Psalm 20 A Psalm of David.
Commentary by Dennis Edwards
20 1-4The Lord hear
you in the day of trouble; the name of the God of Jacob defend you; Send you
help from the sanctuary, and strengthen you out of Zion; Remember all your
offerings, and accept your burnt sacrifice; Selah. Grant you according to your
own heart, and fulfil all your counsel.
When we are
in troubles, as we often are for one reason or other, we need God to come to
our help and strengthen us, or comfort us, or defend us from our adversaries.
We try to live upright lives to prevent evil coming upon us and to try to obtain
God’s protection and blessing on our lives. Nevertheless, problems do come. The
New Testament teaches that the name above all names to call upon in our
moments of anxiety or pain or distress is the name of Jesus.
There is no
other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved, than the name
of Jesus, Acts 4:12b. He only is the way, the truth, and the life, John
14:7. When the lame man was healed in the temple the religious authorities
asked Peter and John, “By what power, or by what name, have you done this?” Acts
4:7. Peter responded thus:
“If we this
day be examined of the good deed done to the impotent man, by what means he is
made whole; be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by
the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified; whom God raised from
the dead, even by Him does this man stand here before you whole. This is the
stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the
corner. Neither is there salvation in any other,” Acts 4:9-12a.
Ultimately,
we all face the question of what we will do with Jesus, who is called the
Christ or the Messiah? Is he a devil or a saint, a man or God? C.S. Lewis
framed the situation in the following manner.
“I am
trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often
say about Him: I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t
accept His claim to be God. That is one thing we must not say. A man who was
merely a man and said the sort of things (that) Jesus said, would not be a
great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic, on the level with a man who
says he is a poached egg, or else, he would be the devil of hell. You must make
your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God, or else, he is a
madman, or something worse. You can shut him up as a fool. You can spit at him
and kill him as a demon, or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God,
but let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human
teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.”
Psalm
20:5 We will rejoice in your
salvation, and in the name of our God we will set up our banners: the Lord fulfil all your petitions.
It is in
the name of Jesus that we have power over all the power of the enemy. Apostle
John records Jesus’ words saying that, if we abide in Jesus and His words abide
in us, or in other words, if we are obedient to Jesus’ teachings, that whatsoever
we shall ask of the Father in Jesus’ name, He would give it to us, John 15:7
& 16b.
Psalm
20:6-7 Now know I that the Lord saves his anointed; He will
hear him from his holy heaven with the saving strength of his right hand. Some
trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of
the Lord our God.
Our own strength
or wisdom cannot save us in the day of trouble. Our enemies are too great for
us. It will take the supernatural strength and wisdom of God. Therefore, we
look to Him in the day of trouble. Our eyes will be upon Him. He is our saving
strength. We will trust in the name of Jesus to be our salvation.
Psalm
20:8-9 They are brought down and
fallen: but we are risen, and stand upright. Save, Lord: let the King hear us when we call.
If we stay
faithful to our call, God will raise us up, in spite of our enemies. He
promises, “Because you have set your love upon Me, therefore will I deliver
you: I will set you on high, because you have known My name. You will call upon
Me and I will answer you. I will be with you in trouble. I will deliver you,
and honour you. With long life will I satisfy you, and show you my salvation,” Psalm
91:14-16 adapted.
“That at
the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in
earth, and things under the earth; and every tongue should confess that Jesus
Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father,” Philippines 2:10-11.
Amen. “Whosever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved,” Romans
10:13.
Originally published January 20, 2025
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