was no help in God was perhaps the most painful of all things
for David. the thought that God might be
against him and that there is no help for him in God Spurgeon
says this if all the trials referring to this second verse if all the
trials which come from heaven all the temptations which ascend
from hell and all the crosses which arise from the earth could
be mixed and pressed together they would not make a trial so
terrible as that which is contained in this verse. It is the most
bitter of all afflictions to be led to fear that there is
no help for us in God. It's one thing not having help
from others but then to be told or to believe there's no help
in God that's a different situation indeed and very fearful and that
was what David feared and also remember that Sennacherib
his blasphemous letter to Hezekiah in 2 Kings 19 where he basically said to Hezekiah,
you can't rely on God to help you. Just look at the gods. Well, no gods. They haven't helped
the other nations. So how can you expect your God
to help you? And you read that in 2 Kings
19. I won't read the verses, but beginning at verse 8. And the psalmist too, who is
in a very depressed state in Psalm 42, a very low state, why
is my soul cast down within me and disquieted? He says in Psalm
42, 9 and 10, I will say unto God my rock, why hast thou forgotten
me? Why go I mourning because of
the oppression of the enemy? So he's dispirited as with a
sword in my bones my enemies reproach me while they say daily
unto me where is thy God? So really making things worse
how can you rely upon God? But verse 3 but thou O Lord art
a shield for me my glory and the lifter up of mine head We've
heard quite a bit about a shield recently. Something of protection. Though
many said there was no help for David in God, David knew
that God was his shield. Others, even many others, couldn't
shake David's confidence in a God of love and help. And that's
So is it do we have that confidence in God despite what people might
say and my confidence is not in myself or in other people
but in God who will not fail me forsake me and who is the
all-powerful sovereign one. My glory mentioned there in verse
3. God was more than David's protection. He also was the one who put David
on higher ground, lifting his head and showing him glory. There
was nothing glorious or head lifting in the circumstances
that David was in. But certainly there was in his
God, there was glory in his God. Men then and today find glory,
don't they, in so many things, fame, power, prestige, possessions,
money, whatever. But David found his glory in
the Lord. And the lifter up of my head,
the head in time of trouble and sorrow is naturally bowed down,
isn't it? as if overpowered with the weight
of affliction very often if we're sad or whatever
in a low state the head is bowed in a low position and Psalm 35
14 see I bow down heavily as one that mourneth for his mother
Psalm 38 6 I am bowed down greatly I go mourning all the day long To lift up the head therefore
or to raise one up is to relieve his distresses or to take away
his troubles. Such a helper. David says he
had always found God to be and he looks to him as one who is
able to help him still. So despite all that he was going
through, despite the opposition and including from his son Absalom. Yet he had confidence in God,
his help, the lifter up of his head, his shield. Verse four, I cried unto the
Lord with my voice and he heard me out of his holy hill. I cried to the Lord with my voice. Spurgeon again says surely silent
prayers are heard yes but good men often find that even in secret
they pray better aloud than they do when they utter no vocal sound. Well God hears our prayers whether
they're vocal or whether they're silent and I often find I might
be on my own at home and I pray And I often find it more helpful
to pray aloud than to pray inwardly. But God hears our prayers, whether
they are spoken or not. And we know that he will hear
our prayers this evening, those that are prayed quietly in the
chairs, those that are uttered vocally. He heard me from his holy hill,
out of his holy hill. Others said that God wanted nothing
to do with David, but he could gloriously say, God heard me. Though Absalom took over Jerusalem
and forced David out of the capital, David knew that it wasn't Absalom
enthroned on God's holy hill. The Lord himself still held that
ground and would hear and help David from his holy hill Zion,
the special place of God. Despite all that was going and
all what Absalom was doing and Bravado and all his accomplishments
and the charm in winning people over, God was still on the throne. And so that is the case today,
isn't it? Our God is sovereign despite
all that's going on and despite what people say and do. God is
sitting on his throne. God is sovereign, ruling and
reigning on high. Verse 5, I laid me down and slept.
I awaked, for the Lord sustained me. I lay down and slept. I awoke. David used both of these
as evidence of God's blessing. Sleep was a blessing because
David was under such intense pressure from the circumstances
of Absalom's rebellion that we might think that sleep would
be impossible. But he slept. And I'm sure that there have
been times when we have been really stressed out and anxious
or fearful. And we can't sleep. It's just
tossing and turning all the time. But here was David. I laid me
down and slept. What a blessing he saw in that. and waking too was another blessing
because many wondered if David would live to see a new day but
he awoke he saw a new day what a blessing that was God sustains
us in our sleep but we take it for granted think of it you are
asleep unconscious dead to the world yet we breathe your heart
pumps Your organs operate. The same God who sustains us
in our sleep will sustain us when we're awake and in our difficulties. Verse 6, I will not be afraid
of ten thousands of people that have set themselves against me
round about. In 2 Samuel 17, 1, well as Absalom we got Ahithophel
moreover Ahithophel said unto Absalom let me now choose out
12,000 men and I will arise and pursue after David this night
as though things weren't bad enough then Ahithophel said well
let me do this But with God though sustaining
him, David could stand against any foe. And though it wasn't written
then, we can imagine the truth of these words for David in Romans
8.31. If God be for us, who can be
against us? Verse 7, Arise, O Lord, save
me, O my God, for thou hast spitten all mine enemies upon the cheekbone,
thou hast broken the teeth of the ungodly. In Job 16.10 we read, They have
gaped upon me with their mouth, they have smitten me upon the
cheek reproachfully, they have gathered themselves together
against me. Now upon the cheekbone this language
seems to be taken from a comparison of his enemies with wild beasts
and David fought with wild beasts didn't he? And the idea is that
God had disarmed them as one would a lion or tiger by breaking
out his teeth. The cheekbone denotes the bones,
the bone in which the teeth are placed. And to smite that is
to disarm the animal, rendering them harmless. As God had thus
disarmed his enemies in times past, the psalmist hoped that
he would do the same thing now. More than hoped, he confidently
called on him to do it. And so he says, arise, O Lord,
David's mind was on both. What he trusted God to do saved
me, O my God, and on what he had done struck all my enemies,
broke the teeth of the ungodly. And that's a good thing for us
to think about, isn't it? You know, our confidence is to
be in God. I went When I went through that difficult
time in the past, God brought me through. God helped me. God provided for me. God hasn't changed. He's the
same God and He can do it again. And so the experience of what
God has done should give us confidence for now and for the future. God
is unchanging and His power doesn't diminish. over the years. He was all powerful
as he has always been. So broken the teeth of the ungodly,
this vivid metaphor is also used in Psalm 58 verse 6. Break their teeth, O God, in
their mouth. Break out the great teeth of
the young lions, O Lord. It speaks of the total domination
and defeat of the enemy. David looked for protection in
this psalm, but more than protection, he looked for victory. It wasn't
enough for David to survive the threat to the kingdom, he had
to be victorious over the threat and he would be with the blessing
of God. And then salvation, verse 8,
Belongeth unto the Lord, thy blessing is upon thy people,
Selah. Salvation belongs to the Lord. David understood that salvation,
both in the ultimate and immediate sense, was God's property. It isn't the property of any
one nation or sect, but of the Lord God. And to be saved, one
must deal with the Lord himself. And thy blessing is upon thy
people. This showed David's heart in
a time of personal calamity. He wasn't only concerned for
God's hand upon himself, but upon all God's people. He didn't
pray for preservation and victory in the trial with Absalom just
for his own sake, but because it was best for the nation. And when we think of when Absalom
died, David mourned so much for Absalom
when he died and we read about him being killed by Job when
Absalom was hanging in the oak tree and we read that in 2 Samuel
18 and we read in 2 Samuel 18 and 2 Samuel 19 these words the king was much
moved and went up to the chamber over the gate and wept and as
he went thus he said oh my son Absalom my son my son Absalom
would God I had died for thee oh Absalom my son my son in 2
Samuel 19 1 to 4 it was told Jehovah behold the king weepeth
and mourneth for Absalom And the victory that day was turned
into mourning unto all the people, for the people heard say that
day how the king was grieved for his son. And the people get
them by stealth that day into the city, as people being ashamed
to steal away when they flee in battle. But the king covered
his face and the king cried with a loud voice, Oh, my son, Absalom. Oh, Absalom, my son, my son. David wasn't sort of rejoicing
in the death of Absalom. No, there was great mourning
and heartfelt sorrow indeed for the death of Absalom. But thinking
just finally about the salvation, belonging to God. Just thinking of all that involves
the salvation of God and we, of course, by election and
by God's grace, we are His, belong to the Lord. chosen before the world was founded,
saved in time, saved for eternity. And it all originated with God. So salvation belongs to the Lord. It's his property, his gift,
but it belongs to us as well. We receive the gift of God then
it belongs to us just as if somebody gives you a gift well it is then
yours they've given you something and so it is isn't it so does
salvation belong to us as well that's a wonderful gift isn't
it to have and there is blessing indeed in that wonderful gift
of God and that word sila which is mentioned about three times
in this psalm basically means pause, think
of that and that's a good thing to think about isn't it the salvation
of God the gift of God given to his people and may it be that
that we rejoice and know that gift for ourselves know that
we are sinners saved by grace. And may we just wallow in it
and rejoice in that wonderful gift of God. Salvation belongeth
unto the Lord. Thy blessing is upon thy people. There is great blessing, isn't
there? Of knowing forgiveness of sins, peace with God, help
in times of trial, and when this life has passed to be forever
with the Lord. Well, that's blessing indeed.
May we count our blessings, name them one by one. If we can, it
will surprise us, it will amaze us what the Lord has done. Amen.