Psalm 3:3-5 But you, O LORD, are a shield for me; my glory, and the lifter up of my head.… These verses show how much a man may have in reality when he seems to have absolutely nothing in appearance. David has described his estate as one of loneliness, amounting almost to utter desolation, so far as social relationships are concerned. He seems to be alone in the very midst of threatening and desperate enemies. His soul is mocked and his prayers are blown aside by the furious opposition of his pursuers. What, then, has David even in the midst of all this loss and peril and fear? He himself seems to give an inventory of his riches. 1. He has a sense of security. "Thou art a shield for me." The image of Divine protection under the type of a shield is of frequent occurrence in Scripture. 2. He has a sense of prayer. He describes God as the lifter up of his head: the meaning is, that though sore driven he could still turn his eyes towards heaven, expectant of spiritual deliverance and benediction, and that even when his enemies were most heavily pressing upon him he was lifted up higher than any of them — a target to be shot at; but he knew that no arrow of the enemy could strike the head that was divinely sustained. 3. Then David points out the fact of his own enjoyment of the quietness and refreshment of sleep, — "I laid me down and slept." An eye so critical as this could never be without an object of Divine care upon which to rest. We are too prone to think of God as only at the head of battles, and as leading great hosts in orderly procession; we forget that He giveth His beloved sleep, that He dries the tears of sorrow, and that He does about us the work of a servant, ministering to our life in patience and tenderness, and all bountifulness of love. The warrior who talks about a shield, and who rejoices in the lifting up of his head, recognises in sleep the benediction of God. God will never allow Himself to be excluded from what may be termed the more quiet and domestic spheres of life. (Joseph Parker, D. D.) Parallel Verses KJV: But thou, O LORD, art a shield for me; my glory, and the lifter up of mine head.WEB: But you, Yahweh, are a shield around me, my glory, and the one who lifts up my head. |
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