Psalm 21: 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.
Today’s Three Pearls
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The king rejoices in your strength, Lord. How great is his joy in the victories you give – v.1 : David rejoiced in the strength of God and marveled at victories he won with God’s help. Each trial and tribulation we are delivered from by His mighty arm causes a greater celebration than the last. We rejoice in those experiences of Divine power and call them to mind periodically. Gradually, the remembrance of our saving joys becomes one of our coping mechanisms for the next battle. In faith, we begin to live with the ‘joy of the Lord as our strength’ – Ne.8:10 and when we do so, we are exalting Him in His strength – v. 13
- You came to greet him with rich blessings – v.3: Having asked His Son to be the sacrificial lamb that gives us access to His presence, God now comes to meet us where we are in His mercy, to draw us to him. His love for us was both the cause and the effect of the atonement. The father runs to welcome the lost, hungry son who just wanted some crumbles from his erstwhile home. The shepherd leaves 99 sheep to go look for the lost one. God is constantly seeking us out to bless us and a large portion of our blessings are given to us before we ask or seek them. To name a few, our existence-life itself, our intellect, our freedom to worship and the greatest blessing of all, Christ. On top of this, we are promised that He is able to do abundantly above and beyond all that we ask or imagine! Eph. 3:20
- You will destroy their descendants from the earth, their posterity from mankind – v.10: It is a terrible thing to be the target of God’s wrath. When decides to wipe out an enemy, He reduces all that the sinner prides himself in, his very legacy to rubbish.
Hilltop Thoughts, Valley Strengths 