So we're going to look at Psalm 3 today. But by way of introduction, I want you to listen as I read a short passage from Hebrews chapter 5, verse 7. Listen closely. In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications with loud cries and tears to him who was able to save him from death. And he was heard because of his reverence. The author of Hebrews is reminding his readers of certain relatively recent historical facts. Jesus is the son of God who partook of flesh and blood. That is Jesus, in Jesus, God became man. He's now fully God and fully man. And as a man, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications with loud cries and tears. And to whom did Jesus offer up his prayers and supplications? Well, of course, the simple answer to that question is that he prayed to God. But notice exactly how the author referred to God. Jesus offered up prayers and supplications with loud cries and tears to him who was able to save him from death. We're told that Jesus prayed to the one who was able to save him from death. And the reason he prayed to the one who was able to save him from death is because that is exactly what he needed. He needed to be saved from death. And then finally, we are told that he was heard because of his reverence. He was heard. I trust you understand the meaning of those words. God did not merely hear, no. God heard his prayers and supplications. That is, God answered his prayers and supplications. The God who was able to save him from death did just that. God saved Jesus from death. Now, he did not save Jesus from experiencing death. We're told in Hebrews chapter 2 verse 9 that, by the grace of God, Jesus tasted death for every one of his people. Jesus experienced death. He tasted death. So no, God did not save Jesus from experiencing death, but nevertheless, God did indeed save Jesus from death. God saved Jesus from death by raising him up out of death. And the author of Hebrews reminds his readers of these facts of recent history. Jesus prayed for God to save him from death, and God responded to that prayer by raising Jesus from the dead. It's the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Now let's turn our attention to Psalm 3. This psalm was written about a thousand years before the events to which the author of Hebrews referred. And it covers the very same ground, how Jesus prayed and how God answered his prayers by raising him from the dead. A thousand years before God raised Jesus from the dead and answered to the prayers of Jesus, the God who stands outside of time and who is not bound by time gave us a song. This song is a song celebrating these events as historical facts a thousand years ahead of time. And so I hope that through our time together this morning, I can make it clear to you that this really is what we have before us in Psalm 3. But my aim this morning is not merely to bring you to the point where you consider Psalm 3 as a prophecy fulfilled in Jesus. The Psalm is prophetic, but it is not merely a prophecy. It's a song of celebration. And my hope for this morning is that we will experience this song, this psalm, as a song of celebration, a song that celebrates how God answered Jesus' prayers by raising them from the dead. Now, someone may object to this understanding of the psalm by pointing to the inscription You notice the inscription at the head of the psalm, the superscript that introduces the psalm says, a psalm of David, when he fled from Absalom, his son. Now in light of these words, someone might ask how this psalm could possibly be about Jesus. Well, let me say that it's not impossible that David wrote these words about his own experience and that these same words were intended to take on far greater meaning in light of David's greatest son. But I am inclined to believe that from the very beginning, this psalm spoke directly about Jesus the Messiah. And the inscription does not negate that possibility. Notice exactly what it tells us. The inscription tells us that David wrote this psalm. It tells us when he wrote it, around the time when his own son Absalom led a rebellion against him. But notice it does not tell us explicitly that David wrote this psalm about himself. We quite naturally assume so, but strictly speaking, we're making an assumption. Something very interesting happens when we carefully compare the Bible's historical account of Absalom's rebellion to the content of this psalm. You can read of that account of Absalom's rebellion in 2 Samuel chapter 15 through 19. Of course, we can't take time to read that entire passage. But if we were to read through this entire historical passage and compare it to the contents of our song, we would certainly find points of correlation. What's more surprising though, is that we would also find points of contrast. So what do we make of these differences? Well, I believe that the differences between the history of the period and the content of this psalm signal the prophetic nature of the psalm. And is that not how the apostle Peter taught us to read the psalms? The apostle Peter conveyed to us this important principle for interpreting the psalms through his preaching to the crowds on the day of Pentecost. Do you remember how we quoted Psalm 16, a psalm written by David? The psalm says, you will not abandon my soul to Hades or let your holy one see corruption. Notice that David wrote my soul. And what did Peter say about this passage? Well, we find these words in Acts chapter 2, verse 29 through 31. Let me just read them to you. Brothers, I may say to you with confidence about the patriarch David, that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants on his throne, he foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ. that he would not be abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption. So what did the apostle teach us about the Psalms of David? He taught us that David was a prophet, and that as a prophet, he foresaw and spoke about the Christ who was to come. And sometimes, at least, he prophesied of Christ by speaking in the first person. That is, he prophesied of Christ by speaking as the Christ. Now, if you think about it, that's not really all that odd. Think of all the modern songs. Just think of them. Is every one of these songs an autobiographical expression? Of course not. That's not the nature of song. Very often, a song is expressed in the first person, but they're not talking about their own history. Well, that's the same way we have here. It's not all that extraordinary. Peter has taught us that a discrepancy between David's history and the content of a psalm gives us at least one indication of its prophetic nature. So this is what the differences between Psalm 3 and the account of Absalom's rebellion indicate. David was not writing of his own experience, but about what the Christ would experience. And we could spend a lot more time on this point, but we need to move on. We now shift our focus to the prophetic features of the text. That's why I printed this out for you. We really can't understand this psalm until we take into consideration its poetic structure. Its structure plays into the very meaning of the psalm. So let's turn our attention in that direction. First, observe the overall structure of the psalm as you look at our sheet here. The psalm consists of three poetic paragraphs. I've broken them. down on the page. David and the rest of the biblical poets had all kinds of tools at their disposal for marking and distinguishing these poetic paragraphs from one another. They used different tools and different psalms. But let me just point out to you just a few of the devices used to shape this psalm. You can see that each poetic paragraph in this psalm contains three lines. Now on our page, it looks like you could interpret that as six lines, but the three lines begin in the far left margin of each paragraph. The first poetic paragraph consists of verses one through three, the second of verses four through six, and the third verses seven and eight. Now if you look more closely at the three lines in each paragraph, you can see that the structure of each paragraph is really more like two lines plus one. Observe how the first two lines in each paragraph are bound tightly together by their content. In the first paragraph, the first two lines describe the dire circumstances of the anointed king. the desire, the dire circumstances of the anointed king. Oh Lord, how many are my foes, many are rising against me, many are saying of my soul, there is no salvation for him and God. In the second paragraph, the first two lines describe the past actions of both the anointed king and God. Verse four, I cried aloud to the Lord and he answered me from his holy hill. I lay down and slept, I woke again for the Lord to stain me. In the last paragraph, a petition occupies the first two lines. Arise, O Lord, save me, O my God, for you have struck all my enemies on the cheek. You have broken the teeth of the wicked. Now consider the third line in each paragraph. I've marked that by italics in each case. Each one offers one or more positive assertions or affirmations of faith. But you, O Lord, are a shield about me, my glory and the lifter of my head. That's verse three. Verse six, I will not be afraid of many thousands of people who have set themselves against me all around. Verse eight, salvation belongs to the Lord. Your blessing be on your people. So there's a regular pattern that governs the structure of each of these paragraphs. Now something else distinguishes the boundaries between these three paragraphs. Notice that the first and last paragraph are addressed directly to God. Verse 1, O Lord, how many are my foes? Verse 3, but you, O Lord, are a shield about me. And then the last paragraph, verse 7, Arise, O Lord, save me, O my God. So you see, the first and the last paragraph, we get what amounts to a recording of the anointed king as he's praying to God. The words are addressed directly to God, but they are recorded for our benefit. As a result, we come close to overhearing the anointed king as he prays to God. We enter the moment. We are brought into the experience as it unfolds. Now, the second paragraph is different. Here, the anointed king does not speak to God, but about God. These words are not addressed directly to God in prayer. Instead, they are addressed directly to us or to those who hear this song sung. Here, in this second paragraph, the anointed king gives us his personal testimony. We have a narrative of past events. It comes to us from a historical perspective. I cried aloud to the Lord and he answered me from his holy hill. I lay down and slept, I woke again for the Lord sustained me. So then, let's take a step back and look at this psalm as a whole. What do we have? We have one prayer heard from two perspectives. On the one hand, in the first and the last paragraph, we enter into the experience of the king as he's praying. We hear the very words of his prayer as he's praying. We are in the moment with him. On the second hand, in the second paragraph, we hear the king telling us about that same prayer, but now it's a matter of history. He cried aloud to the Lord and the Lord answered him. We have an historical account, a personal testimony celebrating how God answered his prayer. So then in the whole of the psalm, we have one prayer from two perspectives. And the anointed king is calling us to enter in to his celebration. Now, let's consider the actual content of the psalm from the two perspectives we've just observed. First, we'll join with Christ as he prays, the content of the first and last paragraphs. And then we'll hear his testimony of how God answered his prayer, the content of the middle paragraph. You see in the heading of the first paragraph, Christ's prayer part one, preamble. As I read verse one, or actually it's verse two, many are saying of my soul, there is no salvation for him and God. As I read those words, I hear Matthew's account of what happened at the cross. Matthew chapter 27, verse 39 through 44. And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads and saying, you who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself. If you're the son of God, come down from the cross. So also the chief priest with the scribes and elders mocked him, saying, he saved others, he cannot save himself. If he's the king of Israel, let him come down now from the cross and we'll believe in him. He trusts in God, let God deliver him now if he desires him. For he says, I am the son of God. And the robbers who were crucified with him also reviled him in the same way. Now do they really believe that God's going to deliver him? Not a chance. So what are they saying? They're saying exactly what this psalm says in verse 2. There's no salvation for him and God. This is Christ's lament, and the situation seems so dark and dire. But then we come to Christ's creed, his affirmation in verse 3. But you, O Lord, are a shield about me, my glory and the lifter of my head." As I read those words, I think back to that first passage we looked and considered, Hebrews chapter 5, verse 7. He was heard because of his reverence. What reverence we have in those words. Think of it. You're surrounded by your enemies, hanging on the cross. They're taunting you because they know that there's no one gonna come and save you. How, how could he have any hope in that situation? Yet he did. In that terrible situation that's designed to sap a person of all hope, Christ looks to his God. It says, but you, O Lord, are a shield about me, my glory and the lifter of my head. What faith, what goodness, what reverence. They say to him, there is no salvation for him in God, but he says, no. It's not true. You, O Lord, are my shield, my glory, and the lifter of my head." With bold confidence he has in God, no one thinks God is going to help him. His situation looks so hopeless, but defiantly, he maintains his trust in God. He has no doubt that he knows God better than all those pronouncing his doom. He knows that the Lord is his God. He knows that there is salvation for him in God. Let's move on to Christ's petition. That's the third section. In red, you see Christ's prayer, part two, petition. Arise, O Lord. Save me, O my God. Now, here's an interesting feature of the text. Note that next word, for. or because. Arise, O Lord, save me, O my God, because you have struck all my enemies on the cheek. You have broken the teeth of the wicked. Is that not a strange connection? Save me because you've crushed my enemies. What's going on here? What's going on? Save me because you've crushed my enemies? Who says something like that? Who needs to say anything like that? I can only think of one. Christ needs the Lord to arise and save him because the Lord has struck all his enemies on the cheek and broken the teeth of the wicked. His plight arises out of his victory. Or his victory arises out of his plight, whichever way you want to look at it. Plight and victory are so closely related that they cannot be separated. What kind of warfare is this? In the Gospel of John, among the last words Jesus said to his disciples before the crucifixion were these, in the world you will have tribulation, but take heart, I have overcome the world. I have overcome the world. What is he saying? He's telling them, take heart, I have conquered the world. That is the last verse of chapter 16. In chapter 17, he prays to the Father. Then in chapter 18, the band of soldiers come to arrest Jesus. They lead him into his plight. And in his plight comes victory. In his plight, he conquers the world. Do you remember the scene in Revelation chapter 5? One of the elders said to John, weep no more. Behold, the lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David, has conquered. And then what did John see? I saw a lamb standing as though it had been slain. Christ has conquered all through his cross. But now, he looks to God for deliverance. And it's deliverance not only for himself, but for his people. Look at the last, well, verse seven. Arise, O Lord, save me, O my God. Now skip down to verse eight. Salvation belongs to the Lord. Your blessing be on your people. Arise, O Lord. Save me, O my God. The salvation of this anointed king encompasses the blessing of God's people. The blessing of God's people depends on God saving his anointed king. They're two sides of one prayer. Arise, O Lord, save me, O my God. Your blessing be on your people. It's just looking at the same request from two different angles. His salvation is the blessing of his people. Notice the allusion in these words of Psalm 3 to Genesis 3. Many of you are aware that it is here in Genesis chapter 3, just after the fall of man, that God makes the first promise of the gospel concerning Jesus Christ. In Genesis chapter 3, verse 14 and 15, we find these words. The Lord God said to the serpent, because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock and above all beasts of the field. On your belly you shall go and dust you shall eat all the days of your life. I will put enmity between you and the woman and between your offspring and her offspring. He shall bruise your head and you shall die. shall bruise his heel. He shall bruise your head. Look at verse 7, the second part, the second line of the last paragraph. For you have struck all my enemies on the cheek. You have broken the teeth of the wicked. And the head of that, of course, is a serpent himself. So now, I hope you recognize the prayer of Christ. Let's turn now to the testimony of Christ. That's the middle paragraph. I put that in bold letters. Notice how this paragraph relates to the prayer that we've already considered. In verse 7, we find a cry for help Arise, O Lord, save me, O my God. In verse four, which is Christ's testimony, the first line of the second paragraph, we learn that this cry for help was heard. He prayed, Arise, O Lord, save me, O my God. In verse four, he tells us that that very prayer was heard. I cried aloud to the Lord, and he answered me. from his holy hill. And the next verse, verse five, must be seen in its relation to the previous verse. The Lord answered me when I cried. Verse five goes into detail as to how his prayer for deliverance was answered. We move from the general to the more specific. The general in verse four to the more specific in verse five. I cried aloud to the Lord and he answered me. How, dear anointed king, how did he answer you? When you cried out for salvation, how did he answer you? Well, here's how. I lay down and slept. I woke again. Christ testifies in the very structure of this psalm, Christ testifies that his resurrection is of central importance. That's why the paragraphs are not arranged in chronological order. It's because this testimony is of central importance. And this is a frequent device of biblical poetry to literally arrange the poetry around its most important point, its central point. It's like a target with a bullseye. It's got these rings around it. But at the center, that's what you're aiming for. That's the point. These, and at the center of the center, is verse five. I lay down and slept, I woke again, for the Lord sustained me. At the heart of this testimony is Christ's testimony to his own death and resurrection. Do you see it? The psalm is composed in nine lines. Where does the testimony to the resurrection come? It comes in the fifth line, the center line of the psalm. It's also in the center line of the center paragraph. And the importance of this testimony to the resurrection is poetically marked in another way as well. For instance, if you counted the verbal forms in the original language, the first paragraph has four verbal forms. The last paragraph has the same number, four verbal forms. The middle paragraph has eight verbal forms, twice as many as the paragraph on either side. And now look at the center paragraph. The center line, verse four and verse six each have two verbal forms, and the middle line, verse five, I lay down and slept, I woke again, for the Lord sustained me, that has four verbal forms in one line. That's double of any other line. So what we have here in this poetic arrangement and through these poetic expressions, we see that in verse five, the testimony of the resurrection is poetically speaking at the center of the action and within the psalm, this is the climax of activity. Here, this is where all the action's happening. At the very center of the psalm, at the very center, this is the climax of activity. This is where everything's going on. This is the most important things. I lay down and slept. I woke again, for the Lord sustained me. And it may help you to understand the significance of this statement if you realize just how often the terms lying down and sleeping were used as euphemisms for death. For instance, in 1 Kings 2, verse 10, we read that David slept with his fathers and was buried in the city of David. In 1 Kings 11, verse 43, we read of David's son, Solomon slept with his fathers and was buried in the city of David, his father. And so we read of king after king after king that he slept with his fathers, but here in Psalm 3, We read that in answer to his prayer for deliverance, Christ lay down and slept, but he woke again, for the Lord sustained. Also, the term awakening is linked in the Old Testament to the idea of resurrection. For instance, in Daniel's prophecy, we learn of a coming day when many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. So I hope you see the true import of this statement. I lay down and slept. I woke again, for the Lord sustained me. This song testifies to the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Now, I want you to consider that what we have here is not merely a prophecy. It's not merely a prayer. It's also a song. That is, it's a song that's meant to be sung. We're to sing this song in which we hear the very voice of Christ praying in the midst of his passion. We hear his voice, and we're to join our voices to him. Notice, as we've already said, this psalm is written in the first person. You might be tempted by that to think the only person who could sing this psalm is Christ himself. But no, this psalm is given to the church to sing. And it gives us a musical illustration of what happens when we come to faith in Jesus Christ. We become one with him. We sang the song, Victory in Jesus. We, through union with him, participate in his victory. We enter the experience of his passion as we take up the words of this prayer on our lips. Our celebratory singing becomes a musical illustration. We act out in song what has happened to us in Christ. We die with him, and we rise with him. You, who have turned from your sin, you, who have put your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, what happened at just that moment? You were brought into union with Jesus Christ. By faith, you were made one with Christ. And according to the scriptures, at just that moment, his righteousness became yours. Apart from any of your own works, His righteousness became yours simply by virtue of your union with him. His death became yours, and thereby your sins were paid for. We can say with the Apostle Paul, I have been crucified with Christ. By virtue of your union with Christ, you suffered the full penalty of every sin that you would ever commit. He paid the penalty on the cross. You died with him. You were buried with him. You rose again with him. You have been raised to eternal life with him. The Apostle Paul wrote in chapter six of Romans, do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried, therefore, with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. Christ's song, through our union with him, his song becomes our song. It's through this union with him that our lives are transformed. It is through this union with him that we, too, will be raised from the dead. As the Apostle Paul said in Romans chapter 6, verse 5, for if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. This is something worth celebrating. And we've been given a song to do it. So let's do that. Let's celebrate. Let's turn to the psalm on the back of your sheets, if I can find it here myself. And I think most of you will, or hopefully a good number of you, will recognize the tune once we get it started and just join in as you feel comfortable doing so. O Lord, how are my foes increased? Against me many rise. How many, say, in vain for help he on his God relies? You are my shield and glory, Lord, You lifted up my head. I cried out, Lord, and from His hill to me His answers sped. I lay down, slept, and woke again. The Lord is keeping me. I will not fear ten thousand men entrenched surrounding me. Arise, O Lord, save me, my God, you punish all my foes. You smite the face of wicked men, their teeth break with your blows. Deliverance is from the Lord, salvation His alone. Oh, let Your blessing evermore be on Your people shown. Amen.