Hello, my name is Caleb Borisuk, and I’m so happy to take you through Psalm 3 in our series, Summer in the Psalms.
Lasse Virén was a long-distance runner competing in the 10,000-meter final of the 1972 Munich Olympics. About halfway through the race, tragedy struck. Virén collided with another runner, tripped, and fell hard on the track, sliding into a suitcase on the sideline.
Virén remained on the ground for a moment as many runners passed him. Can you imagine the thoughts and feelings? “Oh no. It’s over. I’ve failed. I’m out of the race.” But a few moments later, Virén gets up and starts running again. He seemed determined to finish the race.
It wouldn’t be easy. There were 11 laps remaining, and Virén was far behind. But lap after lonely lap, he put his best foot forward until the final lap, when he was clearly back in the race. The crowd went wild as Virén passed runner after runner and sprinted through the finish line in first place. Not only did Virén win the race in which he had fallen, but he set a new world record that day.
Virén knew something. He knew that failure isn’t final. He didn’t know if he would recover from his fall, but he refused to stay on the ground. He lifted his head and continued the race. Failure isn’t final.
David writes from a similar experience in Psalm 3. We’re going to look at that Psalm in a moment, but before we do, I want to remind us of the events in David’s life that led up to this Psalm. So first we’ll take a look at some context, then we’ll look at Psalm 3, and finally we’ll reflect on areas of failure in our own lives and ask God for grace to rise in his power. Sound good? Before we get started, let’s pray.
Lord Jesus, you are here with us as we watch or listen from wherever we are— in the kitchen, in the bedroom, in a car. You are with us. Thank you that your word is eternal. Lord, thank you that you show us the way and thank you that we stand in your grace. Lord, thank you that we are not defined in our relationship to you by our perfection or our performance. Lord, we thank you that we have freely received favor from you. Strengthen us this morning as we look at this psalm in the life of David to know that failure isn’t final, and we can step out of shame into our identity. In Jesus’s name, amen.
David had quite the rise. When we hear about David, we hear about him as the youngest brother, a shepherd boy. But he was faithful in that, and through God’s strength, he defeated lions and bears. Then David gets recruited to serve Saul, serving Saul as a musician.
During that time, Goliath comes, threatens the people of Israel, and David goes out and meets him. Putting his faith in God, he defeats Goliath, and becomes a somewhat famous warrior. After that, David wins many successful military campaigns.
Then Saul begins to get jealous of David and tries to kill him. Now David is a king on the run, and he spends a decade of his life running from Saul, taking refuge in caves. Many psalms are written during this period of time.
Finally, God judges Saul and his sons, takes them out, and David comes into Jerusalem as the beloved king of Israel. This is a high point for David. Through his whole story, we’ve traced his rise. In 2 Samuel 11, we read about David’s fall. It says,
“In the spring of the year, the time when kings go out to battle, David sent Joab, and his servants with him, and all Israel. And they ravaged the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. But David remained at Jerusalem. It happened, late one afternoon, when David arose from his couch and was walking on the roof of the king’s house, that he saw from the roof a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful” (2 Samuel 11:1-2).
David then goes and gets that woman (her name’s Bathsheba), he sleeps with her, and then—to take care of things when he finds out that she’s pregnant—he has her husband murdered in battle. Then David is rebuked by Nathan the prophet, and David’s son, born to Bathsheba, dies.
At this point, David is very grieved. He’s cut to the heart, he’s convicted of his sin, and he repents. However, this is David’s moment of falling down on the track. He’s been running a good race, but he has fallen down. David repents, but does not get back up. In fact, David spends the next eleven years of his life in the shadowland of shame.
We see this because David becomes a passive leader. David spends these years relinquishing his role as the spiritual leader of his family and nation. We see that in four different specific circumstances.
1. The violation of Tamar
David’s oldest son, Amnon, becomes obsessed with his half-sister Tamar. Amnon fakes illness to lure her into his quarters, and he rapes her. We learn that David is angry, but he doesn’t do anything about it. He doesn’t punish Amnon; he doesn’t cover Tamar. It appears that David’s own guilt over Bathsheba prevents him from disciplining his son for a similar sexual sin.
2. The murder of Amnon
The second circumstance is the murder of Amnon. Tamar’s full brother, Absalom, maintains a silent hatred towards Amnon for two years. During a sheep shearing festival, Absalom orders his servants to assassinate Amnon in cold blood. Ultimately, Absalom goes into exile to live with his grandfather in Geshur for three years.
3. The failed reconciliation
The third circumstance is the failed reconciliation. David eventually allows Absalom to return to Jerusalem, but refuses to see his face for two more years. David’s half-forgiveness breathes deep resentment in Absalom.
4. The 4-year conspiracy
Finally, the 4-year conspiracy. Absalom spends the next four years systematically undermining David’s authority. He stands at the city gates telling the citizens that, “King David is too busy to hear your requests. It’s too bad that I’m not the king because I would listen to you. I would care about you.” We pick up the story in 2 Samuel 15. You can turn there if you’d like. 2 Samuel 15, verse 1.
“After this Absalom got himself a chariot and horses, and fifty men to run before him. And Absalom used to rise early and stand beside the way of the gate. And when any man had a dispute to come before the king for judgment, Absalom would call to him and say, ‘From what city are you?’ And when he said, ‘Your servant is of such and such a tribe in Israel,’ Absalom would say to him, ‘See, your claims are good and right, but there is no man designated by the king to hear you.’ Then Absalom would say, ‘Oh that I were judge in the land! Then every man with a dispute or cause might come to me, and I would give him justice’” (2 Samuel 15:1-4).
So, Absalom, filled with bitterness towards David, is intentionally undermining David’s influence. We read further in the chapter, verse 13:
“And a messenger came to David, saying, ‘The hearts of the men of Israel have gone after Absalom.’ Then David said to all his servants who were with him at Jerusalem, ‘Arise, and let us flee, or else there will be no escape for us from Absalom. Go quickly, lest he overtake us quickly and bring down ruin on us and strike the city with the edge of the sword’” (2 Samuel 15:13-14).
David finally realizes that things have gotten out of control, so he grabs his servants and he’s running away from his own city. Verse 30,
“But David went up the ascent of the Mount of Olives, weeping as he went, barefoot and with his head covered. And all the people who were with him covered their heads, and they went up, weeping as they went” (2 Samuel 15:30).
What a scene. David is barefoot, head covered, weeping, on the run… He’s literally clothed with shame. Then we read in 2 Samuel 16:5,
“When King David came to Bahurim, there came out a man of the family of the house of Saul, whose name was Shimei, the son of Gera, and as he came, he cursed continually. And he threw stones at David and at all the servants of King David, and all the people and all the mighty men were on his right hand and on his left. And Shimei said as he cursed, ‘Get out, get out, you man of blood, you worthless man! The Lord has avenged on you all the blood of the house of Saul, in whose place you have reigned, and the Lord has given the kingdom into the hand of your son Absalom. See, your evil is on you, for you are a man of blood” (2 Samuel 16:5-8).
What a curse. What shame, what heaviness. Verse 9:
“Then Abishai the son of Zeruiah said to the king, ‘Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king? Let me go over and take off his head.’ But the king said, ‘What have I to do with you, you sons of Zeruiah? If he is cursing because the Lord has said to him, “Curse David,” who then shall say, “Why have you done so?”‘ And David said to Abishai and to all his servants, ‘Behold, my own son seeks my life; how much more now may this Benjaminite! Leave him alone, and let him curse, for the Lord has told him to. It may be that the Lord will look on the wrong done to me, and that the lord will repay me with good for his cursing today.’ So David and his men went on the road, while Shimei went along on the hillside opposite him and cursed as he went and threw stones at him and flung dust. And the king, and all the people who were with him, arrived weary at the Jordan. And there he refreshed himself” (2 Samuel 16:9-14).
Wow. So we have called to mind David’s rise from shepherd to king, David’s fall with Bathsheba— a huge moment of failure. He’s fallen on the racetrack, but then David doesn’t get up. He spends eleven years in shame, in passivity, and David is reaping the consequences of his sin.
Finally, it culminates in David losing everything. He’s on the run, ascending the Mount of Olives, barefoot, head covered, weeping. What’s left behind is Absalom on David’s rooftop with David’s wives. What a moment.
But at the last phrase of this passage, verse 14, we read, “…there [David] refreshed himself.” This is a huge turning point in David’s life. What happened when David refreshed himself? He wrote Psalm 3. If you want to turn there, Psalm 3 says this:
“A Psalm of David, when he fled from Absalom his son. O Lord, how many are my foes! Many are rising against me; many are saying of my soul, ‘There is no salvation for him in God.’ But you, O Lord, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head. I cried aloud to the Lord, and he answered me from his holy hill. I lay down and slept; I woke again, for the Lord sustained me. I will not be afraid of many thousands of people who have set themselves against me all around. Arise, O Lord! Save me, O my God! For you strike all my enemies on the cheek; you break the teeth of the wicked. Salvation belongs to the Lord; your blessing be on your people!”
Wow, that’s a bold psalm, especially for somebody who is at the very lowest moment of their life, and David is not a victim here. Everything that’s happening is a consequence of David’s sin.
I would not expect this bold of a Psalm. I would expect a Psalm that says, “God, I am sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry. And you know what? Everything that I see happening right now makes sense to me. I deserve this. Oh God, have mercy on me.” But that’s not what we see here.
Why does David write such a bold psalm? Why does this become a turning point for David, where he steps out of the shadow land of shame, out of passivity, and he refreshes himself in God? What’s going on here?
David knows his God. He knows that his relationship with God has never rested on his own performance. So David practices gutsy guilt in three different ways in this Psalm:
1. He confesses to the accusation that is coming against him.
2. He clings to God’s character.
3. He puts his confidence in God’s favor.
David confesses to the accusations, he clings to God/he clings to God character, and he puts his confidence in God’s favor.
Verses 1 and 2, confessing the accusation:
“O Lord, how many are my foes! Many are rising against me; many are saying of my soul, ‘There is no salvation for him in God’” (Psalm 3:1-2).
David is just saying out loud, “God, here’s what I’m hearing the enemies say over me: They’re saying there’s no hope for me. There’s no salvation for me in God. ‘It’s over for you. You screwed up. God’s not going to save you this time. You can’t be used anymore. God is done with you.’ God, that’s what I’m hearing the enemy say.”
But then David doesn’t stay there. I think this is important because many of us know—when we’re in the middle of failure—we know, “I need to confess my sin.” Confession of sin is so important. 1 John 1:9 says,
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
What a great hope. But many of us, after having confessed sin, still hear accusations from the enemy against us: “You screwed up. You always do this. You’ll always be like this. This is who you are. There’s no hope for you. God can’t use you.” So David begins to say those things out loud.
David clings to God’s character. Verse 3,
“But you, O Lord, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head. I cried aloud to the Lord, and he answered me from his holy hill” (Psalm 3:3-4).
What is David saying? He’s saying, “Here’s the accusation that I’m hearing, but you, God, you are my defender. You are my glory. You’re my comforter. You’re the one who hears my prayer.”
Finally, David puts his confidence in God’s favor.
“I lay down and slept; I woke again, for the Lord sustained me. I will not be afraid of many thousands of people who have set themselves against me all around. Arise, O Lord! Save me, O my God! For you strike all my enemies on the cheek; you break the teeth of the wicked. Salvation belongs to the Lord; your blessing be on your people!” (Psalm 3:5-8).
David is saying, “My relationship with you, God, doesn’t depend on me. I’m a failure. Many of the accusations against me are true. But you, oh Lord, you’re a shield around me. You’re my glory, so I can put my confidence in your favor. I can rest. You will punish my enemies. You will save me and bless me.” This is gutsy guilt.
Many of us need to learn from David’s story. Why? Because in many ways, David’s story is the story of every Christian. Here’s what I mean. Every Christian, our story goes like this:
I was living for myself. I was doing my own thing. I was dead in my sin. But God came. He pursued me. He showed me his love. He brought me to himself. He forgave me. He healed me. He restored me. My life began to change and turn around. I began to lead, and love, and serve others. But then I fell back. I fell back into sin.
This is where our stories diverge because for many Christians, when we fall, we stay down. We stay down on the racetrack. We all fail. We all have common ground here, but many people live as if failure has the final word. Like David in the years after his failure, we can become passive. We can shrink back into the shadowland of shame.
I know this because this is my story. I came to know Jesus from an early age, but I fell into a pattern, a cycle of sin and shame. My shame kept me isolated and separated from my calling. Who am I to lead? I can’t even lead myself. I felt disqualified. I was out of the race. I was living in passivity. But then, a friend showed me Psalm 103. I read that Psalm, and then I memorized it, and then I prayed through that Psalm every day for the next two years. I’ll tell you the first five verses:
“Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s” (Psalm 103:1-5).
When I read that psalm, memorized it, prayed it— finally, one day the lights came on, and I realized God has taken care of all my sin. The shame that I lived in began to evaporate when I began to believe God’s words. He pulled me out of that sin/shame cycle, set my feet on a rock, and—through confessing the enemy’s accusations against me, through clinging to God’s character, and placing confidence in his favor—I came alive again in my calling.
This is the message today: Failure is not final. Romans 6 tells us, “Where sin increased, grace increased all the more.” Micah 7:8 tells us, “Rejoice not over me, O my enemy; when I fall, I shall rise; when I sit in darkness, the Lord will be a light to me.”
This is gutsy guilt. Failure is not final. My prayer is that this will be the beginning of a new season for God’s people, that we would be a people who walk in the light of God’s grace. What would it look like if every person watching this lived as if failure isn’t final? What would it look like if we embraced our calling?
I see fathers teaching children the words and ways of God, knowing that personal perfection isn’t a requirement for spiritual leadership. I see older women discipling younger women, knowing that their stories of God’s faithfulness despite their failure will build great faith in the next generation. I see young people setting an example for believers in speech, in act, in love, in faith, and in purity. I see us living with integrity in our workplaces, knowing that our example won’t be perfect, but our joy and peace will bear witness to eternal realities. I see our cities transformed by an army of believers who are not shackled by shame, but are alive in the grace of God.
As we end our time, I’d like us to take a few minutes to reflect on our own lives. Where are you tempted to shrink back into shame because of your failure? You were running a good race, but you fell back. Where are you tempted to just stay on the ground? “I’m disqualified. It’s over. I’ve screwed up one too many times. Grace has run out on me.”
I would encourage you, this morning, to reflect with me through five steps. I’m going to take you through it. If you’re comfortable, I’d love for you to take a moment to bow your head, close your eyes, pray through this with me, or journal through this with me.
1. In that place of failure, I want you to confess that to God. “God, here’s where I have failed.” You may have confessed before. Let’s confess our sins again. “Lord, here’s my area of failure. I’ve fallen short of your standard.” Just take some time.
2. Confess the accusation. What is the enemy saying over you in this place of failure? Say it out loud to God. Write it down in your journal. “God, here’s what I’m hearing from the enemy. He’s saying, ‘You’re disqualified. You’ve failed one too many times. You’ve abused the grace of God. God is tired of you. God’s tired of dealing with you.’” Confess the accusation.
3. Cling to God’s character. Who is God in the middle of your failure? “Lord, you’re my Redeemer. Lord, I love you because you first loved me. Lord, even when I was dead in my sin, that’s when you died for me. Lord, you didn’t set your love on me because of anything in me that was lovable. You chose me just because that’s what you wanted to do.”
4. Place your confidence in God’s favor. “Lord, I want to rest now in the work that you’ve done. When you said on the cross, ‘It is finished,’ you meant it, that there was nothing else to do. There’s nothing else to earn. Lord, I rest in your favor.”
5. Step into your calling. What is the race that God called you to run before you fell back? Do the things that you did at first. One of my favorite verses is from Colossians. It says, “…as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him” (Colossians 2:6). What does that mean?
It means that my walk with Jesus should look similar to the moment that I received him. I received him in a place of deep need. I knew I wasn’t qualified. I cried out to him, “God, I need you.” Continue to walk in him that way. What did God call you to do when he called you? Continue in these things. Step back into your calling. Let me pray for us.
Lord, thank you for this Psalm. Thank you for the example from David’s life. He rose, he fell, he shrank back into shame and passivity. But Lord, there was a moment when he refreshed himself in God, where he confessed the accusation of the enemy. He was able to cling to your character and put his confidence in your favor.
We pray that we would be a people that does not shrink back in failure. We recognize that failure is not final. It does not have the final word. We pray we would be people who know how to walk in gutsy guilt. Lord, I’m going to receive from you. I’m going to walk in your favor. Lord, strengthen us to be a people who live in our calling and step out of the shadows of shame. In Jesus’s name, amen.
