Hello, you're listening to Let the Bible Speak. Let the Bible Speak is the radio ministry of the Free Presbyterian Church. Stephen Pollock is the pastor of Free Presbyterian Church of Malvern, Pennsylvania. The church is located at the junction of 401 and Mallon Road. Thank you for joining us today as Dr. Pollock opens the Word of God and lets the Bible speak. Please take your Bible and turn to the third Psalm. The titles are in the Hebrew manuscripts, they're part of the scriptures that God has given to us. It says in the title, the son of David, when he fled from Absalom, his son. Lord, how are they increased that trouble me? Many are they that rise up against me. Many there be which say of my soul, there is no help for him in God's sealer. But thou, O Lord, art a shield for me, my glory and the lifted up of mine head. I cried unto the Lord with my voice, and he heard me out of his holy hill, Scylla. I laid me down and slept. I awaked, for the Lord sustained me. I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people that have set themselves against me round about. Arise, O Lord, save me, O my God, for thou hast smitten all mine enemies upon the cheekbone. Thou hast broken the teeth of the ungodly. Salvation belongeth unto the Lord. My blessing is upon thy people. Selah. David of course is the author of this psalm, it is a psalm of David and his life really can be viewed from two angles in the scriptures. You have of course the historical narrative in Samuel and Kings, the stories and the events that cover David's life And then of course you have the poetic view, the poetic verses, whereas in one hand you see stories and events, when it comes to the poetic form you see the heart and soul of the psalmist. you get an insight into his feelings, his troubles, his perplexities, things that really don't come out so readily in the historical narrative, but are very clearly revealed in the Psalter itself. Of course, from either angle, you see the story of a man of faith. The history gives us these stories of God's providential leadings, God's challenging his child, God working in the soul of his servant. And what does the history produce? Well, God's providential leading in the historical narrative produces these songs of faith. It's out of God's dealings that these songs arise. David, you see, had many adversities and many adversaries. And each experience, under the guidance and the tutelage of God, each experience produces an advance in faith. David could echo the words of James, My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into divers temptations, knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. could have written those words. He knew that, and you see that coming across in the Psalter. You see, if you like, the heart and the feelings, the testimony of the man of God, feelings and confidences that have been, if you like, they've been forged in the furnace of affliction and adversity. You see, faith, there is the confidence in God that overcomes the evidence of sight. In this, Sam, David's faith overcomes the math. If you like, verse number one, many are they that rise up against me. Many there be which say of my soul, there is no help for him in God. Indeed, down in the verse number six, I will not be afraid of 10,000s of people. Faith overcomes what is, if you like, obvious to man's natural sight. And faith is a heavenly sight of God that overcomes the obvious obstacles that come across the path of the child of God. Absalom, Absalom's betrayal and Absalom's attempt to rebel and take the throne was a particularly bitter trial in David's life. It's always hard when trouble arises from within your own family. And in David's case, his own son was bringing him to a point that was a threat to his life and to the kingdom. We know all the background. There's certainly sin, of course, and David's part that led to this point. God is chastening and moulding him. But we still see David as a man of God, a man of faith in the face of these adversities. In fact, his faith in the face of such teaches us much about ourselves and our own faith or lack thereof in the face of the dangers that come to our soul. We may have few adversaries in this world, but we are certainly in the conflict of our souls. And there are many that be against us in the language of the historical narrative, in the language of scripture. We have many principalizing powers that war against our soul. And so what is the state of our faith in such times where we are standing before God? Can we say with the psalmist, verse number eight, salvation belongeth unto the Lord, thy blessings upon thy people. And again here in the third psalm, we're seeing another example of the psalmist's confidence in God. Again, we saw that in the first two Psalms also. Remember Psalm 1 begins, blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly. Psalm 2 ends, blessed are all they that put their trust in him. And so Psalm 3 says, thy blessings upon thy people. The people. who walk with God and the people who put their trust in God. And so in many ways, we're just seeing a development of the theme here. We're seeing these Psalms that are connected and are running one after the other. Andrew Bonner, the Scottish writer, entitles this Psalm, The Righteous One's Safety Amid Foes. It's a great title and it should encourage our own hearts. If we are righteous ones in the sight of God, well then what David enjoyed can also be our enjoyment even this evening. So let's begin by looking at the basis of David's faith here. We're gonna study this matter of David's confidence and David's faith in the face of adversities. Well, what's the basis of that faith? Well, true faith is an encounter with God. True faith is based upon a knowledge of God, an experience of God, a relationship with God. True faith is always grounded upon who God is. It's not grounded on what we see, it's not grounded on who we are, it's grounded upon who God is. And so verse 3 says, Again verse 7, These are words that indicate, again, that David's faith is based upon his encounter with God. Now, there are many, many things are true of God that are the ground of our faith. There are many, but I just want to point out two here, too. First of all, the truth of who God is. The truth of who God is. But thou, O Lord, art a shield for me, my glory, and the lift up of mine head. And the sense of God as our glory is really the sense that God is our delight and our joy and our confidence, that everything comes, God is the all-glorious God, and he therefore is the source of all glory, the source of all blessedness to our hearts. Again, over in Psalm 62, And the verse number seven, you'll read there what the Psalmist says, Psalm 62, verse seven, in God is my salvation and my glory. The rock of my strength and my refuge is in God. And so again, that Psalm that speaks so clearly about the faith of the child of God has this idea of the glory of God and God as our glory in the sense of confidence and salvation and prosperity. We'll come to see the concept of God as a letter out of my head in a few moments. That's got the sense of victory. But I want to focus particularly on the words, Oh Lord, thou art a shield for me. Because that's got very, very important references in the scriptures. The concept of God being a shield, now you should see this in larger scope than perhaps a shield that you may be able to hold if you go to some museum with a piece of old armour. It's a much larger thing. It has the idea that the soldier could hide under this shield. Again, sometimes the old translation has the word buckler as overarching protection from all manner of troubles. This man was saying, Lord you're that shield, you're my refuge, you're my protection. Now it refers back to Genesis chapter 15. Can you go back there please, Genesis 15. Because as God came to Abraham of the Ur of the Chaldees and spoke to him and called him, you'll know that when you get to Genesis 15, God enters into covenant with Abraham. In Genesis 15, verse number one, after these things, the word of the Lord came unto Abraham in a vision saying, fear not Abraham, I am thy shield and the exceeding great reward. So in the context of fear, Abraham's fear, God comes and reveals himself to Abraham as his shield, as his protection. And so this is a revelation given by God to the patriarch Abraham that in many ways, it sets the scene for God's dealing with people in the Old Testament. Because if you go across to Deuteronomy 33, Deuteronomy 33, You'll see how it's used there with respect to the old covenant people of God. Deuteronomy 33, and this time the verse number 29. Happy art thou, O Israel, who is like unto thee, O people saved by the Lord, the shield of thy help. Again, this is a concluding part of Moses' sermon to the people of God as they're approaching, if you like, the promised land and their inheritance. The eternal God, verse 27, is their refuge. Underneath are the everlasting arms, and part of that is again referring back to the promise made to Abraham, O people saved by the Lord, the shield of thy help. What you're seeing here is that David is doing what all children of God must do. He's taken the promises of God in the covenant. He's applying them to his own experience. He's taken them to himself and he's saying, Lord, I'm part of your people. I'm saved by your grace. I'm part of this covenantal community and therefore the promise made to Abraham is mine. Because the promise made to Abraham was to him and to his seed. And who are the seed of Abraham now? Those who are in Christ. Galatians chapter 3. You are part of the seed of Abraham. You're part of the children of Abraham in Christ Jesus. Therefore, the promise of God being the shield is also yours. It's not just for Abraham. It's not just for the wilderness people. It's not just for David. It's for you tonight. And so your faith in God is a faith in who God is and what God is to us in the covenant. Understanding that God commits himself to his people. In covenant, he says, I will be your God. And those covenantal promises, they are sure grounded upon the very name of God. He swears by himself and they're also sealed by Christ's blood. And so if you wander tomorrow, will God be your shield? You will say, well, yes, I'm in Christ. I'm a child of Abraham, and Christ's blood has secured that promise. God cannot fail to be my shield tomorrow. He can't fail. He's bound himself by an oath to do this and be this for us. And so the ground of our faith, again, it's always in who God is. But it's also in the testimony of what God has done. Again, verse number seven. Arise, O Lord, save me, O my God, for thou hast smitten all mine enemies upon the cheekbone. I think what's happening here is that the psalmist is referring back to what God has done in the past. He's basing his present prayers on past experience of God's faithfulness. And that's where you go back to verse number three where he refers to God as the lifter up of mine head. And that's got a very particular concept in the Old Testament scriptures. It's used regarding the captivity of Jehoiachin, king of Judah, in 2 Kings 25. It says there, In the twelfth month, on the seventh and twentieth day of the month, that evil Meredick, king of Babylon, in the year that he began to reign, did lift up the head of Jehoiachin, king of Judah, out of prison. Eyal Meredith came along and secured victory for Tehillitan and so he was released out of prison at that point and to be lifted up by the head is a sense of victory. Again we're in the Psalter, turn to Psalm 27 and you'll see again the very same thing. Psalm 27 and the verse number 6. Again, the promise of the Lord is my light and my salvation. Verse number one, whom shall I fear? Then down in verse number six, it says this, and now shall mine head be lifted up above my enemies round about me. It's a promise of victory. He's saying to God, you are the lifter of mine head. You're the source of my victory. Because of you, I shall indeed conquer. said of the great high priest, the one after the order of Melchizedek in Psalm 110 verse seven, he shall drink of the brook in the way, therefore shall he lift up the head. These are promises, realities in terms of God's giving victory. You see, our faith is primarily based upon the truth of who God is, but we should not miss the importance of relying and remembering the testimony of God's grace in the past. Psalm 116, because he hath inclined his ear unto me, therefore will I call upon him as long as I live. Past blessings are indeed encouragements for present faith. And so I encourage you again, make sure you record and you remember past blessings. Sit down the Ebenezer stones in your life and say, at this point in my life, the Lord intervened, he set into my life, and he rescued me from some particular trouble, and I'm going to remember this. Because when the next trouble comes along, I'm going to call upon the Lord on the ground. He was faithful then, he will be faithful now. The longer you are in the Christian life, the longer you go in your walk with God, you will more and more say, The Lord brought me through the last trouble. He won't fail me this time. He can't fail me. Never does. And you begin to build up, if you like, this database of evidence to have your faith resting in God. And don't forget it. Fundamentally, don't forget the fact that God saved you. The greatest rescue of all delivered you from sin. And the power of Satan from that dominion. And you will therefore be safe in Christ Jesus. So that's some things about the basis of David's faith. Secondly, note the behaviour of faith. Because faith is expressed in prayer here again. Verse four, I cried unto the Lord with my voice. Verse seven, arise, O Lord, save me. You see, faith in the heart leads to prayer from the mouth. Now, not all prayer comes from faith. Prayer can come from habit or tradition, some formalistic religion or superstition. There are other things that produce faith, but true, or sorry, just prayer, but true faith will always lead to prayer. So prayer may not always come from faith, but faith will always lead to true prayer. You see, without faith, it's impossible to please Him. But those that have faith, they come to God, and they believe that He is, and that He is the rewarder of those that diligently seek Him. You see, remember, we're considering faith in trouble, faith in times of adversity. Now, it may seem obvious to you that in such times, prayer would come. Of course, prayer will come. But I think you probably know yourselves well enough now that in times of trouble, we actually are prone to unbelief. It's not inevitable that we believe in times of trouble. We can doubt God's plans. We can doubt God's love and question God's faithfulness. We are like the disciples in the boat. As the Lord sleeps, they are terrified. They wonder, save us, we perish. And the Lord says to them, why are you fearful? Oh, ye have little faith. In their trouble, they don't have strong faith. They have little faith in their trouble and we are no better than them. And so at times in our troubles, we struggle with faith. But in our troubles, we must, by God's grace, seek to trust in them to pray. You see, what occurs when we engage in believing prayer in our troubles? Well, there is the time of reflection. Again, Psalm 4 across the column of my Bible has this in verse number 3, and said not, commune with your own heart upon your bed and be still. I waited patiently for the Lord. There's a time of reflection in our troubles because sometimes in trouble our head spins and our heart goes into tremendous turmoil and anxiety and trouble. And it is prayer that leads us to pause. and saying to yourself, I must engage in prayer now, will lead you to a pause that then causes you to reflect upon who God is to us and for us. Be still and know that I am God. And the very Psalm that talks about God being a help for us and a refuge to Psalm 46, so there's reflection. There's also then recognition. You see, faith sees the unseen God sees that God is and that God is able. Faith recognizes our hopelessness, but also recognize that God is the only hope in our trouble. See, when we pause and reflect in our troubles and remember who God is, it does not discourage us when we think about our hopelessness. Turn across to Psalm 40. In Psalm 40, in the verse number 17, but I am poor and needy. Yet the Lord thinketh upon me, thou art my help and my deliverer, make no tarrying, oh my God. We come to recognise that. We come to recognise our poverty, our hopelessness, but in faith we rest upon God, which then of course leads to the requests. In our psalm, the requests, abide, O Lord, art a shield. And then verse four, I cried unto the Lord. And then verse seven, arise, O Lord, save me. That's a particular request at that time. You see, faith is the confidence that God is willing to hear. He heard me out of his holy hill, heard for the sake of Christ, heard upon the ground of sacrifice. Faith recognised that God is willing to hear and that God is willing to help. And so he invites us to bring these requests. As individuals, as a church community, in our troubles we must call upon the Lord. We must engage in this behaviour of faith, namely fervent believing prayer. Which leads thirdly to the benefits of faith here, the benefits of faith. You see, faith is enjoyed in the disposition of peace. Verse five, I laid me down and slept, I awaked, for the Lord sustained me, I will not be afraid. There are two things that are connected here, there is the absence of fear, I will not be afraid, and there's the presence of sleep. You get that across in Psalm 4 in the verse number eight, I will both lay me down in peace and sleep, for thou, Lord, only makest me dwell in safety. See, these things come together. Our recognition that God is our security, God is our shield, we understand the safety that we have in God, therefore we don't fear, but we lay down in peace and we sleep. The Lord giveth his beloved sleep. Turn across, just one last reference, it's Proverbs chapter 3. There's this concept here of when we engage in believing prayer in our troubles, the Lord is pleased to settle our anxious hearts and give us this peace that allows us to sleep. What a blessing sleep is in your troubles. You will know, I'm sure, at times in your life when your sleep has gone from you, such were the overwhelming sense of trouble, but you've engaged in prayer, you've called upon the Lord, and suddenly you find yourself sleeping again, in peace and in safety and in security. In Proverbs chapter three, on the verse number 21, Referring to wisdom, my son, let not them depart from thine eyes. Keep sound wisdom and discretion. So shall they be life unto thy soul and grace to thy neck. Then shalt thou walk in thy way safely. And thy foot shall not stumble. When thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid. Yea, thou shalt lie down and thy sleep, thy sleep shall be sweet. What a blessing that is. The psalmist is sleeping in peace despite his adversaries, despite his adversities. He's sleeping in peace. He knows the absence of fear because God has come and blessed him and strengthened his soul in this time of faith. Faith and fear are enemies. They're opposed to each other. If we allow fear to overcome our souls, it damages our faith. But strong faith, by the help of God, will overcome our fears. Whatever those fears may be, again, in a private issue, in a family matter, in a church area, it is as we put our confidence in God that our fears are overcome. A recognition that God is able, God does what is right and proper and good, and he's able to be the security and the shield of his people. As the Lord says to Jairus, remember Jairus, he's concerned his daughter is unwell. He then goes to the Lord, the Lord's on the way to Jairus' home, and then interrupted by the lady with issue of blood. And then the news comes from Jairus' home, you know, your daughter is dead. And the Lord says to him, be not afraid, only believe. Be not afraid, only believe. And so here we're seeing in the psalmist's experience, oh, he's got good grounds. He's got a basis for his faith in who God is and what God has done for him. But that faith that is grounded then behaves in a proper manner as he cries unto God fervently and believingly for God to intervene on his behalf. And as he prays, he knows the blessing of peace and sleep. before God intervenes in his trouble. The peace comes before the deliverance. Arise, O Lord, save me. Verse five, I laid me down and slept, I awaked, the Lord sustained me. He has a peace in his soul before the deliverance comes. And so our faith is in God for who he is in the future. not just in what God does in the present. Thank you for taking the time to listen to this episode of Let the Bible Speak from Malvern Free Presbyterian Church. If you'd like more information about the gospel or the church, please call 610-993-3170 or email malvernfpc at yahoo.com. We extend an invitation to all to join us as we worship the Lord each week. You will be made very welcome. The church is situated at 80 Mallon Road, Malvern, Pennsylvania, at the junction of 401 and Mallon Road. We meet for worship on the Lord's Day at 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. A Bible study and prayer meeting is also held on Wednesday evening at 7 p.m. We preach Christ Crucified.