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

1 O Lord, how many are my foes! How many rise up against me! 2 Many are saying of me, “God will not deliver him.” Selah 3 But you are a shield around me, O Lord; you bestow glory on me and lift up my head. 4 To the Lord I cry aloud, and he answers me from his holy hill. Selah 5 I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the Lord sustains me. 6 I will not fear the tens of thousands drawn up against me on every side. 7 Arise, O Lord! Deliver me, O my God! Strike all my enemies on the jaw; break the teeth of the wicked. 8 From the Lord comes deliverance. May your blessing be on your people. Selah (Psalm 3).

David was a fugitive fleeing for his life from his own flesh and blood. His critics were gleeful, sure that this was the end of him; certainly God would not save him now. After all, remember what it was that had gotten him into this mess–adultery, murder, an official cover up (the original Watergate), the challenge of the prophet. “It was all coming back to him now,” his enemies gloated as they threw their full support to Absalom.

David may be running on the outside (very practical in this case), but he was still at peace on the inside. What a wonderful lesson for us! God never promises us peace in the sense of freedom from trials, but He does promise a supernatural peace, a peace that defies human logic if, like David, we will keep our hearts set upon Him.

Consider this: David was in this predicament because of his sin with Bathsheba. He deals with his failure by confession (see 2 Samuel 12; Psalm 32 & 51). Chronologically this Psalm is written after 32 & 51. The Bible is in thematic order not by time line. Now David could have fretted. The natural thing to do would be to hear the voices of the critics and begin wringing our hands because, truth be told, he had blown it and Nathan the prophet told him this would happen. David could have reasoned, “This is my own fault” (to an extent it was) and given up completely. He didn’t. He knew his confession had been heard, he knew his sin had been forgiven, and even though he was now facing the consequence of his actions, he knew God was still in control and that God would do the right thing! The result: peace and confidence in spite of overwhelming odds.

You can have that type of peace. Come to Christ. Keep your list of sins short, always confessing them as soon as you become aware of them, and live with confidence.

One final thing, just for the what it’s worth department. Twice in this Psalm (and throughout the Psalms) we encounter the word “Selah.” The meaning of that word is uncertain. Since the Psalms were one of the forms of music of the day, many believe that this is simply a musical notation, a pause, or a rest in the music. However some Hebrew scholars feel that this particular rest in the music had the significant meaning of “pause and consider” what you have just sung. In other words, “Take this to heart.”