There is no Bible book that has any more frequent and more picturesque descriptions of God than does the book of Psalms. Such metaphors as shield, rock, refuge, shelter, fortress, stronghold, shepherd, light, defense, hiding place lavishly nourish a hungry, meditative soul. Because the psalms are so replete with these profound descriptors, many wonderful others can be easily missed. Consider, for example, a couple thrilling facets of David’s brilliant declaration: “But Thou, O Lord, art…the One who lifts up my head” (Psalm 3:3).
Jehovah is the One who lifts up my head when it is burdened down with troubles. David was a wanted and hunted man who was on the run. Many had risen up against him; many were saying that he was such a lost cause that even God had forsaken him (Psalm 3:1-2). What troubles had erupted suddenly and unexpectedly! David felt like he was all alone in the midst of an endless spiritual minefield. However, when David cried out to the One who lifts up my head, he was heard (v. 4) and deliverance came (v. 8).
Jehovah is the One who lifts up my head when it is weighed down by the grinding burden of sin, shame, and guilt. At the beginning of John 8, a woman was intentionally and viciously humiliated publicly by the scribes and Pharisees. She had succumbed to the enticing trap of adultery. She had been caught in the very act and was then escorted to the temple where her sin was announced in front of a crowd of people. Except for Jesus’ crucifixion, it strains the imagination to try to conceive of a more humiliating, ghastly experience. Like His offer of salvation to all humanity, Jesus silenced and ultimately dismissed this woman’s accusers. When she finally raised her head and looked around, they were all gone (vv. 9-11). Though personally qualified to cast the first stone, Jesus did not. Instead He commanded her to “go and sin nor more” (v. 11). Jesus is the Light of the World because He is the One who lifts up my head when I repent of the deeds of darkness I have done.
The testimony of a host of Bible characters is exactly like David’s: “Jehovah is the One who lifts up my head.”
What a nickname!
