Psalm 21: The king shall have joy in Your strength, O LORD; and in Your salvation how greatly shall he rejoice! You have given him his heart's desire, and have not withheld the request of his lips. Selah. For You meet him with the blessings of goodness; You set a crown of pure gold upon his head. He asked life from You, [and] You gave [it] to him--Length of days forever and ever. His glory [is] great in Your salvation; honor and majesty You have placed upon him. For You have made him most blessed forever; You have made him exceedingly glad with Your presence. For the king trusts in the LORD, and through the mercy of the Most High he shall not be moved. Your hand will find all Your enemies; Your right hand will find those who hate You. You shall make them as a fiery oven in the time of Your anger; the LORD shall swallow them up in His wrath, and the fire shall devour them. Their offspring You shall destroy from the earth, and their descendants from among the sons of men. For they intended evil against You; they devised a plot [which] they are not able [to perform]. Therefore You will make them turn their back; You will make ready [Your arrows] on Your string toward their faces. Be exalted, O LORD, in Your own strength! We will sing and praise Your power.
It’s important to consider the context of scripture ANY time we’re in the scriptures. Many people have been confused and frustrated because of the way they interpret the Bible, but out of context. For example, before Jesus gave Himself over to the cross, He made this compelling statement to His disciples in John 16:23:
“Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you.”
LOTS of people have looked at this verse and figured that we can ask God for anything we want, and at a certain point in time He will us the things we asked for. He promised. He’s obligated. Right? Many people have mistakenly taught that our desires for certain things are because GOD GAVE US those desires, further suggesting that God will give us the things we want because He wants them for us. They teach that this is God’s “love.” This isn’t what the Bible teaches. Look at the things Jesus said in John Chapter 16, just before Verse 23. Here’s what Jesus said in John 14:13, earlier in the conversation…
“And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.”
Notice that, while Jesus made a similar promise as the one written in John 16:23, He explained the reason for His promise. God is not interested in fulfilling the desires of our hearts for the sake of being nice. Instead, God fulfills the desires of our hearts, so that the Father is glorified in the Son. So, our desires should be consistent with the desires of Jesus as the Son of God. Our desires need to be centered on the glory of the Father, not our comfort and ambition. Again, context is important. In that same conversation at the Last Super, Jesus said this in John 15:16:
“You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and [that] your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you.”
In this passage, Jesus further explained His promise to fulfill the requests and desires of His disciples. Jesus began His explanation by saying that, our relationship with Him enables us to have the opportunity to seek God for the desires of our hearts. Our relationship with Jesus is ULTIMATELY based on His selection of us. He chose us, not the other way around. This further teaches that our heart’s desires are somehow stimulated by a work that God initiates. Jesus said He selected His disciples for a particular purpose: To produce enduring and everlasting fruit. Jesus previously explained that “the fruit” He was referring to, was the byproduct of a connection. Jesus is the One that forges that connection, using “faith” as the glue that sticks us to Him.
The people connected to Jesus by Biblical faith can receive His ability to bear fruit. That fruit is according to the likeness of Jesus’ fruit. When Jesus said that we should ask for things “in His name,” it means that our desires should reflect the fruit of His influence that comes from faith. The Father will give the desires of our hearts when we’re connected to Jesus Christ by Biblical faith and receive a change of heart by His Spirit so that our desires change. God’s desires and purposes will become our desires and purposes through the influence and help of the Holy Spirit. God is ONLY interested in fulfilling His desires. Those desires are supernaturally placed in our hearts when we are born again by the Holy Spirit because of Biblical faith so that He is glorified by the fulfillment of His purposes in us, and through us. Many people don’t like that God is only interested in fulfilling His purposes – especially if they conflict with our ambitions – but that’s what the Bible teaches. That’s the true context of scripture.
This principle about our requests to God is not only a New Testament principle taught by Jesus on the night of the Last Supper. This is a principle that was also taught in the Old Testament. The Bible shows that men of faith like King David, had a refined understanding of this truth and principle; and it showed in their prayer. The testimony of Psalm 21 reveals that David knew the things that Jesus taught His disciples, well before God took the form of flesh, making His purposes clearer. Since both the Old and New Testaments agree with one another about these fundamental points of prayer, we’re accountable to approach God according to these principles, having been told what is right and true, since the days of the Old Testament.
Psalm 21 is a psalm that David wrote, to speak about the “triumph of the king.” This psalm generally refers to the victory of wise kings who followed the LORD by faith, as King David did. The Psalm also has Messianic qualities to describe the triumph of the Messianic King of Israel, which is none other than Jesus Christ. David began this psalm by writing:
“The king shall have joy in Your strength, O LORD; and in Your salvation how greatly shall he rejoice!”
Even though Psalm 21 is written about the success and victory of “the king,” referring to God’s anointed leaders in Israel, it’s important to notice the source of the king’s victory. God’s strength is the power that enables and equips the king – again, referring to the leaders that God appointed according to His purposes for His people. The LORD’s strength produces success, not ours. The LORD’s strength produces good results through His kings. Those appointed by God to lead the people of God, according to HIS purposes, are filled with His ability to do the job that God appointed. The people who fulfill their purpose successfully, and have victory according to God’s purpose, can do so because of God’s transcendent influence and provision. Without the influence and provision of the LORD, the leaders of God’s people would be empty, weak, and unable to do what God wants. You can look at the history of Israel, especially in the Bible, and see that this is true.
The scriptures show that the king ALSO has joy because of the opportunity to receive God’s strength to serve His purposes. Those who rely on the LORD and His strength, to lead the people of God according to HIS ETERNAL and SPIRITUAL purposes, are filled with ability AND joy, to do the things that are pleasing to God. When we do things that please God, we get access to His joyfulness and satisfaction, even when the work is hard or dangerous. The truth is, the purposes and jobs that God appoints, are sufficient to satisfy our lives. TRUE success isn’t measured by ambition for selfish gain. Instead, true fulfillment is based on the satisfaction we gain when we lead God’s people according to HIS ETERNAL AND SPIRITUAL purposes, depending on God to provide the ability.
The scriptures also explain that the strength of the LORD is made real to us in His salvation. It’s important to see how David wrote about “joy” and “rejoicing,” to show that the strength of God and His salvation, are related. The king will have joy and rejoice because the LORD’s strength produces salvation. This quality of “salvation” describes the physical and circumstantial safety and prosperity of God’s people. This quality of “salvation” ALSO describes the spiritual integrity of God’s people.
The salvation of the LORD refers to the safety that His people have from enemy threats. Since God is eternal, the emphasis deals with preservation from our spiritual enemies: sin, death, and hell. The strength of God works through His appointed leaders (the king), to protect the spiritual integrity of His people, by keeping them from the threats of condemnation. This quality of strength was made supremely manifest in Jesus – the Messiah King of Israel, the KING of kings, who came as the Lamb of God to take away the sin of the world. THAT’s the quality of strength that produces real joy, because of REAL victory.
The quality of joy that God produces as a result of His strength flowing through his faithful kings, is explained in Verse 2:
“You have given him his heart's desire, and have not withheld the request of his lips. Selah”
Here, David referred to the desire of the king’s heart. Keeping things in context, it’s important to know that the desire of the king’s heart is directly tied to the strength and salvation described in Verse 1. In other words, the faithful and victorious king desires God’s strength and salvation. As a result, God fulfills that desire, which produces internal joy and outward rejoicing. Since the king’s desire is tied to the strength and salvation that come from God, the king’s desire is based on the revelation of God, and the fulfillment of His eternal purposes and promises. Essentially, the king’s desires, are God’s desires. Again, God places His desires in the hearts of those He selects to lead His people. God puts His desires in the hearts of His leaders because He wants to use those people to accomplish His eternal and spiritual purposes for HIS glory.
This is why the king can seek God, request things from God, and see their requests fulfilled by God, in time. It’s not that the victorious king approaches God with selfish ambitions. Instead, the full context of the Bible shows that the victorious king seeks the LORD in humility – dying to self to exalt the purposes of God, for the glory of God.
“YOUR kingdom come. YOUR will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”
The principle of Psalm 21:1-2 shows that the victorious king approaches God with the same attitude. The king is victorious, joyful, and satisfied in life because of the success that God provides by His power. Ultimately, God is equipping His people to fulfill His own purposes. The people who want a fruitful prayer life, and have a quality relationship with God like a victorious king, equipped to lead God’s people, need to deny “self” to approach the LORD in meekness and humility. That’s when we can be used as God’s instrument of righteousness to accomplish HIS eternal and spiritually-centered purposes that glorify Him through Jesus, by the power of His Spirit!
And, THAT’S what the Bible teaches about the One, WE know, as God.
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