To the LORD I cry aloud, and He answers me from His holy mountain. Selah To the LORD I cry aloudThis phrase emphasizes the act of vocal prayer, a common practice in ancient Israel. Crying aloud to God signifies earnestness and desperation, reflecting a deep reliance on divine intervention. The act of crying out is seen throughout the Psalms and is a model for believers to express their needs and emotions to God. This practice is rooted in the belief that God is personal and attentive to the cries of His people, as seen in Exodus 2:23-25 when the Israelites cried out under Egyptian bondage. and He answers me
This assurance of divine response highlights God's faithfulness and willingness to engage with His people. The certainty of God's answer is a recurring theme in Scripture, reinforcing the idea that God is not distant or indifferent. This reflects the covenant relationship between God and Israel, where God promises to hear and respond to His people's prayers, as seen in 2 Chronicles 7:14. It also prefigures the New Testament teaching that God hears the prayers of believers through Jesus Christ (John 14:13-14). from His holy mountain
The "holy mountain" refers to Mount Zion, the location of the Temple in Jerusalem, which was considered the dwelling place of God among His people. This geographical reference underscores the centrality of Jerusalem in Israel's worship and the belief that God's presence was uniquely manifest there. The mountain symbolizes God's sovereignty and holiness, and it is a place of divine revelation and blessing. This imagery is echoed in Hebrews 12:22, where believers are said to come to the "heavenly Jerusalem." Selah
The term "Selah" is often understood as a musical or liturgical pause, inviting the reader or listener to reflect on the preceding words. It serves as a moment to meditate on the truth and significance of God's responsiveness and presence. While its exact meaning is debated, it consistently appears in the Psalms to encourage contemplation and deeper understanding of the text. Persons / Places / Events 1. DavidThe author of Psalm 3, David is in a time of distress, fleeing from his son Absalom. This context highlights his reliance on God during personal turmoil. 2. The LORD (Yahweh)The covenant name of God, emphasizing His personal relationship with David and His people. David directs his cries to Yahweh, trusting in His faithfulness. 3. Holy MountainRefers to Mount Zion, the location of the Ark of the Covenant during David's time, symbolizing God's presence and His dwelling place among His people. 4. Absalom's RebellionThe event during which David wrote this psalm, as he fled from his son Absalom who sought to usurp the throne. 5. SelahA term used in the Psalms, possibly indicating a pause for reflection or musical interlude, inviting the reader to meditate on the truth just expressed. Teaching Points The Power of PrayerDavid's example shows the importance of crying out to God in times of trouble. Prayer is a powerful tool for believers to connect with God and seek His intervention. God's Faithful ResponseThe assurance that God answers prayer is a central theme. Believers can trust that God hears and responds from His holy presence. The Significance of God's PresenceThe reference to God's "holy mountain" underscores the importance of His presence. Believers are reminded that God is near and accessible. Reflection and MeditationThe use of "Selah" encourages believers to pause and reflect on God's faithfulness and the truths of His Word. Bible Study Questions 1. How does David's situation in Psalm 3:4 encourage you to approach God in your own times of distress? 2. In what ways can you incorporate the practice of "Selah" into your daily life to enhance your spiritual reflection and meditation? 3. How does the assurance of God's response from His "holy mountain" impact your confidence in prayer? 4. Compare David's cry to God in Psalm 3:4 with Paul's exhortation in Philippians 4:6-7. How do both passages encourage a life of prayer and trust in God? 5. Reflect on a time when you experienced God's answer to your prayers. How did that experience strengthen your faith and reliance on Him? Connections to Other Scriptures 1 Samuel 30:6David strengthens himself in the LORD during distress, similar to his cry in Psalm 3:4. Philippians 4:6-7Encourages believers to present their requests to God with thanksgiving, promising peace, akin to David's experience of God's answer. Hebrews 4:16Invites believers to approach God's throne of grace with confidence, reflecting David's boldness in crying out to God. People Absalom, David, PsalmistPlaces JerusalemTopics Aloud, Answereth, Answers, Cried, Cry, Crying, Gives, Hill, Holiness, Holy, Mountain, Selah, VoiceDictionary of Bible Themes Psalm 3:4 1065 God, holiness of
5159 hearing
5932 response
8614 prayer, answers
8666 praise, manner and methods Psalm 3:1-4 5945 self-pity Psalm 3:1-8 5087 David, reign of
8618 prayerfulness Psalm 3:3-6 8215 confidence, results Library Table of the Books of Holy Scripture According to Date.
HISTORICAL BOOKS. PROPHETIC AND POETICAL BOOKS. B.C. 4004 1689 Genesis 1529 Job Psalm lxxxviii. by Heman, the Ezrahite, (See 1 Chron. ii. 6) 1491 Exodus 1491 Leviticus 1451 Numbers Psalm xc. and (perhaps) xci 1450 Deuteronomy 1451 1427 Joshua 1312 Ruth 1120 Judges 1171 1056 1 Samuel Psalms, certainly vii, xi, xvi, xvii, xxii, xxxi, xxxiv, lvi, liv, lii, cix, xxxv, lvii, lviii, cxliii, cxl, cxli, and many more 1056 1 Chronicles Psalms, certainly ii, vi, ix, xx, 1023 Psalms …
Charlotte Mary Yonge—The Chosen PeopleThe History of the Psalter
[Sidenote: Nature of the Psalter] Corresponding to the book of Proverbs, itself a select library containing Israel's best gnomic literature, is the Psalter, the compendium of the nation's lyrical songs and hymns and prayers. It is the record of the soul experiences of the race. Its language is that of the heart, and its thoughts of common interest to worshipful humanity. It reflects almost every phase of religious feeling: penitence, doubt, remorse, confession, fear, faith, hope, adoration, and …
Charles Foster Kent—The Origin & Permanent Value of the Old Testament Rules to be Observed in Singing of Psalms.
1. Beware of singing divine psalms for an ordinary recreation, as do men of impure spirits, who sing holy psalms intermingled with profane ballads: They are God's word: take them not in thy mouth in vain. 2. Remember to sing David's psalms with David's spirit (Matt. xxii. 43.) 3. Practise St. Paul's rule--"I will sing with the spirit, but I will sing with the understanding also." (1 Cor. xiv. 15.) 4. As you sing uncover your heads (1 Cor. xi. 4), and behave yourselves in comely reverence as in the …
Lewis Bayly—The Practice of Piety The Godly are in Some Sense Already Blessed
I proceed now to the second aphorism or conclusion, that the godly are in some sense already blessed. The saints are blessed not only when they are apprehended by God, but while they are travellers to glory. They are blessed before they are crowned. This seems a paradox to flesh and blood. What, reproached and maligned, yet blessed! A man that looks upon the children of God with a carnal eye and sees how they are afflicted, and like the ship in the gospel which was covered with waves' (Matthew 8:24), …
Thomas Watson—The Beatitudes: An Exposition of Matthew 5:1-12 Of the Necessity of Divine Influences to Produce Regeneration in the Soul.
Titus iii. 5, 6. Titus iii. 5, 6. Not by works of righteousness, which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; which he shed on us abundantly, through Jesus Christ our Saviour. IF my business were to explain and illustrate this scripture at large, it would yield an ample field for accurate criticism and useful discourse, and more especially would lead us into a variety of practical remarks, on which it would be pleasant …
Philip Doddridge—Practical Discourses on Regeneration Christ's Kingly Office
Q-26: HOW DOES CHRIST EXECUTE THE OFFICE OF A KING? A: In subduing us to himself, in ruling and defending us, and in restraining and conquering all his and our enemies. Let us consider now Christ's regal office. And he has on his vesture, and on his thigh, a name written, "King of kings, and Lord of lords", Rev 19:16. Jesus Christ is of mighty renown, he is a king; (1.) he has a kingly title. High and Lofty.' Isa 57:15. (2.) He has his insignia regalia, his ensigns of royalty; corona est insigne …
Thomas Watson—A Body of Divinity The Consolation
Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she hath received at the LORD 's hand double for all her sins. T he particulars of the great "mystery of godliness," as enumerated by the Apostle Paul, constitute the grand and inexhaustible theme of the Gospel ministry, "God manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on …
John Newton—Messiah Vol. 1 Psalms
The piety of the Old Testament Church is reflected with more clearness and variety in the Psalter than in any other book of the Old Testament. It constitutes the response of the Church to the divine demands of prophecy, and, in a less degree, of law; or, rather, it expresses those emotions and aspirations of the universal heart which lie deeper than any formal demand. It is the speech of the soul face to face with God. Its words are as simple and unaffected as human words can be, for it is the genius …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament Links Psalm 3:4 NIVPsalm 3:4 NLTPsalm 3:4 ESVPsalm 3:4 NASBPsalm 3:4 KJV
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