1 A Psalm of David, when he fled from Absalom his son. 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.
Psalms 3:1-2
Explanation
“A Psalm of David, when he fled from Absalom his son.”
A few years ago I went a concert that was part of a tour called “The Stories and Songs Tour”. It was a great concept for a concert in which the songwriters gave you the background to the songs that they were writing. It gave context to songs I knew and loved, and greater insight into the mind of the songwriter that made the whole night very impactful. It was pretty incredible.
In Psalm 3 we have a similar situation. There is a heading to the Psalm that says that David is the psalmist. He wrote this very personal psalm in a time of great distress. The background to this text can be found in 2 Samuel. When David was king, he committed adultery with Bathsheba and murdered her husband. As a result, God confronted David with his sin through the prophet Nathan. David repented, yet still had to face the consequences of those actions. The baby that he fathered died. God told him that the sword would not leave his family. David got right with the Lord, but conflict plagued his house after this. A series of things happened because of his sins. Amnon raped his sister, Tamar. As a result, Absalom, their brother and David’s son, bides his time and then kills Amnon. Because of this murder, he flees to a place called Geshur and stays there for some time. Eventually, a guy named Joab pleads for Absalom to be able to return to Jerusalem, and David allows it but says that he doesn’t want to see Absalom. 2 Samuel 14:24 says,
24 And the king said, Let him turn to his own house, and let him not see my face. So Absalom returned to his own house, and saw not the king’s face.
2 Samuel 14:24
This went on for two years according to 2 Samuel 14:28. He even had a daughter that he named after his sister who was raped.
Absalom pleaded with Joab to get audience with King David, and he eventually was able to have that meeting. There was reconciliation that seemed to happen in that meeting. (2 Samuel 14:33).
Yet though there was a show of reconciliation, Absalom was deceitful and used the peace to undermine David. He questioned David’s leadership and decisions for years with key people in the kingdom (15:1-6). The effect of his treachery is summed up in the last phrase in 2 Samuel 15:6.
6 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.
2 Samuel 15:6
It all came to ahead when Absalom took a bunch of David’s men and set up a new place to rule in Hebron.
10 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.
2 Samuel 15:10
The plan was working for Absalom. It says in verse 15:12b:
And the conspiracy was strong; for the people increased continually with Absalom.
2 Samuel 15:12
It was very likely that at this time, when David had been so betrayed by not only Absalom, but also many of his people, that he wrote the words of today’s Psalm.
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.
Psalm 3:1-2
This week we are going to study this Psalm, and in starting with the background and then verses 1 and 2 I want to point out 3 observations.
- David’s assessment of his situation was accurate.
This was not David merely being dramatic. As a creative and a songwriter, there may be a tendency for the more engineer and scientific mind to think that he was overly emotional. This is not the case. His son had betrayed him, and taken many people with him. The kingdom was put into jeopardy, and the threat was increasing. It’s like David was reading 2 Samuel 15:12 and putting that into the psalm.
- David’s circumstances were at least partially self induced.
He had introduced sexual sin into his house through his adulterous affair with Bathsheba. He had gone against God’s desire in having multiple wives which complicated family life to the point that you had brothers and sisters from different mothers dealing with jealousy, rape, and yes, eventually murder. There is resentment and bitterness that leads to conspiracy, and revenge. David didn’t take care of his house as he should, and the resulting chaos created problems.
- David went to God in prayer.
Notice the first word of the Psalm. “Lord”. He went to God with his mess. I don’t believe that David’s call to God in his distress was a claim that he was completely innocent. He merely told God about the reality of his circumstance. “God this is what I’m dealing with, and this is what people are saying.” In that moment what they were saying may have felt true. They were saying, “There is no help for him in God.” Who knows? Maybe he was tempted to believe it. Maybe he thought, “I’ve really messed up royally, and now I’m dealing with the end of all of my sins. Maybe the sins of my past are come back to haunt me.” David could have thought that he couldn’t take this to the Lord, because he (David) was at least partially to blame for his circumstance. But he doesn’t avoid God. He cries out to God.
Application
What a good plan for us in moments of distress, and even in every day anxieties.
- Rightly assess your situation.
- Own your own sin, and face it.
- Go to God in prayer with your struggles
God is big enough to handle our difficulties, and is the One who we need to go to when things are difficult.
Response
Lord, I need you today to get through the responsibilities and roles that you’ve put into my life. I cause many of my own problems, and I need your help to fix the problems I’ve made, and the wisdom to avoid problems I could make. Amen
