Psalm 3 | A Blueprint for Lament | Pastor Daniel Batarseh | Maranatha Conference 2025

Psalms chapter three. A psalm of David when he fled from Absalom, his son. Oh, lord. How many are my foes? Many are rising against me.

Many are saying of my soul, there is no salvation for him in God, Selah. But you, oh lord, are a shield about me, my glory, and a lifter of my head. I cried aloud to the Lord, and he answered me from his holy hill, Selah. I lay down and slept. I woke again, for the Lord sustained me.

I will not be afraid of many thousands of people who have set themselves against me all around. Arise, oh Lord. Save me, oh my God. For you strike all my enemies on the cheek. You break the teeth of the wicked.

Salvation belongs to the lord. Your blessing be on your people, Selah. Father, we ask that your blessing would be on your people and that you would teach us how to lament well. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

You may have never noticed this, but this is the very first time the word Psalm appears in the book of Psalms. Right there in the title. A Psalm of David when he fled from Absalom his son. Now some make the mistake in thinking that these headings that we find in some of the Psalms are added by bible translators, but they are just as much as part of the original text as the rest of the verses. In other words, it is intended by the spirit that there is no heading in Psalm one, There is no title in Psalm two, but there is one in Psalm three.

And I find it so interesting. The very first time this word Psalm is explicitly mentioned, it is connected to a personal lament. It's as though that the Holy Spirit, very early on in this precious book, longs for us to strongly associate these divinely inspired musical pieces and prayers to one thing, grief and sorrow. Now you may not catch this early on, but as you continue to read this whole collection, it's not very difficult to perceive how much is given to lament. In fact, Psalms of Lament make up a majority of the Psalms.

A Psalm of Lament is a praise or a prayer that draws the heart towards the Lord in times of deep anguish and crushing angst, and they make up over half of the Psalms, which tells us at least two things. First and foremost, sincere and wholehearted worshipers of God will face various forms of suffering. Sometimes that suffering is physical, other times emotional, and even spiritual. And there is that dreaded possibility that our affliction is a mix of all three. Sometimes the agony is swift and sudden.

Other times it lingers and recurs. There are moments when suffering crashes down on a community and calls for corporate lament, which you find more than once in the book of Psalms. Other times, that affliction is deeply personal as we just read in Psalm three. You cannot read thoroughly through this book and leave without being convinced that it's possible for the follower of Christ to know dark nights of the soul. But the second thing we must grasp is that the abundance of these laments in the book of Psalms convey to us that God desires for us to engage him with anything that weighs heavy on our hearts.

And beyond that, God has given us the Psalms to know how to engage him in our lament, which is a profound gift because pain has a way of disorienting us. Affliction has a way of even debilitating us, and yet we find here that God longs for us to, even if we have to, crawl into his presence. So here's what we're going to do this morning together. I want to use Psalm three as a blueprint for our own lament. I wanna see steps here with you of how we should respond to affliction, and I believe the best way to do that with this psalm is to consider the historical context because only then will we know the true meaning and the true application of these verses.

Look again with me at the title of Psalm of David when he fled from Absalom his son. We find this detailed account of this real life nightmare in David's story in second Samuel 15 to second Samuel 18. And we won't turn there, but here's a summary. Through cunning deception, Absalom, the third son of David, won the hearts of the people of Israel and orchestrated a revolt against his own father. This man with his smooth tongue and good looks stole the hearts of the people of Israel over the course of a few years until he finally declared himself to be king.

And the support that Absalom had was so overwhelming that the moment David learned what he did, he immediately fled Jerusalem with his loved ones and his loyal friends.

He did not think for a moment that he had

a chance to resist this uprising, And so he is in exile. He's heading into unknown territory. And while he is in exile, driven from his home, betrayed by his own son, and rejected by most of the people that he risked his life for to shepherd, he pens this Psalm. And with a little composure that he had, David, by the spirit, gives us at least five ways we can lament well. Number one, with your pain, no matter the nature of it, the intensity of it, the source of it, you and I must go to the lord with that pain.

Verse one and two. Oh, lord. How many are my foes. Many are rising against me. Many are saying of my soul, there is no salvation for him in God, Selah.

Oh, I love how this psalm begins. Two very familiar yet incredibly profound words. Oh, lord. You see, when you read this account in second Samuel, you learn that David is barefoot, hanging his head in humiliation and weeping as he goes. And while he is trying to make sense of this emergency, people are coming to him and updating him about their recent fellows, friends, even closest advisors that have sided with Absalom.

And you can just imagine the human inclination in David thinking to himself, who's next? Even with those who went out into exile with him initially, who can I really trust here? What am I to do with this? And yet at the same time, with those troubling thoughts possibly sabotaging his mind, he reveals to us that there is one that he can trust in. Oh,

lord.

Believer, you and I must come to the place in our faith where you don't just trust Jesus Christ as a savior from your sins, but also as your closest confident in times of trouble. Faith is not expressed in denying pain. It is truly made manifest when you believe that you can bring it to the Lord, and with one call, he will answer. He will never leave you on voice mail. That's faith.

Mom and dad, when was the last time you unburdened your soul before God because of the foolishness of your child. Ministry team leader, elder perhaps, deacon, someone who's trying to fulfill many roles in a church that's struggling, maybe even at a church that is prospering. Where will you go when enemies don't come from the outside, but like in David's situation, come from within the community of faith? Here's what David shows us. That although he's an unpleasant territory, although he's unfamiliar, though he's known exile before, this is this is new.

My my own son doing this to me, although trying to not just take care of himself, but hundreds who have followed him. Wherever you are, this man shows us that two words can transport you before the throne of grace. Oh, Lord. You know, there is something that intrigued me about the introduction of this psalm. Because when you read all that David went through in second Samuel, it's nothing short of overwhelming.

And yet, out of everything that he was enduring, the one thing that he highlights in this psalm, the main thing that was troubling him is what people were saying. Look at it again in verse two. Many are saying of my soul, there is no salvation for him in God. Are you kidding me, David? Your son is trying to kill you.

You've been banished from your own kingdom. You have an entire nation that is ready to devour you at a moment's notice. And the thing that you're preoccupied with the most is what they're saying about you, and how they all agreed that God has abandoned David. Well, sometimes words are sharper than swords. But I don't think that's the point here.

I think as unthinkable as Absalom's actions were, they're not entirely surprising. They weren't to David, and they shouldn't be to the student of the Old Testament. Do you know why? Because God told David these things were going to happen. You remember when Nathan the prophet confronted the king for his sin with Bathsheba and against Uriah?

And after he exposes him in love, Nathan says the following in second Samuel 12 verse eleven and twelve. Thus says the lord, behold, I will raise up evil against you out of your own house, and I will take your wives before your eyes and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of the sun. Absalom did that. Verse 12. For you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel and before the sun.

So you see much of what David is experiencing here is in large part because of his own folly. He was told that this would be one of the ramifications for your sin, but his enemies took it a step further. They came to the point where they interpreted Absalom's successful coup as a sign of God's total rejection of David. God is finished with him. How can God let this happen to the king?

Surely, he has abandoned him. And I'm trying to put myself in David's shoes. Knowing what he has done, knowing what Nathan had told him by the spirit, trying to make sense now with these taunts, wrestling with them. Did God really abandon me? Did I blow it so badly that I've lost his favor forever?

Is what these people saying true? Showing us that there's a real dimension of spiritual warfare in all of this. And for most of us or some of us, that's exactly where the battle rages the most. In your mind, where constant thoughts of condemnation whisper and keep you up at night telling you you've gone too far. You blew it too badly.

You failed to the degree where you will never know the fullness of God's favor again. And you find yourselves questioning whether you've been shut out for good. There is no salvation for him in God. That meant something to David realizing what he had done in the past with his sin, Remembering the warning and trying to make sense of it all. Is this God really showing me it's over, David?

But here's what we learned from this man. With everything that was hurled against him, with all the slander, instead of letting the accusations overcome him, he goes to God and gets his opinion. I love how David, though he is being slandered against, does not respond to the people, but he goes to the Lord. And he comes and

says, oh, lord.

And while he waited patiently in god's presence, what he did next is exactly what we should learn to do, which is the second point of how to lament well. Cling to what god has revealed about himself. Verse three. But you, oh lord, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head. They're saying one thing, but I know what you said already.

There are three statements that he makes about god in this one verse. Each of them are so powerful. The first thing that he says is you are a shield about me. Now where did he get that metaphor from? Do you think it spontaneously came to him by the spirit?

It could've. He's a prophet. He's writing this by the spirit, but I don't think so. And the reason why I don't think so is because this is not the only time that such a description is ascribed to the Lord in the bible. The first time that it appears is in Genesis fifteen one, where the Lord tells Abraham, after these things, the word of the Lord came to Abraham in a vision.

Fear not, Abraham. I am your shield. Your reward shall be very great. The second time it appears in the Bible is in Deuteronomy 30, where the people of Israel are told, happy are you, oh Israel, who is like you, a people saved by the Lord, the shield of your help. So here's what I like to think David is doing in this moment.

That as he's trying to combat all of these things coming his way, especially the words of his enemies, he took what the Lord revealed to Abraham. He took what he said to the nation of Israel, and he made it his own. Why do you think he did that? Because he realized that God was willing to be a shield for a man like Abram and a nation like Israel who failed way more than once. Surely, you can be a shield for me, oh lord, and protect me.

Listen. You and I will barely survive life altering episodes like this if you're not grounded in what god has said and who he is. And we know that David had these truths in his heart. Do you know why? Because he's in the wilderness.

He can't go to the Levites. He can't go to the temple. He can't have access to scrolls. You know where it is though? It's buried in his soul, which I think is a wonderful challenge to all of us.

Can I ask you something dear brother and sister? Are you making the necessary spiritual investments while the sun is shining so that you can be prepared for the clouds? Allow me to admonish you to be like Joseph. Joseph who gathered and gleaned grain in the times of plenty so that he was prepared for the famine. Do the same with your soul.

Gather and glean the spiritual grain so that when or if you are visited by drought, you can withstand it. You can weather it. You cannot only survive it, but thrive. David knew the the word of God, and it came at the right time. But the second thing that he says here is that, god is my glory.

Now why would he say that? Because he's been stripped of all of his earthly glory. This king is barefoot now. He doesn't have a crown on his brow. He has a blanket over his face.

He doesn't have servants around him, at least to the degree that he once knew. He has a nation now turning against him. And in this place of loss, he reminds himself and declares before God that his identity and that his only boast is in the Lord. You're my glory. You know, it's very difficult to shake a man or a woman who finds their ultimate contentment in God.

And that's what you find here with David. You're my glory. Not not my not my throne, not my crown, not the support of the nation. You. You are my glory.

And you, Absalom, may be able to take away all these things, but you can never rob me of what matters the most.

You're my glory.

And finally, most preciously, David declares that the Lord is the lifter of his head. Don't you love that picture? You're the lifter of my head. Now that is an ancient expression for restoring someone from shame, defeat, or disgrace and bringing them back to a place of honor and dignity. I mentioned Joseph.

Let me mention him again. Do you remember what he told the cup bearer there in that prison? Where he promised him that after three days that pharaoh would lift up his head and restore to him his office? It's the same idea here. So what David is saying in this part is essentially a statement of faith.

You're the lifter of my head. That that's not just saying you're gonna encourage me. No. No. He's saying, Absalom might have taken my dignity, my authority, but God you're able to bring it back.

You're able to restore it unto me. In other words, you're the one who's really in control here. We read at the opening of this message that David says he cried aloud to the Lord and God heard him from his holy hill. I might not be on the throne, but God is still on his. So listen, David shows you and I that in the glory.

And lastly, God's sovereignty. You are the lifter of my head. Are you mindful of these things? What do you know about God and what he can do? How much does he really satisfy you?

And how much do you really believe that he's in control? You wanna lament well? You need to embrace these same realities. Cling to what God has revealed about himself. Thirdly, recall God's past deliverances.

Look at verse four. I cried aloud to the Lord and he answered me from his holy hill, Selah. So in the mid in the middle of this passionate plea, David pauses and he looks back and remembers the things that God has done before. How God has come through for him in former times. So he he's now trying to really add fortification to his faith and and he does this by proving to us that he developed another discipline.

Yes, David had scripture in his heart, but he also kept personal testimonies there. I have cried out to the Lord and he has answered me from his holy hill. I've seen him do this. And here's what I want to advise you, that if you want to again not just survive, but thrive in the midst of trials, call to mind ways that God has answered your cries before. Maybe just a couple of testimonies, and establish them as internal landmarks that you frequently revisit and become so familiar with those testimonies because we have a tendency to forget what God has done.

But just take at least two, so that if anybody were to ever ask you, how has God ever come through for you in prayer? You can say, let me tell you. Let me tell you how I cried to the Lord and he answered me. And more than just testifying it, do for your own soul. Do for your own sanity.

Come to the place where you can say, I've seen God come. I've seen him come through. He's done it before. Now you might be hearing this and saying, okay. Yeah.

I can see the value in that, but if I'm if I'm honest, there hasn't been, like, pivotal life defining answers to prayer in my life. I regularly see God. I try to at least, but for him to show up in an undeniable way, I can't really I can't really think about it. And if that's you, I want to let you know that first, I would like to hear how you pray and what you pray for. If you really intercede, but assuming that there is genuine, sincere supplication that that you have actual goals and and you're actually seeking God for breakthrough, and you still can't think of anything, then do the next best thing.

Consider God's providential faithfulness in ways that go beyond your specific request being recognized. When I was thinking about this, my mind, for some reason, went to Jesus before the night or on the night rather, he would be betrayed and the day that he would die. And the amount of preparation that he gave for the disciples as they were about to approach a very frightening few hours. And you see that in John. Right?

You see what he says there in the upper room discourse and all these promises and all these wonderful things. But I thought of what he said in Luke 22. And I want you to hear this in verse 35. Jesus says in Luke twenty two thirty five, and he said to them, when I sent you out with no money bag or knapsack or sandals, did you lack anything? They said nothing.

He said to them, but now let the one who has a money bag take it and likewise a knapsack, and let the one who has no sort sell his cloak and buy one. I don't just see the Lord here giving practical advice of how these disciples were now to manage themselves after the resurrection and ascension of Jesus. The nature of their mission surely would change. It's not gonna be the same like when Christ was on the earth with them. Sure.

I see something more precious and personal though. I see Jesus bringing his faithfulness to the forefront of their minds as they were just minutes away from a very frightening event. Did you like anything when I sent you out? Nothing. Good.

Remember that. And it would do us good to make it a regular practice to pause and reflect on Christ's faithfulness in every way you can because clearly, it builds some kind of confidence for facing the unknown. Nothing, lord. But David doesn't just look to the past. With the wisdom of God, he actually contemplates the present, which is the fourth point of knowing how to lament successfully.

Don't just recall God's past deliverances. Zoom in on God's mercy in the moment. Look at verse five. I lay down and slept. I woke again, for the Lord sustained me.

Now I I think believers read this verse differently. I think they interpret it in the following, I lay down and slept because I trusted the Lord. Is that what David said? No. He emphasizes God's enablement for his sleep.

I laid down and slept. I woke again for the Lord sustained me. This is less about David and more about God. God is the one who made this possible. God is the one who gave me uninterrupted rest.

Now again, on your own time, go to second Samuel 15, read through until 17, and and from a human standpoint, you'll come to this realization. There is actually nothing redeemable about this chaos. Like, to try to fish and investigate for for a hint, a threat of good, you may be able to, but it's difficult. And so you read that in second Samuel, and then you come to Psalm three, and you realize that this is a psalm when when David was fleeing from Absalom, his son. And and what he discovered that David was able to at least identify one thing, a good night's sleep and the gift of a new day.

Why is he mentioning this? I believe he's doing so because David is acknowledging small victories as he waits for the greater one. Here's a man teaching you and I that God is not inconsistent in his faithfulness. David shows here, if he does not sleep, if my lord does not close his eyes so that he can supervise me while I sleep, why should I think that he will abandon me in this struggle? So he here's David trying to think about, yes, what god has done, but also what what is he doing here?

What can I thank him for? He's telling you and I by the spirit, train the eyes of your heart to see God's fingerprints of grace amid your difficulties. Look for them. See them. Search for them.

Train your eyes. And where does that training begin? Now, where you praise the Lord for his daily gifts, where you give him the glory for the things that you and I often fail to attribute to his gracious provision. Like what? Like waking up the way you went to bed that night.

And as small as a gesture this may be, it somehow strengthened David. I mean, he went from talking about I laid down and slept. I woke again for the Lord to sustain me. Look what he says in verse six. Bring on thousands.

Wow. God watched over me while I was sleeping. Verse six, I will not be afraid of many thousands of people. Clearly, there's something powerful about being able to zoom in on God's mercy in the moment, even if that moment is miserable. Many of you have heard of the famous English bible scholar Matthew Henry who once was attacked by thieves and robbed of his wallet.

And the words of that event were recorded in his diary and he writes the following. Let me be thankful. First, I was never robbed before. Second, although they took my wallet, they didn't take my life. Third, although they took my all, it wasn't much.

And this is my favorite one. Fourth, let me be thankful because it was I who was robbed and not the one who was doing the robbing. Zoom in. You will find something. Train your eyes now while the sky is clear.

Thank him for the strength in your bones. Thank him for the health in your family. Thank him for the bread before you. Thank him for that cup of coffee. Thank him.

So that when you're surrounded, you can still see his mercy. I think most of us would be quite comfortable if David ended the Psalm at verse six. This would be a perfect place for a final selah. Go to the Lord with your pain. Cling to what God has revealed about himself.

Recall his past deliverances and zoom in on God's mercy where you are. What more do you need? Well, the psalm isn't done. Have you noticed this about human experience, even more importantly Christian experience that even if you do everything right maybe this is all familiar to you. I I've heard this before.

Thank you for the reminder. But let me highlight something. At least for me, I can say that though I have tried to look at these steps and apply them in my own way, anxiety and fear has a clever way of creeping back in. In other words, you're just there. Right?

And and you sought him, and you laid it at his feet, and and you rehearsed his grace, and you're able to find some rest. There's some repose. There there's some grace. There you have you have fuel for another day. And all of a sudden, that rush of concern floods your soul again and apprehends you.

Where did this come from? I thought I dealt with it. Well, you gotta remember something about David. He's not just worried about himself here. Look again at the end of verse eight.

Your blessing be upon your people. He's thinking about his children. He's thinking about his kingdom, those loyal friends that he sent back to spy on Absalom. All these other factors. And so you can sense the burden that he is carrying.

And that is true with us. Sometimes the complexity of the circumstance doesn't make these steps a remedy once and for all, though god can do it. But here's what I wanna say in closing. The fifth way that we can lament well is to go to the lord again and again. Again and again.

Here's what we see him doing. Right? In verse seven again, we could've ended in verse six, but he cries out in prayer. Arise, oh lord. Save me, oh my god.

David, you were just celebrating. You were just telling us that you can face thousands of people. Why are you desperately shrieking like this? I like to think that even as he's penning the Psalm, he's vacillating in some sense. Faith is there.

It's strong and then oh, yeah. You forgot about this. Right? You forgot how this will impact this part. Right?

What about this party? And what about that? Okay. God, come through, please. Breakthrough in this moment.

What do you do when the pain revisits? What do you do when it knocks on the door of your heart again? What do you do when it wakes you up in the middle of the night? What do you do? You go back to the lord.

Go back to step one. Well, until when? How many times am I gonna do this, preacher? I'll tell you how many times you do it. You do it until that problem is solved or until God gives you the peace in the midst of it.

Complete tranquility, and don't settle for anything less. You pray until God resolves it or until he infuses you in you a grace to endure. When Jesus was praying in that garden, it says in Matthew twenty six forty four, so leaving them again, he went away and prayed for the third time saying the same words again. Even the Son of God had to pray about the same thing more than once, more than twice. How dare I think that I can just rub the magic lamp and think that God will come through immediately?

Can he? He has. Are there Psalms about God coming through right away? Yes. There are times where God comes through even before you say amen.

But there are also times like Jesus, where he goes back for a third time with the same words. And what do you find with Jesus there? God strengthening him. Go to the Lord again and again and again. You know, even this episode points to Jesus.

David in Jerusalem, rejected by his own, sent out to die. Absalom is one problem. You have another guy with a name starting with a letter a, Ahithophel, the greatest counsel that David knew. It says in the scriptures that when he spoke, it was like the oracles of God. And this man betrayed David.

A picture of Judas. Ah, he fell full, hangs himself. So does Judas. You read about David's journey into the exile, and it's the same path that Jesus walked on that night that he would be betrayed. But here's the glorious part, in the same way that David would return, Christ will come back, and he will rule and reign, and no one can take the throne from them.

Why do I bring that up? Because I wanna end by talking about Jesus. You know, I know what it's like to sit in a room like this and admire Jesus, but not follow him. I know the stories back then as a teenager, as a young adult. I could tell you some of the stories, but not really have my own.

Do you know Jesus? Is he real to you? What does that name do to you when it is heard? What force does it carry when it comes out of your mouth? Is he a friend or is he just a sermon subject?

I wanna give you the gospel. Jesus Christ of Nazareth is the Son of the Living God, And in great love, he comes to this world two thousand years ago. He takes on flesh, and he lives a perfect life. No sin can be found in him, not in thought, word, or deed. And yet he was crucified.

And to the simple mind, they would say, well, he was a martyr. His mission was sabotaged. But no no no. Jesus says that I have authority to lay down my life. None can take it from me, and I have the authority to take it up again.

Jesus wasn't kidnapped. Jesus wasn't necessarily killed. Jesus laid down his life. Well now why did he do that? Because there was a death that needed to happen on your behalf.

There was a payment that needed to be made and it was a great one. And so he dies. He dies with the sin of the world on his shoulders. He died with your sin. Every vile, wicked, black thing was accounted for and was paid for.

And that payment satisfied the wrath of God, and it was proven by the fact that Jesus raised from the grave. The resurrection is God's amen for the sacrifice of Jesus. And here's what the good news is. I come to you today with good news, that the perfect life that Jesus lived and the punishment that he paid, if you believe in this story, if you believe in this reality, his perfection is transferred now to your account, and all your guilt is transferred to him. And so now when god the father looks on you, this is so shocking, he sees his son.

He sees his righteousness. He sees his perfection. And why is that so glorious? Because for the Christian, the moment that he confesses that Christ is the savior, that he is a sinner, and that the only way that he can be reconciled to God is through that finished work. You are declared righteous.

And believer, believers here who have been saved for five years, ten years, twenty years, do you realize this? That you are not any less righteous or more righteous in the moment that you confess your sin to Christ. Because it's not about your performance. It's about his payment. I can't I I just mind blowing that I receive the clothing of Jesus's righteousness, that I am hidden in him.

And my question to you is, you might know that you may have been able to present that more beautifully, But is it real to you? Has your heart experienced it? Do you know that you're forgiven? Do you know that you have eternal life? Do you know Jesus Christ?

Well, I can tell you this. On the basis of the authority of God's word, you can leave this place with more than just five points of how to suffer well. You can leave here hand in hand with the living savior. I want you to get saved. That was my prayer this morning.

Even if there's one person in here who stumbled in the in this place, who's barely awake, all that you would hear this if you missed everything else, that Christ loves you, that he died for you, and that he wants to redeem you. He wants to fill you with his spirit. He wants to transform you. Would you accept him today? Would you bend your knee?

Would you repent of your sin and give up? You are not your own. You are not created for your silly job, for your athletic dreams to be realized. You were created for Christ, and he wants to know you. So here's my admonition to you.

For the unbeliever, they who call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. All you have to do in this place is say, oh, Lord, and you have his full attention. You acknowledge your sin. You crown him as Lord and savior. And if it is sincere, you'll know that you're saved.

Did God answer David's prayer in Psalm three? Come see me after the service, and I'll give you my answer. For now, let's thank him. How precious is your word, oh lord. How wonderful your wisdom.

Thank you, lord, that you've given us a blueprint for lament. Lord, if there's any grieving mother, any heartbroken sibling, any discouraged pastor, May these truths serve them well. And Lord now, we will stand to give you glory because you have not left us on our own. You've given us your word. You've given us all that we need for life and godliness, and you've enriched us to know the abundant life.

And for this we say thank you. Thank you for Maranatha Conference twenty twenty five. Thank you for this conference center in the wider community. We give you glory, Lord, that you've allowed us to share this time in your word. And for the person who does not know, you may today be the turning point.

Lord, we've done what we can humanly speaking. The word went out. We sang the songs. We will make announcements, but only your spirit can convict. Convict, Lord, until there is true conversion.

In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen. Church, can we stand and give glory to the God who gave us this song?