He asked life from You, and You gave it to him– Length of days forever and ever. Psalm 21:4
Joy in the Salvation of the Lord
Thanksgiving After Battle
With victory won, the king rejoices in God’s strength. In the assurance of future triumphs the king vows to continue to offer God praise.
Psalm 21 is another of the royal psalms of David. Psalm 20 is a prayer of the king for God’s blessing on his army. Psalm 21 is an assurance of God’s blessing on the king. Both psalms, as is the case with all the royal psalms, speak ultimately of the great King to come, the Lord Jesus. Psalm 21 has 4 sections: 1. A declaration of praise to God by the king (vv.1,2) 2. A review of God’s blessing on the king vv. 3-7 3. An expectation of the final destruction of all enemies of the king vv. 8-12 and 4. A renewed commitment by the people to praise God v. 13.
21:1, 2 Joy in Your strength: An ancient king would tend to find joy in his own strength and power. But a wise king would find pleasure in the Almighty, for all power comes form Him. Your salvation: Ultimately spiritual salvation may be in view, but the immediate issue is more mundane. One meaning of the Hebrew word salvation is “room to breathe.” God had given King David release from the pressures and constraints that bound him. Jesus speaks of this kind of salvation in Matt. 24:13, as does Paul in Phil. 1:19 (see also James 1:21). His heart’s desire: The Lord gives people their aspirations when they are derived from a fundamental desire for God’s honor and glory (20:4; 37:4; 145:19).
1 To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David. The king shall have joy in Your strength, O Lord; And in Your salvation how greatly shall he rejoice! 2 You have given him his heart’s desire, And have not withheld the request of his lips. Selah
21:21:3-7 blessings of goodness: King David acknowledges that all he has is God’s gift; his kingship itself (the crown) is a gift from the Lord. But God’s greatest gift is life – the temporal and eternal reponse to God for His many gifts, David trusts in the Lord, he knows that this trust is not misplaced (15:5). These words of passage should not be limited to King David, for they also speak generally of God’s blessings on all believers. Each of us share the blessings of true royalty when we place our trust in the Lord, the Great King.
3 For You meet him with the blessings of goodness; You set a crown of pure gold upon his head. 4 He asked life from You, and You gave it to him– Length of days forever and ever. 5 His glory is great in Your salvation; Honor and majesty You have placed upon him. 6 For You have made him most blessed forever; You have made him exceedingly glad with Your presence. 7 For the king trusts in the Lord, And through the mercy of the Most High he shall not be moved.
21:8-10 As is customary in the Psalms, the enemies of the king are the enemies of the Lord. Therefore the curse on the enemies provoked by holy zeal for the glory of God (Num. 25). The time of Your anger may refer to any period of God’s judgment, but compare to “the day of the Lord” (Joel 2:1; Zeph. 1:14). Their offspring: The wicked intend evil against the Lord; but He will prevail, causing them to flee from His anger.
8 Your hand will find all Your enemies; Your right hand will find those who hate You. 9 You shall make them as a fiery oven in the time of Your anger; The Lord shall swallow them up in His wrath, And the fire shall devour them. 10 Their offspring You shall destroy from the earth, And their descendants from among the sons of men.
21:13 Be exalted: The psalmist concludes with a shout of joy as he leads the faithful people in praiseing God for the promise of His final victory.
13 Be exalted, O Lord, in Your own strength! We will sing and praise Your power.
⇒ It is a lie to say that “You live only once and then die. So live for the moment.” Our life has begun and will never end. We live now and we live for ever. That’s the good news.
