Ps 20:1-7
May the Lord answer you in the day of trouble; May the name of the God of Jacob defend you; 2 May He send you help from the sanctuary, and strengthen you out of Zion; 3 May He remember all your offerings, and accept your burnt sacrifice. Selah
4 May He grant you according to your heart's desire, and fulfill all your purpose.
5 We will rejoice in your salvation, and in the name of our God we will set up our banners!
May the Lord fulfill all your petitions. 6 Now I know that the Lord saves His anointed; He will answer him from His holy heaven with the saving strength of His right hand. 7 Some trust in chariots, and some in horses; but we will remember the name of the Lord our God.
Commentaries say that this scripture was most likely one that the Hebrew people prayed for their king before he went into battle. The Bible Exposition Commentary says, "Before the army went out to battle, the Jewish law of warfare required the officers and soldiers first to dedicate themselves to the Lord (Deut 20:1-4), and this psalm speaks of such a dedication service." There are definite hints of warfare in this verse; words such as day of trouble, defense, banners, chariots, & horses, are all war terms. With that in mind, read verse 1b: May the name of the God of Jacob defend you.
Notice that the verse doesn't say may God defend you. No, it says may his NAME defend you. Very interesting! His name defends us. Hmmmm...this leads to an age old question, "What's in a name?" The Hebrew people understood that a person's name defines them. To them, a persons name reflected their character and nature. This is also true of the name of God. In Exodus 34, God declared His name to Moses as Yahweh, I AM. Here he declared his name to be Compassionate, Gracious, Full of Mercy, and a glorious list of other qualities. All throughout scripture, we find that God has multiple names - Provider, Healer, Shepherd, Defender, Peace, Our Righteousness, The One Who is Present...the list goes on and on. These names are all wrapped up in Yahweh; they define him. Unpack His name and you will see this verse in a whole new light! God's name will defend you! No matter what you need, God has the answer. No matter the situation, simply call upon His name. You don't need weapons or persuasive arguments...you simply need His name: Defender, Provider, Healer. You are calling on Yahweh, the Great I AM.
This leads me to another question: How is a name given to another? Well, a name is given in 2 ways. First, it is given at birth - from Father to child. Secondly, it is given in Marriage - from Husband to bride. In both situations, a brand new identity is given to someone & both are freely given. However, both reveal intimacy as well as covenant. A name is given to those who are in relationship with the Giver. Yes, as born again believers we receive His name! As the Bride of Christ, we receive His name! But too many Believers do not take His name as their very own. God freely gives the rights and privileges of His name to his children. Jesus freely gives the rights and authority of His name to His bride. All land, all wealth, all blessing of the Father and/or Groom is given to those who share his name. We do not earn these blessings...but we possess them through intimacy with our Father, our Groom. But also notice, if you look up verse 2 in some translations, you'll find the word 'defend' is sometimes translated as 'The Lord will set you on high.' God defends us by setting us on high. He lifts us up above the warfare, he sets us in heavenly places and put our enemy under our feet. Being with Him where He is (John 17:24) is our greatest defense. And being with Him where He is all goes back to intimacy.
Verse 7 reiterates the power of trusting in God's name. In this verse, we see a contrast between trusting in the strength of man and the strength of war verses simply resting in God. Notice that verse seven states we will REMEMBER the name of the Lord our God. We contend in war by remembering His name. Spiritual Warfare is not about striving or our efforts to change things...it's all about trusting in His name. I am called to war through rest and trust. By putting my mind on Him (Col 3:2) and remembering Who He is - Healer, Defender, Provider - I fight the good fight. 2 Corinthians 10:4-5 is a parallel passage to this verse. It reads:
For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, 5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ...
The weapons of our warfare can be found in the arsenal of God's name. I reach into His name and pull out the grenade of Provider, I pull out the sword of Healer and I fight the fight. But on this battlefield, there is no sweat on my brow; for this fight is one of simply resting in His name. My fight is to simply remember Who He is. But guess what? If I am in TRUE covenant...if I am intimate with my Father and Groom...I'll know who He is. I'll know His name and it will be my very own. I have taken that name and all it holds, and have found my very identity within it. The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run into it and they are safe.
May the Lord answer you in the day of trouble; May the name of the God of Jacob defend you; 2 May He send you help from the sanctuary, and strengthen you out of Zion; 3 May He remember all your offerings, and accept your burnt sacrifice. Selah
4 May He grant you according to your heart's desire, and fulfill all your purpose.
5 We will rejoice in your salvation, and in the name of our God we will set up our banners!
May the Lord fulfill all your petitions. 6 Now I know that the Lord saves His anointed; He will answer him from His holy heaven with the saving strength of His right hand. 7 Some trust in chariots, and some in horses; but we will remember the name of the Lord our God.
Commentaries say that this scripture was most likely one that the Hebrew people prayed for their king before he went into battle. The Bible Exposition Commentary says, "Before the army went out to battle, the Jewish law of warfare required the officers and soldiers first to dedicate themselves to the Lord (Deut 20:1-4), and this psalm speaks of such a dedication service." There are definite hints of warfare in this verse; words such as day of trouble, defense, banners, chariots, & horses, are all war terms. With that in mind, read verse 1b: May the name of the God of Jacob defend you.
Notice that the verse doesn't say may God defend you. No, it says may his NAME defend you. Very interesting! His name defends us. Hmmmm...this leads to an age old question, "What's in a name?" The Hebrew people understood that a person's name defines them. To them, a persons name reflected their character and nature. This is also true of the name of God. In Exodus 34, God declared His name to Moses as Yahweh, I AM. Here he declared his name to be Compassionate, Gracious, Full of Mercy, and a glorious list of other qualities. All throughout scripture, we find that God has multiple names - Provider, Healer, Shepherd, Defender, Peace, Our Righteousness, The One Who is Present...the list goes on and on. These names are all wrapped up in Yahweh; they define him. Unpack His name and you will see this verse in a whole new light! God's name will defend you! No matter what you need, God has the answer. No matter the situation, simply call upon His name. You don't need weapons or persuasive arguments...you simply need His name: Defender, Provider, Healer. You are calling on Yahweh, the Great I AM.
This leads me to another question: How is a name given to another? Well, a name is given in 2 ways. First, it is given at birth - from Father to child. Secondly, it is given in Marriage - from Husband to bride. In both situations, a brand new identity is given to someone & both are freely given. However, both reveal intimacy as well as covenant. A name is given to those who are in relationship with the Giver. Yes, as born again believers we receive His name! As the Bride of Christ, we receive His name! But too many Believers do not take His name as their very own. God freely gives the rights and privileges of His name to his children. Jesus freely gives the rights and authority of His name to His bride. All land, all wealth, all blessing of the Father and/or Groom is given to those who share his name. We do not earn these blessings...but we possess them through intimacy with our Father, our Groom. But also notice, if you look up verse 2 in some translations, you'll find the word 'defend' is sometimes translated as 'The Lord will set you on high.' God defends us by setting us on high. He lifts us up above the warfare, he sets us in heavenly places and put our enemy under our feet. Being with Him where He is (John 17:24) is our greatest defense. And being with Him where He is all goes back to intimacy.
Verse 7 reiterates the power of trusting in God's name. In this verse, we see a contrast between trusting in the strength of man and the strength of war verses simply resting in God. Notice that verse seven states we will REMEMBER the name of the Lord our God. We contend in war by remembering His name. Spiritual Warfare is not about striving or our efforts to change things...it's all about trusting in His name. I am called to war through rest and trust. By putting my mind on Him (Col 3:2) and remembering Who He is - Healer, Defender, Provider - I fight the good fight. 2 Corinthians 10:4-5 is a parallel passage to this verse. It reads:
For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, 5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ...
The weapons of our warfare can be found in the arsenal of God's name. I reach into His name and pull out the grenade of Provider, I pull out the sword of Healer and I fight the fight. But on this battlefield, there is no sweat on my brow; for this fight is one of simply resting in His name. My fight is to simply remember Who He is. But guess what? If I am in TRUE covenant...if I am intimate with my Father and Groom...I'll know who He is. I'll know His name and it will be my very own. I have taken that name and all it holds, and have found my very identity within it. The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run into it and they are safe.
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