But thou, Jehovah, art a shield about me; my glory, and the lifter up of my head.
David is running for his life from his own son Absalom, and the cruelest wound is the taunt that God has left him. Verse 3 turns from what men say to what God is.
Faith's answer to the taunt
The taunt in verse 2 looked true. Nothing visible argued that God was for David.
This taunt was the most bitter part of his bitter cup. All his life he had faced enemies, and men had hunted him like a partridge on the mountains. But if the wicked hint that God had now abandoned him were true, he had never been in so bad a state. To human eyes his enemies were right, for every sign of God's help and favour was missing. Yet faith won. Though David was in the deepest pit of trouble, he turned from men and appealed to God.
The same accusation is still thrown at believers today. One writer names its source:
The devil's aim would be to keep us from turning to God. He will never lack many people to voice his wishes and hint that God will no longer be on our side, and that there is no hope or help for us in Him. Let us learn the lesson that this is a lie. David under discipline was not shut out from God, and neither are we.
A shield all round
The first title is protection. One writer notes how complete it is.
With this shield of faith the psalmist fortifies himself. Better still, it is God who is his shield — so it is no partial defence, but a defence "round about" him. Perhaps he would not have realised He was so near, if the need had not been so great... So he can add, "the Uplifter of my head." What holds him up is not pride, and not stubbornness that refuses to give in, and not natural courage on its own. It is the sweet grasp of the "I AM" of God.
"My glory"
A man on the run has nothing left to boast about. David still had something, and his critics could not see it.
Verse 3 shows the simplicity of faith. Against the sneers of wicked men, David declares that the Lord was a shield for him, his protector even in the middle of his sufferings. But the Lord was also "my glory," the Object of David's pure delight. Others could not see what David did: that when he was persecuted, God was still his cause of rejoicing.
The head lifted, in due time
The third title looks ahead. God will lift the head, but David could not see it yet.
Despite outward appearances, faith sees that the Lord is a shield for the godly. He is his glory, the One in whom he boasts. And in due time He will lift up his head, though for the moment the enemy looks like the winner (Ps. 27:5-6; Ps. 110:7).
Discipline and confidence together
David's trouble was God's hand on him after his own sin. One writer links this psalm back to Psalm 51.
We venture to say that David would never have written like this in Psalm 3, when he fled from Absalom, if he had not first written Psalm 51. That psalm poured out his heart in confession of his great sin. But he had judged himself and acknowledged his sin. God restored him to communion with Himself, so he could face with confidence the trouble that came on him under God's governmental dealings.
Another writer looks at David's flight and sees the purpose of the sorrow:
How the discipline of that hour entered into his soul!... The true value of sorrow and trial is to lead the soul into simple and felt reliance on God.
Beyond David
The taunt did not stop with David. One writer hears the same sneer at the cross.
Many said of David, "There is no help for him in God." In the same way the chief priests, scribes and elders of Israel mocked Christ as they watched Him on the cross: "He trusted in God; let Him deliver Him now if He will have Him." So men mistake God's patience for indifference. But God's time is not man's. In His own time He will step in, as He did after men had crucified and buried Christ. What a deliverance that was, when God raised Christ from among the dead!
Summary
- The taunt. "No help for him in God" was the sharpest part of David's pain. The devil still whispers that lie to believers under God's discipline.
- The shield. Not a partial defence but God Himself all around him — and it may take great need before we realise He is that near.
- The glory. With everything else gone, David still boasted in the Lord. Others could not see why a hunted man was rejoicing.
- The lifted head. God lifts the head He promised to lift, in His own time — even while the enemy still looks like the winner.
- The reach. The same taunt reached Christ on the cross, and God answered it by raising Him from the dead.