Psalm 20 was the Psalm of ceremony and dedication before the battle. Psalm 21 is the celebration Psalm after the battle is won. It opens and closes with praise for God's strength shown through the king and army. The first part of the Psalm is a celebration of the current victory (1-6) and the last part celebrates all the victories in all the battles to come (7-13).
To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.
1 The king shall have joy in Your strength, O LORD;
And in Your salvation how greatly shall he rejoice!
2 You have given him his heart's desire,
And have not withheld the request of his lips. Selah
Once again the army of David returned victoriously. The word 'salvation' in verse 1 means victory or deliverance. In victory, the king could find joy in the strength of the Lord. There is always joy there for us but we often fail to see the victories and have trouble grasping that joy. The desire of David's heart was to serve the Lord and to follow after God's desires. God has given him the desire of his heart. What does the desire of our heart look like? If we were granted the desire of our heart, who would get the glory?
3 For You meet him with the blessings of goodness;
You set a crown of pure gold upon his head.
The people saw that God had met with King David. They saw the blessings of goodness that came from the Lord and gave Him the glory and not David. The crown of pure gold is symbolic and superlative.
4 He asked life from You, and You gave it to him-
Length of days forever and ever.
David asked for life from God and it was given to him. What David is asking for here is deliverance in battle. He's asking for God to protect his life and it was protected. The length of days, forever and ever, is the perpetuation of the Davidic dynasty. See 2 Samuel 7:13; Psalm 89:4 for promises where the throne of David will last forever.
5 His glory is great in Your salvation;
Honor and majesty You have placed upon him.
6 For You have made him most blessed forever;
You have made him exceedingly glad with Your presence.
The glory of the king in his victory is only great because of the salvation of the Lord. Again the word 'salvation' means deliverance or victory. If God had not saved him and given him honor and majesty the king would have none. God made him blessed……..and not just for a time but forever. King David was glad in the presence of the Lord and he put his trust in him. The king had won a great victory but it was the victory given to him from the Lord.
7 For the king trusts in the LORD,
And through the mercy of the Most High he shall not be moved.
This is the beginning of the second part. This is looking forward past this current victory to future victory. It was only through the mercy of the Most High to be stable and not be moved. There was nothing great about David in and of himself. He was only great because of the Most High.
8 Your hand will find all Your enemies;
Your right hand will find those who hate You.
9 You shall make them as a fiery oven in the time of Your anger;
The LORD shall swallow them up in His wrath,
And the fire shall devour them.
10 Their offspring You shall destroy from the earth,
And their descendants from among the sons of men.
11 For they intended evil against You;
They devised a plot which they are not able to perform.
12 Therefore You will make them turn their back;
You will make ready Your arrows on Your string toward their faces.
If David continued in the Lord; if he trusted in God and followed him in every way, then he would deal with all enemies in the same way. The enemies of David would be made known so that he could deal with them. When David stood with God then those who came against him were coming against the Most High. God would swallow them up in his wrath. They would be burned up in the fire. Those nations that were God's enemies he would destroy them from the earth. Have you met any Philistines lately? How about any Moabites? These enemies devised plots and battle plans against God and His people but of their own power they were useless against God's plans. They devised evil but God was always ready for them and turned their back in retreat.
13 Be exalted, O LORD, in Your own strength!
We will sing and praise Your power.
The people sang for God to be exalted and offer Him praise in His power. This Psalm ends in a similar way as Psalm 20….looking up to God.
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