Psalm 20 Devotional:

A prayer of the people unto God, that it would please him to hear their king and receive his sacrifice, which he offered before he went to battle against the Ammonites.

To him that excelleth. A Psalm of David.

1 The Lord hear thee in the day of trouble; the name of the God of Jacob defend thee;

2 Send thee help from the sanctuary, and strengthen thee out of Zion;

3 Remember all thy offerings, and accept thy burnt sacrifice; Selah.

4 Grant thee according to thine heart, and fulfil all thy counsel:

5 That we may rejoice in thy salvation, and in the name of our God set up our banners: when the Lord shall fulfil all thy petitions.

6 Now know I that the Lord saveth his anointed; he will hear him from his holy heaven with the saving strength of his right hand.

7 Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the Lord our God.

8 They are brought down and fallen: but we are risen, and stand upright.

9 Save, Lord: let the king hear us when we call.

We saw before in this Psalm the remarkable manner in which it follows the previous Psalm, and the natural effect of faith and beholding God’s glory in creation which is to call upon God in times of trial. But this Psalm speaks on more than the trial itself, it speaks also to the issue thereof and the marvelous deliverance of God on behalf of His people. We see in verses 5 and 6, “That we may rejoice in thy salvation, and in the name of our God set up our banners: when the Lord shall fulfil all thy petitions. Now know I that the Lord saveth his anointed; he will hear him from his holy heaven with the saving strength of his right hand.” Wherein we see the realization met, and the people rejoicing because they experienced God’s favor. There is then two parts to this Psalm, the expectation of the promise and the promise realized. The expectation ends with the words, “when the Lord shall fulfil all thy petitions.” And the realization of that promise begins with, “Now know I that the Lord saveth his anointed”. For this is the whole life of the Christian, even waiting for the promises to be fulfilled, and rejoicing in God upon their fulfillment. We saw this before when we studied the record of Zacharius and Elizabeth, yea moreover also of Mary. The people of God are a waiting people, and God would have them well exercised in patience. Are you still waiting on the fulfillment of the promises? Wait a little longer, and He shall fulfill it before your eyes. Faith is not perfected until it be exercised with patience, as it is written, “Knowing this, that the trying of your faith bringeth forth patience. And let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.” And so having believed that God will do all things for us, let us also wait for it, knowing that God will fulfill our requests as it pleases Him. And therefore may we remember the name of the LORD our God, “when the Lord shall fulfil all thy petitions” and let us conclude our prayers ever with, “Now know I that the Lord saveth his anointed; he will hear him from his holy heaven with the saving strength of his right hand.” And may we praise Him even before the fulfilling of them, even as He has promised to hear us even before we speak. see Isa. 65:24

Calvin,
“Now I know. Here there follows grateful rejoicing, in which the faithful declare that they have experienced the goodness of God in the preservation of the king. To this there is at the same time added a doctrine of faith, namely, that God showed by the effect that he put forth his power in maintaining the kingdom of David, because it was founded upon his calling. The meaning is, It appears from certain experience, that God is the guardian of the kingdom which he himself set up, and of which he is the founder. For David is called Messiah, or anointed, that the faithful might be persuaded that he was a lawful and sacred king, whom God had testified, by outward anointing, to be chosen by himself. Thus, then, the faithful ascribe to the grace of God the deliverance which had been wrought for David from the greatest dangers, and at the same time, particularly mention the cause of this to be, that God had determined to protect and defend him who, by his commandment, had been anointed king over his people.”

Ainsworth,
The whole Psalme is a prophesie of Christs sufferings, and his deliverances out of them, for which the Church with him triumpheth.

Dickson,
This Psalme was dited to the Church in forme of a prayer for the Kings of Israel, but with a speciall eye upon, and relation unto Christ, the King of Israel; in respect of whom this prayer is a prophesie, and a forme of blessing of Christ, and praying for his Kingdome, wherof the Kingdom of Israel was a type, and the Kings thereof are types of Christ. Not that the Kingdome in every condition was figurative, or every King a type of him; But as the Priests being taken not severally, one by one, but together, shadowed forth in something, Christ in the Office of his Priesthood; so the Kings, not every one, but taken together, shadowed forth in something Christ, in his Royal Office, and their Kingdom resembled his Kingdom in his visible Church in some things, and in his invisible Church in other some things, leaving room to some persons, both among the Priests, and Kings, to be more specially types then any of the rest in common, After which the Churches confidence to be heard is set downe, and their gloriation in God over their enemies, with dependance on God for salvation in all difficulties and straights.

Opening Prayer.

Lesson 24.

The necessity of understanding the historical and religious atmosphere in which we live. Part 4. Prophecy and the future.

Intro.

Historical overview of the prophets. Major and minor.

What is a prophet?
To speak of justification, the sanctification of those who are justified (what we seek here), and the glorification of those who are sanctified. (what we seek hereafter)

iii. The Prophets and Revelation.
Isa. 1-2, 65-66 Jer. 1, Ezk. 2, Dan. 12. Matt. 24-25, Rev. 1, 17-22

Conclusion.

Closing Prayer.

YouTube Audio: https://youtu.be/Lkr4-ZAw7EE