Psalm 20 was a humbling prayer for victory, now this chapter tells us the result – it is a prayer of thankfulness for victory.
“The king rejoices in your strength, Lord. How great is his joy in the victories you give! You have granted him his heart’s desire and have not withheld the request of his lips. Surely you have granted him unending blessings and made him glad with the joy of your presence. For the king trusts in the Lord; through the unfailing love of the Most High he will not be shaken. Your hand will lay hold on all your enemies; your right hand will seize your foes. When you appear for battle, you will burn them up as in a blazing furnace. The Lord will swallow them up in his wrath, and his fire will consume them. Though they plot evil against you and devise wicked schemes, they cannot succeed. Be exalted in your strength, Lord; we will sing and praise your might.” (v1,2,6-9,11,13)
The first thing that stuck out at me was verse 7: “For the king trusts in the Lord; through the unfailing love of the Most High he will not be shaken” which appears to be the inspiration for the song “We Will Not be Shaken” (Bethel Music). Now it’s stuck in my head….
Verses 8-9 are also interesting – the Lord seizes His foes in His right hand and they are burned up as if they’re in a furnace. Traditionally, soldiers/warriors are right-handed, whether they were born that way or not (up until at least the 19th century, all military personnel were forced to use their right hands because left-handed [or reversible] equipment/weapons were not made available). So, a soldier would hold their weapon in their right hand, and if they were to grab a foe, they’d use their left hand. The Lord, grabs His foes in His right hand, which would seem to indicate He’s not holding a weapon. I guess He doesn’t need a weapon if his enemies are incinerated by the fire of His wrath. Also, the right arm being more dominant, was considered the symbol of power and might, which may be why David describes God as attacking His foes with the right hand. I’m not sure how relevant this is, just an observation I found interesting.
This Psalm reminds me to always praise God, in all circumstances, even when things are going well. I’m not sure about you, but I have a tendency to forget about God when things are going “my way”. In recent years I’ve slowly learned complacency is a dangerous place to be, especially since “my way” almost never ends well, and then I will cry out to God when it all eventually “falls apart” and things are no longer “going my way”. I’d rather have things go “His way” and be mindful of His guidance and leading the entire time, so when things “fall apart”, I will be able to acknowledge those circumstances as part of God’s sovereign will, rather than lament and feel bad for myself.
Father God, thank you for your mighty support, your strong right arm that delivers us from the evil one and (spiritual) death. You can do all things, and you have done all things necessary to deliver us from our own sin. The victory over the grave and the enemy is yours, and yours alone, yet you invite us to celebrate with you. Praise be to you, oh Lord God Almighty, be exalted in your strength, for giving us victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. (v13 & 1 Cor 15:57 par)
~ Conqueror in Training