Many are they who rise up against me. Many are they who say of me, “There is no help for him in God.” Selah. But You, O Lord, are a shield for me, my glory and the One who lifts up my head. (Psalm 3:1-3)
David wrote these words as he was forced to flee from his son, Absalom. It must have been heartbreaking to know that, among those who were against him, his own son was at the head of the column. Moreover, those who made themselves to be the enemy of David weren’t the rabble and miscreants of the day; they were the great, the mighty and the notable. As it is presented in rabbinical commentary, these men saw David as a failure because of his affair with Bathsheba and the subsequent scheme to have her husband, Uriah, killed in battle. They saw his misdeeds as weakness and an excuse to overthrow his rule and set up another man in his place — a man who was praised for his good looks. They wrongly surmised that God had abandoned him and would not lend assistance.
The word translated as God — as used by his enemies to say, “God will not help him” — is אלהים Elohim, a term which typically denotes God as Judge. In other words, David’s enemies were confident that God was judging him and that they were justified in pursuing his demise. However, even in the frenzy of flight, David knew that God had not forsaken him but would, indeed, protect him from his enemies thus the statement, “You, O Lord, are a shield for me.” Interestingly, David does not use the term Elohim here but calls upon the LORD (or Yahweh). This is important to point out because the Sacred Name, יהוה YHVH, denotes God as All Merciful, the One who forgives and restores.
David knew he had sinned and he demonstrated great remorse over what he had done. In short, he repented. He understood that sin always brings consequences and was, therefore, receptive to God’s reproof and chastisement. Willingly accepting his punishment, he looked to the One who is good, ready to forgive and extends “abundant in mercy to all those who call upon You” (Psalm 86:5). His confidence was in God’s mercy and that, in some way that escapes articulation, God provided the shield he spoke of.
Let’s put it this way: when we fail but afterwards acknowledge our failure and the need for repentance, our Father forgives and forgets. Furthermore, He does not look kindly upon those who would wish to exploit our failure for their own selfish purposes. They strive to make our head hang low, but the LORD, the All Merciful, lifts our head up that we may see to carry on. In spite of what our enemies may say, God is and will forever be our help.
Blessings and Shalom,
Bill
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