Psalm 21 (NIV)
1 The king rejoices in your strength, LORD.
How great is his joy in the victories you give!
2 You have granted him his heart’s desire
and have not withheld the request of his lips.
3 You came to greet him with rich blessings
and placed a crown of pure gold on his head.
4 He asked you for life, and you gave it to him—
length of days, for ever and ever.
5 Through the victories you gave, his glory is great;
you have bestowed on him splendor and majesty.
6 Surely you have granted him unending blessings
and made him glad with the joy of your presence.
7 For the king trusts in the LORD;
through the unfailing love of the Most High
he will not be shaken.
8 Your hand will lay hold on all your enemies;
your right hand will seize your foes.
9 When you appear for battle,
you will burn them up as in a blazing furnace.
The Lord will swallow them up in his wrath,
and his fire will consume them.
10 You will destroy their descendants from the earth,
their posterity from mankind.
11 Though they plot evil against you
and devise wicked schemes, they cannot succeed.
12 You will make them turn their backs
when you aim at them with drawn bow.
13 Be exalted in your strength, LORD;
we will sing and praise your might.
CONSIDER THIS
Today’s post is from A Meditative Journey Through the Psalms by Timothy and Julie Tennent. Most recently, he served as president of Asbury Theological Seminary among other posts he holds across the global church. Julie is a gifted musician and was one of the driving forces that helped bring to fruition the Seedbed hymnal, Our Great Redeemer’s Praise. We will share some of their writing on the Psalms on Sundays.
This is one of the great coronation psalms of the Bible, which celebrates God’s presence with his people as symbolized by the righteous king. The king is the picture of joy as he celebrates the victories God has granted to him (v. 1). He sits on the throne with a crown of pure gold and revels in God’s answered prayers and his graciousness in granting him a long life (vv. 2–4). The psalmist celebrates the certainty of the king’s victory over all his enemies (vv. 8–12).
However, the psalm ends not with us gazing at the king, but gazing at the power and majesty of God himself: “Be exalted, O Lord, in your strength; we will sing and praise your might” (v. 13). The psalm powerfully moves from the type of the perfect king to the archetype of the King of kings and Lord of lords. All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to him—i.e., Jesus Christ (Matt. 28:18). In the end, even the greatest king on earth is but a dim reflection of the enthroned King of glory. Christ alone has vanquished all the principalities and powers arrayed against us. He alone holds the power to judge the nations of the earth. He alone sits on the throne in final power and authority. He alone rules and reigns in righteousness. This is our great hope. As Christians, we celebrate the ascended and exalted Christ, who now sits at the right hand of the Father. Praise God for our risen and exalted King!
For the Awakening,
Timothy and Julie Tennent
THE HYMN
Sing Psalm 21 with the Seedbed Psalter today. I suggest the tune ELLACOMBE (“Hosanna, Loud Hosanna”). You can hear the tune played online by Julie Tennent here. If you listen to the podcast audio version, I will sing the psalm in this same tune. For your convenience, the words from the Psalter are printed below.
1 O LORD, the king rejoices in Your strength by which he lives.
How great the joy that he does take in vic-to-ries You give.
2 You’ve granted him his heart’s desire; requests his lips have said; Selah
3 You welcomed him with blessings and gold crown upon his head.4 He asked for life—You gave to him forever length of days.
5 You gave him vict’ries, glory great, and majesty and praise.
6 You’ve granted him eternal joy, and You have made him glad
with all the joy Your presence gives; great blessing he has had!7 The king trusts in the LORD; and through the love of the Most High,
he’ll not be shaken, for he knows that steadfast love is nigh.
8 Your hand will seize your enemies; your right hand seize your foes;
9 When you appear, they will be like a furnace fire of woes.9 The LORD will swallow them in wrath; His fire consume them all.
10 Their offspring you will all destroy; descendants one and all.
11 Though they plot evil against you, devising wicked schemes;
They can’t succeed, for all they plot will vanish like vain dreams.12 For you will make them turn their backs, all those who are your foes;
And you will aim right at their face with arrows and drawn bow.
13 O be exalted in Your strength, O LORD of truth and light;
And we will sing and praise Your name; rejoice in Your great might.
P.S. Get the Resources
If you would like to have the meditations and the metrical psalter in a beautiful two-volume set—which I highly recommend— you can order those through the Seedbed store.
2 Responses
Be reliant
On Jesus
And compliant
With His will.
Know the thrill
Of seeing
That He’s real!
The tune to this particular psalm reminds me of the exultant crowd that welcomed Jesus to Jerusalem on His final trip that culminated in His betrayal, arrest, trial, crucifixion, death, burial and resurrection. I love the way singing the psalms helps us to travel alongside the Saints of old and to just think of the fact that Jesus during His earthly ministry loved singing the psalms also. We owe Dr. Timothy Tennent and his lovely wife Julie Tennent a debt of gratitude for this magnificent work and gift to the Body of Christ. I am just now beginning to deeply enjoy their great resource “A Meditative Journey Through The Psalms” that I had purchased back in 2020. It is a timeless treasure worth far more than its weight in gold. Thanks @JD Walt for leading us through this every Sunday to prepare us for worship. I am looking forward to having Saint Timothy and Saint Julie leading us on future Sundays. May we all like David rejoice in the strength of the Lord today and everyday.