This first psalm of distress in the book places David under pressure from enemies and even from voices claiming that God will not save him. Yet the psalm refuses panic: the LORD remains David's shield, the one who answers, sustains sleep, and turns fear into a direct plea for deliverance.
Coming immediately after Psalms 1 and 2, this chapter shows what it looks like to live under God's rule when circumstances are hostile rather than stable. It introduces the Psalter's language of personal lament while holding fast to the conviction that salvation belongs to the LORD alone.
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A1 Psalm of David, when he fled from his son Absalom. 2Many say of me,
3But You, O LORD, are a shield around me, 4To the LORD I cry aloud,
5I lie down and sleep; 6I will not fear the myriads
7Arise, O LORD! 8Salvation belongs to the LORD;
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