Psalms 8:1 and 20:1-4
My Shepherd met me in His green pastures and laid me down in Psalms 20-21, Psalm 20 being one of my favorites. The Mind of the Spirit engaged the spirit of my mind in the last verse of Psalm 20:
Psalms 20:9 Save, LORD: let the king hear us when we call.
It struck me that David, through the Spirit, cries: “Save, LORD,” and follows with “let the king hear us when we call” (Psalm 20:9). It is agreed by most that Psalm 20 is a prayer to GOD on behalf of the king (See Dr. Beckum’s notes in The Intercessor Bible, Psalm 20, p. 825—Prayer For the King). But in verse nine, “the king,” David, petitions the LORD to “let the king hear us when we call” (Psalm 20:9). What king does he mean?
Along the still waters, I thought of Psalm 2, where the Spirit declares, “The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying, Let us break their bands assunder, and cast away their cords from us” (Psalm 2:1-3). The heathen rise up against the LORD, “and against his anointed.” The word anointed translates מְשִׁיחֽוֹ (Meshi-cho, “His anointed,” from Meshiach, anointed one). The LORD’s anointed refers to Christ, the KING. Often, King David describes events as if speaking of himself when describing Christ, his promised future son (Psalm 16, 22, 23, 24, 40:6-10, 41:9, 45, 68, 69, 72, 89, 110, 118, and 132; see Matthew 23:43-45). Psalm 20 begins, “The LORD hear thee,” and ends, “let the king (Anointed One) hear us when we call” (Psalm 20:1, 9).
If we follow through with this insight into Psalm 21, we have Christ joying in the LORD’s strength (Psalm 21:1). Verse 2, “Thou hast given him his heart’s desire, and hast ot withholden the request of his lips” (Psalm 21:2, see John 11:42, “I knew that thou hearest me always.”) “Thou settest a pure crown of pure gold on his head” (Psalm 21:3; Matthew 3:17, 17:5). “He aske life of thee, and thou gavest it him, even length of days for ever and ever” (Psalm 21:4; which cannot apply to David (Acts 2:29), but Jesus said that Father gave Him the power to lay down His life and take it up again (John “10:18). His glory is great in thy salvation: honour and majesty hast thou laid upon him” (Psalm 21:5; indeed, the savation He wrought for us is to His everlasting GLORY, and the Father has laid on Him glorious majesty and honour (See Psalm 21:5-6; Romans 1:4; Ephesians 1:12-21; Philippians 2:5-11; Revelation 1:12-20; 19:11-16). The King trusts the LORD (Psalm 21:7; read John 17). Psalm 21:8-13 speaks to His return to judge the earth, to execute the wrath promised in Psalm 2:11-12 against all who “intended evil against thee,” who “imagined a mischievous device, which they are not able to perform” (Psalm 21:11; see Psalm 2:1-12; Revelation 19:11-16).
So much of David’s life is blended into prophecy concerning his promised son. So much of his troubles and victories are folded into the future troubles and victories of his Lord, the Messiah. For us, we look back on the first coming of the promised “son of David,” and forward to His Second Coming. So much of our lives are bound up in His suffering and His victory (1 Peter 2:21; Philippians 3:9-11). Indeed, we are “crucified with Christ,” and “risen with Christ” (Galatians 2:20; Colossians 3:1). Yea, “Christ in you” is your “hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27). Our lives are bound up in His so that with Paul we say, “For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21). We may, like David, see Christ in our troubles and in our triumphs.
In the valley, kneeling in the shadow of His Cross, I was reminded of the most powerful testament to the truth outlined above as Jesus called to me: “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me” (Luke 9:23). Sometimes it’s difficult to differentiate between David and the Messiah when reading the Psalms. May it be difficult to differentiate between our Saviour and us—may Christ Jesus be manifested to this world through our “mortal flesh”: “For we which live are alway delivered unto death for Jesus’ sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh” (2 Corinthians 4:11).
At the table, He anointed my head with His oil and filled my cup with His grace. We walked together into His harvest, goodness and mercy following!
Praying for revival! 🙏
Going live asap:
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