Psalm 20 & 21

                Today we have two shorter and similarly themed psalms.  Psalm 20 is a prayer for victory in battle and Psalm 21 is a psalm of praise after winning the battle.  Psalm 20 reads like a prayer that David, as commander of the army, would have prayed over his troops.

¹May the Lord answer you when you are in distress;

may the name of the God of Jacob protect you.

²May he send you help from the sanctuary

and grant you support from Zion.

³May he remember all your sacrifices

and accept you burnt offerings.

⁴May he give you the desire of your heart

and make all your plans succeed.

⁵We will should for joy when you are victorious

and will lift up our banners in the name of our God.

May the Lord grant all your requests.

David goes on to remind his soldiers that they should not trust in their weapons, but in the “name of the Lord our God” (Psalm20:7).

               

Since I find myself in the midst of a battle, this is a psalm that I like to claim for myself.  I’m in distress and so I pray that God protects me and sends help from above.  I pray that he grants the desires of my heart and makes my plans succeed.  At the same time, I don’t want my plans to override what God has for me.  I don’t want this to be a selfish plea for God to give me what I want like some temper tantrum throwing 5-year old.  It should be a plea that, if it is His will, God will grant us what we want.  It should be a prayer that, if it is not His will, God will give us the grace to accept it.

The notes suggest that Psalm 20 may have been prompted by the events in 2 Samuel 10.  David heads into the battle against the Ammonites and comes out victorious, which possibly prompts the writing of Psalm 21.  Some of the language mirrors that found in Psalm 20.  “You have granted him the desire of his heart and have not withheld the request of his lips” (Psalm 21:2).  The first part echoes the request from Psalm 20:4.  Psalm 21 is full of thanks for the victories that the Lord has granted.  It is a celebration of the blessings that God has given to the king (David).  He has won victory in battle; he has been given long life; he has rich blessings and a crown of gold.  All of this because the Lord has heard the request from David’s lips and granted it. 

David goes on to note that there are enemies all around, but God will seize them and destroy them.  Though their evil plots may begin to unfold against us, eventually they will ultimately fail.  God will turn them away and foil their schemes. 

This psalm end with a great exclamation: “Be exalted, O Lord, in your strength; we will sing and praise your might” (Psalm 21:13).  What a great way to end a psalm celebrating victory and giving thanks to the Lord for his deliverance.  David and his army have defeated the enemy and they praise God’s might.  How often do we like to pat ourselves on the back after some great feat?  How often do we fail to recognize that without God we would fail miserably?  There’s no self-congratulating going on here.  David is fully aware of who deserves the congratulations and thanks for the victory.  When we find ourselves standing in victory, we would do well to remember David’s words and praise God for his power and might.