Scripture Reading: Psalm 3 (2 Samuel 13-16)
Sometimes we can read the stories behind our hymns, like the loss of Horatio Spafford’s four daughters before he wrote “It Is Well With My Soul.” The stories enrich our understanding of these songs. One of the things that makes Psalm 3 interesting is the superscription before verse 1, which tells us the background behind the Psalm. It reads “A Psalm of David, when he fled from Absalom, his son.”
The story is found in 2 Samuel 13-16 and it is the heartbreaking account of rape, revenge, and an extremely strained relationship between David and his son Absalom. It was strained to the point that Absalom orchestrated a coup to take the throne of Israel for himself, in opposition to his own father.
As a result of this treasonous conspiracy David is forced to flee his own throne and country, running for his life from his own flesh and blood. His cry to God in this terrible circumstance is recorded in Psalm 3.
David’s strength and hope lies in (1) the nature of God (Psa 3:3), who is a deliverer and comforter; (2) the faithfulness of God in the past, when God answered David’s prayers (Psa 3:4); and (3) the reign of God over this situation (Psa 3:8; cf. 2 Sam 15:25,26; 16:11,12).
The result of this consideration in David’s heart was courage and the shattering of the grip of fear. “I will not be afraid of many thousands of people” (Psa 3:6). This Psalm is a great encouragement to us as we face difficulties of every kind. Let us not live in fear. Let us learn to say, as George Whitefield said, "We are immortal until our work is done."
