Why Does This King Rejoice?

[0:00] Psalm 21, to the chief musician, a psalm of David. The king shall have joy in your strength, O Lord, and in your salvation.

[0:10] ! How greatly shall he rejoice! You have given him his heart's desire and have not withheld the request of his lips. Selah. For you meet him with the blessings of goodness.

[0:24] You set a crown of pure gold upon his head. He asked life from you and you gave it to him, length of days forever and ever. His glory is great in your salvation.

[0:37] Honor and majesty you have placed upon him. For you have made him most blessed forever. You have made him exceedingly glad with your presence.

[0:50] For the king trusts in the Lord. And through the mercy of the Most High, he shall not be moved. Your hand will find all your enemies.

[1:01] Your right hand will find those who hate you. You shall make them as a fiery oven in the time of your anger. The Lord shall swallow them up in his wrath. And the fire shall devour them.

[1:13] Their offspring you shall destroy from the earth. And their descendants from the sons of men. For they intended evil against you. They devised a plot which they are not able to perform.

[1:25] Therefore you will make them turn their back. You will make ready your arrows on your string toward their faces. Be exalted, O Lord, in your own strength.

[1:38] We will sing and praise your power. The word of the Lord for the people of God. Thanks be to God. Please be seated. Isaiah 40 tells us that the grass withers and the flower fades.

[1:53] But the word of the Lord stands forever. In Luke 1, the angel Gabriel who ministers in the presence of God himself. Says that the word of God shall not be void of power.

[2:07] May it be so. Let's pray. Amen. Lord, we ask that your Holy Spirit will please make clear.

[2:18] Illumine your word to your people today, Lord. And to all that you have brought close enough to hear of the glory of Jesus Christ. The Savior of sinners.

[2:30] Lord, we ask that you will please apply your truth to our lives, Lord. In a way that no preacher ever could. In a way that our own minds could never conceive.

[2:43] We pray that you will make our hearts tender. Break up the hard soil. May the gospel of Jesus Christ be implanted in our hearts. And in the hearts of everyone that you redeemed and purchased by your blood.

[2:57] All those that you are drawing near to yourself. Please do this for your glory alone we ask. Amen. Amen. Well, empathy means to undergo something or to feel something with another person.

[3:18] When a person we are watching is in discomfort, we feel discomfort with them. When a person we are watching is disappointed, we respond to make things better.

[3:37] Think of how you have experienced this. Your team was all watching your coach at halftime. Or maybe your class is all watching the teacher. And as kids, you have to watch your parents and respond accordingly.

[3:49] When they are happy, when they are rejoicing, when they are walking through the house whistling or singing and humming, then everyone's emotions seem to rise with them, don't they?

[4:02] Well, in ancient Israel, under the old covenant, we see a very important principle that is still true for the kingdom of Christ. As goes the king, so goes the kingdom.

[4:14] In Psalm 20, the psalm from last week, remember the king was low because all the people gather around and they wish for the king to be lifted up by God.

[4:26] As the king goes, so will we all go. And now, in Psalm 21, the king is rejoicing. And all the people will rejoice with the king.

[4:37] So, beloved congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ and dear friends, who God has put you close enough to listen, the question I invite us to wrestle with together as we walk through Psalm 21 is this.

[4:51] Why does this king rejoice? Why is it that this king rejoices? I have three reasons that I see here. The first, and we know the king is David.

[5:04] It's a psalm of David. He rejoices, first of all, because God answered his prayer. God answered David's prayer. Psalm 20 is the king and the people bringing their prayer before the Lord.

[5:18] And Psalm 21 is how God has responded. The occasion of Psalm 20 was the king and the nation preparing to go to war. Now, the occasion of Psalm 21 is the king celebrating on the other side of the battle.

[5:33] Celebrating the victory that God gave him once it's been accomplished. It's a prayer that the king is singing in front of God's people.

[5:45] It's from the lips of the king, but it's directed to God. The whole thing, it's a prayer. And the king is referring to himself in third person. Notice how both the intro and the outro, so verse 1 and verse 13, if you could take a look, they set the theme of the whole psalm.

[6:04] They state what is true of God. And the tense, the verbs, the tense of the verbs is very important throughout this psalm. Verse 1 and verse 13, intro and outro, they both use the present tense.

[6:17] Look at verse 1, the king shall have joy, he shall have joy in your strength. And in your salvation, how greatly shall he rejoice. And then he goes in to rejoice throughout the whole psalm and continue to pray that.

[6:30] And verse 13, he says, be exalted. Right now, in this moment, present tense, be exalted, O Lord, in your strength. We will sing and praise your power. The people are joining and praising the power of God.

[6:43] There's a direct connection between Psalm 20 from last week, right before this. You'll want to keep an eye at that one, and Psalm 21.

[6:55] In Psalm 20, verses 4 and 5, they wish, may the Lord fulfill all your petitions and grant your kings according to his heart's desire.

[7:05] Do you see that in Psalm 20, verses 4 and 5? Notice how that's answered now in Psalm 21, verse 2. You, God, have given the king his heart's desire and have not withheld the request of his lips.

[7:21] The prayer has been answered. That's why the king's rejoicing. One more example. Look at Psalm 20, verse 7. This is the great central part of this passage of this psalm.

[7:35] They say, some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we will remember the name of the Lord our God. And look at Psalm 21, verse 7. It concludes, The prayer has been answered.

[7:53] Their trust in the Lord has not been disappointed. And so Psalm 21 sings of God's faithfulness. We put our trust and our faith in God. We underwent the battle.

[8:05] And we came out on the other side, praising the Lord victorious. He's done it again. Well, now the body of this psalm has two parts. They can be divided by the tense as well.

[8:17] The first part is in the past tense. Looking back on this battle they just came through. It's what the king witnessed God do.

[8:29] Look at verse 3. For you meet with him the blessings of goodness. You set a crown of pure gold upon his head. He asked you for life and you gave it to him.

[8:40] Length of days. Verse 5. His glory is great in your salvation. Honor and majesty you have placed on him. Verse 6. For you have made him most blessed. You have made him exceedingly glad of the joy of happiness with your presence.

[8:59] And literally verse 6 is saying you have brightened the king. You have made his face glow with the countenance from being in the presence of God. And this is an allusion to what God did to Moses.

[9:13] God brought Moses in a special way into his presence. As the mediator between God and the people. And Moses came back glowing. His face brightened from being in the presence of God.

[9:24] And that's what King David experienced. And declares to the people. God is faithful and he was with me. I was in his presence all the while. And it's his joy.

[9:36] It's his joy to look at this God. And celebrate his strength. And his faithfulness to answer prayer. It's what God has already done.

[9:47] And what King David witnessed God doing that he declares back to the people. So this king rejoices because God has answered prayer. And because he has gotten to witness with his own eyes what God is faithful to do.

[10:02] He asked it. God did it. And now he thanks God. God. Even these first few verses are an important point of application for us.

[10:13] We are to bring our request before God. We are to ask God to minister through his word. And open our eyes to what he is doing. The spiritual advancement of his kingdom.

[10:24] And to trust him. And his faithfulness. And his power and his strength to do it. And by trusting him and walking with him in that way. Through the spiritual battle. We enjoy his presence.

[10:35] Our face is brightened by walking with God. But it doesn't stop there. We are then to gather with his people and tell of God's goodness. Bear witness to God's faithfulness.

[10:47] Share with one another. And through the hardest times. Some of you have been through maybe the hardest week of your entire life. These past six days. We are to bear witness of God's faithfulness.

[11:01] Time and time again. One of our dear brothers has been a great example and a model to me. There are a little bit over 30 households in our congregation.

[11:13] And there's 30 or 31 days in each month. So he prays for each one of you. One day of the month. Another great example from the Puritans.

[11:25] From this brother. From many of you. From my wife. Is to write down what we're praying for. Keep a prayer journal. Why? Because we forget so quickly, don't we?

[11:36] But you start looking back and you say, whoa. We prayed for this a month ago. Two months ago. Look at this amazing answer to prayer. Not the way we would have imagined it. But look how faithful God is.

[11:47] And then we move into Psalm 21 mode. And we praise God. We tell one another. We don't let it go unnoticed. God has been faithful. Look what he has done. Another good example is to encourage in your household and yourself devotionally.

[12:04] Let's pray for one person or family in the congregation. One of our relatives. Some know the Lord. They need prayer. Some don't know the Lord. They need prayer too. Let's bring that to God. And then let's pray for his kingdom.

[12:18] Someone else that comes to mind from work or school. And let's thank the Lord when he is faithful. Well, there's one other reason why this king rejoices.

[12:29] Starting at verse 8. And if you're like me, it's a bit of a twist. It catches you by surprise. Let me summarize what he rejoices for next this way. The king rejoices in what God will do.

[12:42] It's in the future tense. What God will do in the future is hunt down and utterly demolish God's enemies.

[12:53] Those who seek to destroy God. And the king rejoices and calls God's people to rejoice in that coming judgment of God upon all the enemies of God's advancing kingdom.

[13:05] And he rejoices in this. Look, we are not more compassionate than God. We need to align our prayers to scripture. Not the other way around.

[13:18] So a lot of these verses, I don't want you to take my word for it. I want you to study it carefully in light of all the scripture. And you're going to hear me pulling in some of the folks that have more credibility than I do.

[13:29] But that's what the king rejoices in. He trusts in what God is still to do. Look at verse 8. Your hand will find all your enemies. There's not going to be an enemy that gets to stay hiding behind a tree or behind a rock.

[13:44] You oppose yourself to God. He will come and find you. Verse 9. God shall make them as a fiery oven in the day or the time of God's anger.

[13:59] There is a day in the future, a time that's coming. And it's the wrath of the Holy Creator God poured out against all who have rebelled against him.

[14:12] Augustine. Augustine. Thou shall make them on fire within by the consciousness of their ungodliness.

[14:24] You notice verse 9. You notice verse 9. He says, You shall make them as a fiery oven. They themselves will be burning, said Augustine, with the fire within them that's lit by the consciousness of ungodliness.

[14:42] Charles Spurgeon. They shall not only be cast into a furnace of fire, according to Matthew 13, 42, but they shall also be their own torment.

[14:55] The reflections and terrors of their own consciousness will be the internal torment of God's enemies in hell. That's the end of Spurgeon's quote.

[15:09] Verse 9 goes on to say that the Lord shall swallow them up in his wrath. And the fire shall devour them.

[15:23] The wrath of God. God who is the creator and sustainer of everyone and everything. God who is eternal, immortal, all-powerful, holy, pure.

[15:40] His wrath will swallow up, consume everything that's impure. There's no place to hide from the wrath of God.

[15:52] His sin will destroy sinfulness. One commentator said, It's like the picture in this Psalm 21 of a furnace where the fire is extremely hot and the heat, it's striking upon them from all sides, from above, from below, from all about, on all surfaces.

[16:14] And the door to this furnace is closed. There's no getting out of it. And there's no cool air coming in. Amen. In verse 10, he says, Their offspring you shall destroy from the earth, their descendants from among the sons of men.

[16:42] There's a day when evil men and evil women will not walk on the earth any longer. There will be no place for wicked sinners in the new heavens and the new earth.

[16:56] There will be no future descendants for those who rebel against God. Verse 11, For they intended evil against God.

[17:06] They devised a plot which they are not able to perform. They put all their chips, they put all their weapons in a different kingdom, thinking that they will be right in the end.

[17:21] And God's kingdom is the one that will prevail and will stand at last. The plots to stand against God will all fail. Verse 12, Therefore, God will make them turn their back.

[17:34] As we've seen, this could be language of retreat, turning and running away, fleeing from the advancing kingdom. Or it could be language of utter submission. Put your nose in the dirt like Joshua made the enemies and come step, put the toe of your sandal on the back of their neck.

[17:51] You will make ready your arrows on your string toward their faces.

[18:02] The Bible doesn't get any more violent than this language of the holy God unleashing and aiming his wrath against sinners.

[18:14] Their faces looking at him defiant. Just as our faces looked at Christ on the cross, spitting in his face, the holy God, just and powerful, he makes ready his arrows on his string toward the faces of his enemies.

[18:38] Matthew Henry commented, Those who might have had Christ to rule over them and save them will think of how they rejected him and made him their enemy instead.

[18:53] That of itself will be enough to make them for eternity a fire inside of themselves. Brothers and sisters, dear friends, if by God's mercy he's causing you to hear this warning now, it's because he's loving and compassionate, and his grace is for you now.

[19:15] Because there is a time coming for God's wrath against sin to be poured out. When God's will is set, it's his eternal decree and God is unchanging.

[19:30] When his will is set to destroy sin, all of God's attributes follow in accordance. God's will is set against sin.

[19:42] So his omniscience will seek out the object of his anger, his providence. It sharpens the sword of his wrath. His almightyness lifts up, so to speak, the full reserves of his arsenal, and it heaves it down with fierce power to crush his enemies.

[20:04] God's will is set against sin. So what hope do sinners like you and me have of escaping God's wrath? We have no hope of salvation on our own.

[20:22] There is no ransom for people like you and me from the holy God except that it be given freely by the holy God himself.

[20:33] And this he has done by giving his own son, Jesus Christ. Amen? Amen? Amen? Now we need to see what happens in Psalm 21 as the king rejoices in God's salvation.

[20:50] I'm going to point this out to you by looking at the first and the last psalm once more. Psalm 21 verse 1 and verse 13. As the king rejoices in verse 1, that's how the psalm begins.

[21:01] He begins by singing alone, looking forward to rejoicing greatly in God's salvation. Verse 1, the king shall have joy in God's strength.

[21:13] And in God's salvation, how greatly he shall rejoice. But notice how now the nation that witnessed God deliver their king, when the people heard their king rejoicing on the other side of the victory, they echo back with him.

[21:26] In verse 13, Be exalted, O Lord, in your own strength. Look at the next word. It's in the plural. We will sing and praise your power.

[21:39] So what happens as the king rejoices in God's great salvation is that the rejoicing spreads. The rejoicing of the king is shared with his people. So Psalm 21 ends with all God's people together with the king, exalting, singing, and praising God for his strength and power.

[22:02] What a great scene to picture this in ancient Israel. But the good news gets even better. The rejoicing gets shared by even more people.

[22:14] And this Psalm 21 itself points us toward this. Would you look at verses 4 and 6? Psalm 21 verse 4 speaks of the king having length of days forever and ever.

[22:31] Now it's possible that this is royal hyperbole. In other words, we love how it is under King David who is under God. May this never stop. David only lived to age 70.

[22:44] He did not live forever and ever. What about verse 6? You have made the king most blessed forever. Was David blessed forever?

[22:56] The promise of verse 7 is that David would never be moved. This was not fulfilled historically. David did fall. He fell to sin publicly, greatly, late in his reign.

[23:09] He was not steadfast personally. David was moved. And David's line very quickly lost the throne. And what about the complete annihilation of the enemies of the king?

[23:22] Did that ever happen? Well, you could say on one level King David and King Solomon extended the borders and God was faithful to all he promised to Israel. But some of God's enemies were married to King Solomon.

[23:36] So there's no way it could have been fulfilled under David and Solomon. And after them it doesn't get any better for national Israel. Their reign was not long lasting.

[23:50] So Psalm 21 forces God's people from every generation to look forward to an even more final fulfillment. Psalm 21 was given to God's people to help us celebrate the victory of the Messiah.

[24:06] The coming king. The occasion of Psalm 20 you remember it was the king preparing to go to war. And in Psalm 21 it celebrates how that prayer was answered. The promise that the mission would be accomplished.

[24:20] The battle would be won. The victory song would be sung. Psalm 21 would have encouraged our Lord Jesus as he knew he was going into battle for his people.

[24:31] he would be victorious on the other side. He would get to receive all of these promises. He would get to sing Psalm 21 on the other side. Psalm 21 begins with the king singing alone.

[24:47] Looking forward to rejoicing in the deliverance God would give him. Think of this from the lips of Jesus Christ the king of kings. Trusting this promise of verse 1 the king the Messiah the anointed one of God shall have joy in God's strength oh Lord and in your salvation how greatly Jesus Christ shall rejoice.

[25:14] According to his divine nature our Lord Jesus knew that his victory and dominion would be inaugurated spiritually at his resurrection his ascension and his session at the right hand of God Almighty in heaven.

[25:28] He also knew that the total surrender of all of God's enemies those who oppose his advancing kingdom would be consummately completed at his return to earth the great day on which he will judge the living and the dead.

[25:45] And since there was no army around King Jesus as he prepared to go to battle for you and for me there was no faithful soldiers around him to sing their part.

[25:56] it would have been God the Holy Spirit who would have reassured Jesus of God's faithfulness. The Holy Spirit would have reminded Jesus of all that God the Father promised he would do for him his anointed king.

[26:12] Brothers and sisters please pray for me as I proclaim Jesus God our Savior to whoever has an ear to hear may he be magnified in his power as we hold him up crucified for all who will come to him according to his divine nature being all knowing our Lord Jesus Christ knew he would have a crown of thorns pressed onto his head in just a few hours.

[26:42] Oh but the Holy Spirit certainly would have reminded Jesus of the great truth like we see in Psalm 21 verse 3 Jesus God will meet you Messiah with the blessings of goodness God will soon set a crown of pure gold upon your head.

[27:03] Think of when Jesus turned to his followers and he reassured of how good the ministry of the Spirit is. He knew this firsthand. The Holy Spirit is a good advocate.

[27:15] He's your good counselor. He's your faithful minister. The Lord Jesus received his ministry personally and it was in the Garden of Gethsemane where the Lord Jesus agonized so intensely according to his human nature and surely Christ's knowledge of Psalm 21 verses 8 and 9 added and multiplied this agony.

[27:40] Look at verse 8. Think of this as Jesus would pray it in Gethsemane. Oh God on their own my people can only hate you so I must put myself in the place of your enemies.

[27:55] I must put myself in the place of those I will purchase with my blood. God's mighty hand must first come against me instead of them.

[28:07] I must become the substitute for these God's beloved enemies. I must endure the torturous punishments they deserve. God's all powerful right hand must crush and slay me instead of them.

[28:23] how fierce the anger of the holy God against the sins of his creatures. Surely that's why Jesus in the garden prayed in Luke 22 42 Father if it is your will take this cup away from me nevertheless not my will but yours be done.

[28:46] And that's what our Lord Jesus Christ did as the old hymn puts it death and the curse were in our cup O Christ t'was full for thee but thou hast drained the last dark drop tis empty now for me that bitter cup love drink it down now blessings draft for me.

[29:13] Think of how much weight of sin our Savior bore all the worst sins that you and I have committed against him plus all of the vilest deeds of all those who are his from every single generation.

[29:29] Think of the weight of that like a hundred thousand tons of gross concentrated evil all of that dropped on his holy undefiled body and under that weight our Lord Jesus labored to breathe and he knew like Psalm 21 verse 9 my battle on the mount of the skull will be the time of God's anger against the sins of my people in order to save them God must first make me a fiery oven to save my beloved God's wrath must swallow up my flesh first the fire of God's justice must devour me to pay for the sins of my church this is what our Lord Jesus underwent to redeem his people in just a few moments after praying in the garden God the son would drag his cross up Calvary's hill and he would be nailed to it and he would be lifted up silent bleeding the lamb of God foretold of old the pure sacrifice required by the just creator the giver of life would die oh but

[30:54] Christ could preach to himself even as he hung on the cross like Psalm 21 verse 4 verse 4 this king promised by God from long ago asks God for life and God gives it to him length of days forever and ever because soon our Lord Jesus though now he's lifted up as a spectacle a failure a shame and disgrace despised rejected abandoned mocked forsaken soon he could preach to himself verse 5 his glory will be great in God's salvation honor and majesty God will once again place upon Jesus Christ and it was in the garden where our Lord Jesus Christ could find that strength by the ministry of the Holy Spirit to endure this torturous cross he could trust that he the Messiah shall have joy in God's strength oh Lord and in God's salvation he will again greatly rejoice

[31:59] God the Holy Spirit reminded Jesus of the joy set before him and empowered by the Holy Spirit Jesus set his face like flint and he went to fight the battle Hebrews 12 2 says that Jesus Christ the author and finisher of our faith for the joy that was set before him endured the cross despising the shame and he was risen and glorified seated at God's right hand having accomplished his mission having won the victory so that he could share his great rejoicing with you that he purchased with his own blood so that you could sing of God's praise you could sing of God's great salvation well if you're like me you're thinking well how do I know whether

[32:59] I'm one that he saved that he purchased with his blood how do I know come to Jesus go to him he is set forth freely for you if you come to Jesus it's because his spirit is drawing you to him the spirit is drawing you to him because you belong to him he is the good shepherd and his sheep know his voice the good shepherd calls his sheep by name and they come to him and they follow him follow Jesus psalm 21 began with the king singing alone but it ends with all those who know his voice exalting singing and praising God for God's strength and power so you who know Jesus who love Jesus who even wonder is Jesus for me praise God for his great salvation and trust him that he is yours by his free grace alone we too can sing verse 13 be exalted oh Lord in your own strength not by anything we've done or added it's your strength to save sinners like you and me we praise

[34:22] God dear friends do you see how king Jesus rejoices to save people like you and me he made himself low but now he is risen and he's singing rejoicing and his holy spirit is poured out and his holy spirit is calling all who will walk to Jesus to repent to believe him to trust him to know how good he is the holy spirit calls you in the words of the hymn that we'll sing in just a moment arise dear child arise shake off your guilty fears the bleeding sacrifice Jesus Christ in our behalf appears before the throne your surety stands your name is written on his hands the father hears him pray his dear anointed one he cannot turn away the presence of his son the spirit answers to the blood and tells you you are born of God our God is reconciled his pardoning voice you hear he owns you for his child you can no longer fear with confidence we now draw nigh and father abba father cry oh praise

[35:51] God who rejoices to save people like you and like me through King Jesus God's son by the power of the Holy Spirit if the Holy Spirit has applied God's word to you don't leave today the same pray you don't need a priest you don't need a mediator Jesus is your priest Jesus is your mediator come straight to him know that he has made it possible for you to be reconciled and adopted into God's family safe secure in him forever oh but if he's such a loving God how could you go on living the same follow him and he calls us to do that with his church if you don't have a place to call your spiritual family we would love to talk with you and answer any questions you have and let the Holy

[36:52] Spirit do that work that only he can do let's pray that he will do just that for his glory please pray with me father thank you for this great salvation that you have accomplished and that you apply salvation is yours from beginning to end that no man no woman no boy no girl may boast salvation is for God's glory alone by the work of Jesus Christ the King of Kings applied to us by God the Holy Spirit please do this powerfully Lord to those that you purchased with your own blood amen