Psalm 21

I love stories of great kings who do heroic deeds! You ought to see my playlists of Final Fantasy videos on youtube. There are a lot of legends and myths on earth. Gilgamesh, King Arthur, Narnia, etc. We humans love noble people doing noble deeds. . . and we like drama. We want heroes who are handsome, who triumph, who bring great peace and joy to oppressed people! Even in "real life" we have heroes: Parnell, Gandhi, Luther.

But because we don't really understand spiritual matters, we often don't see Christ as a great knight who conquered evil enemies. And even if we understand that...we really don't see anything romantic about it. This king has "no beauty" in Him that we might adore him. His love interest -- The Church, New Jerusalem, The Elect of Israel-- isn't really the kind of flesh and blood woman princess we see... in these legends. Sure she needs rescuing, but we really can't picture her.

And the evil folks he triumphs over? Heck, we can't see the demonic as clearly as we should. And even if we concede that he conquers sin, we're not exactly hateful toward certain sins. Heck, I try my best to hate "lust" and it's tough to hate it.

It's just tough to have soulish folks fall in love with a hero who can only be truly appreciated by those who understand spirit. And yet, what a glorious story we have!

Psalm 21

For the director of music. A psalm of David.

1 O LORD, the king rejoices in your strength.
How great is his joy in the victories you give!
2 You have granted him the desire of his heart
and have not withheld the request of his lips.
Selah

3 You welcomed 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 splendor and majesty.

6 Surely you have granted him eternal 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 At the time of your appearing
you will make them like a fiery furnace.
In his wrath the LORD will swallow them up,
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 for you will make them turn their backs
when you aim at them with drawn bow.

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

Psalm 21 -- again

Well, am still studying Psalm 21. I gotta admit it doesn't really jump up as one of the big psalms but it definitely has a lot in it. Funny the way we know so many psalms and some we pretty much ignore. When I dreamt of it I woke up like, "Uh...duh...how does that psalm go again?" So, yeah, I was pretty much at a loss too.

So am introducing myself to it and meditating on it.

It's written in the pattern of an Assyrian royalty psalm and has a lot of the requisite blessings that popped up in poems for kings back in that time. But since it's a psalm of David we have to see that it also is God-breathed and is a great Messianic prophecy. It prophecies -- from what I can see in my study-- about the suffering messiah who is plotted against, about the triumphant messiah who escapes the harm plotted by his friends, about the hated King who becomes Victor, and it talks about a God who answers our requests. Definitely a lot going on there.

As a Christian writer, I think of David sitting there being influenced by the art around him and by the breathings of the holy spirit (God and man join) and managing to put his soul into a poem that shows the depth of his own soul while also speaking mysteries. Plus he's a king and he manages to speak from that aspect of his being. Wow, may we all be that inspired and that honest in our writings! In Wind Follower I managed to use historical stylings, managed to allow the holy spirit to help me write, and managed to speak from my own place as a black woman fed up with American history and racism. Will see if I can do it again with constant tower. Still reading Psalm 21 every day.