Tuesday November 26
Dear
Friends,
Starting
today, and for the next seven to eight days, I will not be able to do a new
pastor’s chat each day from the Gospel of Luke. I will be away from my office
in Sneads Ferry NC and will be visiting with family and friends in the Roanoke
VA area for the Thanksgiving Holidays. During this time, I will continue to
post a series of chats that I did a couple years ago from the Book of Psalms
starting in Psalm 20.
The brief title of Psalm 20 tells us that this Psalm was written by King David
and was given to the “Chief Musician” to be sung by the choir of Israel. Over
the years I have often used this Psalm to encourage people to pray and believe
that the Lord will answer their plea for help in the times of their troubles.
I’ve signed many notes and letters with Psalm 20:4-5 after my name. “May He
grant you according to your heart's desire, And fulfill all your purpose. We
will rejoice in your salvation, And in the name of our God we will set up our
banners! May the LORD fulfill all your petitions.”
Psalm 20 is a prayer and a plea for God’s help before the battle, while Psalm
21 is the praise after the victory in battle. In verses 1-5, the people pray
for their king, David, who will be leading them into battle. Notice the words
“we and you”. In verses 6-8, David the king encourages the people to trust in
Jehovah for victory and not in chariots and horses like the other nations did.
In these verses notice the words, “I, we and they”. Both the king and the
people speak in verse 9, where "the king" is Jehovah God, The King.
The psalm begins and ends with a plea for God to hear them as they pray and to
give victory to the army of Israel (vv. 1, 9). The anointed king was the very
life and breath of the nation (Lam. 4:20) and the lamp of Israel (2 Sam.
21:17), and the enemy soldiers would make him their special target (1 Kings
22:31).
Those who have problems with the military aspects of some of David's psalms
should remember that David went to war only when the enemy attacked Israel. He
did not invade other nations just to gain territory, and he was fighting the
Lord's battles (1 Sam. 17:47; 25:28; 2 Chron. 20:15). The covenant God made
with David (2 Sam. 7:11) assured him of victory over his enemies. In this
regard, David is a picture of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Commander of the
Lord's armies (Josh. 5:14-15), who one day will ride in victory against the
armies of this world (Ps. 45:3-7; Rev. 3:14; 17:14; 19:11-21).
As I have read the Psalms, and the many prayers and pleas for God’s help in the
times of trouble, I have pictured the reality of the daily battle that we all
fight as believers against the devil and demonic forces, against the world and
its allures of pleasures and wealth, and even the battle against our own flesh
(Rom 7). Paul tells us in Ephesians 6:11-13: “Put on the whole armor of God,
that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not
wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers,
against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of
wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God,
that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to
stand.”
We are reminded in 2 Corinthians 10:3-6, “For though we walk in the flesh,
we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not
carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments
and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing
every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, and being ready to
punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.”
This Psalm is a great prayer
and plea for God’s help, and to believe and trust the LORD for victory every
day. May the Lord help you today to “fulfill your purpose”, and answer “all
your petitions”!
God
bless!
