A Victory Song for the New Year
Reflections on Psalms & Proverbs Series, Part 3
Psalm 20:1-9
January 5, 2014
Pastor Paul K. Kim
Psalm 20 [ESV]
To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.
1 May
the Lord answer you in the day of trouble!
May the name of the God of Jacob protect you!
2 May he send you help from the sanctuary
and give you support from Zion!
3 May he remember all your offerings
and regard with favor your burnt sacrifices! Selah
4 May he grant you your heart's desire
and fulfill all your plans!
5 May we shout for joy over your salvation,
and in the name of our God set up our banners!
May the Lord fulfill all your petitions!
Psalm 20 [ESV]
To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.
6 Now
I know that the Lord saves his anointed;
he will answer him from his holy heaven
with the saving might of his right hand.
7 Some trust in chariots and some in horses,
but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.
8 They collapse and fall,
but we rise and stand upright.
9 O Lord, save the king!
May he answer us when we call.
PSALM 20: SOME PRELIMINARY
OBSERVATIONS AND OVERVIEW
•
It is a battle song which was to be sung by the people of
Israel as the king was about to enter into a battle.
•
It is a royal psalm for the king’s victory over the enemies; it is
also messianic because the ultimate King is Jesus the
Messiah.
•
It is a corporate prayer and benediction for the victory and
success of Israel over the nations.
•
It is a wisdom psalm that teaches us where to find help and
support for victory and success; hence, it fits the New Year.
HOW DO WE SEEK GOD’S VICTORY
AND SUCCESS FOR THE NEW YEAR 2014?
1) Begin with robust prayers for victory and success that come
from God.
May the Lord answer you in the day of trouble!
May the name of the God of Jacob protect you!
2 May he send you help from the sanctuary and give you
support from Zion! 3 May he remember all your offerings and
regard with favor your burnt sacrifices! Selah 4 May he grant you
your heart's desire and fulfill all your plans! 5 May we shout for
joy over your salvation, and in the name of our God set up
our banners! May the Lord fulfill all your petitions! (vs. 1-5)
 Notice that this prayer is: (1) for the king not for themselves,
(2) of robust/active faith, and (3) an all-out benediction.
 They pray for six things from God: (1) protection, (2) help, (3)
favor, (4) blessings, (5) success/victory, (6) answer to prayer.
4 Delight
yourself in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
5 Commit your way to the Lord;
trust in him, and he will act.
6 He will bring forth your righteousness as the light,
and your justice as the noonday.
Psalm 37:4-6
4 Delight
yourself in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
5 Commit your way to the Lord;
trust in him, and he will act.
6 He will bring forth your righteousness as the light,
and your justice as the noonday.
Psalm 37:4-6
HOW DO WE SEEK GOD’S VICTORY
AND SUCCESS FOR THE NEW YEAR 2014?
1) Begin with robust prayers for victory and success that come
from God.
May the Lord answer you in the day of trouble!
May the name of the God of Jacob protect you!
2 May he send you help from the sanctuary and give you
support from Zion! 3 May he remember all your offerings and
regard with favor your burnt sacrifices! Selah 4 May he grant you
your heart's desire and fulfill all your plans! 5 May we shout for
joy over your salvation, and in the name of our God set up
our banners! May the Lord fulfill all your petitions! (vs. 1-5)
 Notice that this prayer is: (1) for the king not for themselves,
(2) of robust/active faith, and (3) an all-out benediction.
 They pray for six things from God: (1) protection, (2) help, (3)
favor, (4) blessings, (5) success/victory, (6) answer to prayer.
 We are to pray actively for blessings for others and ourselves.
HOW DO WE SEEK GOD’S VICTORY
AND SUCCESS FOR THE NEW YEAR 2014?
2) Be resolute in trusting God and finding confidence in the
LORD.
6 Now
I know that the Lord saves his anointed;
he will answer him from his holy heaven
with the saving might of his right hand.
7 Some trust in chariots and some in horses,
but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.
8 They collapse and fall,
but we rise and stand upright. (vs. 6-8)
 The king’s response is A REKINDLEDED RESOLUTION to find
confidence and to trust in the name of the LORD corporately.
 Chariots and horses were the marks of power and strength in
ancient battles, but their resolution is to trust God for victory.
Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help
and rely on horses, who trust in chariots because
they are many and in horsemen because they are
very strong, but do not look to the Holy One
of Israel or consult the Lord!
Isaiah 31:1
The horse is made ready for the day of battle,
but the victory belongs to the Lord.
Proverbs 21:31
HOW DO WE SEEK GOD’S VICTORY
AND SUCCESS FOR THE NEW YEAR 2014?
2) Be resolute in trusting God and finding confidence in the
LORD.
6 Now
I know that the Lord saves his anointed;
he will answer him from his holy heaven
with the saving might of his right hand.
7 Some trust in chariots and some in horses,
but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.
8 They collapse and fall,
but we rise and stand upright. (vs. 6-8)
 The king’s response is A REKINDLEDED RESOLUTION to find
confidence and to trust in the name of the LORD corporately.
 Chariots and horses were the marks of power and strength in
ancient battles, but their resolution is to trust God for victory.
 In the new year 2014, our communal resolution must also be
to trust in the name of the LORD our God for success & victory.
HOW DO WE SEEK GOD’S VICTORY
AND SUCCESS FOR THE NEW YEAR 2014?
3) In advance, bless and thank the LORD for the victory and
success by active faith.
9O
Lord, save the king!
May he answer us when we call. (v. 9)
1O
Lord, in your strength the king rejoices,
and in your salvation how greatly he exults!
2 You have given him his heart's desire
and have not withheld the request of his lips. Selah
Psalm 21:1-2
 This is the benediction and praise as the conclusion of the
prayer and response for the victory and success in the battle.
 Psalm 21 hints us what they have experienced after the battle;
they turned to the LORD with praise, joy and thanksgiving!
 This is the way how we ought to ring in the New Year—to
bless and rejoice in the LORD by active faith in the name of
Trust God in Everything
A pitfall to trusting God, which we are prone to fall
into, is to turn to God in trust in the greater crisis
experience of life while seeking to work through the
minor difficulties ourselves. A disposition to trust in
ourselves is part of our sinful nature. It sometimes
takes a major crisis, or at least a moderate one, to turn
us toward the Lord. A mark of Christian maturity is to
continually trust the Lord in the minutiae of daily life.
If we learn to trust God in the minor adversities, we will
be better prepared to trust him in the major ones.
― Jerry Bridges
THREE PRACTICAL QUESTIONS
FOR OUR EVERYDAY LIFE
1.
How can I begin the New Year 2014 with robust prayers for
others as well as for myself? What will be my first step?
2. What would it mean for me to be resolute in trusting God
and finding confidence in the LORD this year?
3. How do I make it a daily habit and posture to bless and
thank the LORD for victory and success in advance by faith?