Psalms 20
Big idea: A congregation praying for its king before he leaves for war, and the whole psalm is in the second person until verse 6, when someone — probably a priest — says now I know. What they know is not the outcome; it is who saves. And the line that has outlived the occasion is verse 7, which is not a boast about weakness but a statement about where confidence is placed: some trust in chariots, and some in horses, but we trust in the name of Yahweh our God.
Psalm 20 prays for the king going out. Psalm 21 is the same congregation when he comes back.
20:1–9 — Some trust in chariots
A liturgy sung as a king leaves for battle, and it hinges in the middle. The first half is petition in the second person — may he answer YOU, may he grant YOU — the congregation praying over someone about to go. Then verse 6 changes tense and person: 'now I know'. Nothing has happened in between. What follows is the psalm's most quoted line, and it is a comparison of inventories.
1 For the Chief Musician. A Psalm by David. May Yahweh answer you in the day of trouble. May the name of the God of Jacob set you up on high, 2 send you help from the sanctuary, grant you support from Zion, 3 remember all your offerings, and accept your burned sacrifice. Selah. 4 May he grant you your heart’s desire, and fulfill all your counsel. 5 We will triumph in your salvation. In the name of our God, we will set up our banners. May Yahweh grant all your requests. 6 Now I know that Yahweh saves his anointed. He will answer him from his holy heaven, with the saving strength of his right hand. 7 Some trust in chariots, and some in horses, but we trust in the name of Yahweh our God. 8 They are bowed down and fallen, but we rise up, and stand upright. 9 Save, Yahweh! Let the King answer us when we call!
Scripture text: World English Bible (public domain).