Tuesday 7th April
Read 2 Samuel 15:13-14
13 A messenger came and told David, “The hearts of the people of Israel are with Absalom.” 14 Then David said to all his officials who were with him in Jerusalem, “Come! We must flee, or none of us will escape from Absalom. We must leave immediately, or he will move quickly to overtake us and bring ruin on us and put the city to the sword.”
The question that comes to mind as we read Psalm 3 is, what are the circumstances surrounding this cry/ complaint?The answer is found in 2 Sam15 where David’s son Absalom is seeking to take over the kingdom from his father. The plot is devious and hidden behind a cloak of religious practices (sacrifices) and possibly a self-belief that somehow justified his rebellion as a God given blessing. David is initially unaware and his last words to Absalom is go in peace. Therefore, the shock and horror of what comes next is not surprising and David’s reactions are portrayed in a number of the Psalms (41, 55, 61-63). David is distraught and the words that we read at the start of Psalm 3 are a completely honest expression to his God of his emotional state and dependence. How honest are we with God when the ‘world’, maybe even family, seems to be against us at every turn? The psalm is a cry for help in the context of relationship breakdown and David could have expressed anger and sought justice for himself, what would your cry be in such circumstances?
Geoff Hinch
