Celebration: He Anticipates the Victory (vv. 5-8). When David awakened the next morning, his first thought was of the Lord and how He had protected him and his attendants during night. This was a sign to him that the Lord was with them and would see them through the crisis. It reminds us of Jesus asleep in the storm (Mark 4:38) and Peter asleep in the prison (Acts 12). If we trust Him and seek to do His will, God works on our behalf even while we’re asleep (121:3-4; 127:2). David affirmed that he would not be afraid if tens of thousands of people were set in battle array against him, for God would give him victory (Deut. 32:30).
The morning was the most important time of day for David, as it should be for us today.
It was in the morning that he met with the Lord and worshipped Him. It was his time to pray (5:3), to sing (57:7-8; 59:16), and to be satisfied by God’s mercy (90:14). “For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for life; weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning” (30:5 nkjv). Abraham arose early in the morning (Gen. 19:27; 21:14; 22:3), and so did Moses (Ex. 24:4; 34:4), Joshua (Josh. 3:1; 6:12; 7:16; 8:10), Samuel (1 Sam. 15:12), Job (Job 1:5), and our Lord (Mark 1:35).
God not only rested David, but He also rescued him. David’s prayer in verse 7–“Arise, O Lord”–takes us back to the years when Israel was in the wilderness, as David was at that time. When the guiding cloud of glory began to move and the camp set out, Moses would say (or sing): “Rise up, O Lord! Let Your enemies be scattered, and let those who hate You flee before You” (Num. 10:35 nkjv). David had sent the ark back to Jerusalem (2 Sam. 15:24-29), but he knew that the presence of a piece of sacred furniture was no guarantee of the presence of the Lord (see 1 Sam. 4). David had no access to the tabernacle or the ministry of the priests, but he was spiritual enough to know that the love and obedience of his heart was what God wanted. He didn’t have the ark of God, but he had the God of the ark! He couldn’t offer animal sacrifices or incense, but he could lift his hand to worship God (141:2). The glory of God was with him (v. 3), and so was the blessing of God (v. 8). Let the enemy arise (v. 1)! God will also arise and give victory!
Some translations render the verbs in verse 7 as past tense (kjv, ab, nasb), indicating that David was looking back at the many past victories God had given him. “You saved my life many times in the past, so why would You abandon me now?” The New International Version sees this as a prayer for present and future victories. Either way, David had the faith to trust God to go before him and defeat the army of Absalom, and God did. Striking the enemy on the cheek–a “slap in the face”–was an act of humiliation. David saw the rebellious army as a pack of animals that needed their teeth broken (7:2; 22:12-13, 16, 20-21; 10:9; 17:12; 35:17; 57:4; 58:6).
Jonah quoted verse 8 when he was in the great fish (Jonah 2:9) and then experienced that salvation. Though he had used brilliant strategy in opposing Absalom’s plans, David refused to take the credit. It was the Lord who alone would receive the glory. David also refused to carry a grudge against his people but asked the Lord to bless them. This reminds us of our Lord’s prayer on the cross (Luke 23:34) and Stephen’s prayer as he was being stoned to death (Acts 7:60). God restored David to his throne and enabled him to prepare Solomon to succeed him. David was also able to bring together his wealth so that Solomon would have what he needed to build the temple. (See 1 Chron. 22–29.)