Presented, December 18, 2005 pm
THE KING SHALL HAVE JOY
PSALM 21
Tonight, we continue our study of the psalms. We now come to the 21st psalm. It too is a psalm of David, given to the chief musician. It is a psalm that picks up where psalm 20 leaves off. In the 20th psalm we read of David imploring for God’s deliverance as they engage in battle. The21st psalm is an acknowledgment of Jehovah’s answered prayers. It is a psalm of victory over the enemy. And the psalmist’s enemy is the same as the Lord’s.
It is worthy of note as we begin that this is a prayer concerning answered prayer. The Lord answered David’s prayers and he is thankful to Him because of that. This leads to an interesting observation about God in our lives. How often do we turn to God with our troubles and then forget about Him when they are overcome? Like the 10 lepers whom Jesus healed, yet only one returned (Luke 17:11-19, esp. 15-19). Just like David on this occasion, we ought to continually give thanks to God for all things – 2 Corinthians 9:15; Ephesians 5:20.
Another consideration as we study this psalm – there are some who see in this the triumph of Christ. While I do not believe that was the primary purpose of David’s praise, Christ certainly could fit in this description. AND when we consider that many things David wrote about had a dual-message, it could certainly be true here as well.
I. Thankfulness for victory (1-7)
a.
Vs. 1 – The king shall have joy in your strength, O Lord. In his
battles, the king’s victory (salvation) is the Lord’s victory.
This points to the righteousness of his cause. David is battling to magnify
Jehovah God. His cause is in agreement with the Lord’s cause. Because of this,
in his victories he can acknowledge and demonstrate the power of the Lord.
Are our battles and victories in accord with the Lord’s?
He is the source of our victories? salvation - 1 Cor. 15:57 – God who gives
the victory though Jesus
2 Cor. 2:14 – thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ
1 John 5:4 – our victory that overcomes the world is our faith
b.
Vs. 2 – The Lord granted him his heart’s desire. Again, we can
glean from this that what he desired was the Lord’s will.
Are our thoughts and desires such that the Lord would grant them to us?
See James 4:3-4 – you ask amiss to spend on materialism.
1 John 5:14 – ask it according to His will
1 John 3:22 – Whatever we ask we receive, because we keep his commandments
and do those things which are pleasing to Him.
c.
Vs. 3 – he was met with the Lord’s blessings of goodness.
Whom does the Lord bless? In some ways all mankind (Matthew 5:45), but His
greatest blessings are to those who love and serve Him. These are the ones He
gives victory to.
Count your many blessings sometime. Have you thought about how
abundantly blessed you are, both physically and spiritually? Ephesians 1:3
James 1:17 – every good and perfect gift.
d.
Vs. 4 – he asked life and was given it. God is the source of life – both
physical and spiritual.
Here, perhaps the king is returning from battle and he is still alive – for this
he is thankful and he attributes that to His God.
I think of David being pursued by Saul over and over, yet in the end – David
lives and is exalted. And for this David is ever thankful unlike Saul who when
the Lord exalted him, he let it consume him – to the point of godless arrogance.
BUT more importantly just as God can give life and extend life upon this earth,
He is the giver or ETERNAL life - 1 John 5:11-12, “And this is the
testimony: that God has given us eternal life , and this life is in His Son.”
And it is something we have to ask for – Romans 10:13; John 5:39-40 – are
we searching for that life in God’s word?
How do we receive it – by obeying the gospel – Mark 16:16; 1 Peter 3:21
e.
Vs. 5-6 – The king realizes that whatever glory he has comes from the
Lord. Jehovah God gets the credit for all his prosperity and his salvation.
And because of that he rejoices (he is exceedingly glad).
Question: Are you happy that you are a Christian? Is there real joy in
your life as you serve the Lord.
As Paul told the Philippians, “Rejoice in the Lord always…” (Phil. 4:4)
ALSO, truly in our salvation from sin, we find the ultimate glory – our home in
heaven when this life is over. Luke 10:20 – “…rejoice, because your names
are written in heaven.”
1 Peter 1:6,7 – rejoice in the fact “… that the genuiness of your faith
…may be found to praise, honor and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”
f.
Vs. 7 – the king trusts in the Lord. Because of all these things, David
has reason to truly trust his Lord. Do we? Think of Paul in 2 Timothy
3:10-11 – the Lord delivered him “out of them all”
Trust is a part of our faith and needs to be a part of our prayers – James
1:6-7.
II. Expectation of future victories (8-12)
a. In these verses we ought to find comfort and consolation knowing that God can take care of our enemies (if they are His enemies as well). 2 Thess. 1:6-10
b.
Reflecting upon the Lord’s deliverance in his past, David can find
confidence in the future.
In fact, he looks forward to better and greater deliverance in the future.
Can we look back and see the many great blessings and victories God has
granted us? At the time they might not have been so obvious, but now, standing
back and looking at everything, we can see His hand shaping our lives and
lifting us up to where we now stand. Such contemplation ought to be a humbling
experience. Consider Paul whose past was filled with sin and rebellion – but
God forgave him – 1 Tim. 1:12-14. What about us? Titus 3:3-7, 1 Corinthians
6:9-11; 1 Peter 4:2-3
c. Vs. 8 – the Lord will find His enemies – they CANNOT hide from Him – Hebrews 4:13
d. Vs. 9-10 – their destruction will be complete and final. Consumed with fire – 2 Thess. 1:8, Heb. 10 26-27
e. Vs. 11 – evils intended against the Lord (and His people) will be brought to nothing. Man may win the battle – and today they are winning many – but he will NOT win the war. BTW, it is truly sad that one reason ungodliness prevails as much as it does is because we will not stand up and defend ourselves against it.
f.
Vs. 12 – the Lord will make them (His enemies and ours) turn their backs
in retreat. While the enemy wins many battles, they don’t win them all. Often
their evil plans are exposed and brought to nothing. I think of Haman who
desired the destruction of all Jews as recorded in Esther.
Even Satan will flee if we resist him – James 4:7
III. Exaltation of the Lord (13)
a. As in many of David’s psalms, he concludes with a proclamation that we will praise Him.
b. A true understanding of God’s deliverance ought to provoke us to continual praise and adoration to Him. That is why we set aside time and resources to glorify Him. We know that God is our greatest resource. That is why we are studying the psalms!
c. Do we magnify Him enough? What about in the presence of others?
Conclusion: Thus we see the need for gratitude toward God for His goodness towards us both physically and spiritually. Both what he HAS done and what He WILL do. Let us praise Him with the same fervor that David had.