Praying the Psalms with Augustine and Friends

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Praying the Psalms with Augustine and Friends

Psalm 20 with John Calvin – Confidence in God This psalm contains a prayer on behalf of the King of Israel, that God would aid him in danger; and on behalf of his kingdom, that God would safely maintain and cause it to prosper: for in David the safety and well-being of the whole community centered. To this is added a promise that God will preside over the kingdom he founded and effectively watch over it to preserve it securely. Now this I know (v. 6). Here the faithful gratefully declare that they have experienced the goodness of God in the preservation of the king. God showed his faithfulness by his power to maintain the kingdom of David. God is the guardian of the kingdom he himself founded. For David is called Messiah, or anointed, that the faithful might be persuaded that he was a lawful and sacred king, whom God had chosen by anointing. Faithful people attribute David’s deliverance from great dangers to the grace of God. Some trust in chariots (v. 7). It seems natural to almost all people to be more courageous and confident the more riches, power, and military forces they possess. The people of God here protest that they do not place their hope in their military forces, but only in the aid of God. As the Holy Spirit here sets God’s assistance in opposition to human strength, it ought to be noticed that whenever our minds are occupied by human confidence, they fall at the same time into forgetfulness of God. It is impossible for those who expect victory by confiding in their own strength to have their eyes turned towards God. The inspired writer, therefore, uses the word remember to show that when the saints approach God they must throw off everything which would hinder them from placing an exclusive trust in him. This remembrance of God serves two important