“For the choir director. A Psalm of David. May the LORD answer you in the day of trouble! May the name of the God of Jacob set you securely on high! … We will sing for joy over your victory, and in the name of our God we will set up our banners. May the LORD fulfill all your petitions…. Save, O LORD; may the King answer us in the day we call. For the choir director. A Psalm of David. O LORD, in Your strength the king will be glad, and in Your salvation how greatly he will rejoice! … Be exalted, O LORD, in Your strength; we will sing and praise Your power” (Psa 20:0-1, 5, 9; 21:0-1, 13).
The many similarities and shared language between Psalms 20 and 21 provide strong evidence that the sequence of the individual psalms within the Psalter is strategic, not random. In both psalms, there is an “I,” a “he,” and a “we.” The “I” in these psalms is David, who prays for God to strengthen, save, and bless the king. The “he” in these psalms, the exalted king for whom David prays, points beyond David. The “we” in these psalms is David together with the people of God, prophetically celebrating the victory of the LORD’s Messiah.
God’s people will, through our Messiah’s defeat of death, enter into green pastures.
Psalms 20–21 affirm by faith that there will be shouts of joy and songs of victory after we pass through the agonizing cries of Psalm 22, when it appears that our Messiah has lost the battle entirely. In these dark times, let us find strength together in praise and faithful confession. For after our cries of “my God, my God,” God’s people will, through our Messiah’s defeat of death, enter into green pastures (Psalm 23).
As the psalmist declares, “O LORD, You have brought up my soul from Sheol; You have kept me alive, that I would not go down to the pit. Sing praise to the LORD, you His godly ones, and give thanks to His holy name. For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for a lifetime; weeping may last for the night, but a shout of joy comes in the morning” (Psa 30:3-5).
