02/08/2026
PRAISE AND WORSHIP SERVICE
Sunday, August 2, 2026 Gilgal Chapel, Uyo
THE WORD BY: Pastor Uwem Ekong
THEME:
God, You Are My Shield, My Glory, and the Lifter of My Head.
FOCAL SCRIPTURE:
Psalm 3:1–3
EXCERPTS
• David first attempted to conceal his sin with Bathsheba by recalling Uriah from the battlefield and instructing him to return to his house.
• Despite David's efforts, Uriah remained loyal and refused to go home. Instead, he slept at the gate of the king's palace with the servants.
• David invited Uriah back the following day and gave him wine, hoping that intoxication would cause him to return home to his wife. Even then, Uriah maintained his integrity and still slept at the palace gate.
• Unable to cover his sin, David resorted to another strategy—to eliminate Uriah.
• David wrote a letter containing Uriah's own death sentence and entrusted it to him.
• Uriah's loyalty was remarkable. Though he carried the letter that condemned him, he never opened it. He faithfully delivered it to Joab, the commander of the army.
• Joab followed David's instructions by placing Uriah where the battle was fiercest and withdrawing the other soldiers from him, causing Uriah to die in battle.
• Although Uriah's death appeared to be a natural casualty of war, someone was behind it. Many events that appear natural often have spiritual or human influences behind them.
• After Uriah's death, David took Bathsheba into his house as his wife, believing the matter had been settled.
• However, God saw everything that had taken place.
THE CONSEQUENCES OF DAVID'S SIN
2 Samuel 12:7–12
"And Nathan said to David, Thou art the man..."
• God sent Prophet Nathan to confront David concerning his sin.
• Through Nathan, the Lord reminded David that He had anointed him king over Israel, delivered him from Saul, and blessed him abundantly.
• God declared that if everything David already possessed had not been enough, He would have given him even more through legitimate means.
• David despised the commandment of the Lord by killing Uriah the Hittite and taking his wife.
Because of this, God pronounced judgment upon David:
1. The sword would never depart from his household.
2. Evil would arise from within his own family.
3. What David did secretly would become public.
4. His own household would become the source of his greatest sorrow.
• God declared:
"Therefore the sword shall never depart from thy house..."
"I will raise up evil against thee out of thine own house."
"What thou didst secretly, I will do before all Israel."
• Sin may be committed in secret, but its consequences often become public.
• When your er****on is giving you direction, know that there are consequences.
THE FULFILMENT OF THE PROPHECY
• Immediately after Nathan's prophecy, the consequences began to unfold within David's family.
• The first tragedy occurred when Amnon, David's eldest son, developed an unlawful affection for his half-sister, Tamar.
• His obsession became so severe that people noticed something was wrong with him.
• Influenced by bad counsel, Amnon violated Tamar.
• Immediately afterwards, the love he claimed to have turned into deep hatred.
• Tamar was Absalom's sister.
• Although David knew what had happened, he remained silent.
• There are things a father understands that children may never know. Sometimes parents recognise the consequences of decisions they made years before.
• David understood that confusion had entered his household because of his own actions.
• His silence allowed the conflict to continue growing within the family.
• *EXCERPTS (Continued)*
THE FULFILMENT OF THE PROPHECY CONTINUES
• Because David remained silent after Amnon violated Tamar, the conflict within the family continued to grow.
• Absalom eventually took revenge by killing Amnon and fleeing from the kingdom.
• After some time, David was persuaded to allow Absalom to return.
• Following his return, Absalom patiently spent four years winning the hearts of the people of Israel.
• Whenever people came to seek judgment from the king, Absalom intercepted them before they reached David.
• He listened to their complaints and would say, "If only I were appointed judge in the land, I would ensure justice was done for you."
• Through his words and actions, Absalom gradually stole the hearts of the people.
• After winning the confidence of Israel, Absalom went to Hebron under the pretense of fulfilling a vow.
• His real intention was to proclaim himself king.
• Hebron was significant because it was where David first reigned over Judah before becoming king over all Israel.
• There, the people proclaimed:
"Absalom is king! Absalom is king!"
• By this time, Absalom had gained the support of many influential people, including mighty men of war and Ahithophel, David's trusted counsellor.
• Realising the magnitude of the conspiracy, David chose to flee Jerusalem rather than allow unnecessary bloodshed.
*DAVID'S DARKEST MOMENT*
2 Samuel 15:30
"And David went up by the ascent of Mount Olivet, and wept as he went up, and had his head covered, and he went barefoot..."
• David fled Jerusalem weeping.
• His head was covered.
• He walked barefoot.
• These were visible expressions of shame, sorrow, and brokenness.
• The people who accompanied him also wept as they followed him.
• Before leaving Jerusalem, David left ten concubines behind to care for the palace.
• What David had done secretly with Bathsheba eventually became public, exactly as the Lord had spoken through Nathan.
• If David could have turned back time, he would have chosen differently.
• One moment of disobedience produced years of sorrow within his family.
LESSONS FROM DAVID'S FALL
• David was supposed to be at the battlefield.
• Instead, he remained at home, creating an opportunity for temptation.
• Sometimes the greatest battles are lost when believers are absent from the place they are supposed to be.
• An idle life creates opportunities for temptation.
• Many family crises have deeper roots than what is visible on the surface.
• Not every battle begins physically; many begin with spiritual compromise.
THE BACKGROUND OF PSALM 3
Psalm 3:1
"Lord, how are they increased that trouble me! many are they that rise up against me."
• David wrote Psalm 3 while fleeing from Absalom.
• His own son had become his enemy.
• His trusted adviser, Ahithophel, had joined the rebellion.
• The military had turned against him.
• The nation had largely shifted its loyalty to Absalom.
• David was surrounded by opposition on every side.
• Unlike fighting a foreign nation, David was now confronted with the painful reality of fighting members of his own household.
• This was the fulfilment of God's judgment that the sword would never depart from David's house.
Psalm 3:2
"Many there be which say of my soul, There is no help for him in God."
• The people concluded that David's reign had come to an end.
• They believed his situation was beyond recovery.
• They saw the rebellion, the military strength behind Absalom, and the counsel of Ahithophel, and concluded that David was finished.
• From a human perspective, every visible sign suggested defeat.
• Yet David refused to allow public opinion to define his future.
• *WHEN GOD SAYS, "I AM YOUR SHIELD, YOUR GLORY, AND THE LIFTER OF YOUR HEAD," IT MEANS:*
1. *I AM YOUR SHIELD.*
• David shifted his attention from his enemies to God.
• Although men declared that he was finished, David declared, "But Thou, O Lord, art a shield for me."
• His confidence was no longer in his army, his throne, or his palace, but in God alone.
• The question every believer must answer is: What revelation of God do you have when everything is against you?
2. *I AM YOUR GLORY.*
• David understood that his glory was not in his crown or position.
• Men may remove your title, your possessions, or your influence, but they cannot take away the God who is your glory.
• Your identity must be rooted in God and not in earthly achievements.
3. *I AM THE LIFTER OF MY HEAD.*
• David's head had once been covered in shame as he fled Jerusalem barefoot.
• Yet he declared that God was the One who would lift his head again.
• God is able to restore honour where there has been shame and bring hope where there has been despair.
*DAVID'S RESPONSE TO HIS TRIALS*
Psalm 3:4–8
"I cried unto the LORD with my voice, and he heard me out of his holy hill."
• David responded to his circumstances by crying unto the Lord in prayer.
• He trusted that God heard him despite everything that had happened.
"I laid me down and slept; I awaked; for the LORD sustained me."
• David declared that if God wanted him dead, he would not have awakened.
• Even in the midst of danger, he found peace because God sustained him.
"I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people..."
• David refused to fear the multitude that stood against him.
• His confidence rested in the Lord rather than in numbers.
• During this season, David prayed that God would turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness.
• An encounter with God can change the outcome of a situation, even when everything appears hopeless.
"Thou hast broken the teeth of the ungodly."
• David declared that although his enemies were many, God had removed their power to destroy him.
• Their threats remained, but their ability to prevail had been broken.
"Salvation belongeth unto the LORD."
• David concluded that deliverance belongs to God alone.
• No matter the circumstances, God remains the source of salvation and victory.
LESSONS FROM DAVID'S LIFE
1. Do not allow idleness to create room for temptation.
• If David had gone to battle as he should have, these events would never have happened.
• Sometimes the greatest mistakes occur when people are not where they ought to be.
2. Turn your eyes away from people and unto God.
• Saul sought the approval of men.
• David found strength by returning to God.
3. Make your confession personal.
• Do not merely say, "The Lord is a shield."
• Declare with confidence, "The Lord is my Shield, my Glory, and the Lifter of my head."
4. Never allow opposition to rob you of your peace.
• Even when surrounded by enemies, David slept because the Lord sustained him.
• God's presence gives rest in the midst of adversity.
5. Let your glory be found in God.
• Men may take away your crown, but they cannot take away your God.
• When God is your glory, your honour is secure.
*THINGS TO DO THIS MONTH*
1. Keep your eyes on God and not on men.
(Psalm 3:3)
2. Remain where God has assigned you.
Avoid idleness, for temptation often begins when a believer abandons his place of assignment.
3. Build your confidence in God's protection.
(Psalm 3:3–6)
When God is your Shield, you can rest even in the midst of opposition.
4. Guard your life against sin.
Hidden sin produces public consequences, but genuine repentance restores fellowship with God.
5. Make God your Glory.
Do not place your confidence in positions, possessions, or people. Let your confidence remain in the Lord.
*PRAYER*
O God my Father, by Your faithfulness, be my Shield, my Glory, and the Lifter of my head. Turn every counsel of the enemy into foolishness, preserve me from temptation, and grant me peace in the midst of every opposition. Let my confidence remain in You alone, and let Your salvation be evident in every area of my life. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
