Psalm 20
20:0In Psalm 20, the king and his army are going to war. In verses 1-5, the people pray for them. In verses 6-8, the king says that he believes that he will win as God will give him help. Then the people will say, ‘Lord, save the king.’ This probably happened in Jerusalem every time that there was a war. It started with David, but other kings after him did it. In Psalm 21, the king and his army come back. They have won the war, so they thanked God. Psalm 21:8-12 is what God will do to his enemies.
War
This is a Psalm of David for the music leader.
1-3 We are praying that:
· the Lord will answer you when trouble comes
· the name of the God of Jacob will make you safe
· God will send you help from his holy place
· he will make you strong from Zion
· God will remember all your gifts
· he will like all your burnt offerings
SELAH
4 We want God to give you all that you really want
to make all your plans work well
5 We will shout for joy when you win the war.
We will lift up our banners in the name of our God.
We want the Lord to answer all that you pray.
20:5Verses 1-5: ‘Trouble’ here means ‘war.’ ‘Jacob’ means the ‘Jews.’ God is everywhere, in heaven and earth. The Jews prayed to him on a hill in Jerusalem. They called it Zion. Later they built their temple there. ‘He will make you strong from Zion’, means ‘God will give you the help that you ask for.’ They also gave God their offerings on the hill Zion
6 Now I know that the Lord will save his king.
God will answer him from his holy heaven.
The right hand of God will save the king.
7 Some people rely on chariots. Others rely on horses.
But we will trust in the name of the Lord our God.
8 They will falter and fall.
But we will get up and remain strong.
9 Lord, save the king!
Answer us when we pray.
20:9Verses 6-9: The right hand of God here means what God does on earth. Modern armies use guns and planes, not chariots and horses. Christians are like David: they trust in the Lord. ‘Move the king’ (verse 7) means ‘make the king trust another god.’
