Heart of a Psalmist - Worshipping Christ Through The Psalms

The Resolve of Faith

“ I am not afraid of ten thousand enemies who surround me on every side.”(6)

Jesus taught in the New Testament that disciples will always be outnumbered in spiritual battle but if they were committed to God’s kingdom, they would be victorious! “ Or what king would ever dream of going to war without first sitting down with his counselors and discussing whether his army of ten thou- sand is strong enough to defeat the twenty thousand soldiers who are marching against him?” (Luke 14:31-32) David stood fearlessly against the rebellion although he was outnumbered. “ So the battle began in the forest of Ephraim, and the Israelite troops were beaten back by David’s men. There was great slaughter, and twenty thousand men laid down their lives that day.”(2 Sam. 18:6,7)

The Rise of Faith

“ Arise, O Lord! Rescue me, my God! Slap all my enemies in the face! Shatter the teeth of the wicked! (7)

David was reactivating the ancient prayer that Moses prayed each day as the Israelites traveled through the wilderness: “ And whenever the Ark set out, Moses would cry, ‘Arise, O Lord, and let your enemies be scattered! Let them flee before you!’”(Num. 10:35) In the opening verses of the psalm many were saying “God will never rescue him” but everything changes when God ‘Arises’ on our behalf and rescues us! We must reactivate this prayer with boldness and confidence.

The Reward of Faith

“ Victory comes from you, O Lord. May your blessings rest on your people. Interlude.” [Selah] (8)

God gave David and his army victory over the army of Absalom and when he returned to Jerusalem, he forgave and blessed the very people who had turned against him. He welcomed the leaders of Judah, the ones who had led the rebellion: “ Yet you are my relatives, my own tribe, my own flesh and blood! Why are you the last ones to welcome me back?” (2 Sam. 19:12) He showed mercy to Shimei a man who had cursed him bitterly and should have been executed: “’ …This is not a day for execution but for celebration! I am once again the king of Israel!’ Then, turning to Shimei, David vowed, ‘Your life will be spared.’”(2 Sam. 19:22,23) In this way, David foreshadowed the mercy that Christ showed upon the cross when he prayed: “ Father, forgive these people, because they don’t know what they are doing.” (Luke 23:34) Though all of us have been rebellious toward God in the past, he has provided a pathway of victory and blessing to us through his son Jesus Christ.

PSALM 4: I WILL LIE DOWN IN PEACE The Evening Hymn

This is a companion to Psalm 3 as both were describing the events surrounding Absalom’s rebel- lion. Psalm 3:5 “ …I lay down and slept… ” relates with 4:8 “ …I will lie down in peace and sleep. ” It is called the Evening Hymn because of this last verse. Psalm 4 is divided by 2 Interludes while Psalm 3 has 3 Interludes. In this song-prayer David makes 5 critical choices that resulted in his ultimate victory. The psalm is presented in three sections:

I TAKE AWAY MY STRESS - Calling Upon God- v. 1 II THE LORD HAS SET APART THE GODLY - Chastising His Enemies v.2,3 III TRUST IN THE LORD - Choosing God’s Ways- v. 4-8

INTRODUCTION:

“ For the choir director: A Psalm of David, to be accompanied by stringed instruments.

7