Praise For The King's Victory
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Introduction
Introduction
Last week we talked about “In God We Trust”. What it looks like to actually trust in God as we face our battles. As we turn to Psalm 21 this evening we come to the sister Psalm of Psalm 20. Psalm 20 was praying to God for the battle - yet to be fought and Psalm 21 is written after, the King’s Victory.
This Psalm is a psalm of David and it is also for the Choir Director - which relishes in the victory of the King while properly acknowledging God for it. In order to maintain consistency for our trust in God for the battle that was yet to be fought - we must also acknowledge God for the victory now experienced. As David trusted in God and acknowledging God for the victory won David was able to also anticipate and trust for future victory by the power and strength of God - and we can also but first we must Praise God for the King’s Victory.
This can be seen in three ways:
Historically — as it played out in David’s life.
Prophetically - as it speaks of one Greater than David - the Son of David — Jesus Christ.
Practically and Personally — as it relates to you and I for we are a royal priesthood.
But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his possession, so that you may proclaim the praises of the one who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.
So lets learn to Praise God for the King’s Victory and deliverance.
1 Lord, the king finds joy in your strength. How greatly he rejoices in your victory! 2 You have given him his heart’s desire and have not denied the request of his lips. Selah 3 For you meet him with rich blessings; you place a crown of pure gold on his head.
4 He asked you for life, and you gave it to him— length of days forever and ever. 5 His glory is great through your victory; you confer majesty and splendor on him. 6 You give him blessings forever; you cheer him with joy in your presence.
7 For the king relies on the Lord; through the faithful love of the Most High he is not shaken. 8 Your hand will capture all your enemies; your right hand will seize those who hate you. 9 You will make them burn like a fiery furnace when you appear; the Lord will engulf them in his wrath, and fire will devour them.
10 You will wipe their progeny from the earth and their offspring from the human race. 11 Though they intend to harm you and devise a wicked plan, they will not prevail. 12 Instead, you will put them to flight when you ready your bowstrings to shoot at them.
13 Be exalted, Lord, in your strength; we will sing and praise your might.
Be exalted, Lord, in your strength;
we will sing and praise your might.
Joy In God’s Strength
Joy In God’s Strength
1 Lord, the king finds joy in your strength. How greatly he rejoices in your victory! 2 You have given him his heart’s desire and have not denied the request of his lips. Selah
We find four elements introduced in this call to praise.
Rejoicing
Rejoicing
The first element is the concept of REJOICING. David states that “the king finds joy” and “greatly rejoices”. Using two different yet synonymous words in Hebrew and have a straightforward meaning here of joy, rejoice, gladness. When this is present in the call to praise you can anticipate a joyful Psalm that will lift your hearts and bring forth much rejoicing and praising.
Strong Victory
Strong Victory
Here this element reveals the reason for rejoicing, which is God’s STRONG VICTORY. David declares that he (the king) finds joy “in Your strength” and greatly he rejoices “in Your victory”. These two words and concepts Strength and Victory are parallel in this verse. Which means that the strength in which David finds joy is the same thing as the victory in which David greatly rejoices. Bringing them together we see that what David is talking about is a STRONG VICTORY or a POWERFUL VICTORY that God provided which in turn causes David to to rejoice.
The King
The King
The one doing the rejoicing must be noted and that person is the king. King David, God’s chosen and anointed king to rule the nation of Israel. David knew of God’s strong victory as we know from the historical records we have of this king from the books of Samuel, Kings, and Chronicles.
The nature of the victory which David experienced comes in two forms.
David experienced PHYSICAL victory and knew what it was to have physical deliverance from the LORD
David also experienced a victory that was not physical but was supernatural and spiritual. This victory was not over enemies of the body but enemies of the soul and spirit of man.
David knew what it was to have his sins forgiven, covered and not imputed to him.
1 How joyful is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered! 2 How joyful is a person whom the Lord does not charge with iniquity and in whose spirit is no deceit!
The joy found in such a victory was known to David. A victory over sin and for us to come and see this Psalm in this light is very much indeed proper, but we must also come and acknowledge that much of what David is praising God for is the first kind of victory.
As Christians today we must recognize that we have enemies - both physical and spiritual. The worst are not flesh and blood either they are invisible and they are spiritual. We can rejoice as David in God’s powerful, strong victory that we have today.
The Lord
The Lord
We would be remiss to neglect recognizing in this Psalm the One who is strong and the One who gives the victory over Davids and our enemies. It is not horses or chariots, or human rulers who prvoice the victory for which we and David should be rejoicing and praising over — ITS THE LORD - the God of Israel. The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. He ALONE is the one the only ONE who provides the complete and total victory for His people. So to Him alone go our praise and our rejoicing.
Rejoicing in the way the Lord has revealed His strength and given us the victory.
What passion we see displayed here in victory; why is it that we find it so easy to cheer and celebrate insignificant victories (scores, games, goals, achievements) than we do for the victories and the VICTORY of our Great God and King?
With these four elements in mind we come to see the joy is in the Lord’s strength - David did not glory in his own strength. We may notice that here and throughout the psalm that David refers to himself in the third person. Now while this might seem peculiar I believe that David’s intent was to have the people sing this song not to praise David’s victories but instead they would praise the one from whom the king (David) received the victory.
You have given him his heart’s desire - David is acknowledging that David desired the victory in his heart and from his heart he prayed and through that prayer God answered and gave the victory and the desire of his very heart.
Take delight in the Lord,
and he will give you your heart’s desires.
You have not denied the request of his lips — God has given the victory and responded to his prayer. Notice that David’s strong victory came not only from the desire of his heart but also his spoken request in prayer before the Lord.
There is a special place that answered prayer has in our lives as believers. Every one of us in Christ should know and experience the thrill of frequent and wonderful answers to our prayers. You say you dont And haven't experienced that? Perhaps a few things to consider and evaluate.
You are prayerless
You pray amiss
Your prayers are currently hindered
You desire and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and wage war. You do not have because you do not ask. You ask and don’t receive because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures.
Prayers are hindered in the following ways
Not abiding - John 15:7
Unbelief Matthew 17:20-21
Not fasting Matthew 17:21
Marriage Issues 1 Peter 3:7
Not Asking James 4:2
Asking amiss James 4:3
Disobedience 1 John 3:22
Not praying God’s will 1 John 5:14-15
Unconfessed sin James 5:16
Lack of Bible reading and Bible Teaching Proverbs 28:9
Misplaced faith Matthew 6:7
While we cannot earn or merit God’s response for our prayers but we most definitely must see that we can hinder answered prayer.
SELAH
Pause and use this opportunity to thank God for the strength of victory He has shown in our own individual lives and for the glorious ways in which He has answered our prayers. God is a great and loving God and their is much joy and rejoicing to be had in Him and His strong victory!
Praising Past Victories
Praising Past Victories
3 For you meet him with rich blessings; you place a crown of pure gold on his head. 4 He asked you for life, and you gave it to him— length of days forever and ever. 5 His glory is great through your victory; you confer majesty and splendor on him.
6 You give him blessings forever; you cheer him with joy in your presence. 7 For the king relies on the Lord; through the faithful love of the Most High he is not shaken.
The Lord Met With Rich Blessing
The Lord Met With Rich Blessing
David then praises the Lord for meeting him with rich blessings. The goodness of God has come to meet him. David is describing that is is more that God met then David sought or chased. God brought the blessing to him as opposed to David seeking it.
Perhaps not as quite understood in the years between the anointing as king and the crowning as king. Yet David was crowned with the crown of the nation of Israel and the crown of victory.
God’s goodness and grace meets us in life all the time. It is found in the principle truth that He loved us before we ever loved Him.
We love because he first loved us.
God provides the way of salvation (crowning us with the crown of eternal life, and the crown of righteousness), making a way when there was no way and making the way accessible for all.
But God proves his own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Blessed is the one who endures trials, because when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.
There is reserved for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on that day, and not only to me, but to all those who have loved his appearing.
God also prepares the way and the ground upon which we will work before we ever get there.
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time for us to do.
Giving Eternal Life
Giving Eternal Life
David in Psalm 20 had asked for the Lord to give him more days and not let that be the day of his defeat and the end of his life. The Lord clearly has given David the victory and in a sense lengthened his days as king. God is recognized as having given it to him.
In relation to David this is a long life - physically as king. At the same time a sense of hyperbole for David himself and more in relation to his dynasty as a promise to establish his throne forever. Literally this is true in the case of the ultimate king - the Messiah.
Messiah’s Kingdom is David’s dynasty in that the Messiah is of the lineage of David. The throne is eternal in that once the Messiah assumes the throne and His kingdom it will be forever and ever.
Also eternal life in that Messiah is resurrected -n the first fruits of the resurrection to show that we in Him will be raised from death to life eternal and that all who are in him have eternal life.
Through Faithful Love
Through Faithful Love
The kings glory is great because of the victory from the LORD. The majesty and the splendor conferred on him come from God. True and lasting glory and honor can only come from God Himself. David found joy in the presence of the LORD and he saw it to be the greatest blessing and deepest desire. More thrilled with that than the crown of royalty or even victory.
1 The Lord is my light and my salvation— whom should I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life— whom should I dread?
4 I have asked one thing from the Lord; it is what I desire: to dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, gazing on the beauty of the Lord and seeking him in his temple.
1 How lovely is your dwelling place, Lord of Armies. 2 I long and yearn for the courts of the Lord; my heart and flesh cry out for the living God.
10 Better a day in your courts than a thousand anywhere else. I would rather stand at the threshold of the house of my God than live in the tents of wicked people.
Verse 7 is the central verse to the whole of Psalm 21. The king relies on the LORD through the faithful love of the Most High - he is not shaken. The king has faith in and trusts in the faithful - unfailing love - hesed. In this faithful and unfailing love the king knew he was secure and would not be made to move or be shaken.
Each of these things was certainly true of King David, we may perhaps see and understand that they are even more so true of David’s greater Son - the Messiah - Jesus Christ - who is the Son of David. Each line of verse 3-7 could be applied to Jesus in vicTory of His great work on the cross.
Victorious Jesus was met with rich blessing when He ascended into heaven
Jesus wore the crown of thorns but now wears the crown of glory as the King of Kings and glorious conqueror. His crown is pure gold
Jesus asked life of the Father and God’s Holy One was delivered from death, Sheol and corruption
Jesus gloried in the victory over sin and death
Jesus finds joy in the presence of the Father - we see the agony when we understand in a sense His presence was turned away from Jesus on the cross.
“Napoleon crowned himself but Jehovah crowned the LORD Jesus; the empire of one melted in an hour, but the other has abiding dominion.” Spurgeon
Isaiah 53 describes Jesus a man of sorrows acquainted with grief - but in the hesed - faithful love of the Father He was man who knew what it was to blessed forever and cheered with joy in the presence of the Father.
Anticipating Future Victory
Anticipating Future Victory
8 Your hand will capture all your enemies; your right hand will seize those who hate you. 9 You will make them burn like a fiery furnace when you appear; the Lord will engulf them in his wrath, and fire will devour them.
10 You will wipe their progeny from the earth and their offspring from the human race. 11 Though they intend to harm you and devise a wicked plan, they will not prevail. 12 Instead, you will put them to flight when you ready your bowstrings to shoot at them.
The King is Coming in Victory
The King is Coming in Victory
David declares God’s hand will capture all His enemies and His right hand will seize those who hate Him. In other words those who have set themselves up as enemies of God will not escape.
Right now there seems to be a delay in this happening but that doesnt mean it wont happen. The LORD has demonstrated previously how quickly and easily He can give the victory. Nothing in that will change - when the time comes God will capture all His enemies and seize them - by HIS OWN HAND.
David continues on and declares that they will be made to burn like a fiery furnace when You appear. This points to an appointed time, a time of judgment. Now is the time of grace and for the LORD to have victory in the cross and in the lives of those overtaken by sin - but there is coming a set time in which the LORD will unleash His wrath in a day of vengeance.
Engulfed in His wrath the people will be devoured by fire.
and to give relief to you who are afflicted, along with us. This will take place at the revelation of the Lord Jesus from heaven with his powerful angels, when he takes vengeance with flaming fire on those who don’t know God and on those who don’t obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.
Those who despise His victory of grace will find themselves left to face defeat at His wrath.
Evil Will Be Wiped Out
Evil Will Be Wiped Out
The wicked will not survive there will be none left. Their progeny will be wiped out and their offspring from the human race. They intended to harm with a wicked plan to gather and build an alliance of nations - they will not prevail. Just as they gathered and sought to in alliance kill Jesus they could not prevail for in killing Jesus they accomplished the plans of the Father and ensured Him the victory!
David describes the enemies of God as helpless before the ready arrows and taught bowstring of the bow in the judgment of God.
They are intentional in their rebellion and they are guilty for it. There are none who will suffer judgment who are undeserving of it. Judgment will not come at the wrong time - but the proper appointed time.
Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way. For that day will not come unless the apostasy comes first and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. He opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he sits in God’s temple, proclaiming that he himself is God.
Don’t you remember that when I was still with you I used to tell you about this? And you know what currently restrains him, so that he will be revealed in his time.
For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work, but the one now restraining will do so until he is out of the way, and then the lawless one will be revealed. The Lord Jesus will destroy him with the breath of his mouth and will bring him to nothing at the appearance of his coming.
The Victory of the Lord
9 For evildoers will be destroyed, but those who put their hope in the Lord will inherit the land. 10 A little while, and the wicked person will be no more; though you look for him, he will not be there. 11 But the humble will inherit the land and will enjoy abundant prosperity.
12 The wicked person schemes against the righteous and gnashes his teeth at him. 13 The Lord laughs at him because he sees that his day is coming.
14 The wicked have drawn the sword and strung the bow to bring down the poor and needy and to slaughter those whose way is upright. 15 Their swords will enter their own hearts, and their bows will be broken.
Exalting the LORD of Victory
Exalting the LORD of Victory
13 Be exalted, Lord, in your strength; we will sing and praise your might.
The LORD has strength in Himself and needs not rely on another for strength or help.
“Exalt thyself, O Lord — thy creatures cannot exalt thee” Adam Clarke
We will sing and praise Your might. Songs of praise bursting forth because of God’s power unleashed to deliver His own and vanquish His enemies. This is the song of the remnant of Israel praying for the exultation of the Messiah and acknowledging Him in His victory as LORD of all!!
Praise for God for the blessings, victory, deliverance, and answered prayers. An attitude of praise to the King should always be found among the people of God from whom the victory has been given!
Conclusion
Conclusion
Answered prayer ought to be acknowledged with great praise! Morse so when the answered prayer brings great victory! We do not praise because we are surprised God answered at all but because God has answered graciously.
David fought battles and won victories not to exalt himself but to magnify the name of the LORD.
The Strong Victory has been given to the King - written by David for David’s victory but in the third person because ultimately God was pointing us to recognize a victory He has given to His King that would be forever and ever. The strong victory that we have in Christ Jesus - the Son of David.
The victory found in the perfect sinless life of Jesus that was murdered upon the cross. The innocent blood shed to pay the penalty for sin and to vanquish the threat of death from those who would put their faith and trust in Jesus.
Jesus asked for Life and God gave Him life eternal and gave Him power over life and death.
Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me, even if he dies, will live. Everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?”
But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!
This has now been made evident through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who has abolished death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.
The strong victory over death and into life eternal - our last breath here will be followed by our first breath in heaven. Rejoice and praise the Lord for His victory of salvation!