Psalms in Poetic Form: Psalm 3

Click here to read PSALM 3 in poetic form.

Background

The third Psalm has a title: “A Psalm of David, when he fled from Absalom his son.” This is recorded in II Samuel 15—18. David was forced to leave Jerusalem and was under attack by his own people (who were influenced by religious leaders). Jesus Christ centuries later read of his “father” David and his exile and persecution. Jesus could have related to being the true King who was forced out of Jerusalem and continually attacked by religious leaders in his time. Yet he knew, like David, that “Salvation belongeth unto the Lord.”

Structure

The Psalm is separated by the Hebrew term “Selah,” which means to pause. Some Bible teachers say this connected the truths that come before and after the term. Psalm 3 is structured as follows:

(Verses 1,2) What evil men say against the Lord and His Messiah
Pause
(Verses 3,4) God hears and responds to His Son, the Messiah
Pause
(Verses 5–8) The Messiah’s trust in God and victory over his enemies
Pause

Key Scriptures

Verse 2—”Many there be which say of my soul, There is no help for him in God.” Many said of David that there was no “help” for him in God. The Hebrew word for “help” means salvation or deliverance. The same was true of the son of David, Jesus Christ.  Matthew 27:41-43: “Likewise also the chief priests mocking him, with the scribes and elders, said, He saved others; himself he cannot save. If he be the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe him. He trusted in God; let him deliver him now, if he will have him: for he said, I am the Son of God.”

Verse 4—”I cried unto the Lord with my voice, and he heard me out of his holy hill.” David cried unto the Lord for deliverance from evil and was heard. Jesus Christ also prayed this way. Matthew 6:13: “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.”

Verse 8—”Salvation belongeth unto the Lord.” God’s blessing was upon His people when David was saved and returned to Jerusalem. All people were blessed when Christ entered Jerusalem and gave his life for us (Matthew 21:9; Mark 11:9).

FOR FURTHER STUDY

All 150 of The Psalms in Poetic Form are available from Amazon in a book, either Large Print or a smaller Bedside Reader. Also available for free with a Kindle Unlimited membership. Enjoy!

The entire blog series is now available in the publication The Psalms: Background & Structure with Key Scriptures Explained.