Psalms 21
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The king shall joy in thy strength, O Lord; and in thy salvation how greatly shall he rejoice!
2 Thou hast given him his heart's desire, and hast not withholden the request of his lips. Selah.
3 For thou preventest him with the blessings of goodness: thou settest a crown of pure gold on his head.
4 He asked life of thee, and thou gavest it him, even length of days for ever and ever.
5 His glory is great in thy salvation: honour and majesty hast thou laid upon him.
6 For thou hast made him most blessed for ever: thou hast made him exceeding glad with thy countenance.
7 For the king trusteth in the Lord, and through the mercy of the most High he shall not be moved.
8 Thine hand shall find out all thine enemies: thy right hand shall find out those that hate thee.
9 Thou shalt make them as a fiery oven in the time of thine anger: the Lord shall swallow them up in his wrath, and the fire shall devour them.
10 Their fruit shalt thou destroy from the earth, and their seed from among the children of men.
11 For they intended evil against thee: they imagined a mischievous device, which they are not able to perform.
12 Therefore shalt thou make them turn their back, when thou shalt make ready thine arrows upon thy strings against the face of them.
13 Be thou exalted, Lord, in thine own strength: so will we sing and praise thy power.
Public Domain KJV text from Wordproject.org
Psalm 21:1-13
The King Rejoices in the Lord’s Strength
To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.
1O Lord, in your strength the king rejoices,
and in your salvation how greatly he exults!
2You have given him his heart’s desire
and have not withheld the request of his lips. Selah
3For you meet him with rich blessings;
you set a crown of fine gold upon his head.
4He asked life of you; you gave it to him,
length of days forever and ever.
5His glory is great through your salvation;
splendor and majesty you bestow on him.
6For you make him most blessed forever;
you make him glad with the joy of your presence.
7For the king trusts in the Lord,
and through the steadfast love of the Most High he shall not be moved.
8Your hand will find out all your enemies;
your right hand will find out those who hate you.
9You will make them as a blazing oven
when you appear.
The Lord will swallow them up in his wrath,
and fire will consume them.
10You will destroy their descendants from the earth,
and their offspring from among the children of man.
11Though they plan evil against you,
though they devise mischief, they will not succeed.
12For you will put them to flight;
you will aim at their faces with your bows.
13Be exalted, O Lord, in your strength!
We will sing and praise your power.
ESV Bible text displayed through the American Bible Society's Global Bible Widget
Psalm 21:1-13
Psalm 21
For the director of music. A psalm of David.
1The king rejoices in your strength, Lord.
How great is his joy in the victories you give!
2You have granted him his heart’s desire
and have not withheld the request of his lips.
3You came to greet him with rich blessings
and placed a crown of pure gold on his head.
4He asked you for life, and you gave it to him—
length of days, for ever and ever.
5Through the victories you gave, his glory is great;
you have bestowed on him splendor and majesty.
6Surely you have granted him unending blessings
and made him glad with the joy of your presence.
7For the king trusts in the Lord;
through the unfailing love of the Most High
he will not be shaken.
8Your hand will lay hold on all your enemies;
your right hand will seize your foes.
9When you appear for battle,
you will burn them up as in a blazing furnace.
The Lord will swallow them up in his wrath,
and his fire will consume them.
10You will destroy their descendants from the earth,
their posterity from mankind.
11Though they plot evil against you
and devise wicked schemes, they cannot succeed.
12You will make them turn their backs
when you aim at them with drawn bow.
13Be exalted in your strength, Lord;
we will sing and praise your might.
NIV Bible text displayed through the American Bible Society's Global Bible Widget
Commentary
This psalm closes the loop, completes the cycle of prayer and response, request and answer that was begun in Psalm 20. This is a psalm that was used in the aftermath of victory; a victory that was the subject of petition in Psalm 20. God’s will had been followed, the prayers for victory had been offered, conquest had been experienced. Now God’s people were faithful, very faithful, in coming back to God and offering Him the praise and thanksgiving for the success that had been experienced.
It is instructive for believer to know that the job is not completed when the prayers for victory have been offered and the battle has been won. There is yet more to be accomplished. What is that? There is need of specific, deliberate thoughtful thanksgiving and praise to God. This Psalm appropriately outlines after battle essentials. The Psalm comfortably divides into three sections: thanksgiving for the King and his victory (vs. 1-7), thoroughness in insuring a lasting victory (vs. 8-12), and a final praise to God alone (v. 13).
Delbert W. Baker
Director of Research and Development for the Regional Conference Retirement Plan (as of this writing)
