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"Arise, O LORD..."

Day 25 – Psalm 3

“Arise, O LORD…” Psalm 3:7

CHANGES IN THE LANGUAGE OF PRAYER

David began with a lament even as he prayed to the Lord. However, when he found a renewal of confidence in the Lord, the content of his prayer changed dramatically.

“Arise, O LORD; Save me, O my God!
For You have struck all my enemies on the cheekbone;
You have broken the teeth of the ungodly.”
Psalm 3:7

1. “Arise, O LORD; Save me, O my God!”

a) This is what we call an “Invocation” of the Lord’s name.

b) David is calling on the name of the Lord; he has invoked His holy name!

c) He may believe indeed that God would “arise” and deliver him out of all his troubles.

d) The word “save” may be better understood as meaning “deliverance” in this context.

2. “For You have struck all my enemies on the cheekbone”

a) This is a battle-description.

b) God has come down to fight the enemies in close quarters.

c) He has struck the enemies with a deadly blow to the cheekbones.

d) The enemies will fall as a result of this deadly blow from God.

3. “You have broken the teeth of the ungodly”

a) This is another battle-description.

b) The literal image gives way to a strong spiritual one.

i) The teeth is a reference to the strength of the enemy.

ii) This imagery is borrowed from animals that show their teeth when they are angry (and conflated with human beings).

iii) When the teeth are broken… the strength and the determination are also taken away!