There come those times in life when you want to express your sincere thoughts and deep emotions to someone special: a birthday, a love letter, a major milestone. The words have to be just right, so what do you do? You can author the message yourself, but this is often intimidating, out of your league. This pushes us to borrow the words of others. We pay Hallmark for a heart-felt card. We rummage through our memories for a quote that is dear to us, one that can speak our emotions better than we can. We dust off a favorite passage or line from Shakespeare, from Frost, from a Swift song. Great literature or music can communicate our thoughts with profound clarity. This is one advantage of God’s Word. Scripture informs us that we are not great at praying—and we feel our own ineptitude often enough. Thus, by his Word, God gives us words. He supplies inspired lines and phrases to express ourselves better. And though this is true of all Scripture, Psalm 21 is particularly crafted for us to take upon our lips.
This twenty-first psalm appears to be closely linked to the previous one; hence, there is a long tradition of understanding Psalm 20 and 21 as a pair. Both are focused on the king and his help from God. Both are spoken in the voice of the congregation. Furthermore, there is a logical flow between them. Psalm 20 was a prayer for the king on the eve of war, and Psalm 21 is the celebratory song after the battle triumph. The victory celebration asked for in Psalm 20 is answered and realized in Psalm 21. And this connection helps us understand how this psalm relates to David and to Christ. As we saw, in Psalm 20, the people prayed that God would grant the king success in battle to establish the kingdom and gladden the saints, which was ultimately fulfilled as Jesus prayed and offered up himself as a sacrifice on his day of distress to inaugurate the kingdom. Psalm 20 covered the humiliation of Jesus through the cross to the resurrection. Therefore, Psalm 21 picks up with the glee of the resurrection, the ascension, and Christ’s splendor at the right hand. In this way, the psalm fits Christ better than it does David. As noted by some church fathers, Psalm 21 is about David in figure and about Christ in truth.1 As we will see, there are things here said about the king that far surpass the grandeur of David.
Nonetheless, we are greeted at the door with the king rejoicing. In the full throws of delightful worship, he exults and praises; he blesses and overflows with happiness. The source of his gladness is the strength of the Lord, the victory of God. With his impeachable might, Yahweh worked triumph for and through the king. In the previous psalm, the saints longed to wave the flags of God. Well, the kingdom banners are flying high, and the king is the first to celebrate; he is emcee of the worship celebration. In the New Testament, one of the standout features of the resurrection is joy. So here, we behold the joy of Jesus as the firstborn of the dead, and his joy is contagious, for the king has a long list of things to be glad about. The next few verses list them off.
God granted the royal one every desire of his heart and each request of his lips. On the eve of battle, the people asked God to fulfill the wishes of the king’s heart, and here they marvel at answered prayer. The king harmonized his heart to that of the Lord’s and God satisfied his every want. Next, God lays a fine gold diadem upon the brow of the king, and to grant a crown is the bestowal and publication of authority. This could be a coronation, to install the king for the first time, or it could be a wreath of victory, to reaffirm the king’s throne after a win. Either way, the king is announced as the regent of God’s right hand. Then, the Lord opens the fountain of blessings. Rich spoils, good favors, and pleasant pleasures spill over the king. And these lavish benefits are not fleeting but enduring—goods that begin but never end. The blessings will be the king’s today, tomorrow, and forever.
Additionally, the generosity of heaven adorns the king with glory and pomp. Splendor and majesty are draped over him, poured on his head and running down to the hem of his robe. As you know, when you meet someone overwhelmingly beautiful, who has an aura of gravitas and dignity, you naturally step back in awe. Wonder at their handsome prestige leaves your mouth agape; likewise, the king’s resplendence swirls within you amazement and fear.
In fact, the gifts of God swell beyond the earth to the celestial, from the natural to the supernatural. Note verse 4: “The king asked for life, and God gave it.” By itself, this line hints that God preserved him alive amid the hungry arrows of battle. But then, it is expanded to length of days, which encompasses the full life of bright eyes and a sharp mind even into your nineties. Such a healthy span was the blessing of the covenant; it was the reward for obedience. Yet, this extended existence is stretched further, to life forever and ever. It blossoms into immortality. Such everlasting life never tastes death, or it raises to a greater life after death. The king, then, is given a share in the immortality of the Lord himself. He becomes eternal as God is. The humanity of the king is being exalted to higher and better realities.
The same dynamic is found with these other gifts of splendor and majesty. This pair is used almost exclusively for God in the Old Testament. Such spectacular magnificence resides before Yahweh; God is clothed in majesty and splendor, with deeds glowing in resplendence. Amid Israel’s neighbors, this pair is employed for the dazzling aura that hovers around the king’s head from the gods. In artwork, it is the aureola of brightness that halos around the royal head. The king, thus, wears a golden crown and he dawns the divine nimbus of glory. By the blessings of God, the king is no longer a mere man, but he is elevated as a superhuman. It becomes evident that, even though this could apply to David in a metaphorical way, it more properly belongs to Christ. As it is written, “By his resurrection, Jesus was declared the Son of God in power” (Rom 1:4).
What is granted to the humanity of David here is the manifestation of our Lord’s divinity. This is the radiance of God’s glory that Jesus entered into after making purification for sins; hence, the king is made glad with the joy of God’s presence. The regent no longer stands upon the earth, but his feet rest in heaven. He sits next to the happy majesty of God’s presence. The song that the congregation raises here exults in the ascension and glorification of Christ in the world above.
Moreover, verse 7 discloses the why. Why does the king share in the glory and attributes of the Lord? Because the king trusts in the Lord. It is due to the steadfast love of the Most High. And this verse is not first about faith and mercy, but also about trust and steadfastness as the ideal bond of covenant fraternity. The perfect covenant relation is held together by the imperishable cement of trust and fidelity. The king trusts in the Lord to do what was promised; and God is faithful to the king. For, trust is bigger than saving faith. Yes, David had saving faith, as do we, but Jesus did not. Saving faith is a sinner resting upon grace for redemption. But Jesus had no sin. Christ, though, still trusted in the word of the Father. And the Father was faithful to the Son. As it says in 1 Peter, when Jesus suffered, he did not revile in return, but he continued entrusting himself to God. Therefore, verse 7 portrays the perfect covenant relationship fulfilled for the glorification of the king. For us sinners, this trust and love means our faith resting in saving grace, but for him who had no sin, this is the upright fidelity of Christ and the steadfast commitment of the Father. It is the Son being obedient unto death, and the Father elevating the Son from the grave to glory.
With the king in his resplendent majesty post-victory, now this psalm lays out details about the conquest. In the previous psalm, the king prepared for battle against mighty foes. So now, with the battle over, we are given highlights from the actions. And simply put it was a route. The enemies had plotted evil against the Lord and his Anointed; they schemed mutiny and assassination. These foes wanted to make the head of the king to roll, and even to topple Yahweh from his throne, if such were possible. The haters were not misguided misdemeanors, but idolatrous rebels. The Lord, therefore, overpowered quickly; he put them to flight and squashed them under his feet. Likewise, he made a total end of his foes. Destruction swept them off the face of the earth along with their descendants. All the enemy generations perished together, which signals a permanent and total end.
Their defeat even harkens back to Sodom. Divine wrath swallows them up; fire consumes them; they are destined for the fiery furnace when God appears. And of course, the sulfur rain upon Sodom is a portend of final judgment. The everlasting fury of the Lord burns without end when the Divine Warrior rides forth on the white steed. A day of the Lord’s judgment is pictured for us. The victory over the foes is painted as the final and last one.
Yet, this raises a question. In this second half of the psalm, as the destruction of the foes is laid out, who is the subject of this judgment? Sure, the Lord is named in verse 9 to execute part of it, but to whom does the you refer? You put them to flight; your hand overpowers the haters. You aim your bow at their faces. Who does this? Amid the realities of a battle, they would apply better to the king. This is after all a victory song for the king’s triumph. So, does you point to the king? This seems to work, but in the first half of the psalm, you stood for God. To suddenly shift the you from God to the king is possible—it is actually fairly common in the Psalms—but it feels a bit jarring. Who, then, is the primary actor in the latter half of Psalm 21? Is it the king or God? In honesty, we cannot tell—to distinguish between the king and God evades us. And this is the point.
Here, the Lord and the king work together in ideal synergy. They conquer as One. The king acts with the power of the Lord and God consumes his foes through the king. In harmonious teamwork, the king and the Lord act in unity of wrath, power, and fierce judgment. The glorification of the king to share in the perfections of the Lord in the first half become God and king conquering as a united force.
And it is for this reason that the congregation can sing and praise. With such a powerful victory, by the might of God through the king, the people are swept up in joy and adoration. With the flags of victory swaying in the breeze of the Lord’s strength, the saints can worship with thanksgiving and gratitude. This psalm is their exuberant delight in the Lord, in the king, and in the amazing salvation won.
Why are the people so happy and eager to sing? Numerous reasons are explicitly named. The hateful enemies of God’s people were destroyed. Their king had his prayers answered and was adorned with the glories of God himself. The Almighty fought for the king and for his people. All of these are excellent blessings; they definitely deserve a song of praise.
Yet, behind these benefits, a more profound advantage lurks, which we sense by a cultural discomfort. Here, the saints of old are ecstatic about their king—but we do not like kings. And why are we prone to be anti-monarchial? Because we feel profoundly the truth that power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. We vote against kings, because this much power held by one person leads inevitably to abuse, oppression, and wickedness. For a human to control such might can only end up in a bad place. Of course, the ancient Israelites were not ignorant to this truth; in fact, they likely knew it better than us, as the Hebrews of the past actually suffered under evil kings. Just think of how many sons of David shepherded Israel as tyrants by promoting idolatry, perverting justice, overtaxing them, getting fat off of them. There were more evil kings in Israel than there were decent ones. And this is what makes the people so happy, for here the king is one with glory of God. His heart imaged God; he defeated the enemy in accord with the Lord. The king was the ideal covenant partner with Yahweh. And what is the one attribute that stops power from being corrupting? Righteousness!
Steadfast godliness and pure justice controls power so that it is wielded to a perfect end, which is what we have in truth in Christ. Jesus is our king, who possesses all authority and absolute power. Yet, there is not even a hint of anxiety in his power, because Christ is the righteous one. He is the good Shepherd, who laid down his life for the sheep. The day will come when Christ rides forth to judge the world in the terror of Holy Wrath. But, before Jesus unleashes judgment as Lord, he came to serve, to give his life as a ransom for our sin. Christ’s first task was to gather you to himself in mercy and love. He was glorified in the resurrection, because he was your sacrifice for sin.
Therefore, this psalm is our song of praise too. This psalm gives us the words and sentiments to express our gratitude to our Lord and King. In our present environment, rejoicing in Jesus as King can feel awkward. Praising Christ for his coming judgment upon enemies can be unpopular and ridiculed. We struggle to know how to exalt our majestic God and eternal King. So, this psalm teaches us how to rejoice; it gives us words to sing. It focuses our minds on the truth, and it lifts up our hearts to heaven. The poetry of this psalm drives us to the wonderful music of Revelation 5 and to the Lamb of God, who sits victoriously in heaven. Worthy is the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, the true heir of David, because he became the Lamb of God, who was slain for our sins, to ransom us to be his people.
This is our salvation, our everlasting life, and our eternal joy. Amid this present time, so full of grief and loss, sin and evil, setbacks and chaos, joy can be a rare commodity. Yet, even as we bare the pilgrim cross, your King imparts to you joy—the gladness that Christ is your tender Shepherd, that Jesus is your conquering hero, and that his steadfast love toward you never fails.
By his absolute power, without a speck of impurity or corruption, Christ preserves you in the joy of his resurrection, now and forever. Therefore, let us join the congregation of Psalm 21. May these be our words, our thoughts and emotions, towards the Father and the Risen Son, for his praise and glory, and our everlasting comfort and peace.
Notes
- Susan Gillingham, Psalms Through the Centuries: A Reception History Commentary on Psalms 1–72, Wiley Blackwell Bible Commentaries (Hoboken, NJ: Wiley Blackwell, 2018), 2:134.
©Zach Keele. All Rights Reserved.
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Zach Keele
Rev. Zachary Keele grew up on a ranch in a small town named Crawford, Colorado. He attended Geneva College in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania and received his Master of Divinity from Westminster Seminary California. He has served as the pastor of Escondido OPC since 2006.
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