Epaggelia

A Psalm of David while he ran from Absalom his son; ref. 2nd Samuel, 15-18

v1-2, When human beings are led to think and accept that God can’t help them, we lose hope. Telling people God can’t help them, is horrible emotional abuse. Shimei did this to David, thinking David was just getting what he deserved, 2Sam. 16:7-8. This thought was painful for David because he had experienced blessings from God after he was repentant, so to use the disobedient rebellion of your child as a public stage for humiliation and blame it on God’s neglect, must have been very hurtful. 

v3-4, Truly, silent prayers are heard, indeed, but most Christians experience better & more fruitful prayers when praying out loud, even when they are alone, after all, we are not talking to our self! Speak up! The way God showed David that he was shielded and lifted up his head, may be a bit mysterious to us, but we know it had to do with David recognizing God’s influence. The word glory means exactly that, “influence”.  Men find glory or “influence” in all sorts of things; money, fame, power, prestige, or possessions. David found his influence or glory in the LORD. Be honest, do you, deep down inside, make God your glory/influence? Other people may boast in their money, beauty or position, but do you find in God, what others find in these? Where is your glory? If it’s in Christ, you will feel his security like a shield, (Ephesians 5:16) and your head won’t be droopy, but held up in dignity, not prideful arrogance.

v5-6, Know this: while we sleep, we’re unconscious, dead to the world – yet we breathe, our heart pumps, our organs operate and to a certain extent, in a small way, our muscles are refreshed. The same God who sustains us in our sleep, sustains us in our difficulties, don’t forget this. Because Christ as our shield, is who saves us, even if we die in our sleep one day. Afterall, God is bigger & better than any modern home security gadget & service. Christian courage is akin to Jewish courage from the Psalmist because their God is our Christ. Paul put it like this, “If God is for us, who can be against us? ~ Rom. 8:31. Ultimately, the worst thing anyone can do to a genuine Christian, is make us endure suffering for the short time it takes us to change addresses, and our new address is Heaven!

v7-8, Arise, O LORD: David is quoting the words of Numbers 10:35 here, where Moses used this phrase as the children of Israel broke camp in the wilderness. It was a military phrase, proclaiming that God goes forward to defend Israel and lead them to victory. God will SHATTER the teeth of our enemies with one blow. UFC’s middleweight Devin Clark’s bottom front teeth were knocked out of place, by Ion Cutelaba on Sep 19, 2021 in Las Vegas. UFC featherweight Conor McGregor had the majority of his teeth fixed paying almost 500K to a Dentist in April 2021. Darren Till the British kickboxer revealed to journalists about his teeth and said, “They’re all fake. … .Aug 7, 2020. Even with our protective measures in our mouth and on fists, we still damage teeth, but God will not relent towards the unrepentant. There is a day appointed for judgment and their teeth will be shattered. For the Christian, God has already “Risen” in Christ. In a sense His victory is given to us and we are more than conquerors in Him, which doesn’t mean we don’t lose a battle here or there, but it does mean that the final season championship is ours! THAT is favor and grace shown to Christians by God. Rejoice!