“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. Selah.” (Psalm 3:1–2)

David committed a grievous sin before the LORD by taking Bathsheba and causing her husband Uriah to be killed in battle. Later, his son Absalom rebelled against him, seeking to drive his father from the throne and make himself king. When the hearts of the people of Israel turned toward Absalom, David was forced to leave the royal palace and flee for his life.

At that time, many people said concerning David:

“There is no help for him in God.” (Psalm 3:2)

There was certainly an element of divine discipline for David’s sin in the suffering he experienced. The prophet Nathan had rebuked him for his sin, and as a consequence of that sin, great sorrow came upon his family and kingdom.

Yet this event also points forward to Jesus Christ and the suffering He would endure.

David suffered because of his own sin, but Jesus suffered in our place for our sins. When Jesus was crucified, people mocked Him as though He had been abandoned by God. Those passing by insulted Him, as did the chief priests, scribes, and elders. Even the thieves who were crucified with Him reviled Him.

“He trusted in God; let him deliver him now, if he will have him: for he said, I am the Son of God.” (Matthew 27:43)

These words bear a striking resemblance to what people said about David:

“There is no help for him in God.” (Psalm 3:2)

Even today, the devil whispers the same lies to us:

“God will not help you.”

“God has abandoned you.”

“There is no hope left for you.”

What the devil seeks to take from us is not merely our peace or our joy. His aim is to rob us of our hope in God Himself.

“But thou, O LORD, art a shield for me; my glory, and the lifter up of mine head. I cried unto the LORD with my voice, and he heard me out of his holy hill. Selah.” (Psalm 3:3–4)

When David fled from Absalom and left Jerusalem, he covered his head and went barefoot, weeping as he climbed the Mount of Olives. David, who had once been king of a nation, was now driven from his palace and brought into such shame and humiliation that he could scarcely lift his head.

Yet even in those circumstances, David confessed that God was “the lifter up of mine head.”

If David had looked only at the circumstances before his eyes, he could never have made such a confession. He was able to say this because God had given him a promise:

“But my mercy shall not depart away from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away before thee. And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever.” (2 Samuel 7:15–16)

David was experiencing God’s discipline because of his sin, but he believed that God had not therefore abolished the covenant He had made with him.

For the moment, David was fleeing with his head covered, weeping as he went. Yet he believed that in God’s time, the LORD would lift up his head again.

And in the end, after passing through many afflictions, David returned to Jerusalem and was restored to the throne.

In this event, we can see a remarkable picture pointing forward to Jesus Christ.

Just as David went up the Mount of Olives weeping, Jesus, the Son of David, also prayed on the Mount of Olives in Gethsemane in deep anguish before the cross. His suffering was so intense that Scripture says:

“His sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.” (Luke 22:44)

Yet Jesus descended into a far deeper humiliation than David.

David suffered because of his own sin, but Jesus, who had no sin, suffered in order to bear our sins. He was despised and rejected by men, crucified, died, and was laid in the grave. Jesus descended to the lowest place.

But God did not leave Him there.

He raised Jesus from the dead and highly exalted Him. God lifted up the head of Christ.

Philippians 2:8–9 says:

“He humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name.” (Philippians 2:8–9)

And amazingly, God did not lift up the head of Christ alone. He also lifted us up who are in Christ.

Because of our sins, we were people who could not lift our heads before a holy God. But when God raised Jesus from the dead, He also made us alive and raised us up together with Him.

“And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” (Ephesians 2:6)

Therefore, David’s confession, “the lifter up of mine head,” becomes a precious confession for us as well.

We could not lift our heads because of sin, but God has forgiven us in Christ and raised us up with Him.

“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.” (Psalm 3:5–6)

David could say that he would not be afraid even if ten thousands surrounded him because he knew that God had answered his cry.

Earlier, David had confessed:

“I cried unto the LORD with my voice, and he heard me out of his holy hill.” (Psalm 3:4)

The holy hill refers to holy Zion, where God’s presence and kingship were revealed. God had established David as king there, and through the presence of the ark of the covenant, His presence and rule were manifested. God’s presence in Zion and David’s kingship pointed forward to the coming Jesus Christ.

David was a sinner who had committed a grievous sin, yet he cried out to God. He could do so despite his sin because his hope rested in the grace of God and ultimately in the promised Christ who was to come.

David understood that a person is not justified by his own works but by the grace of God who forgives sin. Therefore, in another psalm he confessed:

“Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin.” (Psalm 32:1–2; Romans 4:7–8)

God heard David’s cry from His holy hill and answered him.

Although David was a sinner, he could receive an answer from God not because of his own righteousness, but because of the grace of God, ultimately grounded in the atonement that Jesus Christ would accomplish on the cross.

Therefore, God’s answer from the holy hill was an assurance of grace to David that he had not been abandoned by God.

And when David lay down, slept, and awoke again, he recognized that God was still sustaining him.

Because we awoke yesterday and again today, we tend to assume that we will naturally open our eyes tomorrow morning. But waking again tomorrow is not something guaranteed to us. We sleep and rise again because God sustains our lives and graciously preserves us.

David had committed a grievous sin, and he could have made no claim upon God as though he deserved to live. Moreover, countless enemies were seeking his life.

Yet the night passed, and David opened his eyes again.

The very fact that he was still alive became evidence of God’s grace: God had not abandoned him but was still sustaining him.

Because David trusted that the God who had sustained him through the night would sustain him again that day, he could say:

“I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people, that have set themselves against me round about.” (Psalm 3:6)

“Arise, O LORD; save me, O my God: for thou hast smitten all mine enemies upon the cheek bone; thou hast broken the teeth of the ungodly. Salvation belongeth unto the LORD: thy blessing is upon thy people. Selah.” (Psalm 3:7–8)

Scripture tells us that there is a season for everything and a time for every purpose under heaven:

“A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up.” (Ecclesiastes 3:2–3)

God does not remain silent forever. There is a time when He arises.

When God arose in judgment in the days of Noah, the world was covered with water, and the voices of those who opposed Him were silenced. Sodom and Gomorrah likewise came under God’s judgment and were destroyed by fire and brimstone.

David did not try to save himself by his own strength. He knew that his salvation belonged to the LORD.

Therefore, he cried:

“Arise, O LORD; save me, O my God.” (Psalm 3:7)

And he confessed that God had struck his enemies upon the cheek and broken the teeth of the ungodly.

When the Israelites suffered under slavery in Egypt, they also cried out to God. God heard their cry and sent Moses to deliver them from Egypt.

God does not turn away from those who cry out to Him.

Yet David’s prayer does not end with his own deliverance.

Even though many of the people had betrayed him and followed Absalom, David still prayed for God’s people:

“Thy blessing is upon thy people.” (Psalm 3:8)

In David’s prayer, we can see something of the heart of Jesus.

Jesus said:

“Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.” (Matthew 5:44)

And while He was on the cross, Jesus prayed for those who were crucifying Him:

“Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.” (Luke 23:34)

The heart of Jesus, who prayed for forgiveness and grace even for those who opposed Him, was foreshadowed in David’s prayer when he asked God to pour His blessing upon His people.

Psalm 2

“Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying, Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us.” (Psalm 2:1–3)

When Jesus came into this world, many people hated and opposed Him because they loved darkness rather than light. In darkness, uncleanness can remain hidden, but before Jesus, who is “the true Light” (John 1:9), all sin and unrighteousness are exposed. Therefore, Jesus said:

“For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.” (John 3:20)

Yet when sin is exposed by the light, it is not for the purpose of destroying the sinner. Like the woman caught in adultery, those whose sins are brought into the light may instead receive His grace and be set free from the condemnation and bondage of sin. Jesus said:

“The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” (John 10:10)

Jesus did not come to bind us. He came to release us from the bondage of sin and give us true life and freedom.

Nevertheless, those who love sin do not want the rule of Jesus because they want to live according to their own desires. To such people, Jesus does not appear to be a Saviour but someone whose rule restrains them. Therefore, they say:

“Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us.” (Psalm 2:3)

The Pharisees and scribes were like this. They loved themselves more than God. They refused to acknowledge their sin and come into the light. Instead, in order to preserve the position and influence they enjoyed, they opposed Jesus and sought to remove Him.

“He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision. Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure. Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.” (Psalm 2:4–6)

God is infinitely great and exalted, and therefore it is only right that man should fear Him. Yet people join together in opposition against God. This reveals how lightly created human beings regard the God who made them and how boldly they disregard His authority.

But God knows that all their schemes are vain, and therefore He laughs at them. No matter how completely mankind may unite against God, their rebellion can never overthrow His purpose.

Men rejected Jesus and finally crucified Him, but even that could not frustrate God’s purpose to establish Jesus as King.

On the day of Pentecost, Peter proclaimed to the Jews gathered in Jerusalem:

“Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.” (Acts 2:36)

Men thought that by crucifying Jesus they had removed Him. But God raised that same Jesus from the dead and exalted Him as Lord and Christ. Human opposition itself became the means through which God’s purpose was fulfilled.

The expression “He that sitteth in the heavens” is also significant.

Man is on earth, while God sits in heaven. This does not merely describe a difference of location. It reveals God’s absolute sovereignty and transcendence. Human beings may resist and oppose the will of God, but they cannot defeat it or force God to change it.

God does not alter His purpose because of human rebellion. He accomplishes all things according to His own good pleasure and plan.

“I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee. Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.” (Psalm 2:7–9)

God has established Jesus as King, and now the King declares what God has spoken concerning Him.

God says to Jesus:

“Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee.” (Psalm 2:7)

This does not mean that Jesus first became the Son of God at that moment. Jesus is the eternal Son of God. The apostle Paul connected this verse with the resurrection of Jesus when he said:

“God hath fulfilled the same unto us their children, in that he hath raised up Jesus again; as it is also written in the second psalm, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee.” (Acts 13:33)

Paul also wrote that Jesus was:

“Declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead.” (Romans 1:4)

Therefore, the words “this day have I begotten thee” do not mean that Jesus became the Son of God for the first time on that day. Rather, through His resurrection from the dead, He was powerfully declared and revealed to be the Son of God and the Messiah-King appointed by God.

God then says to Jesus:

“Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.” (Psalm 2:8)

God promises to give Jesus not only the people of Israel but all nations as His inheritance, and His dominion will extend to the ends of the earth.

Therefore, Jesus is not merely the King of one nation. He is the King who rules over all nations and over the whole earth.

Furthermore, God says:

“Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.” (Psalm 2:9)

In these words, God gives Jesus authority to rule and to judge. Just as a vessel of clay cannot withstand an iron rod, no earthly power, however strong it may appear, can ultimately prevail against the King whom God has established.

Therefore, Jesus is not only the Saviour who came to save sinners. He is also the King who rules over all nations and who will judge those who persist to the end in rejecting and opposing His rule.

“Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth. Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.” (Psalm 2:10–12)

The word “therefore” shows that these verses are the conclusion of everything that has come before.

Proverbs 1:7 says:

“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.” (Proverbs 1:7)

There is nothing more foolish than opposing God and the King whom He has established.

God therefore calls people to turn from the foolishness of opposing Him and His Christ, to become wise, and to receive His instruction. God has already established Jesus as King. Therefore, instead of continuing to resist Him, they are called to turn and submit to the King whom God has appointed.

Scripture then says:

“Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling.” (Psalm 2:11)

To fear the LORD does not mean merely to be terrified of Him and run away. It means to recognize His greatness and majesty and willingly come under His rule.

God desires us to serve Him with reverence and, under His gracious rule, to experience true joy.

Scripture also says:

“Kiss the Son.” (Psalm 2:12)

To kiss a king was an expression of honor, loyalty, and submission. Therefore, these words can be understood as a call to receive Jesus, whom God has established, as our King and to submit ourselves to His rule.

If a person refuses to repent and continues to reject and oppose Jesus, he cannot escape the judgment of God. Man may reject the King whom God has established, but he cannot overthrow His authority.

Yet for the person who fears God’s wrath, turns from rebellion, and takes refuge in Him, there is a wonderful promise:

“Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.” (Psalm 2:12)

The Hebrew word translated “Blessed” here is ashrei (אַשְׁרֵי), the same word used at the beginning of Psalm 1: “Blessed is the man.”

Psalm 1 begins with the blessed man, and Psalm 2 ends by declaring blessed all those who take refuge in God.

We can therefore see that Psalms 1 and 2 are closely connected.

The truly blessed person is not the one who turns away from God to follow his own way, but the one who takes refuge in Him. He is not the one who opposes the King whom God has established, but the one who receives Christ as his King.

Such a person abides in the Word of God and, like a tree planted by rivers of water, continually receives life from God and enjoys the true blessing that only He can give.

“Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.” (Psalm 1:1–2)

Psalm 1 begins with the Hebrew expression Ashrei Ha-Ish (אַשְׁרֵי הָאִישׁ), an exclamation meaning, “How blessed is the man!” The verses that follow describe the person who is truly blessed.

When we read this description, we may feel that we are far from being such a blessed person, because we have not lived this way. Yet that is not the end of the story, because we are in Jesus Christ.

Jesus alone perfectly refused to walk in the counsel of the ungodly, stand in the way of sinners, or sit in the seat of the scornful. He alone perfectly delighted in the law of the LORD and meditated upon it day and night. Therefore, Jesus has the wisdom and power to lead those who are in Him into the way of the blessed.

Jesus leads us to meditate upon the Word of God day by day so that through His Word we may come to understand the love of God revealed within it. As we come to know that love, our hearts are humbled, and we learn to walk humbly with God.

Because this Jesus is with us, we are blessed.

“And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.” (Psalm 1:3)

It is natural for a tree planted beside streams of water to bear fruit in its season and for its leaves not to wither. This is because it has been planted where it can continually receive water.

But there is one word here to which we should pay particular attention: “planted.”

The Hebrew word translated “planted” is shatul (שָׁתוּל), meaning “planted” or “transplanted.” The picture is not of a seed that happened to fall there and grow by itself, but of a tree deliberately placed and planted there by someone.

Colossians 1:13 says:

“Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son.” (Colossians 1:13)

We are not in Jesus Christ because of something we accomplished by our own strength. God Himself delivered us and brought us into the kingdom of His Son. It is like a tree being taken from dry ground and transplanted beside streams rich with water.

In Jesus there is an abundance of the Word, more than sufficient to refresh and nourish our souls. Even when difficulties and trials come, we are able to endure because God continually supplies us through His Word.

Psalm 92:12–14 presents the same picture:

“The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Those that be planted in the house of the LORD shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat and flourishing.” (Psalm 92:12–14)

This is true prosperity.

“The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away. Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.” (Psalm 1:4–5)

If the righteous are compared to a tree planted by streams of water, the ungodly are compared to chaff driven away by the wind.

The roots of the righteous are connected to the Word of God, but the ungodly have no such root. Therefore, when the wind blows, they have nothing to hold them firmly in place, and they are carried wherever the wind takes them.

After grain has been threshed, it is winnowed by tossing it into the air. The heavier grain falls back to the ground, while the light chaff is carried away by the wind.

John the Baptist used this picture of the threshing floor when he spoke of Jesus:

“Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” (Matthew 3:12)

In this present world, the righteous and the wicked live side by side. But just as the wind separates the wheat from the chaff during winnowing, on the day of God’s judgment the righteous and the wicked will be separated forever.

For now, the wicked may sometimes appear prosperous and firmly established, but their end will be very different.

Asaph once envied the prosperity of the wicked. But when he entered the sanctuary of God, he understood their end and said:

“Until I went into the sanctuary of God; then understood I their end. Surely thou didst set them in slippery places: thou castedst them down into destruction. How are they brought into desolation, as in a moment! they are utterly consumed with terrors.” (Psalm 73:17–19)

“For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.” (Psalm 1:6)

People may walk many different paths according to their own choices, but before God there are ultimately only two ways: the way of the righteous and the way of the wicked.

The LORD knows the way of the righteous.

The Hebrew word translated “knoweth” is yada (יָדַע), whose basic meaning is “to know.” When Scripture says that the LORD knows the way of the righteous, it does not merely mean that God possesses information about their path. He knows their circumstances, their hearts, and even their weaknesses intimately.

Therefore, the words “the LORD knoweth” carry the sense that He knows the way of the righteous, watches over it, and cares for those who walk in it.

The way of the righteous is sometimes narrow and difficult to walk. It is a way that causes us to seek God and depend upon Him, because we need His presence and His help.

The way of the wicked, on the other hand, is the broad and easy way that many people choose. Because it is self-centered, those who walk in it follow what seems right in their own eyes rather than seeking the will of God.

But the destinations of these two ways could not be more different.

The way of the righteous leads to life, while the way of the wicked leads to destruction.

Therefore, although the way of the righteous may involve hardship now, it has a future and a hope. But although the way of the wicked may offer pleasure for a little while, in the end it has no hope.