Psalm 20

Constantine sees the sign in the heaven by which he’ll conquer

We wrestled with this Psalm since it seemed that there were two parts to it.  We decided that the first five verses were spoken in a way that sounded like the troops were talking about the king.  Then the last verses were the king speaking.

The troops recall those places where they find strength and assurance.  Calling on God in prayer.  Asking God to remember the sacrifices in the temple where He promises that there is grace.  And rallying around the military banners that call the clan/tribe/troops together.

It is a stirring picture to visualize this psalm.  The troops shouting their parts and the places that give them courage and then the king responding.

This is certainly a wakeup call in the words of the king.  There is no firm place other then with God.  If we trust in power, government, war machines or anything else we will fail.  This challenging word that comes up again and again – salvation/victory, causes us to wonder what is really being spoken of?  What is the word pointing to?  Salvation is heard as spiritual but in this context it seems like it should be thought of as a victory over a physical / political enemy.  What do you think?