Read: Psalm 21
Background: This is another Psalm of David. David is always very honest in what he writes. If he is angry, we know it, if he is excited, we read it clearly. The humility represented in this passage is therefore true humility, it is how David is honestly assessing his life.
By Verse:
1- David is the King, but gives credit to the Most High King, God.
4- David asked God for life many times when King Saul was seeking to kill him. (See the full story in 1 Samuel)
5- A chant among the people of Israel claimed that “David has slain his tens of thousands.” He certainly did have military victories, but gave all the credit to God.
7- It is the love of God that makes King David feel secure, not his own achievements, abilities, good looks or armies.
8-12- God will take care of His enemies, that is not a human endeavor.
Think: David is known as the greatest of all the Kings of Israel. He had everything a person could want…and more. Not only was he naturally strong and handsome, he was given every material thing he wanted, and people adored him. But his joy was not defined by all this. He wanted to know the joy of God’s presence, or favor. David’s joy was found in the freedom to experience the presence, fullness and favor of God!
I Googled the word joy- and the Merriam-Webster free online dictionary was the first thing to pop up. Here is the #1 definition they gave for joy, “the emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune or by the prospect of possessing what one desires.” Is this the same joy David is talking about? David is well cared for, successful, full of good fortune and has what he desires, but the joy he has doesn’t come from those things. David’s joy is a gift of God’s presence in his life.
God’s favor in David’s life made him joyful. You may be thinking, easy for him to say…he had it all, why not be joyful. However, if we take a deeper look into David’s life we find that when he was disobedient to God (think Bathsheba) and God’s favor was not with him…he lacked joy. He still had all the riches and glory and fame, but without God’s favor in his life, David was nothing.
Here is a definition of the word ‘favor’ by Pastor Steven Furtick, “The favor of God is the guarantee of His presence and the provision of His power to accomplish His special purpose in and through your life.” That is what brought David the greatest joy! Knowing that God’s presence would go with him, protect him and give him the power to accomplish great things made David joyful! The things he could do on his own meant nothing, and God’s favor meant everything. It is important to keep in mind that God’s favor in our lives is always accompanied by a responsibility to live for him. May this be your joy today!
Ask: Do I have God’s favor in my life? What does that even look like and how do I get it?
Listen: For more thoughts on this topic, check out this amazing sermon! –http://churchatthefalls.com/2012/03/13/found-favor-week-1/
By: KVH
throughin2.com 