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Psalm 21

O Lord, your strength gives joy to the king;
how your saving help makes him glad!
You have granted him his heart’s desire;
you have not refused the prayer of his lips.

You came to meet him with the blessings of success,
you have set on his head a crown of pure gold.
He asked you for life and this you have given,
days that will last from age to age.

Your saving help has given him glory.
You have laid upon him majesty and splendour,
you have granted your blessings to him for ever.
You have made him rejoice with the joy of your presence.

The king has put his trust in the Lord: 
through the mercy of the Most High he shall stand firm.
His hand will seek and find all his foes,
his right hand find out those who hate him.

You will burn them like a blazing furnace
on the day when you appear.
And the Lord shall destroy them in his anger;
fire will swallow them up.

You will wipe out their race from the earth
and their children from the sons of men.
Though they plan evil against you,
though they plot, they shall not prevail.

For you will force them to retreat;
at them you will aim with your bow.
O Lord, arise in your strength;
we shall sing and praise your power.

Commentary


O Lord, your strength gives joy to the king;
how your saving help makes him glad!
You have granted him his heart’s desire;
you have not refused the prayer of his lips.

You came to meet him with the blessings of success,
you have set on his head a crown of pure gold.
He asked you for life and this you have given,
days that will last from age to age.

Your saving help has given him glory.
You have laid upon him majesty and splendour,
you have granted your blessings to him for ever.
You have made him rejoice with the joy of your presence.

The king has put his trust in the Lord: 
through the mercy of the Most High he shall stand firm.
His hand will seek and find all his foes,
his right hand find out those who hate him.

You will burn them like a blazing furnace
on the day when you appear.
And the Lord shall destroy them in his anger;
fire will swallow them up.

You will wipe out their race from the earth
and their children from the sons of men.
Though they plan evil against you,
though they plot, they shall not prevail.

For you will force them to retreat;
at them you will aim with your bow.
O Lord, arise in your strength;
we shall sing and praise your power.
                                    (vv. 1-13).

The people return to the sanctuary to praise God for David’s victory, and the king is with them. As a body they render thanks to God for His mercies to them, for God has heard their prayer and granted David his heart’s desire. Now victorious over all his enemies, and undisputed ruler in the land, he has received from Nathan the Prophet a promise from God that his dynasty would last for ever (see 2 Samuel 7:6-16). David acknowledges that all his honour and glory come from God; he is not slow in giving thanks. Although he is a great and powerful king, he looks upon himself as the servant pf a greater king, namely God Himself.

Because he is the Lord’s anointed, King David considers his own enemies as God’s enemies, so he trusts that God will unmask all of them and wipe them out. God is described here as a king who behaves as rulers did in David’s time. They would not allow their enemy or his descendants to survive. With God on his side David knows that the plotting of his enemies is futile.

The psalm finishes with a rousing call to God the King to arise and manifest His power, so that His friends and subjects can rejoice in His wonderful reign on the earth.

Seen here on the historical level, the psalm is very limited in scope. It exaggerates both the power and importance of the Judean kings. If, however, David is seen as a type of the Messiah, pointing to one who was greater than himself, one who would indeed deserve the title of a great king over all the earth; if what is said of David is read as a prophecy concerning the Messiah, then the psalm contains no exaggerations, but instead carries an important vision concerning the ministry of the Messiah.

On this level we see the New Covenant people look back to the victory of Jesus, the Messiah, in the Resurrection. We give thanks to God, for we are an Easter people and thanksgiving is our song. With one mind, heart and voice the body of Christ declares her joy in the manifestation of God’s power on Calvary (v. 1). Yes, God the Father did grant the heart’s desire of His beloved Son, Jesus, and because of this redemption is now available to everyone. “. . . God shows no partiality. Rather, the man of any nation who fears God and acts uprightly is acceptable to
him . . .” (Acts 10:34b, 35; N.A.B.) (v. 2). Jesus is now declared to be King of Kings and Lord of Lords, and is crowned with many crowns (v. 3) (see Revelation 14:14, 19:12; Philippians 2:10-11). In His intercession for the world Jesus had requested His Father to allow Him to give eternal life to anyone He chose (see John 5:21, 17:2, 24). His request was granted. Now, because of Him, we shall live for ever with God if we accept the gift of salvation that He won for us (v. 4). Jesus, now in glory, is surrounded by splendour and majesty, enjoying rest after the labour of His redeeming work.

From this point the psalm suddenly looks to the future and the ultimate triumph of Christ, when the kingdoms of this world will have become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign for ever (see Revelation 11:15). All His enemies will eventually be unmasked and overthrown, punished with hell-fire, on the great day of His Second Coming, when all the nations will be judged (vv. 8,9). No one will escape. The age of God’s mercy in which we live will be over, and all of us will render an account of our lives.

The true enemies of God and His people are Satan and his minions, and they will be cast into the lake of fire for ever (v. 10) (see Revelation 20:10). Satan may plot as much as he will, using human beings who submit to him to help him; he will also use the powers of this world, for he is the Prince of this world (see John 14:30). In the end he will be utterly defeated, because Jesus promised that the gates of hell would never prevail against the Church (vv. 11-12) (see Matthew 16:18). Let us pray earnestly that God will continue to use His power to save His people from the Evil One, so that we can continue our paean of praise and thanksgiving to Him (v. 13).

This psalm teaches us to return to God with praise and thanksgiving for all His goodness to us. Prayer that lacks these elements is incomplete, for these are some of the highest religious emotions we can express. They show that we truly know God, and are in relationship with Him. Having come before Him to ask a favour, it reveals a very selfish heart when we do not return thanks. Jesus showed Himself hurt when only one of the ten lepers returned to thank Him for his healing (see Luke 17:11-19). When prayer is filled with sincere gratitude it shows the integrity of the heart, and the sincerity of the original request.

Thanksgiving, or rendering glory to God with the lips, but more especially with the heart, is so essential to prayer that the mere words “thank you” do not begin to express it. St Paul reveals the great sin of the pagan Roman Empire as the refusal to glorify God or render Him thanks (see Romans 1:21). He then describes the frightful state of immorality that the people sank into (see Romans 1:22-32). Unbelievers then, and now, get caught in the web of their own vices, with all the consequent suffering, until joy, praise and thanksgiving are unknown concepts to them. Thanksgiving and praise are normal to the sinner who has found the Saviour, and through Him also found the way out of his misery. As we progress in the spiritual life, experiencing the divine mercy and forgiveness more and more deeply, joy, praise and rendering glory to God become continuous. Now we not only are redeemed, we also look redeemed! For joy puts a radiant smile on the face, which is very beautiful (see 1 Corinthians 1:4; Philippians
1:3; Colossians 1:3; etc.). To sum up the attitude of the early Church: one in mind and heart they praised God continuously with glad and joyful hearts; as the redeemed community of Jesus their main act of public worship was Eucharist – giving thanks.

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