Psalm Friday

Praisin' and Rejoicin'

Psalm Friday

Psalm 21

* Pray. Ask God to give you an open heart and mind to learn new truths from His Word. Read Psalm 21 through three times. Record any thoughts or questions you have in your journal. If a verse stands out to you, write it on an index card and begin committing it to memory.

Psalm 21 is a Psalm of David. It was penned and sung by David during his times of praising and rejoicing in the salvation he had been blessed with by his God. We could label it as a “Royal Triumphant Ode to the King of Kings.” David references several times, himself as the king, but this Psalm focuses more so on the Kingship of Jesus Christ and our profit of His Lordship over us. It benefits us much to crown not ourselves with glory, but instead crown Him with the glory due His name because of our salvation, sing of His everlasting, unconditional love, and humble ourselves beneath His almighty power. Psalm 21 leads us up to the very steps of the throne of God in preparation for Psalm 22 which will escort us to the foot of the cross.

John MacArthur divides this Psalm into two parts; part 1 being a thanksgiving for a victory and part 2 being an anticipation of future victories in the Lord. When I first read that, I thought, “a victory over what? What kind of victory is David rejoicing over?” He is rejoicing in the fact that God has saved him from the enemy and blessed him with eternal salvation. David says in verse 1, “and in Your salvation how greatly shall he (David) rejoice!”

Today we aren’t going to move beyond verses 1 and 2, because I want us to grasp what the Psalmist is saying here. Here are a few things the Lord showed me in these verses.
*David begins this Psalm saying, “The king shall have joy in Your strength, O LORD.” This is what I take this to mean: “in You, Lord- Your strength is my joy- I will rejoice in the salvation You have blessed me with.” What was David’s joy? God’s strength. Why? Because in his weakness, God had been strength to him and for him. The weaker we are, the more the grace and power of God shines through.

“And He said to me, ‘My (Jesus) grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.”
2 Corinthians 12:9a, NKJV

*David recognized that his salvation had nothing to do with anything he had done. It wasn’t at all about him but rather all about the Lord.

“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.”
Ephesians 2:8-9, NKJV

*David wasn’t just a little bit happy over his salvation, he was doing some serious praisin’ and rejoicin’ before the Lord. I was curious to know what the actual definition of rejoice was in the original Hebrew language; this is what it means, “to spin around (under the influence of violent emotion). Webster’s Dictionary defines rejoice in this way, “to experience joy and gladness in a high degree; to be exhilarated with lively and pleasurable sensations.” When David said he would rejoice in the salvation God had blessed him with he didn’t mean he was going to sit around with a sour look on his face, hands folded nicely in his lap. No sir! When David rejoiced in the Lord he was up on his feet dancing and spinning and twirling before the Lord with a gladness of heart that cannot be measured. He was beyond excited about his salvation! David’s salvation meant everything to him and it was evident by his outward display of the transformation that had taken place within his heart. Nothing could compare to his salvation. His heart’s desire (verse 2) was for God to save him from his enemy and God had done that for him. David couldn’t help but lifts his hands in praise.

Questions to Answer- Thoughts to Ponder
*How often do you rejoice in your salvation? Does your salvation mean everything to you or have you all but forgotten the moment the Lord rescued you from an eternity of being seperated from Him?

*In your day to day life, are you walking in your own strength, trying to accomplish all that needs to be done on your own, or are you following in the Lord's footprints allowing Him to lead and guide your every step?
*Do you value all that God has done for you? To value something means that you hold it close to your heart; you protect it, you cherish it above anything else. Think about the things in your life you value (the earthly things- work with me here, I’m trying to prove a point). We value our spouses, our children, our families, friends, etc… out of all the earthly things that we value, we should value our salvation a gazillion times more. “Why?” you ask. Oh, I’m so glad you did! And, we will answer that question next time we meet.

Until then, dear friend, dance and spin and twirl around before the Lord praising and rejoicing in the God of your salvation. Never let your heart forget the wonder of the cross.