Psalm 20 The name of the Lord

 

Psalm 20 – To the Chief Musician A Psalm of David

The LORD hear thee in the day of trouble; the name of the God of Jacob, defend thee.  Send thee help from the sanctuary and strengthen thee out of Zion.  Remember all thy offerings and accept thy burnt sacrifice.  Selah.  Grant thee according to thine own heart and fulfil all thy counsel.  We will rejoice in thy salvation, and in the name of our God we will set up our banners the Lord fulfil all thy petitions.  Now know I that the LORD saveth his anointed: he will hear him from his holy heaven with the saving strength of his right hand.  Some trust in chariots and some in horses but we will remember the name of the Lord our God.  They are brought down and fallen but we are risen and stand upright.  Save LORD let the king hear us when we call.

This Psalm is in the voice of a multitude that prays on behalf of the king of Israel (David) as he is ready to go into battle (“day of trouble”) – verse 6 “Now know I that the Lord saveth his anointed; he will hear him from his holy heaven with the saving strength of his right hand.”  This is either David himself or the High Priest on his behalf.  Yet since this is a psalm of David perhaps David took a moment of spontaneous prayer by the people on his behalf and shaped it into a song to remember and recall the spiritual strength and glory of that moment.

Verses 1 and 2 “The LORD hear thee in the day of trouble; the name of the God of Jacob, defend thee.  Send thee help from the sanctuary and strengthen thee out of Zion.”

The people pray for the king – “may the Lord answer and help”.  The picture is of David preparing for battle and he and the people gather at the tabernacle (sanctuary) in the hills of Jerusalem (“Zion”) to ask God for help specifically in 3 ways – defend, help and strengthen.  Notice the references appealing for God’s help. 

“LORD” is Yahweh, the covenant name of God.

“The God of Jacob” is remembering Israel’s patriarch.

Verse 3 “Remember all thy offerings and accept thy burnt sacrifice.  Selah.”

The sacrifice was commonly made at important moments such as the eve of battle.  This is a prayer that the Lord would see and receive the sacrifices King David would make before war. Notice the little word “all” – a reminder that not all sacrifices were accepted before God.  If they were not offered with faith and in accordance with the Levitical system they would not be remembered or accepted by God.

“all thy offerings” refers to minchah, the gratitude offering

“burnt sacrifice” refers to olah, the bloody sacrifice

“Selah” means a pause, reflective meditation on the words spoken

Verse 4 “Grant thee according to thine own heart and fulfil all thy counsel.”

King David had one desire – to defend the people of God and the kingdom in covenant with God.  When our desires are in accord with the plan and will of God for us we can pray this same prayer with confidence.  We can also look for God to bring our desires more and more into conformity with his in the cause of our Christian growth.

“counsel” means purpose

Verse 5 “We will rejoice in thy salvation, and in the name of our God we will set up our banners the Lord fulfil all thy petitions.”

The confidence the people had in King David’s success.  They had so much trust in God’s deliverance that they had already planned to set up banners of joyful celebration.  This was true of both David and the Son of David of the king of Israel and the king of kings.  Jesus prayed for the success in his work on the cross and it was unthinkable that the Father would not answer the prayers of the Son.

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

David expressed the great confidence that God would answer the prayers of his people.  God would save (rescue) the king (his anointed).  The “anointed” here refers to both King David and Christ the Messiah.  The Lord saves his anointed.

The Father saved the son from sin

The Father saved the son from pride

The Father saved the son from self-reliance

The Father saved the son from doubt

The Father saved the son from failure

The Father saved the son from death by raising him from the dead

 

He is saved by an answer – God is not silent to his anointed

He is saved from heaven – God hears and sends help from his throne

He is saved with power with the saving strength

He is saved with skill and favour with the strength that comes from his right hand

Verse 7 “Some trust in chariots and some in horses but we will remember the name of the Lord our God.”

David knew what kings and the people usually trusted in – human strength and the ways it is often expressed (in chariots and in horses).  David drew a strong contrast (“we will remember”) – trust in God alone.  David put his trust in the person, the character of God.  He didn’t carry the name of the Lord as a magical incarnation rather the name speaks of the comprehensive character of God and is an expression of his faithfulness to his covenant with Israel.

Verses 8 and 9 “They are brought down and fallen but we are risen and stand upright.  Save LORD let the king hear us when we call.”

David’s trust in God could be justified on many grounds but one of those was the simple truth that David found that trusting God works.  He learned that this faith leads to success.  Those who have trusted in chariots and horses have bowed down and fallen.  Those who remembered the name of the Lord have risen and stand upright.  The rescue David had confidently sang of had not completely come.  He still needed to cry out “Save Lord”.  He still had his trust in the anticipated answer of the Lord.