Psalm Devotional
The Return of the King
Written by Anthony Selvaggio. This devotional was first published in the August 2004 issue of The Reformed Presbyterian Witness.
On May 8, 1945, Germany surrendered to the Allies. The surrender sparked a national celebration in America. Psalm 21 deals with a similar theme. It describes a nation celebrating a military victory. However, as this psalm unfolds, we learn not just of past deeds but of future promises., and we learn not just of King David but of a greater King to come.
The Victory and Exaltation of the King (vv. 1-7)
Psalm 21, like Psalm 20, is a liturgical psalm. When we read this psalm we are entering into a royal liturgy, a worship service in response to victory. Israel is rejoicing in the victory of their king, but they recognize that this victory is solely credited to God. God is the “you” in the opening verses of this psalm. It is God who grants the victory.
In verses 3-6 we learn that God not only grants the king victory, but He also exalts the king. He grants the king a crown of honor (v. 3), an everlasting kingdom (vv. 4,6), and the attributes of “splendor” and “majesty” (v. 5). It is in these verses that we begin to experience the redemptive-historical escalation that we often see in the Psalms. The language begins to outgrow the parameters of an earthly king. We understand that it is ultimately Jesus who wears the crown of gold (Rev. 14:14), that it is only in Jesus that David’s kingdom can be understood as everlasting, and it is ultimately only Jesus who can possess the divine attributes of splendor and majesty. This redemptive-historical escalation becomes even more vivid in the second part of the psalm.
The Return of the King (vv. 8-13)
Verses 8-12 present us with an interpretative challenge. The challenge lies in determining who the “you” is in these verses. Is the “you” the king or is it God? Old Testament scholars line up on both sides of the debate. Frankly, I think it is both. I think that God and king become interchangeable at this point in the psalm. Again, we are experiencing redemptive-historical escalation as David blurs into the greater King to come.
The end of Psalm 21 brings us to the end of everything. This is an apocalyptic vision. This psalm is not referring to the first coming of Christ, but to His second coming. When we read the end of this psalm we are reading of the Last Great Day. In that day, God’s enemies will not escape Him (v. 8); rather, they will be made like a “fiery furnace” (v. 9). This is horrific language, and it reminds us of the reality of hell. Some people dismiss these words by contending that they represent an Old Testament view, but remember that Jesus uses the very same imagery in the New Testament to depict the final judgment (Matt. 13:39-43, 47-50).
Verses 10-12 describe the extent of the King’s victory. We learn that the enemies of God will be completely vanquished. They will have no “descendants” and no “posterity” (v. 10). When Christ returns, every knee will bow and every tongue will confess His lordship.
The message of this psalm is that the King is returning to receive His own and to vanquish His enemies. Are you ready for the return of the King? This psalm informs us that the return of King Jesus will bring either terror or comfort, but it will not be an event of indifference! So let me ask again, Are you ready for the return of the King? If you are, then you can rejoice with the congregation as they declare in verse 13, “Be exalted, O Lord, in your strength; we will sing and praise your might” (NIV).
