NOTES for Psa 20

¹The LORD hear thee in the day of trouble; the name of the God of Jacob defend thee;

²Send thee help from the sanctuary, and strengthen thee out of Zion;

³Remember all thy offerings, and accept thy burnt sacrifice; Selah.

⁴Grant thee according to thine own heart, and fulfil all thy counsel.

⁵We will rejoice in thy salvation, and in the name of our God we will set up our banners: the LORD fulfil all thy petitions.

⁶Now know I that the LORD saveth his anointed; he will hear him from his holy heaven with the saving strength of his right hand.

⁷Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the LORD our God.

⁸They are brought down and fallen: but we are risen, and stand upright.

⁹Save, LORD: let the king hear us when we call.

Every psalm is addressed to the Lord, but this psalm is also a wish addressed to someone dear to the psalmist. Whoever the psalmist's ancient addressee may have been, today anyone who reads and repeats the psalm can receive it as addressed directly to him. We can also direct the wishes of this psalm to those who are dear to us, to those for whom we desire not only earthly well-being but also salvation, which will bring us immeasurably greater joy than worldly success.

Putting our hope in the Lord, we ask Him for salvation and protection. Those who do not know God are accustomed to relying on material force and military might, collectively called “horses and chariots.” But we have been given the ability to hope in the name of the Lord, which means in the Lord Himself. He comes to our aid with all His might, and therefore, having stood firm before the enemy, we can stand upright.

We can stand upright on the path where He has placed us and walk along it wherever He leads us.

Other notes

For

²Send thee help from the sanctuary, and strengthen thee out of Zion;

³Remember all thy offerings, and accept thy burnt sacrifice; Selah.

⁴Grant thee according to thine own heart, and fulfil all thy counsel.

⁵We will rejoice in thy salvation, and in the name of our God we will set up our banners: the LORD fulfil all thy petitions.

⁶Now know I that the LORD saveth his anointed; he will hear him from his holy heaven with the saving strength of his right hand.

⁷Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the LORD our God.

⁸They are brought down and fallen: but we are risen, and stand upright.

⁹Save, LORD: let the king hear us when we call.

Of course, this psalm does not speak only about the king. Were the feelings that filled the royal psalmist experienced by crowned heads alone... Read more

Of course, this psalm does not speak only about the king. Were the feelings that filled the royal psalmist experienced by crowned heads alone? Could not everyone who feels grateful to the Lord for His gifts repeat the psalmist's words?

And yet a king has a special ministry. David, who knew both the taste and the temptations of power as well as the responsibility of public service, experienced this too. Many of his subjects repeatedly had to pay for a king's sins and wrongful deeds. But the blessing received by a king also benefited the whole country more than once. It is therefore important that the living bond between a king and the Lord should not be broken or degenerate into empty ritualism.

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NOTES for Psa 20

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Readings for 15 March 2022

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