Psalm 21 :: Warren Wiersbe
What Do Kings Need?
Psalm 21:1-7
If you were a king, what would you rejoice in the most? Kings have everything. What do they need to make them happy? In Psalm 21, David was talking about what it meant to be a king–not just king for a day but king for a lifetime. In what did David rejoice?
You and I as God’s children are kings. Jesus Christ has made us kings and priests because He loved us and He wasked us from our sins in His own blood. Today, God wants us to reign in life. We are on the throne with the Lord Jesus. “The king shall have joy in Your strength, O Lord” (v. 1). That’s the first thing David said. He was rejoicing in the strength that God gave him–strength to walk and strength to war, strength to build and strength to battle, strength to carry the burdens of life. Are you rejoicing today as God’s king because He gives you strength?
David went on to say, “And in Your salvation how greatly shall he rejoice!” (v. 1). He rejoiced in God’s salvation. I think we need to pause to rejoice in God’s salvation. Jesus said to His disciples one day, “Don’t rejoice because the demons are subject to you. Rejoice because your names are written down in heaven” (see Luke 10:20).
David also rejoiced in satisfaction. “You have given him his heart’s desire, and have not withheld the request of his lips. For You meet him with the blessings of goodness” (Ps. 21:2,3). Psalm 23:6 says that if you look back, you will find goodness and mercy following you. Psalm 21:3 says that if you look ahead, God is meeting you with His goodness. Don’t be afraid of today, and don’t be afraid of the future. God will meet you with His goodness.
In verse 7, David was rejoicing in stability: “For the king trusts in the Lord, and through the mercy of hte Most High he shall not be moved.” I like these blessings we can rejoice in: God’s strength, God’s salvation, God’s satisfaction and God’s stability. All of this is for God’s glory. “His glory is great in Your salvation” (v. 5).
Which blessing speaks to your needs today? Why? Memorize the verse that talks about that blessing to remind you to rejoice in God’s provision?
Dealing With Enemies
Psalm 21:8-13
We don’t like them or want them, but sometimes we cannot help having enemies. A person is not only known by the friends he makes; sometimes he’s better known by the enemies he makes. No, we can’t help having enemies, but we can help how we deal with them. This is what David was talking about in Psalm 21:8-13: How do you deal with your enemies? Paul said, “Yes, and all who deire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution” (II TIm. 3:12). Some people are enemies of the cross of Christ. So if you and I take our stand at the cross, they will take their stand against us.
Let’s notice some suggestions David gave for dealing with life’s enemies. First, let God’s hand work. You keep your hands off. “Your hand will find all Your enemies; Your right hand will find those who hate You” (Ps. 21:8). Then, let God’s anger burn instead of yours. “You shall make them as a fiery oven in the time of Your anger” (v. 9). There is a righteous anger, a righteous indignation. Paul wrote: “Be angry, and do not sin” (Eph. 4:26). Our Lord was angry when He cleansed the temple on two occasions. Let God’s anger blaze, not your anger.
Let God shoot His arrows. “You will make ready Your arrows on Your string towadr their [the enemies’] faces” (v. 12). God’s hand will work for you. God’s anger will blaze for you. God’s arrows will be shot for you. And God will use all of this for His glory. “Be exalted, OLord, in Your own strength! Will will sing and praise Your power” (v. 13). We can’t praise our power, our scheming or our vengeance. No, we praise His glory and his power. When you and I try to take care of our enemies in our way, we only make things worse. But when we turn it over to the Lord, He makes things better. Let God take care of your enemies today, because then He will be glorified, you will be satisfied, and Jesus Christ will have His way.
How can you have the same attitude toward your enemies that Christ had toward you when you were His enemy? Does Matthew 5:43,44 give you any ideas?
Dr. Warren Wiersbe (1929-2019) was an internationally known Bible teacher, author, and conference speaker. He graduated in 1953 from Northern Baptist Theological Seminary in Lombard, Illinois. While attending seminary, he was ordained as pastor of Central Baptist Church in 1951 and served until 1957. From September 1957 to 1961, Wiersbe served as Director of The Literature Division for Youth for Christ International. From 1961 to 1971 he pastored Calvary Baptist Church of Covington, Kentucky south of Cincinnati, Ohio. His sermons were broadcast as the “Calvary Hour” on a local Cincinnati radio station. From 1971 to 1978, He served as the pastor of Moody Church in Chicago 1971 to 1978. While at Moody Church he continued in radio ministry. Between August 1979 and March 1982, he wrote bi-weekly for Christianity Today as “Eutychus X”, taught practical theology classes at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, Illinois, and wrote the course material and taught a Doctor of Ministry course at Trinity and Dallas Seminary. In 1980 he transitioned to Back to the Bible radio broadcasting network where he worked until 1990. Dr. Wiersbe became Writer in Residence at Cornerstone University in Grand Rapids and Distinguished Professor of Preaching at Grand Rapids Theological Seminary. In his lifetime, Dr. Wiersbe wrote over 170 books—including the popular Be series, which has sold over four million copies. Dr. Wiersbe was awarded the Gold Medallion Lifetime Achievement by the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (ECPA).
