Psalm 3

The title of this psalm identifies the writer as David. All but four of the psalms in Book 1 of the Psalter (Pss. 1-41) identify David as their writer, all except Psalms 1, 2, 10, and 33. The occasion of his writing this one was his flight from Absalom (2 Sam. 15-18).²⁷Fourteen psalms record the historical episodes from which they sprang (Pss. 3, 7, 18, 30, 34, 51, 52, 54, 56, 57, 59, 60, 63, 142).

In this psalm David voiced his confidence that God would protect him since he was the Lord's chosen king.

 1. Present danger 3:1-2

David began by lamenting his situation. Enemies surrounded him. As David grew older increasingly people in Israel turned away from him believing that God had abandoned him. Absalom had won the hearts and support of many in the kingdom (2 Sam. 15:6).

The word "Selah,"which occurs 71 times in the psalms, was probably a musical notation. Israel's leaders may have added it sometime after David wrote the psalm when they incorporated it into public worship. It evidently indicated when the worshippers were to "lift up"their voices or their hands since "Selah"seems to come from the Hebrew word salah, meaning "to lift up"or "to elevate."

 2. Present deliverance 3:3-6

3:3 David believed God had not abandoned him but viewed Him as his real source of protection, his "shield."This figure is common in the psalms (cf. 7:10; 18:2, 30; 28:7; 33:20; 59:11; 84:11; 115:9-11; 119:114; 144:2). "My glory"reflects the honor of serving the eternal God. The king was confident God would restore him to his throne. The expression "lift the head"means to restore to dignity and position (cf. Gen. 40:13, 20; 2 Kings 25:27 [AV]).²⁸The basis for David's confidence was the Lord's choice of him as Israel's king and His lack of choice of Absalom.

3:4-5 David viewed God's preservation of him through the night before he wrote this psalm as a token confirmation of God's complete deliverance from Absalom. The king had petitioned God in prayer for safety, and the Lord had answered from Mount Zion where David had pitched a tent for the ark of the covenant (2 Sam. 6:17).²⁹The Lord's answer was His protection through the night (cf. 2 Sam 17:16, 21-22).

3:6 On the basis of this deliverance David received confidence that God would give him final victory over his thousands of enemies.

 3. Ultimate victory 3:7-8

3:7 The writer continued to pray for complete deliverance. Evidently David was so certain God would save him that he described his enemy as already defeated. Perhaps he was referring to God's faithfulness in defeating former enemies. The Hebrew verbs permit either interpretation. The imagery is very graphic and even somewhat grotesque from the viewpoint of a modern reader, but Hebrew poets often expressed their thoughts in strong, vivid terms.

3:8 The conclusion contains a testimony from the writer that should serve as a lesson to the reader (cf. Jon. 2:9), and a final prayer. In view of the content of this psalm the blessing on God's people David may have had in mind could be salvation from their enemies when they call on Him.

This encouraging psalm teaches us that when God's elect call on Him for deliverance from enemies who are behaving contrary to the will of God they can count on His salvation.