"The Ridicule"

"Many there be which say of my soul, There is no help for him in God. Selah." (Psalms 3:2) Ouch; can you feel David's pain? We need to understand that this ridicule which David was receiving is what hurt him most of all! It might be hard for some to comprehend this, but this really grieved David to his very core. Mostly because these same people were once loyal subjects and followers, as a nation would be to any great leader; but for Israel it was different, because they also had the LORD as their Leader; and prior to this revolt, David and the LORD were considered to be pretty tight. Now, David was being looked upon as an outcast, and as someone whom God has turned His back away from. It really grieved David that so many would have such a bad opinion of him, as to think that even God had turned His back on him. It reminds me of the words of Job's wife, as she told Job, "Curse God and die"; because her words were to her husband were a resounding casting of judgement upon Job and God; as if to say, God had given him over to the fate that has befell him, therefore he should give up, because there was no hope for him, especially not from God. For David, this was a devastating blow to the years of being portrayed as the mighty warrior for God, and as a king that ruled God's people as a man after God's own heart. Yes, there was the sin which he had committed, and the sin was not a secret among the people, for it was that sin by which people made their decision that there was no hope for him in God, because God would never allow that to be forgiven. Do you see the heart that is broken? It was broken not only because of his ridicule, but also for the testimony given of God's mercy and His grace; as he now has become an outcast from God in the eyes of his people, after years of proclaiming the mercy of the God that he served, for him now, there was no mercy, in their eyes. Does this sound a little familiar? Didn't they do the same to Jesus? They scorned Him with words that made Him out to be a fake, saying, "He saved others, let's see Him save Himself". And when the Roman soldiers placed a sign at the top of His cross, which read, "King of the Jews", the leaders of the Jews asked them to make it read instead, "Who claimed to be King of the Jews". However, they refused to change it, because they were not only ridiculing Jesus, they were also ridiculing the Jews. Jesus had proclaimed God's love and mercy, and now He was being spat upon as a fraud and an outcast among His people, in the hour of His suffering; suffering that was for them!!! I also find it interesting that David had fled from Absalom instead of standing up to him. For one, his sin had made him shameful, but the real reason for him fleeing was one of love for his son; because to stop the rebellion, David would have to kill Absalom, which he did not want to do. By leaving, he added the question of his authority and power, in the hearts and minds of his people. So too, Jesus was also silent in the midst of His trial, punishment and death; not wanting to show forth His power and authority, but "as a sheep lead to the slaughter" He humbly took all the punishment and ridicule. His only verbal response to their actions was, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do". Which brings me to this "Selah" that we are introduced to at the end of verse two. Many believe that this is a musical note, or a pause in the song so that the instruments can play a solo; much like would be the case to ponder what had just been said, as to accentuate the meaning, or to introduce the next line to be sung. This could very much be the case, and I believe that it is so; however, what we are doing in that, is that we are reflecting upon the meaning; whether it is meant to magnify what is being said, or it is to prepare what our hearts for what is coming, it is for a reflection for a deeper meaning. For David and his situation amongst his people, as we shall see, God's mercy is real; David knew it and knew that God would reveal it through him, regardless of what the people thought or said. And as for Jesus; oh my, what can I say!!!