David – ever the true songwriter – pours out his heart with his pen when he is forced out of Jerusalem because of Absalom’s coup.
This is SUCH an encouraging psalm!
What is David going to do? How on earth is he going to put food on the table for his family? Well – this isn’t the first time he has had to rely completely on God. And so we don’t see a man pacing all night with worry. Instead, he says that he laid down and slept because the LORD sustained him. He flatly refuses to be afraid; even IF there are tens of thousands of people sided against him.
He’s been in that situation before. Many times. And he has learned that…
GOD DOES NOT REQUIRE
FAVORABLE CIRCUMSTANCES.
If you really want to hear Psalm 3, click on the link to the song below. It starts with a plaintive instrumental that expresses what David must’ve felt. Then the choir comes in. This never fails to bless me.
Thou Oh Lord by The Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir.
PSALM 4
In this psalm David reflects on the good that God has done and chastises his fellow men on their tardiness in trusting the Lord as they look first to other sources when they are in need.
Not much has changed, has it?
You’ve probably heard the maxim: “Make prayer your first priority instead of your last resort.” That’s essentially what David is saying. And he backs up this assertion with his own testimony:
“…You have given me relief when I was in distress.” Psalm 4:1 ESV
Depending on which version you read, verse 2 may be a response from Yahweh Himself – asking humanity basically “How long are you going to keep playing stupid games and winning stupid prizes?
The Psalm has a kind of conversational structure. Like this:
- David to God, v1
- David (or God) to Humanity, v2
- David to Humanity, v3-5
- David (representing “us”) to God, v6
- David (from himself) to God, v7-8
I highly recommend memorizing verse 8 if you have trouble sleeping. 😴 If you have a child or loved one that struggles with insomnia, print it out and frame it and hang it above their bed. 🛌
If David could find rest on the floor of a cave or in a tent with an army trying to kill him, I’m pretty sure the Lord can help us get rest in our circumstances.
PSALM 12
This song is all about a battle of words.
😃 Oo! Oo! I have an idea!! Pick me! Pick ME!
😑 (Sigh) What’s your idea?
😃 You go refill your water cup. You need to stay hydrated, remember? I got this. Go on.
🤨 Ok. But when I come back there better not be a mess.
🙂 You worry too much. Now shoo…
😌 (ahem)
😎 Ladies and Gentlefellows…
In THIS corner, weighing in at 130 lean and mean pounds for the lightweight division, we have the original smooth-talker, His Grace, the Duke of Pomposity, Looord Van—i—ty!
😠😡👎🏼😒😤 [Boooooo! booo!]
😎 And now the moment you’ve all been waiting for! Cue the music please, Mr. D.J.
😎 In the opposing corner, we have no idea how much He weighs because there isn’t a scale big enough… The Voice that created the Universe, the undefeated Champion of Language, THE WORD of YAH—WEH!
🤩🥳🎉😄 🚩 [Raaaawwwrrrrr!!!!!]
😎 Ok, Gentlemem. To the center please.
🎙️👱🏻♂️Well, Doug, while the fighters are reviewing the rules with the Ref how do you think this match is gonna go?
🎙️🧔🏻♂️ Well, I tell ya, Joe, I expect that Vanity is going to fight dirty as always. He’s flexible. That’s his strength. He can be very hard to knock down. Fighters think they’ve got him and he just keep popping up. That’s how he earned the nickname “Whack-A-mole.”
🎙️👱🏻♂️ I’ve heard he’s not very keen on that name.
🎙️🧔🏻♂️ No… No he isn’t.
🎙️👱🏻♂️ Well Doug, I think the Word is going to come out the winner tonight as He always does. When every punch you land is worth its weight in silver, a lightweight like Vanity just can’t last very many rounds.
🎙️🧔🏻♂️ Oh – it looks like they’re ready to begin…
🔔 Round 1 – Ding. Ding. Ding.
🥊 BAM!
🎙️🧔🏻♂️ Oh! Right outa the gate Vanity lands a punch in the first two verses! He’s got everybody lying!
🎙️👱🏻♂️ It’s a brawl, Doug! People are lying to their neighbors, their friends, shoot – they’re even lying to themselves! I’ve never seen anything like it. Whoah! Someone just threw an insult. This is insane. It’s beginning to look like a Wrestle-Mania Cage Match! Chairs and insults are flying!
🎙️🧔🏻♂️ Oh look, Joe! Yahweh is pushing back. I think that hit in verse 3 was a warning. He certainly hans’t pulled out the big guns yet. He’s trying to give everyone a chance to reconsider what side they want to be on.
🎙️👱🏻♂️ You’re absolutely right, Doug. Yahweh could level this whole place right now if He wanted. We’re not seeing the full display of His strength yet, but if Vanity doesn’t back off, we may…
🎙️🧔🏻♂️ Oh! Wow! Vanity with an illegal punch to the oppressed poor, then he runs to the corner trying to hide behind “free speech” in the middle of the match.
🎙️👱🏻♂️ Well, that’s typical Vanity, Doug. I see the Ref is getting involved.
🎙️🧔🏻♂️ And it’s a good thing too, Joe. Ya know, Vanity likes to dish out those lies and they DO pack a punch. When people believe things – even if they aren’t true – they act upon them and someone can end up getting hurt bad.
🎙️👱🏻♂️ Exactly, Doug. I’m glad the Ref stepped in. Vanity can’t be allowed to get away with lies that oppress the truly needy, then run away to the corner and act like the victim when he’s about to get walloped by the Truth.
🎙️🧔🏻♂️ Ok. It looks like the Ref is bringing them back to the center.
🎙️👱🏻♂️ Yeah. And it looks like he’s reading the riot act to Vanity. He’s in trouble now, Doug.
🔔 Ding.
💥🥊 POW!
🎙️👱🏻♂️ And Vanity with his slick ways just slammed the Needy AGAIN! And they are DOWN! The man is DOWN. It is NOT looking good.
🎙️🧔🏻♂️ Lord Vanity is looking rather smug, wouldn’t you say, Joe?
🎙️👱🏻♂️ Yeah. Smug is the only word for it.
🎙️🧔🏻♂️ Yahweh is down on the mat with the Needy. The Ref is starting the count…
😎 10…9…8…7…6…5…4…
🎙️👱🏻♂️ Ohhhh… wait a sec. Something is happening….. Is that thunder?!?
Yahweh: “NOW I WILL RISE!” ✊🏼
🎙️🧔🏻♂️ He’s up! He’s up! He’s picking up the needy! He’s carrying him to safety. He’s setting him down. Now He’s turned back to face his opponent…
🎙️👱🏻♂️ Ho boy… Vanity is in trouble, ladies and gentlemen. You can see the fire in the Word of Yahweh’s eyes and that spells the END for his lordship.
💥🥊 BAM!
🎙️🧔🏻♂️ And Yahweh lands it squarely on the kisser! Oh! And Again! And again! Vanity is getting absolutely pummeled! Yahweh is furious! Vanity is having his face rearranged!
🎙️👱🏻♂️ I think he’s having to eat his words, wouldn’t ya say, Doug?
🎙️🧔🏻♂️ Yeah. He’s having to eat his words with a side of his own teeth, I’d say. Yahweh is just not letting Him get away with his lies anymore. It’s curtains for Vanity.
🎙️👱🏻♂️ And listen to the crowd! They know they have a Champion in Yahweh.
🥳🚩🤩🎉😃✊🏼😆 [RAAAWWWRR!!]
🎙️🧔🏻♂️ That’s right, Joe. He’s the only One who can stand up to the likes of Vanity and his whole team of wicked and vile fighters.
🔔 Ding! Ding! Ding!
🎙️👱🏻♂️ It’s a knockout! The Flatter, Mr. Cock of the Rock himself, the Whack-A-Mole is finished. What a match! Of course, we really knew how it would end, didn’t we, Doug?
🎙️🧔🏻♂️ Yeah. No surprise there really, Joe. But the suspense waiting for Yah to come to the rescue was kind of a white-knuckled ride there for a minute.
🎙️👱🏻♂️ But when He got up! What a moment!
🎉🥳🤩🚩😄😃🤩✊🏼😆🎉😎
Ok. I’m back. What did I miss?
😇 oh nothing. I was just expounding on Psalm 12 a little. It’s all taken care of. We can move right on to Psalm 13. You got a little break and I shall happily turn the reigns back over to you.
Hmmm… okay…. Are you sure you don’t need me to go back and proofread?
😅 Nope. No need. Autocorrect is on.
🧔🏻♂️ Oh- hey Italics Person. Forgot my jacket.
And who, pray tell, is THIS guy?
😅 oh. Uh. Lacy this is Doug. Doug, Lacy. He just stopped by to get his jacket. He was just leaving. 🚪
🤨 Uh huh. And what, may I ask, is THIS doing here?
🥊
😬
PSALM 13
This psalm seems to fall like Wile E. Coyote off a cliff.
And sometimes we experience feeling like God has forgotten us. And we just want that dreadful season to be OVER. As soon as possible. How long does this have to last?!
But there is a purpose in times that feel like defeat and “my enemy is exalted over me.”
Right before David hits rock bottom in this psalm, it’s like he turns at the last second.
“But I have trusted in your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation. I will sing to the Lord, because he has dealt bountifully with me.”
Psalm 13:5-6 ESV
And there are the brakes (or parachute) the next time you feel yourself falling. Trust in God’s steadfast love and salvation. Get your eyes on the eternal. And think about all He has already done.
Gratitude = Grateful + Attitude.
PSALM 28
David prays about 3 things in this psalm:
- Himself, v 1-3, 6-7
- The Wicked, v 4-5
- God’s People, v 8-9
It’s a prayer sandwich. 🥪 David prays FOR himself and God’s people, but, in the middle, he prays AGAINST the wicked.
I would venture a guess that most of us regularly pray for ourselves and for God’s people. But have you ever prayed against “the workers of iniquity?”
It’s not something we really do because we (rightly) lean into Jesus’ command to “love your enemies and pray for them the persecute you.” But this psalm IS holy scripture. And there ought to be something we can draw from it.
We’ve seen this kind of “praying against the wicked” before in some of the “Imprecatory Psalms.” An “imprecation” is a prayer invoking calamity. In other words, it’s the opposite of a blessing. It’s a curse. This is an imprecation:
“Give to them according to their work and according to the evil of their deeds; give to them according to the work of their hands; render them their due reward.”
Psalm 28:4 ESV
It’s one of the milder ones. At least no one is having his “head dashed against the rocks.” 😬
What do we do with verse 4 when we have this from the NT?
“Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them.”
Romans 12:14 ESV
Let’s look at David’s imprecation VERY closely.
- First off, he’s not speaking of a lost “seeker.” In v3 he describes them as wicked, workers of iniquity, and those who deceive their neighbors
- Secondly, he hands them over to God to be dealt with. He says nothing about dealing with them himself. He says that God will destroy them. He commits their judgment to the LORD. He simply prays that the unrepentant be removed rather than built up. Why? Because if they’re not removed, their wickedness and deception will only spread like a cancer.
When it comes to praying for the lost we need to keep in mind there are 2 groups:
- Those who will repent and be saved, we ask the Lord to convict them, open their hearts to the Gospel, and save them.
- Those who will stubbornly persist in sin, (the Lord knows who they are), we can ask Him to remove them. If their hearts are fixed (and only God knows), then giving them more days on earth will not help them. It would only cause them to add to their judgment by piling more evil onto themselves and others. Their continued influence may only result in MORE people being eternally lost.
I’m not suggesting for a moment that we know which is which and that we pray for God to zap some person. God has saved people from all kinds of depravity and sin. But I believe we can appeal to Him as David does in this psalm and ask Him to deal with the wicked.
🤔 But why would we ask the Lord to judge the wicked? Isn’t He going to do that anyway?
Why do we ask Him for anything? The Father knows what we need before we ask. Prayer is about coming into agreement with the LORD for His Kingdom to come and His will be done. And part of that is the eradication of evil. We leave the timing and the method and all the details to Him. Our part is to come into agreement with Him.
To The Reader 