Psalm 3: God is the Lifter of Your Head

"You are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head"

Their moonlit silhouettes moved quickly across the Kidron Valley and up the Mount of Olives. With their heads covered, and feet bare, their grief was impossible to conceal. David and his dwindling band of supporters wept as they fled Jerusalem, uncertain if they’d ever return.  Absalom and his growing army would stop at nothing to overthrow David from his throne. As he left, David wondered if his enemies were right; maybe God had abandoned him. In his lament, he cried out:

“Oh Lord, how many are my foes! Many are rising against me; many are saying of my soul, there is no salvation for him in God.” 

Selah

Psalm 3:1-2

Psalm 3 is the first psalm with a title, “A PSALM OF DAVID, WHEN HE FLED FROM ABSALOM HIS SON.” The story behind this Psalm is found in 2 Samuel 15-17 where years of family dysfunction and drama had reached a boiling point. Absalom had positioned himself at the city gates and sowed seeds of doubt in his father’s leadership. What the people needed was someone who would represent their best interests. You know, someone like Absalom! 

Soon he had stolen the hearts of the men of Israel and assembled an army to oust David. When news reached David that Absalom was on his way, he fled the city to spare it from the inevitable conflict and bloodshed.

Interestingly, David’s lament is only two verses long. Not dwelling on his circumstances, in verse three there’s a noticeable shift in his outlook. But what happened between verses two and three? The answer lies in a little word that’s easy to miss. It’s right justified in the margin of your text, under verse two. It’s the word, ‘Selah.’