Psalm 21

Some questions, outlines and notes prepared for our midweek meeting on Psalm 21:

Churches Midweek Meeting 13/5/20

Psalm 21

STUDY QUESTIONS:

Can you spot any connections / similarities / differences between Psalm 21 and Psalm 20?

Can you remember what situation we imagined as the setting of Psalm 20? What was going on in it?

What setting might we imagine for Psalm 21? What is going on in it?

Where does victory come from according to this Psalm? Cf. 20:7

What does the passage tell us about God?

God’s king?

God’s people?

God’s enemies?

The blessings God's gives?

The basis of those blessings?

?

Does the vengeance in this Psalm trouble you? Why / why not?

Given that you and I are not ancient kings in Israel facing war, how might be apply this Psalm to ourselves?

How would we relate this Psalm to Jesus?

Any other questions or comments?

Given that some of this Psalm’s ideas and themes appear elsewhere, can you say anything about what its distinctive contribution might be? Why do we need this Psalm in the Bible?

Sum up:

Theme sentence: the main point of the Psalm?

Aim sentence: how does God want us to respond to this Psalm? What should we do or think or believe or feel or not in the light of this Psalm?

How might this Psalm prompt us to praise and prayer?

* * *

OUTLINES:

Kidner:

The Day of Rejoicing

Vv1-7: The king and the Lord – the king’s faith

Vv8-12: The king and his enemies – the congregation’s address to him

V13: The Lord alone

* * *

Motyer:

Royal Rejoicing: Present Glories, Victories to Come

A1: Yahweh’s strength, the king’s joy (v1)

B1: Blessings granted and enjoyed (vv2-7)

B2: Blessings and victories anticipated (vv8-12)

A2: Yahweh’s strength; his people’s song (v13)

* * *

Expositor’s Bible:

The Rule of God through His King

A: The King’s joy in the LORD’s Strength (v1)

B: God’s Gifts to the King (vv2-6)

C: The King’s Response (v7)

B1: The People’s Expectations of the King (vv8-12)

A1: The People’s joy in the LORD’s Strength (v13)

* * *

NOTES:

Jubilant – maybe a coronation ode, or anniversary of coronation song, or a song for a royal feast, or a victory hymn – possibly liturgical responses / parts as ? Ps 20

Cf. v2 and 20:4 – The prayer of Ps 20 answered?

Both Psalms end in a single verse of prayer and praise directly addressed to God

They have similar forms, alternating between first person plural (we) and third person singular (he)

They both speak of victory / salvation (20:5; 21:1, 5) and of the Lord’s anointed king (20:9; 21:1, 8)

Vv1 & 13: O LORD … strength - inclusio

Vv1-7 – thanksgiving

Vv8-12 – confidence

Response of faith to God’s promises, hope, joyful anticipation

Vv1-7 – The king himself speaking of himself in the third person or someone speaking on his behalf? – only God and the king are really in the picture in these verses

The king is treated as the commander in chief of God’s armies and rewarded for his victories (as representative of the people) – consequent blessings – the chief blessing being the presence of God – Abrahamic and Davidic blessings – welfare, prosperity etc.

V1 – “victories” is again the same word as salvation as in Psalm 20

Vv3a-6b – chiastic structure outlined in Expositor’s Bible p231

V3 – You welcomed him – cf. the encounter with death in 18:5 and the encounter with the wicked in 17:13, which are expressed with the same word

On David’s crown see 2 Samuel 12:30; Ezekiel 21:25-27

V4 – could maybe be a hyperbole for long life or many descendants but in the context of the whole Bible, an everlasting hope – cf. the promises to the Messiah about an eternal kingdom in 2 Samuel 7

These things are true of the Messianic King Jesus without exaggeration

Vv8-12 – the verbs may be describing future events or present tense descriptions of God’s customary actions for his anointed

V6 – For you make him blessings for ever – you give him blessings and you make him a means of blessings – plurals of amplitude: all manner of blessings, every possible blessing to the fullest extent

Vv6 & 9 – appearance and appearing = face, personal presence

V8 – maybe something like find out / find out about your enemies

V9 – an oven of fire – an earthenware pot heated for use by being filled with combustible material and set alight – an intense all consuming heat – fire suggesting the holiness of God

V9 – we might paraphrase, one look from you would be enough

V9 – a hint of the Second Coming of Christ? Cf. 2 Thess 1:7b-9

V11 – a unique way of speaking of an evil plot – natah = to turn, bend, stretch, stretch out or extend

V12 – lit. you make them like a shoulder

Again, the Psalm teaches that the king depends and ought to depend on the King