For those who may wish to ‘study’ this chapter, the following simple resources are provided for you. Each passage has a four-Part approach to help you take in and think further about what you have read.

Passage: Psalm 21 – The Lord will deal with His enemies   

1 The king rejoices in your strength, Lord.
    How great is his joy in the victories you give!

2 You have granted him his heart’s desire
    and have not withheld the request of his lips.
3 You came to greet him with rich blessings
    and placed a crown of pure gold on his head.
4 He asked you for life, and you gave it to him –
    length of days, for ever and ever.
5 Through the victories you gave, his glory is great;
    you have bestowed on him splendour and majesty.
6 Surely you have granted him unending blessings
    and made him glad with the joy of your presence.
7 For the king trusts in the Lord;
    through the unfailing love of the Most High
    he will not be shaken.

8 Your hand will lay hold on all your enemies;
    your right hand will seize your foes.
9 When you appear for battle,
    you will burn them up as in a blazing furnace.
The Lord will swallow them up in his wrath,
    and his fire will consume them.
10 You will destroy their descendants from the earth,
    their posterity from mankind.
11 Though they plot evil against you
    and devise wicked schemes, they cannot succeed.
12 You will make them turn their backs
    when you aim at them with drawn bow.

13 Be exalted in your strength, Lord;
    we will sing and praise your might.

A. Find Out:

1. What is David feeling and why? v.1-3
2. What has the Lord done for him? v.4-6
3. What does he feel about the Lord and why? v.7
4. What will happen to the Lord’s enemies? v.8-12
5. In what does David rejoice? v.13

B. Think:

1. What is David feeling about his position in life and why?
2. What assurance has it left him with, about his enemies?
3. What characteristic of the Lord is particularly in his mind?

C. Comment:

      This Psalm reveals further the Lord who will deal with His unrighteous enemies. First, note the Lord’s ACTIVITY on David’s BEHALF, what the Lord has done for David. David had unrighteous enemies and he has asked God for help to overcome them, and the Lord gave him that so that David was victorious. His desires were granted, but more than that, he was made king and was given security. This was a very real answer to David’s prayers.

       But now look at the CONSEQUENCES in David, the results of that.

       First, it has brought a strong confidence in God, where he has experienced the love of God and feels he can now completely trust in that.

      Second, he has a complete sense of confidence about his enemies. His enemies are the Lord’s enemies, and the Lord will totally and utterly deal with them. They will be thwarted; they will be destroyed.

     Third, he is left with a great sense of praise as he has become aware of the great strength of the Lord. He has found that the Lord IS all powerful and CAN change circumstances and IS mighty so that none can withstand Him. This gives the whole psalm a sense of lightness that is often missing from David’s writings. This is one where he has experienced the wonder of God working on his behalf and that leaves him full of praise. The Lord WILL deal with His enemies!

D. Application?

1. God IS all powerful and all mighty and IS worthy of our praise.
2. His blessing brings trust and confidence in us in opposition.