Morning Pages: Psalm 20
Psalm 20 is a beautiful, priestly prayer for blessing and protection. Scholars believe this may have been a prayer the people of Israel prayed over King David before he went into battle and that David recorded their words in this psalm. The voice seems to switch within the psalm from the people of Israel to King David himself, making it more communal—as David and the people of God pray together for the Lord to act on David's behalf.
Scripture's benedictory prayers (or prayers of blessing) are some of my favorites. When I have been on the receiving end of a benediction prayer, the words wrap around me like a blanket, offering my soul great peace, comfort, and rest. And even though this prayer was written for King David as he prepared to enter into battle, it is a salve for my own soul which is often contending with the battles of life in a broken world.
The psalm begins with a series of seven stanzas, all starting with the word "May" as the petitioner calls upon Yahweh for blessing and favor.
Vs. 1 “May the LORD answer you in the day of trouble! May the name of the God of Jacob protect you!”
This simple prayer reveals so much about both the one praying and being prayed to. The one praying shows not only an awareness of need but also an awareness of who to turn to for help—Yahweh, the God of Jacob. Using the personal name of “Yahweh” (translated as LORD) and “the God of Jacob” in this verse is significant. But it can be easy to miss because it doesn’t carry the same weight for us as it would for them. Yahweh was the name God used when he revealed himself to Moses and purposed to redeem his people from their slavery in Egypt. And by invoking the name of the God of Jacob, the petitioner continues to draw down on their generational understanding of this God—the one who entered into covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and has proven himself faithful to Israel for generation after generation. This is a God who keeps his promises to preserve and protect his children.
The same is true for us. We may not be of Israelite lineage or entering into battle like King David, but God promised Jacob that through him and his seed, all the families of the earth would be blessed. And we are the fruit of that promise. Yahweh, the God of Jacob, has historical evidence of his goodness and faithfulness to his people compounded over millennia. Thousands of years after promising that he would send one who would crush the serpent's head, that promise is fulfilled in Christ. And through Christ, we too are children of the promise—those to whom God has covenanted himself. So, like the psalmist, understanding our own frailty and need and the breadth of God's faithfulness reminds us to turn to this God on the day of trouble.
The psalm continues,
Vs. 2 “May he send you help from the sanctuary and give you support from Zion!”
The petitioner prays for Yahweh to support, undergird, and uphold his people. The word for "help" in this verse is ezer. In this specific form, it is used twenty-one times in Scripture: in reference to military aid (as in this psalm), twice in reference to the creation of Eve in Genesis 2, and the majority in reference to God as the vital aid of his people—the one who brings the necessary strength, resources, and support they need in order to flourish. Yahweh was essential to Israel and King David's ability to attain victory over their enemies.
God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He is still the ezer of his people. Not only did he send his embodied aid to help us obtain victory over sin and death through Christ, but he also provided us with his ever-present help through the Holy Spirit, who indwells us and gives us the strength, wisdom, comfort, and direction we need to continue to grow in freedom and maturity in Christ. Truly, those who have the God of Jacob as their ezer are blessed (Ps. 146:5).
The petitioner continues,
Vs. 3 “May he remember all your offerings and regard with favor your burnt sacrifices!”
The psalmist prays that the Lord would be mindful of Israel’s obedience, faithfulness, and worship and that he would reward them with his favor (literally grow fat from his abundant blessing). It would be easy to falsely assume from this verse that Yahweh's favor could be garnered through Israel's (and our) behavior, religious activities, sacrifices, and offerings. And while the sacrificial system was about their faithfulness and obedience to Yahweh, it was never about Israel's efforts to be made right with Yahweh. Instead, it was Yahweh's efforts to bring Israel into relationship with him. Yahweh provided Israel with the sacrificial system as a mercy—so they could enjoy communion with him. And, as the creator of all that exists (including the animals and grains offered as sacrifices), everything already belonged to Yahweh. There was nothing Israel could bring to him that wasn't already his. Simply put, he provided what he required.
The Lord has always been the pursuer, initiator, and provider for his people. It has never been about our effort; it was then, and it is now only ever about God's grace. Our worship, our service, and our giving are only a response to what has already been done for us.
The psalmist continues,
Vs. 4 “May he grant you your heart's desires and fulfill your plans!”
For the ancient Israelites, the heart was the seat of the affections and the will; it was emblematic of the inner man. And to pray that the Lord would grant a person their heart's desires and fulfill their plans assumes that those desires and plans are honoring to Yahweh. Clearly, the people of Israel rallied behind and believed in King David's moral character and his plans for their nation.
And yet, this verse is one I often have a hard time with because I am skeptical of my own desires and plans. I have no trouble believing the prophet Jeremiah who declared that the heart is deceitful and desperately sick (Jeremiah 17:9). I know that, as my mentor often says, our motives are, at best, always mixed. I am well acquainted with my own sinful propensities, idolatry, and self-serving desires. But I forget that God has given me a NEW heart with NEW desires that are good and pleasing to him. And these desires emanating from deep within my inner man, from that renewed place, can birth good, beautiful, and pleasing plans. So this too is a benediction I can receive—one that can encourage, refresh, and embolden me to move in faith and entrust the results to the Lord.
The psalmist continues,
Vs. 5 “May we shout for joy over your salvation, and in the name of our God set up our banners! May the LORD fulfill all your petitions!”
The petitioner not only prays for victory, but they also anticipate victory. And in light of that victory, they would be able to give honor and glory back to the Lord as the true Victor.
The psalm continues but appears to switch voice from first person plural to first person singular,
Vs. 6 “Now I know that the LORD saves his anointed; he will answer him from his holy heaven with the saving might of his right hand.”
King David now seems to interject his own voice, responding to the people's prayers with confidence that Yahweh will indeed save. The word “know” here is yada which is the same word used to imply sexual relations (ex., Adam knew Eve, and she bore a child…”). If you have been reading these reflections since the beginning, you've likely heard me mention this word before. This word has come to mean so much to me personally and theologically as I engage the Scriptures because it communicates such an intimate, personal, experiential knowing. David knows Yahweh in the deepest, most powerful, and most intimate ways. From that knowledge, he is absolutely expectant and confident the Lord will deliver him and, through him, all of Israel.
The psalm continues,
Vs. 7-9 “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God. They collapse and fall, but we rise and stand upright. O Lord, save the king! May he answer us when we call."
I love, love, love these verses. The people declare that their power, might, and victory do not come from tools of war (chariots and horses) but from the God of Jacob—literally in “the name of the Lord our God” — a name of renown, reputation, glory, fame, and might. A name that has proven thousands of years of faithfulness to his promises. A name that is self-existent, not bound by time, nor constrained by human limitations or laws of nature. The one who declared of himself, "I am the LORD. There is none beside me" (Isaiah 45:5-6). To this name, every knee shall bow, and every tongue confess his Lordship. It is this God who created galaxies and oceans and angels and the most majestic things our minds could ever imagine by speaking them into existence. It is this God who holds our lives in the palm of his faithful, compassionate, loving, and able hands. This is the God to whom we turn and in whom we can trust in times of distress.
No matter our circumstances, strategies, skills, or resources, we trust in the name of the Lord our God, and we rest knowing that by his name we rise and stand upright—not bent over by our circumstances in despair—because we have the all-powerful Yahweh upholding us as our ezer.
Until next week.
Love,
CC
Here is Psalm 20 from Poor Bishop Hooper