"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 favour 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!
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
This Psalm is a battle-song, almost a national anthem, the sort of song sung at great times of crisis. The picture presented is of an army, in all probability drawn up in battle array, ready for the fight, with the enemy facing them across the plain or valley, and on the eve of the battle the army pours out its united prayer for victory, and for the prosper- ing of their leader and king (1-5). In 6, a single voice speaks - either that of the officiating priest or that of the king himself, expressing confidence that the prayer is answered. This is followed in 7ff by a chorus of many voices throbbing with the assurance of victory before a blow is struck, and sending one more long-drawn cry up to God ere battle is joined. It is a fine, moving picture, and few passages could show forth more eloquently the loyalty and love that David's people had for him. One is reminded in this of the touching episode about the water from the well of Bethlehem that his mighty men obtained for him at the risk of their lives (2 Samuel 23:15ff). It is this bond of love that provides the key to the message that the Psalm bears for us, as we shall see as we continue our study of the Psalm. We look first of all, however, at the prayer itself in 1-5, and this will be the subject of the next Note.