Psalm 20 Continued…
Psalms 20:8-9 They are brought to their knees and fall, but we rise up and stand firm. O Lord, save the king! Answer us when we call!
Notice the similarity in verse 8 with the word usage in verse 7. Verse 7 says, “Some trust…but we…” And in verse 8 you have the same couplet of terms, “They are brought down…but we…” The idea is that the enemy, “some,” and “they” are not trusting in God like “we.”
We trust in God’s power. The enemy trusts in his own military might. We rise up and stand firm in the Lord. The enemy is brought to his knees. Not only is our trust in a higher power but our position is in a higher place as well.
The reality that one might die in the coming battle produced tension throughout the army of Israel even as they assembled to plead for victory. In the Bible, assurance never breeds complacency, but rather offers ground for urgent prayer and calling upon God to save.
The enemies were “brought down” from their “horses” and “chariots” in which they trusted. They were unable to stand any longer because of their mortal wounds; but we stand firm on our two legs, and keep the field as conquerors used to do.
“O Lord, save the king!” It was from that familiar phrase that Great Britain developed her national anthem. But Britain, like America, has come a long ways down the road to degeneration and disaster since those days when faith in God was the first line of defense.
It is just at that moment when things seem to be at their very worst that in the name of the Lord our God we shall rise and stand upright. What a great statement of faith! God’s right hand was the one that acted for Him. That is why, using this theoretical picture, the New Testament can speak of Christ seated at the right hand of God; for Christ is now the executor of God’s saving love and redemptive judgment.
But before we end our thoughts on this psalm and send it off to the Chief Musician, let us remember that these principles apply to our individual life as much as to our national life. Only, our enemies are spiritual, unseen, and demonic. If we want total deliverance from the problems and powers that beset us, we too must have total dependence. Our first step to victory in spiritual warfare is to trust only in the mercy and grace of God; all who trust in themselves will soon be “brought down.” Believers triumph in God and in His revelation of Himself to them, by which they distinguish themselves from those that live without God in the world.
PRAY
Father, teach me how to walk in faith. Teach me to have faith in Your ability to breakthrough every obstacle in my life. Help me to walk in step with your Spirit each day!