Discover Psalm 20 Commentary in detail, with their Bible study and explained, as well as their meaning in the Catholic Bible among others.
Psalm 20-1
The Lord hear you in the day of trouble;
may the name of the God of Jacob defend you.
Psalm 20-2
Send you help from the sanctuary,
and sustain you from Zion.
Psalm 20-3
Let him remember all your offerings
and accept your burnt offering. Selah
Psalm 20-4
Give you according to the desire of your heart,
and fulfill all your purposes.
Psalm 20-5
We will rejoice in your salvation,
and we will raise a standard in the name of our God;
let Jehovah fulfill all your requests.
Psalm 20-6
Now I know that Jehovah saves his anointed;
he will answer him from his holy heavens
with the saving power of his right hand.
Psalm 20-7
These trust in chariots, and those in horses;
but we will remember the name of Jehovah our God.
Psalm 20-8
They bow and fall;
but we get up and stand.
Psalm 20-9
Save, O Lord;
May the King answer us the day we invoke him.
Psalm 20 Meaning
The meaning of Psalm 20 is very interesting, it tells us that we must pray before acting, we must analyze each situation and obstacle that comes our way in life in a practical, patient way and with faith in God. This Psalm invites us to analyze first, to pray first, and finally to act. Make the right decision after praying.
Psalm 20 Commentary
The overwriting of this psalm informs us that it was written by David. Psalm 20 and Psalm 21 are like two sides of the same coin. Psalm 20 is a song of preparation before battle, while Psalm 21 is a song of victory after battle. With this in mind let us examine the content of Psalm 20. What we find here is the participation of the people in the song of preparation for battle and the participation of the king in the song of preparation for battle.
Let’s get to the first thing.
Psalm 20: 1-5 says:
“May the Lord hear you in the day of conflict; the name of the God of Jacob defend you. Send you help from the sanctuary, and from Zion sustain you. Remember all your offerings, and accept your Burnt offering. Give you according to the desire of your heart, and fulfill all your counsel. We will rejoice in your salvation, and we will raise a banner in the name of our God; May the Lord grant all your requests.”
To properly grasp the meaning of this passage, it is necessary that you imaginatively move to the camp of Israel in the moments before a battle. There is David as king, his generals and his soldiers, all ready for battle. But before going into combat, there was a ceremony in which they encouraged each other. The first shift was for the people. The people had to encourage their king.
Addressing the king, the people shouted with one voice:
Jehovah hear you in the day of conflict; may the name of the God of Jacob defend you. It is in moments of conflict that we most need Jehovah to listen to us and not only that, but Jehovah to defend us. This is what the people wanted for their king. Then the people continued saying: Jehovah send you help from the sanctuary and from Zion sustain you. At that time, God dwelt among his people in his sanctuary in Zion. The people were telling their king that help was not going to come from anywhere but from God who dwells in his sanctuary in Zion.
Having said that, The people exhorted David to reflect that God was going to be helping him because David had offered burnt offerings and offerings to God. This would ensure that God does according to the desire of David’s heart and would make God accomplish everything that David had planned for the battle. The people would then be glad for the salvation of their king and would raise banners in the name of Jehovah, announcing to all that the honor and glory for the triumph is for Jehovah.
The people ended by saying to their king:
May the Lord grant all your requests. I am sure that when the king listened to these good wishes of his people, his heart was more affirmed in God and his whole being tasted victory in advance. Well, you are surely not preparing for a David-style battle in your time. But certainly, with each passing day we may face battles on the spiritual plane, perhaps against Satan himself or perhaps against the world controlled by Satan or against our old nature that longs to continue serving Satan. In any case, we are not alone in the battle. Like david,
Once the people had expressed their good wishes for the king, it was up to the king to address the people.
Psalm 20: 6-9 says:
“Now I know that the Lord saves his anointed; he will hear it from his holy heavens with the saving power of his right hand. These trust in chariots, and those in horses; but we in the name of the Lord our God we will remember. They falter and fall, but we rise and stand. Save, Jehovah; may the king hear us in the day we call on him. “
This intervention of David in front of his people is loaded with meaning and is appropriate for the moment before the combat. David begins by saying that he is sure that Jehovah will save him from the clutches of the enemy. David viewed himself as Jehovah’s anointed and relied on the fact that Jehovah saves his anointed ones. You and I, if we are believers, we are also Jehovah’s anointed and therefore we must be sure that Jehovah will save us from the clutches of our enemies.
Jehovah’s ear is attentive to the cry of his anointed ones. Instead of worrying when we face difficult times, we must enter God’s presence to gain full assurance that Jehovah is going to fight for us. Interesting how David viewed Jehovah. It says that Jehovah was with the saving power of his right hand. This indicates that Jehovah was in a fighting stance, ready to attack in defense of his anointed.
Immediately afterwards, David presents us with two options to face the battle and the corresponding results. The one option is to rely on chariots and warhorses. The other option is to trust the name of Jehovah. The first option illustrates facing battles in our own strength. It is when you or I think we are smarter than God and we run our life as we think is the right thing to do. Perhaps the intention was good, but the problem is that according to the Bible, the heart of man is deceitful and wicked and therefore there is not much guarantee of success.
The word of God says in Jeremiah 17: 5:
It is when you or I think we are smarter than God and we run our life as we think is the right thing to do. Perhaps the intention was good, but the problem is that according to the Bible, the heart of man is deceitful and wicked and therefore there is not much guarantee of success. The word of God says in Jeremiah 17: 5: It is when you or I think we are smarter than God and we run our life as we think is the right thing to do.
Perhaps the intention was good, but the problem is that according to the Bible, the heart of man is deceitful and wicked and therefore there is not much guarantee of success. The word of God says in Jeremiah 17: 5: the heart of man is deceitful and wicked and therefore there is not much guarantee of success. The word of God says in Jeremiah 17: 5: the heart of man is deceitful and wicked and therefore there is not much guarantee of success.
The word of God says in Jeremiah 17: 5:“Thus says the Lord: Cursed is the man who trusts in man, and makes flesh his arm, and whose heart departs from the Lord.” It is a very serious thing to trust man, it does not matter if it is ourselves or someone else. The result will always be disastrous. But look at the contrast in the same book of Jeremiah, chapter 17 verse 7 “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, and whose trust the Lord is”
Do you see the difference? What would you like to be Cursed or blessed?
Well, if you want to stop being cursed, stop trusting people or things and start trusting God. David’s enemies relied on their chariots and their warhorses, and David knew there was no hope for them because they had left Jehovah aside. For his part, David, although he had good chariots and many battle horses, nevertheless his confidence was not in any of this but only in the person of Jehovah. That is why he says that he and his army will remember Jehovah’s name.
Each option has its result. David’s enemies trusted their chariots and horses and the text says that they faltered and fell. This is a way of saying that they suffered utter defeat. While David and his men got up and stood, in other words, they were victors in the fight.
The same is today with you and me.
Trust your money, your education, your relationships with people, your physical appearance, etc. Or trust what others can do for you and I assure you that like David’s enemies you will falter and fall. If it has not fallen yet it is only a matter of time.
Therefore I urge you to confess to God your sin of having placed your trust in man as soon as possible and begin to trust God. Surely God will not allow you to falter and fall but, like David, you will get up and always be on your feet.
David ends his speech by exalting Jehovah. Save Jehovah says and then adds that the King hear us on the day we call on him. David himself was the king, but above him was the King with a capital letter, Jehovah of armies and it is he who will answer when called upon. Beautiful psalm, right? Every time you face difficult moments in your life. Every time you portend spiritual warfare, meditate on this psalm and I am sure you will come out well off.
