Psalm 3, Ten Thousand Enemies

A psalm of David. When he fled from his son Absalom.

The title of the psalm appears in the original Hebrew manuscripts.  According to the title, this psalm was written as David fled Absalom (see 2 Samuel 15 and following; read 2 Samuel 11-18 for the entire story.)  Although there is no account of this psalm (or something like it) in the historical passage regarding this event, it certainly fits such a desperate time, a time of despair and plea for help.

Psalm 3: 1-2, Fear

O LORD, how many are my foes! 

How many rise up against me!  

Many are saying of me, "God will not deliver him."  

Selah.

The psalm opens with a description of the desperate situation -- everyone is rising up against David; all are saying that God has turned his back on David, leaving David isolated and alone.  But David repeats his claims of reliance on God, describing God as a "shield" and the one who gives "glory" and encouragement.

Psalm 3: 3-4, Decision

But you are a shield around me, O LORD; 

you bestow glory on me and lift up my head.  

To the LORD I cry aloud, 

and he answers me from his holy hill.  

Selah.

The first half ends with a calm statement: "To the Lord I cry... and the Lord answers."  Selah.

In his despair, David has made an important decision.  He had called on God and, somehow, now understands that God has answered.  His despair transitions into peace.  This sudden resolution is common in David's songs; he begins with frantic despair and pleading and ends with calm confidence and gratitude.

The Hebrew word "selah" is a strange one, unknown and untranslated.  Many suggest it is a musical term and suggests a musical interlude.  I can imagine that it plays a similar role as the Greek "amen" of later years, that at the statement of "selah" the psalmist says, "So be it", pauses and reflects as the music continues.  It is a time for meditation on the passage, amidst the music.    

Psalm 3: 5-6, Renewed

I lie down and sleep; 

I wake again, because the LORD sustains me.  

I will not fear the tens of thousands drawn up against me on every side.

In the second half of the psalm, David explicitly states that he lay down and slept in peace and awoke in confidence.  Even "ten thousand" were not enough to create continued anxiety or fear.  This is an act of faith, a statement of trust.  At some point David has given everything over to God and no longer fights by himself.  ("Ten thousand" is surely hyperbole ... but is it possible Absalom's army numbered in the thousands?)

Psalm 3: 7-8, Arise!

Arise, O LORD! 

Deliver me, O my God! 

Strike all my enemies on the jaw; 

break the teeth of the wicked. 

Psalm 3: 8, Deliverance

From the LORD comes deliverance. 

May your blessing be on your people.  

Selah.

Some call this psalm an "evening prayer".  Luther's German translation, however, calls this psalm a "Morgenlied", a morning song.  Can you see it as both  an evening prayer and a morning song?

From where does God answer?  (What does this mean?  Is the holy hill Jerusalem?)  

Note that David is largely to blame for his problems!   Does David's guilt change things?  Apparently he can still call on God, even when his problems are his  fault.  (I find this very reassuring!)

What four actions does David ask of God in verse 7?  (What four verbs  appear in this verse?)

What is David's request regarding his enemies, in verse 7?  (Don't dodge this.  Allow the psalm to say what it says!)

Do you ever wake at 3 am, simultaneously frightened of the future, convinced there is a prowler in the house, or afraid one of the children is not breathing?  What did David do in those times? 

The final verse: The final verse shifts from a focus on David to a focus on the people of Israel. Alter's commentary considers this out of place, a "textual tag" from elsewhere.  But if this psalm is written as David flees Absalom, then confidence that God has answered David's plea would easy morph into renewed confidence that David's people, his nation, Israel, would also be protected.