耶和华必救护他的受膏者 Victory to His Anointed

Title: Victory to his Anointed
Date: 27th Nov 2022
Preacher: Rev. Wong Siow Hwee

Psalm 20 is a psalm of David, presumably written for congregational worship. It was to be recited before a battle, while the next psalm which Rev WeiKang will explore next week, Psalm 21, was to be recited after the victory was won. So let’s do this reading as designed, I will act as King David, and you will act as the people of Israel. You will first recite verses 1-5, then I will read verses 6-8, and then we will read the last verse, verse 9, together. Remember that we are doing this filled with the confidence of a battle cry. Let’s not read like we are unmotivated to fight. 1,2,3… (Scripture reading)

Psalm 20: 1 May the Lord answer you when you are in distress;
may the name of the God of Jacob protect you.
2 May he send you help from the sanctuary
and grant you support from Zion.
3 May he remember all your sacrifices
and accept your burnt offerings.
4 May he give you the desire of your heart
and make all your plans succeed.
5 May we shout for joy over your victory
and lift up our banners in the name of our God.
May the Lord grant all your requests.
6 Now this I know:
The Lord gives victory to his anointed.
He answers him from his heavenly sanctuary
with the victorious power of his right hand.
7 Some trust in chariots and some in horses,
but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.
8 They are brought to their knees and fall,
but we rise up and stand firm.
9 Lord, give victory to the king!
Answer us when we call!

In the context of King David, I would say that this psalm makes perfect sense. David was a successful warrior, and a devout servant of God. We can read about his military accomplishments in 2 Samuel 8. Allow me to highlight a few verses in 2 Samuel 8: 10 Joram (who is a foreign prince) took David presents made of gold, silver, and bronze. 11 King David dedicated them for use in worship, along with the silver and gold he took from the nations he had conquered. 14 The Lord made David victorious everywhere.

From Psalm 20, we can deduce a few key ideas that are supported by the historical facts of David’s life.
One, this king is the Messiah, which is the Hebrew word for the anointed one, translated as Christ in Greek. You might know of the anointing of David by prophet Samuel in 1 Samuel 16:3.
Two, the king has chosen to trust in God’s power instead of military strength. This is certainly true in David’s battle against the bigger and stronger Goliath.
Three, the people prayed for the victory of the king’s battles through divine support. We see that this is true for David, as he was repeatedly victorious over all the enemies of Israel, and 2 Samuel 8 attributed this directly to God.
Lastly, the foundation of this request is based on the king’s devotion to God in worship. We see how this is corroborated by how David dedicated all the precious metals of his conquest for use in worship.
In summary, we can clearly say that Psalm 20 is a perfect fit for David. God indeed gave victory and provided salvation to his anointed one. Whether it was the wishes of the people or David’s own confidence in God’s protection, none of it was misplaced as reflected by the life of David in history.

What would be challenging for us is how we can extend this psalm about victory for the king beyond David. Let’s start with Israel. We know for sure that the kings of Israel after David’s reign weren’t invincible in battle. In fact, the kingdom fell eventually to foreign powers, and the people were exiled. To me, this is a stern reminder not to treat Psalm 20 like a good luck spell, something to pray or recite to guarantee personal victories. It would be overly simplistic to think of our religion or prayers as a trade deal with God. “God, I offer you worship and sacrifices, so you must support me in my battles.” That might be true for the pagan concept of idols, but it is not true for our faith. So what is the key difference between David and the later kings of Israel who failed in battle? I believe the difference is that the worship and victories of David are built upon the will of God for his people.

Note this verse in the same passage of 2 Samuel 8: 15 David ruled over all of Israel and made sure that his people were always treated fairly and justly. The military failures of future kings of Israel laid not just in idol worship, but more importantly in their social injustices. This has been attested by many of the OT prophets we have spoken about before. [1] Simply put, God supported David in his victories because he brought justice and fairness to the people. Would he do the same to those who would bring evil? Surely not. So even as we sing in verse 3 May he remember all your sacrifices and accept your burnt offerings. We should be mindful of the prophetic words in Hosea 6: 6 For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings. It is no surprise that Jesus twice quoted this verse to the religious leaders of His day (Matthew 9:13 and 12:7). They too missed the heart of God and focused on the wrong and superficial things.

From the lessons of Israel, I think the same can be said of the Church. We must not think that just because we are the people of God, and we sing worship songs like Psalm 20, that God will naturally bring us successes in our battles. It ultimately depends on what we are fighting for. Let’s take this opportunity to revisit the two occasions when Jesus quoted from Hosea. In Matthew 9, Jesus was eating with the tax collectors and sinners. In Matthew 12, Jesus was feeding and healing on the Sabbath. During both times, Jesus was seemingly doing things that were breaking religious traditions. Yet, the commonality in both cases was that people were reconciled into the community from their sin and brokenness. As Jesus explained the nature of his work in John 5: 17 “My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I too am working.” 19 “Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. In short, Jesus was doing the work of God.

So brothers and sisters, this is what I’ve concluded. We are vessels and servants of God’s goodwill for men, and not vice versa where God serves our selfish desires for power and success. If the church brings hardship upon its congregation like what the Jewish leaders did during Jesus’ time, or fails to stand up to injustice like most of the evil kings of ancient Israel, then we are not on God’s side, even if we think that our worship is for God. Then God has no reason to protect or save us in battles he is opposed to. Am I making sense? But if the church fights for justice and reconciliation, and we also practice what we preach about this, then I am assured that God is surely behind us, just as he was behind David. In short, if the church wants to know if we will win in our battles, then we better figure out what God wants us to fight for.

What about personal battles? Would God bring us victory in our fights just like the words of Psalm 20? Simply put, can Psalm 20 be applied for individuals? On one hand, it is a resounding yes from Psalm 20. Besides the explicit example of David, verse 1 also reminds us that he is the God of Jacob, the implicit example of prayers answered. In Genesis 35: 2 So Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, “Get rid of the foreign gods you have with you, and purify yourselves and change your clothes. 3 Then come, let us go up to Bethel, where I will build an altar to God, who answered me in the day of my distress and who has been with me wherever I have gone.” When Jacob had to escape from his brother Esau to seek refuge with his uncle Laban, he prayed for God’s divine support at Bethel for his uncertain future. Decades later, he would return victorious back to his brother, and Bethel became a symbolic place of his answered prayers of God’s salvation.

But on the other hand, we shouldn’t forget the clear counter-example of Job. The story of Job speaks against a mechanistic understanding of God’s interaction with Man. It is not that God is unpredictable or temperamental; general principles as Proverbs have taught us do apply. But just in case we end up like Job’s friends in our perception of God, we need to also allow room for exceptions in our individual life-stories. If you have not finished reading the Lent devotions on Job [2] that the church had provided this year, this period of Advent would be a good time to revise this enlightening story. Misfortunes happened to Job despite his piety and righteous life according to God’s will. Where was God’s protection when he needed it most? Job is a reminder that piety or personal morality does not always equate with a smooth sailing life.

Since we have spoken about Job at length this year [3], I will move on to speak about Jesus Christ as another case study. You might say, “Isn’t Jesus victorious over sin and death? He is the perfect example of God protecting his anointed against his enemies.” While that might be true, that was certainly not the case at the cross. This was precisely the mockery from the Jewish leaders hurled towards Jesus in Matthew 27: 42 “He saved others,” they said, “but he can’t save himself! He’s the king of Israel! Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. 43 He trusts in God. Let God rescue him now if he wants him, for he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” While we know about the final victory at the resurrection, at the very least, God’s salvation seemed to be missing at the cross where Jesus was forsaken. Unlike dramas where the person in danger is saved at the last minute, there was no rescue, nor did Jesus come down from the cross. Without the advantage of foresight, few of us would look at Jesus on the cross and declare that as victory.

Throughout today’s sermon, I’ve examined quite a few case studies from the Bible on the link between victories and personal relationship with God. The purpose of looking through them, from David to the rest of the kings of Israel, from Jacob to Job to Jesus, is to have a holistic perspective of how Psalm 20 can relate to our lives. Being anointed does not mean that we do not have to go through suffering, not even for David. But if we stay faithful till the end, God will vindicate us; it proved to be so even in the case of Job. This was also how Paul characterized himself, as described in 2 Corinthians 1: 21 Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, 22 set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come. Being anointed by the Holy Spirit was what gave Paul and his mission team the confidence in his mission work despite the difficulties and persecutions.

Brothers and sisters, we are similarly anointed with the Spirit of Truth as stated in 1 John 2: 20 But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth. 27 As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things, and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit—just as it has taught you, remain in him. I believe we can have confidence in personal victories, but the bible made clear that it is most applicable with regards to our faithfulness to God. Just like Jesus and Paul, do you also believe you can remain in the truth of God, and stand firm? Today is the start of Advent, and I would like you to do three things to prepare yourself for Christmas. One, commit yourself to daily prayer and quiet-time. Make worship a part of your life, and not just on Sundays. Two, when God calls on you to speak the gospel and share the truth, do not be afraid. Let Psalm 20 be a confidence booster for you before you speak. Lastly, when you encounter hardships, do not doubt your relationship with God. There may not be any instant relief, but there would surely be a final vindication. Let us fight the good fight and finish the race.

[1] https://www.jubilee.org.sg/sermons/?series=23
[2] https://www.jubilee.org.sg/qt2022/
[3] https://www.jubilee.org.sg/sermons/?series=84

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