Bible Studies

A STUDY OF PSALM 27 VERSE 3

by GLENN PEASE
01/28/22
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3 Though an army besiege me,my heart will not fear;though war break out against me, even then will I be confident.

1. He is an incurable optimist. Wars and invading armies were just a part of his daily life, and God had given him assurance that he would be king, and so with complete trust in the promise of God he faced danger and death with full confidence that he would survive. "Give it your best shot" is what David is saying to his enemies, for he is confident that victory will be his. No matter how bad the news would be down the road for David, he could face the future without fear. He was expressing the same faith that Paul had when he said, "If God be with us, who can be against us?" Ro 8:31.

1B. David had the same optimistic view of life as the little girl in this story."A little girl walked daily to and from school. Though the weather that morning was questionable and clouds were forming, she made her daily trip to school. As the afternoon progressed, the winds whipped up, along with thunder and lightning. The mother of the little girl felt concerned that her daughter would be frightened as she walked home from school, and she herself feared that the electrical storm might harm her child.

Following the roar of thunder, lightning, like a flaming sword would cut through the sky. Full of concern, the mother quickly got in her car and drove along the route to her child's school. As she did so, she saw her little girl walking along, but at each flash of lightning, the child would stop, look up and smile. Another and another were to follow quickly, each with the little girl stopping, looking up and smiling. Finally, the mother called over to her child and asked, "what are you doing?" The child answered, "smiling, God just keeps taking pictures of me." Contributed by Bo Strong

2. Spurgeon wrote, "Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear. Before the actual conflict, while as yet the battle is untried, the warrior's heart, being held in suspense, is very liable to become fluttered. The encamping host often inspires greater dread than the same host in actual affray. Young tells us of some--"Who feel a thousand deaths in fearing one." Doubtless the shadow of anticipated trouble is, to timorous minds, a more prolific source of sorrow than the trouble itself, but faith puts a strengthening plaister to the back of courage, and throws out of the window the dregs of the cup of trembling. Though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident. When it actually comes to push of pike, faith's shield will ward off the blow; and if the first brush should be but the beginning of a war, yet faith's banners will wave in spite of the foe. Though battle should succeed battle, and one campaign should be followed by another, the believer will not be dismayed at the length of the conflict."

3. It could be interpreted that David is being over confident, and even showing some pride here, but the whole context shows us that he is just using the power of positive thinking in facing trials and tribulations. The rest of the Psalm reveals that he does, in fact, have fears, but he does not want to yield to those fears, but to rely on faith to overcome them. David Humpal wrote, "The next thing that David does to overcome his fears is to speak in faith. As we read through this psalm, we see clear indications that David’s fear was real. It was there facing him in the face. But instead of allowing terror to overwhelm him, he forced himself to make these statements of trust – "my heart shall not fear" and "yet I will be confident." This does not mean that David didn’t feel some dread in his heart nor that there weren’t moments of doubt as we can see from verses 7, 9, and 12. But it does mean that he was willing to trust in God and discipline his thoughts to not abandon his faith in the face of calamity."

4. David had so much experience to fall back on, but that it not always true of believers in every circumstance. The disciples of Jesus became so fearful when Jesus was arrested that they fled and hid in the upper room fearful that they too might be taken prisoners. Peter boldly took a swipe with a sword and cut off an ear of the enemy, but he was rebuked, and then later denied that he even knew Jesus. They all became cowards in the face of serious danger, and doubtless all of us would have been in that same category under those circumstances. Jesus never held in against them, and he never forgave them, for he did not consider it a sin that they forsook him under that kind of pressure. After the resurrection they were bold and courageous, and they did not let fear hold them back again. They marched against all enemies and faced death fearlessly, and each of them died as martyrs for the faith.

5. R. A. Torrey wrote about Christian cowardice in his day in London. "My next text is in John xii. 42 and 43: "Nevertheless among, the chief rulers also many believed on Him, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue. For they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God." Now that was written about Jerusalem in Christ's time, but it sounds just as if it were written about London to-day. How many men there are in London, leading men, just like these chief rulers of Jerusalem, who believe in Jesus Christ in their hearts, but they do not confess Him with their mouths for fear of what men will say of them, for they love the praise of men more than the praise of God. It is moral cowardice. There are hundreds and thousands and tens of thousands of men and women just as fully convinced as I am that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and yet holding back from open, public confession of Christ because of moral cowardice."

"I wish to say right here at the beginning that it takes courage to be a Christian, to be a real, true, outspoken follower of Jesus Christ. You and I live in a God-hating world; we live in a compromising age -an age in which men professing to be Christians are trying to please the world and carry on the Church of Christ so that there will be no difference between the church and the world. Now in a God-hating world like this, and in a compromising age like this, it takes courage to be an out-and-out soldier of Jesus Christ. It takes more courage than a great many of you have got. Many a man to-day who has great courage, who has courage enough to be a soldier, who has courage enough to go to war, courage enough to go to the front, courage enough to stand on the firing line, and stand in the face of a galling fire from the enemy's guns, has not courage enough to go back to the barracks at night and kneel down and say his prayers, and endure the chaff of his fellow-soldiers. It takes Courage, the sublimest courage to be an out-and-out Christian."

6. Matthäus A. vonLöwen Stern wrote,
Lord of our life, and God of our salvation,
Star of our night, and Hope of every nation,
Hear and receive Thy church’s supplication,
Lord God Almighty.

See round Thine ark the hungry billows curling!
See how Thy foes their banners are unfurling!
Lord, while their darts envenomed they are hurling,
Thou canst preserve us.

Lord, Thou canst help when earthly armor faileth;
Lord, Thou canst save when sin itself assaileth;
Lord, o’er Thy rock nor death nor hell prevaileth;
Grant us Thy peace, Lord.

Peace, in our hearts, our evil thoughts assuaging,
Peace, in Thy church, where brothers are engaging,
Peace, when the world its busy war is waging;
Calm thy foes raging!

Grant us Thy help till backward they are driven;
Grant them Thy truth, that they may be forgiven;
Grant peace on earth, or after we have striven,
Peace in Thy heaven.

7. It may sound very strange to you when I say that these two verses that talk of enemies and war, and threats galore, are a basis for studying God's sense of humor. I say this because of some of the crazy ways God saved his hide from those who wanted to kill him. On one occassion we see him running from Saul, who was desperate to wipe David from the face of the earth. Let me read the text.

I Sam. 21:10-15 "That day David fled from Saul and went to Achish king of Gath. 11 But the servants of Achish said to him, "Isn't this David, the king of the land? Isn't he the one they sing about in their dances " 'Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands'?"12 David took these words to heart and was very much afraid of Achish king of Gath. 13 So he pretended to be insane in their presence; and while he was in their hands he acted like a madman, making marks on the doors of the gate and letting saliva run down his beard. 14 Achish said to his servants, "Look at the man! He is insane! Why bring him to me? 15 Am I so short of madmen that you have to bring this fellow here to carry on like this in front of me? Must this man come into my house?"

David excaped death by deception. He played the role of an insane madman so well that the king wanted nothing to do with him, and he was set free. Some people question if a believer should ever deceive someone, or pretend and be the hypocrite to escape danger, but it is foolish to do so, because deception is a valid part of warfare. Deception is a part of competition in sports, for you often have to pretend to move one way, and then suddenly move the other way to win the point. You have to fool your opponent and deceive them into making the wrong move. This is true in warfare as well, and that is what camaflough is all about. You try to hide things from the enemy, and you pretend your forces are going one way, but really they are going another way to attack you. Deception is a basic part of all the wars that America has fought, and it is true in the warfare of the Bible as well. This is a major theme we could get back too, for it runs all through the Bible, but for now our theme is to trace the humor of God in saving David's life. God just had to get a kick out of this clever way that David saved his neck. He had to laugh as David acted like a total slobbering idiot with saliva running down his beard, and how funny is it that the king scolded his men from bringing this madman into his presence. He makes a funny himself by saying he has no shortage of his own madmen, and he does not need to add to his supply. The whole scene is a sitcom out of ancient history, and God directed the whole thing, as another of his close call escapes for sparing David's life. Clearly, we see the humor of God here.

8. Now we move ahead to I Sam. 23:7-14 "Saul was told that David had gone to Keilah, and he said, "God has handed him over to me, for David has imprisoned himself by entering a town with gates and bars." 8 And Saul called up all his forces for battle, to go down to Keilah to besiege David and his men. 9 When David learned that Saul was plotting against him, he said to Abiathar the priest, "Bring the ephod."10 David said, "O LORD , God of Israel, your servant has heard definitely that Saul plans to come to Keilah and destroy the town on account of me.11 Will the citizens of Keilah surrender me to him? Will Saul come down, as your servant has heard? O LORD , God of Israel, tell your servant." And the LORD said, "He will." 12 Again David asked, "Will the citizens of Keilah surrender me and my men to Saul?" And the LORD said, "They will."

This is finally it. Saul wins and David loses. It is all over for David. His life ends right here in podunkville, for God has stated it point blank that Saul will come and destroy the town to get him, and then says the people will turn him over to Saul. He is right where Saul wants him, and he is trapped. God knows the future, and he tells David exactly what is going to be in his near future, and it is doom. How will David escape this time? It was quite simple. In fact, it was so simple that it is funny. David just used his knowledge of the future to avoid it. That is what we read in the next few verses.

13 So David and his men, about six hundred in number, left Keilah and kept moving from place to place. When Saul was told that David had escaped from Keilah, he did not go there. 14 David stayed in the desert strongholds and in the hills of the Desert of Ziph. Day after day Saul searched for him, but God did not give David into his hands."

Here is God again directing a sitcom, and a suspense thriller at the same time. God says Saul is coming, and David will be turned over to him, but he gave David the good sense to realize that what God knows is going to happen is subject to change if you make choices that are different than the ones you are now making. God knew what was going to happen if David stayed there, but David had the freedom to leave, and he did, and found a better hiding place in the desert and hills. He again outwitted Saul, and by the grace of God was saved again. There is some serious theology here that we need to mention, but it is another instance of the humor of history that God builds into it by his providence. What was certain to be did not happen, for David got inside information that enabled him to change that future that God saw was a certain thing. By means of prayer David became clever in avoiding death, and time and time again God saved David by one clever means or another, and he had to get a chuckle as he watched his chosen king outwit Saul, his rejected king, every time. Saul said, "its in the bag for me now, for God has finally leaned to my side with David trapped in that town." Wrong again Saul, for God's money is still on David, and you are left with an empty bag again.

The serious note before we move on is this: God knowing something is going to be does not mean that it has to be. He knows all of the possibilities of the future, but by our free willed choices we change what God knows. He knows you will have a flat tire if you do not get it fixed, and that will lead to an accident or a long delay that causes you to miss an important appointment. That is a lot of bad news that he knows is coming into your life. But none of it needs to be what God sees if you take care of the tire or get a new one with some threads on it. With that choice taking place God now sees a successful appointment that brings you a promotion and much joy. God sees both pictures of the future, and which one comes to pass depends on your choices. That is why we pray for wisdom and guidance to know the will of God. He wants to see us fulfill the good future and escape the bad as was the case with David.

Everything we learn from Scripture and others, and everything we seek God for in prayer are all guiding us to choices that determine our future. God told Jonah to go and tell the Ninevites that they had 40 days and then they would be destroyed. It was God's clear message by his chosen prophet. When the 40 days were up the city was not destroyed as God said it would be. Why? Because the people repented, and God in mercy let them survive for several more generations. Jonah hated it, and was hopping mad at God for changing his mind, for it made him look like a fool. But God will change his mind and history in favor of grace rather than judgment every time when people make the right choices. Even the most wicked people can change the future if they wise up and turn to God. This is serious business, but it is also often funny when we see examples of how God's people change the future and outwit the negative forces of evil. It makes God and man laugh together.

9. How do I know God laughs in situations like we have been describing? I know it from the times that God reveals his laughter in the Psalms. As I read the three passages that reveal God laughing, pay attention to the fact that they all have to do with the wicked who plot and conspire to attack and overthrow the righteous. They are all in a context of conflict between good and evil. God laughs at evil men and nations who think they can oppose God and his people and succeed. God laughs in the same way any father will bust a gut when his three year old son gets angry and decides to take on dad and give him the pounding of his life. Dad holds him by his head as he swings his fists with all his might, and his very seriousness in his attack makes dad almost crumble to the floor because it is so hilarious. Listen now to the three times God is said to laugh out loud.

1. In Psalm 4:1-4 we read,

1 Why do the nations conspire
and the peoples plot in vain?

2 The kings of the earth take their stand
and the rulers gather together
against the LORD
and against his Anointed One.

3 "Let us break their chains," they say,
"and throw off their fetters."

4 The One enthroned in heaven laughs;
the Lord scoffs at them.

One commentator says of these verses, "....this text teaches that, despite the most extensive and strenuous preparations of the vastest international confederacies to defeat God?s purposes and strike down His servants, God is not worried. On the contrary, He laughs. Though nations rage and take counsel together against the Lord, the omnipotent Sovereign holds them in derision. God derides their impotence as though with a squirt gun they would liquidate the stars, or by a push of the hand would roll the sun off the sky. This laugh of God springs from His infinite superiority, the conclusive finality of His might, and the methods by which He effects His judgments."

2. In Psalm 37:12-15 we read,

12 The wicked plot against the righteous
and gnash their teeth at them;

13 but the Lord laughs at the wicked,
for he knows their day is coming.

14 The wicked draw the sword
and bend the bow
to bring down the poor and needy,
to slay those whose ways are upright.

15 But their swords will pierce their own hearts,
and their bows will be broken.

"One commentator calls this another instance of divine sarcasm as God laughs at His enemy's folly and patiently waits the day of retribution when righteousness shall triumph. In his poem, "Malcolm and Marie", Dr. Oswald J. Smith makes the imprisoned Russian youth, separated from his fiance through Soviet persecution, exclaim,

Methinks I hear God laugh, so let them rage.

He'll hold them in derision till the day

He rises in His wrath, and in His hot

Displeasure, vexes those who vainly seek

To tear Him from His throne for judgment set.

What folly if a sparrow hurl itself

Against a locomotive in its pride,

Expecting thus to check it in its speed!

As little hope have they who mock at God."

Many of the miracles of Jesus were comedies played out on the stage of history. When Jesus intimated that death had not dealt its final blow to Jairus's daughter, the crowd laughed Him to scorn. A few minutes later the laugh was on them when the maid arose and walked." The family now rejoices at the gift of life from the grave, and Jesus again laughs with them at the evil power of death being forced to surrender its prey. Whenever evil forces are outwitted and overcome, it is a time for laughter. God gets plenty to laugh about as he watches his Son defeat one enemy after another in his earthly life. We tend to think of the life of Jesus as tragedy because of his suffering and cruel death, but the reality is, most of his life was comedy as he defeats the enemies of God's kingdom over and over again, day after day of his public ministry. People were laughing with joy constantly around Jesus as he healed and cast out demons, and even raised people from the dead. It was a party every day around Jesus.

3. In Psalm 59:1-9 we read, " 1 Deliver me from my enemies, O God;
protect me from those who rise up against me.

2 Deliver me from evildoers
and save me from bloodthirsty men.

3 See how they lie in wait for me!
Fierce men conspire against me
for no offense or sin of mine, O LORD.

4 I have done no wrong, yet they are ready to attack me.
Arise to help me; look on my plight!

5 O LORD God Almighty, the God of Israel,
rouse yourself to punish all the nations;
show no mercy to wicked traitors.
Selah

6 They return at evening,
snarling like dogs,
and prowl about the city.

7 See what they spew from their mouths—
they spew out swords from their lips,
and they say, "Who can hear us?"

8 But you, O LORD, laugh at them;
you scoff at all those nations.

9 O my Strength, I watch for you;
you, O God, are my fortress, 10 my loving God.
God will go before me
and will let me gloat over those who slander me.

The theme of these passages all revolve around the folly of those people and nations who presume to be superior to the the righteous, and those whom God has chosen. God laughs because they are so full of pride to think they can win over God and his people, but God knows they don't have a chance. He knows they will go down in defeat, and the good guys will always win in the end. This is the theme of thousands of movies. Almost every Western is based on this theme. The evil man who controls the whole town and makes life miserable to the good people alway ends up defeated by the little guy who comes into town and fights for the people. The good guy who is outnumbered always wins over the gang of evil outlaws who have all the advantages. All your cowboy heroes battle against great odds and come out smelling like a rose. Maybe they have a wounded arm where the bad guy gets off a shot, but the bad guy always ends up in the grave. The same them goes for the good guy detective against the mobsters and other wicked schemers against society. The same them covers all the movies dealing with the prideful superior class of people who look down on the lowly common people, but in the end they get their behind kicked and the average Joe's and Jane's end up rejoicing in the wonder of their victory. Thousands of movies portray the very same theme that makes God laugh, and people laugh as well, and that is why they are often called comedies. They are designed to make people laugh.

History is this same comedy theme, for no matter how powerful evil men and rulers become, they always end up with God laughing at their defeat. I was 8 years old when World War II ended, and I was a shoe shine boy in downtown Sioux Falls, S.D. and it was amazing how people laughed and shouted and danced in the streets. People stopped their cars in the street and go out to hug and rejoice with people all around them. It was a victory celebration, and people opened their windows in the upper floors of buildings and joined the crowds on the streets shouting and rejoicing in the good news. Hitler was no longer a threat to the world, and all the pride of those people who thought they could conquor the world was now like a baloon punctured with a thousand pins. The same story is repeated all through history as tyrants and dictators fall from their high horse of pride and bite the dust of disgrace and death. History is God's comedy, and it keeps him laughing because it never ceases to amaze God that puny men think they can rid the world of his people. God always has the last laugh as prideful men end in the grave and his people go marching on. All of the horrible plots of history to eliminate the Jews, and later the Christians, have ended in the same way, with the tyrants as victims of their own folly, and God's people victorious.

David had this conviction way back in his lifetime, and he was confident that by God's help and providence he would escape the evil plots of those who were out to kill him. Look again at the text-

Though an army besiege me,
my heart will not fear;
though war break out against me,
even then will I be confident.

Why was he so confident in such terrible times? It was because he knew that God laughed at evil forces that sought to destroy His chosen people, and this enabled David to laugh as well at those same evil forces. He could laugh with God with assurance of a final victory over all who were out to destroy him. Think like God and you can laugh at the powers of evil.