Psalm 20 -- Poetry with Power

Psalm 20 – Poetry with Power

—(Part 35 of Seeing Jesus in the O.T.)

Andrew Fountain – Nov 14, 2021

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Goal

To understand Psalm 20 at three levels:
the Artistry,
the Truth it expresses,
and the powerful Message that speaks to our hearts.

Psalm 20

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.

May Yahweh answer you in the day of trouble!
May the name of the God of Jacob protect you!
May he send you help from the sanctuary
and give you support from Zion!
May he remember all your offerings
and regard with favour your burnt sacrifices! Selah
May he grant you your heart’s desire
and fulfil all your plans!

Psalm 20 cont’d

We’ll shout loudly for joy over your salvation,
and in the name of our God set up our banners!
Yahweh will fulfil all your petitions!
Now I know that Yahweh saves his anointed;
He will answer him from his holy heaven
with the saving might of his right hand.
Some trust in chariots and some in horses,
but we trust in the name of Yahweh our God.
They collapse and fall,
but we rise and stand upright.
O Yahweh, save the king!
he will answer us when we call.

Psalm 20

This is a beautiful Psalm, but what does it mean for you and me?
Can we take v.4 as a promise?

May he grant you your heart’s desire
and fulfil all your plans!

If so, in what sense?

Psalm 20 – Poetry with Power

Artistry: How the Psalm is woven together
Truth: What is it saying?
Message: for us today

Psalm 20

Link to Psalm 20

There is a problem
- Focus on the source of help: God’s presence
  - Why should God help me? Burnt sacrifices? God told me to, so I will do it in faith
    Remember != forgotten, but put promises into action
    - The prayer widens out: not just this issue I am struggling with, but everything in my life be blessed
      - “Ringing shout”— Center of the Psalm
    - A perfect response to v.4
  - Something new is added here. How does it match v.3?
    Maybe the Spirit guided David to write beyond his understanding here
    The word anointed is Messiah, in Greek it is Christ
    v.3 was the basis for confidence. Now we see something very interesting
  - David was told about the Messiah that would come through his line
    Jesus quoted many of the Psalms and applied them to himself.
- Notice the difference—we have gone up from the physical realm to the heavenly realm
We are back at the start, but there is a little mini-poem before he concludes
A perfect match! (we will come back to the “king” idea)

So where are we at the end that is different to the beginning ??
- So much more confidence
- Note the move from “you” to “we” all of us are part of this now
- There is a new person introduced, the anointed one, the King
- There is a movement from winning a single battle, to having complete victory
  - See v. compared with v.4 and the green v.5b

Psalm 20 – Poetry with Power

Artistry: How the Psalm is woven together
Truth: What is it saying?
Message: for us today

Ephesians 2

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us,
even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—
and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,
so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,

Our Battles and Christ’s

If you are a Jesus-follower then you are joined to him.
You are united with him for eternity!
Your problems are his.
“As we walk through this painful challenge together, Jesus, please may we have victory”

Psalm 20 – Poetry with Power

Artistry: How the Psalm is woven together
Truth: What is it saying?
Message: for us today

The desires of whose heart?

May he grant you your heart’s desire
and fulfil all your plans!

Is this an open promise that God will give us whatever our hearts desire?
It is the heart’s desire of Jesus… for us
So what is Jesus’ heart’s desire—he poured it out to the Father in John 17

John 17

…keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one.
…that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves.
…keep them from the evil one.
…that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.

John 17

The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one,
I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.

Praying Psalm 20

I am sick, or worried about being sick
Financial crisis
Someone is hurting me (could be home or workplace)
I feel dissatisfied with my life
I am deeply lonely
I feel hopeless in my life and get anxious when I think about it

A. I am sick, or worried about being sick

Lord, this is your body, I belong to you.
This sickness is in the way of me serving you and being about your business
That makes it your problem as well as mine, so please lift it off me so we can continue with your mission for my life
If my sickness is somehow bringing you glory, please show me how so I can have peace

B. Financial crisis

Lord, my life is your life, and my needs are yours.
I am your servant, living my life for you, so my needs are actually your needs!
Please provide for this pathway that we are walking together on, or show me another pathway for us to walk

C. Someone is hurting me (could be home or workplace)

Lord I belong to you, I am your treasured possession, and someone is damaging your property
Take action Lord and protect me, because I am yours
You prayed in John 17 that your people would be kept from the Evil One, and this is him right now
You have a mission for my life, and it is under attack. Defend me Lord for your sake!

D. I feel dissatisfied with my life

Lord you have saved me for a purpose. You tell us that all of us have some role to play in your kingdom
You are my King, so please lead me as a king should and show me my role

E. I am deeply lonely

Lord, you have said it is not good for us to be alone
This deep isolation is holding me back from serving you how I should
This is your problem as well as mine Lord, so please rescue me!

F. I feel hopeless in my life and get anxious when I think about it

Lord you came to bring hope, victory over darkness
But there is darkness and hopelessness in my heart
Lord, this is your battle as well as mine—as long as the darkness is there, you are not being victorious
So please come as a king and win this battle because it is yours!

Praying Psalm 20

I am sick, or worried about being sick
Financial crisis
Someone is hurting me (could be home or workplace)
I feel dissatistisfied with my life
I am deeply lonely
I feel hopeless in my life and get anxious when I think about it

Decision to Trust

Some trust in nuclear bombs and weapons of mass destruction,
but I will trust in the name of my God
Some trust in investments in the stock-market
Some trust in their intellect, or personal attractiveness
Some trust in business skills, or education
but I will trust in the name of my God
Insert your own here…
but I will trust in the name of my God