In What are You Trusting?
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
This psalm is considered a prayer of intercession.
It was an intersession before God, for the king and his armies as he went into battle.
This psalm can be divided into three parts:
The Intercessions of the People (v. 1-5)
The Assurance of the King (v. 6-8)
A Repeat of the People’s Intercession (v. 9)
In his book, “Psalms a Minor Key,” Carl Armerding writes:
This psalm gives a good example of what it means to intercede for another.
Through this psalm, David taught the people how to intercede before almighty God on his behalf.
If you have your Bibles, I want to encourage you to turn with me to Psalm 20 and we will begin reading with verse 1.
The Intercessions of the People
The Intercessions of the People
May the Lord answer you when you are in distress; may the name of the God of Jacob protect you.
The people begin their prayer asking Yahweh to come and answer the king in his time of trouble (v. 1a).
They ask the God of their forefathers (of Jacob) to protect the king (v. 1b).
May he send you help from the sanctuary and grant you support from Zion.
Then they continue by pleading with God to send help from where He dwells (v. 2)
— From His sanctuary
— From His holy city (Zion or Jerusalem)
May he remember all your sacrifices and accept your burnt offerings.
Next the people pray that the king’s sacrifices will be both remembered by God and accepted by Him (v. 3).
May he give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed.
Finally, they pray that God will give the king the desire of his heart (v. 4a).
And that God will allow the king’s plans to be successful (v. 4b).
May we shout for joy over your victory and lift up our banners in the name of our God. May the Lord grant all your requests.
The prayer closes with the people’s anticipation of victory:
— They are shouting for joy over the kings victory (v. 5a).
— And as they march, tribe-by-tribe, the lift up their tribe’s banner as they praise God (v. 5b).
At this, the people plead with Yahweh to answer the king’s requests (v. 5c)!
The Assurance of the King
The Assurance of the King
The king’s response is a strong affirmation of his trust in Yahweh:
Now this I know: The Lord gives victory to his anointed. He answers him from his heavenly sanctuary with the victorious power of his right hand.
— He knows Yahweh gives victory to His chosen servants (v. 6a).
— He knows Yahweh answers His anointed from His heavenly sanctuary (v. 6b).
— And the king knows that Yahweh will stretch out His victorious right hand (the powerful and) on behalf of the king (v. 6c).
Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.
The question before the king is in what will he place his trust? (v. 7)
Here the king lists the two strongest military defenses, and the most technical implements of war: chariots and horses. However, the king does not believe they will be able to provide victory over his enemies.
So instead of trusting the the strongest most modern tools of way, the king will trust in the name of Yahweh our (he includes the people) Elohim.
They are brought to their knees and fall, but we rise up and stand firm.
The enemies of the king will be destroyed (brought to their knees) (v. 8a).
The enemies of the king will fall (v. 8b).
But the king and all of his people will rise up (get up, stand up, arise, to stand up as to oppose, stand fast) (v. 8c).
And the king and all his people will stand firm (be sustained, be helped up) (v. 8d).
Lord, give victory to the king! Answer us when we call!
A Repeat of the Intercession
A Repeat of the Intercession
This psalm closes much like it began. The people come back before the Lord and have one final plea.
The people once again ask Yahweh to give the king victory (v. 9a).
And the again plead with Yahweh to answer when they call upon Him (v. 9b)
So What?
So What?
