Psalms
Chapter 21
Lord, the King Celebrates Your Victory
The king rejoices in your strength, O Lord, and exults in your saving help.
You have granted him his desire; you have not rejected his request.
You have come to him with rich blessings; you have placed a golden crown upon his head.
When he asked, you gave him life—length of days forever and ever.
He glories in the victory you gave him; you shall bestow on him splendor and majesty.
You have given him eternal blessings and gladdened him with the joy of your presence.
The king trusts in the Lord, and through the love of the Most High, he will not be shaken.
Your hand, O Lord, will reach your enemies, and lay hold of all your foes.
Your mere appearance will turn them into a blazing furnace. Your wrath will engulf them, like a fire.
You will wipe their fruit from the earth and destroy their posterity.
Though they plot evil against you and devise wicked schemes, they will never win;
they will turn back in fear when you aim arrows at them.
Be exalted, O Lord, in your strength! We will sing in praise of your might.
Commentaries
21
This is another psalm that needs transposition. But now, the victory is ours, and we think of the ascended Christ in his eternal and glorified body. However, the war is not finished: the spoils must be kept safe. Christ has not stepped back to enjoy his triumph. He sits at the right hand of God, but God is everywhere. So, Christ is still Emmanuel, God with us. He is much more with us because the limits of space and time have been removed from his body. This is what the Ascension signifies: not a departure but a more powerful coming, not a retreat but an active presence. Therefore, we have no reason to fear! God is in control, and do we need to look for anything more? For all this, our psalm is a great song of thanksgiving.
The Messiah is crowned with “glory and dignity” (Heb 2:9), and he has been glorified (Jn 13:31). With this psalm, we thank God for the blessings we have received and strengthen our trust in him.