Chapter Twenty

Psalm 20:2. Lord, the king rejoices in Your strength and is immensely glad in Your salvation. “In Your strength the king rejoices” – the king is gladdened by that almighty power which You, O Lord, displayed in granting him an extraordinary victory. Lord, You heard the king and placed upon his head the crown of his enemy (2–4). You crowned him with glory! and because of his faith in You he will not be shaken (5–8). You turned his enemies to flight, for which we will glorify Your might (9–14).

Psalm 20:3. You gave him what his heart desired, and You did not reject the petition of his lips. “You did not reject the petition of his lips” – You fulfilled his prayer.

Psalm 20:4. For You met him with blessings of goodness, You placed upon his head a crown of pure gold. You, O Lord, received David’s prayer mercifully and granted him victory so that he placed upon his own head a crown of pure gold taken from his enemy’s head.

Psalm 20:5. He asked You for life; You gave him length of days forever and ever. Psalm 20:6. Great is his glory in Your salvation; You have bestowed upon him honor and majesty. Psalm 20:7. You have placed upon him blessings forever, You have made him glad with the joy of Your presence. The Lord rewarded David with great mercy: not only did He preserve his life in this war, but He granted him “length of days forever and ever.” His fame and glory depend on God’s favor, which sends success to all of David’s undertakings. By eternal life here is understood not David’s fame in history as a great conqueror—for biblical figures and pious people did not value such fame, however esteemed in human eyes—but his fame in posterity as the bearer of a great promise; the latter was the prophecy given to David of a descendant born from him, the Messiah.

Psalm 20:8. For the king puts his trust in the Lord, and through the mercy of the Most High he will not be shaken. Psalm 20:9. Your hand will find all Your enemies, Your right hand will find all who hate You. Psalm 20:10. In the time of Your anger You will make them like a furnace of fire; in His wrath the Lord will destroy them, and fire will consume them. Psalm 20:11. You will destroy their offspring from the earth and their seed from among the children of men. Psalm 20:12. For they devised evil against You, they plotted schemes but could not succeed. Since the king always trusts in God, he will not lack His mercy; therefore the hand of God will be directed also against all those who become adversaries of the king, and thus adversaries of his protector—God. His enemies will be destroyed as in a furnace of fire, their fields destroyed, their children struck down, and none of their plans against David will be accomplished. Clearly, David’s brilliant victory over mighty enemies filled his soul with extraordinary joy and jubilation; in this victory David and his people saw a pledge of their invincibility in the future as well.

Psalm 20:13. You will set them as a target, from Your bows You will shoot arrows in their faces. “You will set them as a target” – the Lord Himself will make enemies the object of His aim, therefore inevitable destruction threatens them. Psalms 19 and 20 are part of the morning service. Since the welfare of a people is closely linked with the success of their rulers’ undertakings that care for this welfare, the Church, on behalf of the faithful, prays for the king in the words of these psalms, asking for God’s blessing upon him.