A Study in Psalms - Vol. III; No. 5

A Study in Psalms - Psalm 20


Psalm 20
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For the director of music. Of David.

1May the Lord answer you when you are in distress;
        may the name of the God of Jacob protect you.
2May He send you help from the sanctuary
        and grant you support from Zion.
3May He remember all your sacrifices
        and accept your burnt offerings.        Selah
4May He give you the desire of your heart
        and make all your plans succeed.
5We will shout for joy when you are victorious
        and will lift up our banners in the name of our God.
    May the Lord grant all your requests.

6Now I know that the Lord saves His anointed;
        He answers him from His holy heaven
        with the saving power of His right hand.
7Some trust in chariots and some in horses,
        but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.
8They are brought to their knees and fall,
        but we rise up and stand firm.

9O Lord, save the king! Answer us when we call!

This psalm is a prayer written by David, probably for use by all of Israel to pray for David himself and his army when they went into battle. This may seem presumptuous: David writes a prayer for others to pray, concerning himself. But rather than presumptuous, I think it shows the value that David placed on prayer. David knew that prayer was his best weapon when he went into battle. And so, David gave the people of Israel who stayed behind a prayer to pray. Through the important work of prayer, even those staying behind could share in the victory.

This can be a model prayer for us to pray for our political leaders as they lead our nation in battles of various kinds, as well as our spiritual leaders as they lead us in the spiritual warfare in which we are engaged. Our leaders need our prayers. Even the greatest leaders (especially the greatest leaders!) are subject to physical and spiritual trouble. "In all trouble, personal, domestic, or national, prayer is the best resort of high and low. On earth no man is so afflicted, or forsaken, or beset by the wicked, that God cannot save him, and no man is so great as not to need help from on high."[Footnote #8] Our leaders are worthy of our prayers. God Himself has placed them in positions of leadership. Paul tells us: "Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God" (Rom. 13:1). Moreover, God wants us to pray for our leaders, even our unsaved leaders: "I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone--for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth" (I Tim. 2:1-4).

This prayer of David's is also an excellent prayer for any of us to use for any of our brothers or sisters who are facing battles, trials, or affliction. We would do well, when we pray, to follow the many excellent models of prayers that the great men of God prayed in the Bible. In preparation for this, we should go through the Bible and study different prayers of the Bible, making notes concerning which prayers to use as models for which situations. I urge you to carry out such a study.

David's Petitions


1May the Lord answer you when you are in distress;
        may the name of the God of Jacob protect you.
2May He send you help from the sanctuary
        and grant you support from Zion.
3May He remember all your sacrifices
        and accept your burnt offerings.        Selah
4May He give you the desire of your heart
        and make all your plans succeed.
5We will shout for joy when you are victorious
        and will lift up our banners in the name of our God.
    May the Lord grant all your requests.

This prayer of David's is in the form of a benediction, in which the one who is praying is speaking to the one who is being prayed for (rather than speaking to God), asking God's blessing upon them. This is a valid form of prayer, sanctioned by God. In the book of Numbers, God teaches Moses a similar prayer, commanding him to pray for the blessing of Israel in the form of a benediction: "The LORD said to Moses, `Tell Aaron and his sons, "This is how you are to bless the Israelites. Say to them: `The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the LORD turn His face towards you and give you peace.'" So they will put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them.'" (Num. 6:22-27).

Here in Psalm 20, David begins his prayer: "May the LORD answer you when you are in distress." This is prayed from a human point of view. In actuality, the Lord answers all of our prayers. God, of course, hears all of our prayers, and at times, chooses to answer silently, working in the situation even when we are not aware that He is working. An equivalent prayer (one that I prefer) would be: "May the Lord's answer to your prayer be clear to you."

David continues: "May the name of the God of Jacob protect you." For the Jews, one's "name" was not merely his appellation, but also embodied his whole character and attributes. So, by saying, "May the name of the God of Jacob protect you," David is asking for the full force of God's omnipotence, the whole measure of God's justice, and the entire depth of God's love. We do not serve an "unknown" God, but a God who has revealed Himself through His Word. Knowing His attributes, we can pray according to His will, by His "name".

The invocation of the name "the God of Jacob" is also significant, and should give us comfort. Jacob was a conniver who ceaselessly wrestled with God. Despite Jacob's sins, God had mercy on him, blessed him and answered his prayers. If God answered Jacob's prayers, he will certainly answer ours! The fact that God answers our prayers is not based on our faithfulness, but on His faithfulness to His children.

"May He send you help from the sanctuary and grant you support from Zion." The "sanctuary" and "Zion" refer to the dwelling place of God, so David is asking that help would come to them directly from God. Can anyone be defeated when he has his help coming directly from God?

"May He remember all your sacrifices and accept your burnt offerings." The greatest gift that we have is that God forgives our sins through the sacrifice of Christ. David wrote this at a time when atonement came through blood sacrifices and burnt offerings. We have Christ and His fulfillment of the laws of sacrifice in the Old Testament. We do not have to pray this line of the prayer, because God "remembers" and "accepts" Christ's sacrifice for our sins, as demonstrated by the resurrection of Christ from the dead.

"May He give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed." Implicit in the request that God give you the "desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed" is that your desires and plans reflect God's will for your life. God's will for us, of course, is best. And so, in a sense, this is a prayer that God would make His desires our desires, that He would literally give us the desire of our heart by implanting what He desires for us into our hearts.

In David's prayer, there is a statement of faith that the prayer will be answered: "We will shout for joy when you are victorious and will lift up our banners in the name of our God. May the LORD grant all your requests." In this statement of faith is a declaration that God will get the glory for the victory. We must not forget, when God delivers us, to praise Him and give Him the credit for the victory, not to glory in our own strength. After the victory, we must not forget to "lift up our banners in the name of our God."

Trusting in God


6Now I know that the Lord saves His anointed;
        He answers him from His holy heaven
        with the saving power of His right hand.
7Some trust in chariots and some in horses,
        but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.
8They are brought to their knees and fall,
        but we rise up and stand firm.

9O Lord, save the king! Answer us when we call!

This section begins with a parenthesis of sorts, in the midst of the prayer, expanding on David's faith that God will answer the prayer: "Now I know that the LORD saves his anointed; He answers him from His holy heaven with the saving power of His right hand." David so often (as we should) spoke of God as the God of Salvation. David depended on the "saving power of His right hand." The most valuable attribute of God for us is His ability and desire to save us. God went to great lengths to save us from judgment, sending His own Son to die for us. We too must depend on the "saving power of [God's] right hand."

People depend on so many other things to save them. "In war: chariots, horses, navies, numbers, discipline, former successes are relied on, ...[and] in peace: riches, friends, ships, farms, stocks are relied upon, yet they can neither help nor save."[Footnote #9] David affirms: "Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God." There is a great contrast between what the world depends upon, and what the child of God depends upon. What are "chariots" and "horses" as compared to the Almighty God, Creator of the universe? The greatest army, the mightiest weapon is no match for God. "If God is for us, who can be against us?" (Rom. 8:31). David states the result of the trust in worldly things versus trusting God: "They are brought to their knees and fall, but we rise up and stand firm."

Finally, David sums up his petitions: "O LORD, save the king! Answer us when we call!" Again, it is important to pray for our leaders. When it goes well with the king, it usually goes well with the country.

And so, bless the leader of our country. May Your Spirit fill Him and cause Him to focus on You, turning to You for every decision. May You be glorified in His life. Give Him Your love, Your strength, Your righteousness. In the name of Christ, our Savior, we pray these things, Amen.

Footnotes

8. Plumer, Studies in the Book of Psalms, pg. 272.

9. Plumer, op. cit., pg. 273.