Psalm 20 - overcomer - The Lord answer you in the day of adversity

The 12th Psalm to the overcomer. This Psalm is different than any of the preceeding ones in that it is not prayer for the one praying, but for the one listening. I like to sing this Psalm as a prayer for other Christians. It hits the spot.

For example:

Lord answer Dan in the

day of adversity.

The name of the God of Jacob

on a high place set him.

....

I think the 1st 4 verses of this Psalm are Christ's interceding for us. Verse 5a is we and the Lord speaking together. Verses 5b to the end are our response.

v1 - "Answer" indicates that in the day of adversity, we need to ask God for help.

"Day" indicates that the adversity will last a short time.

All the you's and your's in this Psalm are singular. Christ intercedes for each one of us individually.

I translated "Jehovah" as "the Father" or "LORD" in order to differentiate between Jehovah and Christ.

The God of Jacob is the God of transformation, transforming Jacob from a heel-holder to prince of God through many troubles. The high place that He sets us upon is our transformation (Heb 12:11; Rev 2:17).

v2 - "Send help" is literally "Send your help".

The sanctuary and Zion are the church. The Lord sends your help from the church. It is your individual help, but it comes from the church. The Lord also supports you from falling and fainting through the church. The Christian life is both corporate and individual.

v3 - "Your offerings" are plural, but "your burnt offering" is singular. In our Christian life we give multiple offerings to the Lord of our time, money, love, strength, prayer, labor and thought (Heb 6:10; 13:15-16; Phil 4:18). Also our whole life is a single burnt offering to the Lord (Rom 12:1; 15:16). This is our consecration. The Lord should consume to ashes our burnt offering. This was the life of the Lord, John the Baptist and Paul (Phil 2:17; 2 Tim 4:6). If there is anything left over from being consumed by the Lord as a burnt offering, that may cause problems.

I made verses 2-3 the chorus because of the selah following v3, which is the only selah in the psalm.

v 4 - I enjoy to pray this for Christians. The Father will give to us according to what is in our heart. He wants us to earnestly desire what He desires.

v5 - "claim" is literally "ask".

In verses 1-4 Christ is praying for you. Now, in the 1st part of v5, the subject changes to we sing in God's salvation and raise up our banners. Who is the we? The we should be the speaker plus the one being spoken to in the previous verses. Thus the we is Christ and you. Christ sings together with us in our singing (Heb 2:12; Ps 18:49-50; 22:22) especially when we sing of the Lord's salvation which He Himself wrought.

"Our banners" are our proclaiming of the gospel. The Lord and you preach the gospel together.

v6 - "heaven's holiness" should be "His heaven's holiness".

Now I know for myself that Jehovah saves by answering His Christ's intercessory prayer for me. Jehovah saves me because of Christ. The result of Christ's intercessory prayer is that I know Him and God's salvation.

v7 - The Hebrew verb for "we remember" is causative (hiphil), so I translated as "we remind ourselves".

The we in verses 7-9 is all the you's that the Lord prayed for in verses 1-4.

The "these" and the "they" are those who trust in physical things rather than in the name of the Lord our God (Ps 147:10). They may be born-again Christians, but they trust in other things.

-minor update 5/18/2013

-last update 10/4/2010