"The Victorious"

"Arise, O LORD; save me, O my God: for Thou hast smitten all mine enemies upon the cheek bone; Thou hast broken the teeth of the ungodly." (Psalms 3:7) Oddly enough, this is not a cry for help, but it is a declaration of victory and clarification as to what God has done. The word "Arise" which David starts this verse with is a word that is calling for God to rise up; not a call for God to rise up in the battle, but that He would rise up from the battle; as in, to be established as the Victor. Remember, the people had placed David in their hearts as an outcast and as someone who had no hope for him in God. This was an expression of praise from David that God would be glorified in the victory, thus making Davids victory over his enemies God's will in the hearts and the minds of the people. The "save me" that David follows with is not an actual call for God's help in the battle, for at this point, the actual battle had already been won; but this was more of a call for avenging of the damage which had been done to his character as the people's king. This is further expressed by David in what the Lord had done, as David gives two very graphic illustrations to show how God avenged his reputation and his perceived standing with God. The first one being that God "hast smitten all mine enemies upon the cheek bone", which is basically a slap in the face. Something which is considered to be an insult in many cultures; especially when adding the phrase "Who's your daddy" while slapping them! Seriously; this is the equivalence of making them look like fools, as to think that they could come against God's anointed, without having to deal with God. Secondly, David says, "Thou hast broken the teeth of the ungodly", which speaks of the lack of bite in which their plans took hold in destroying David's reign; because in actuality, it was God who had established him as king, therefore they had actually set themselves against God. When we look at what took place with Jesus, and how His death and resurrection put to shame those that had plotted against Him, we can see the slap in the face that they received, and the lack of bite they had in stopping that which He had come to complete. As I look at the experience within my own life, I can only imagine what people were saying about me and how I was somehow being judged in their eyes. It was something which had even crossed my own mind, in that I wondered what sin God was punishing me for. Yet, in the midst of all that was going on, I felt closer to Him then I had ever been before; and I had more love for my wife in the process! While we do not always know what or how God is going to work in a particular trial or circumstance in our lives, we can take comfort in knowing that He is always looking out for that which is the very best for our lives and for our relationship with Him; even if the world might see it differently...