1 The king rejoices in your strength, Yahweh! How greatly he rejoices in your salvation!
2 You have given him his heart’s desire, and have not withheld the request of his lips. Selah.
3 For you meet him with the blessings of goodness. You set a crown of fine gold on his head.
4 He asked life of you, you gave it to him, even length of days forever and ever.
Free Grace note
A gift of life, forever, that points past the throne. He asked life of you, you gave it to him, even length of days forever and ever. On the surface this is a prayer for a long and blessed reign. But the language overflows any earthly lifespan. No ancient king lived forever, so the words strain toward a greater King who conquered death and now shares endless life. This is the pattern all through the psalm: the king receives rather than achieves. You have given him his heart's desire. You set a crown on his head. You gave him life. A believer who is growing learns to read the whole Christian life this way, with open hands. Jesus said the one who believes has everlasting life (John 6:47), a present possession, not a future wage. The king asked, and God gave. That is exactly how eternal life comes to you: asked for, and given.
5 His glory is great in your salvation. You lay honor and majesty on him.
6 For you make him most blessed forever. You make him glad with joy in your presence.
7 For the king trusts in Yahweh. Through the loving kindness of the Most High, he shall not be moved.
Free Grace note
The hinge: not moved, because he trusts. For the king trusts in the Lord, and through the loving kindness of the Most High, he shall not be moved. This one verse is the spine of the whole psalm. The king's stability does not rest on his crown, his gold, or his army, all of which the psalm has just celebrated as gifts. It rests on trust and on God's loving kindness. Someone might ask, does not moved mean the believer must keep himself steady by strong faith? Read it again: the steadiness comes through the loving kindness of the Most High, God's covenant love, not the king's grip. The believer is held. That is why assurance is possible. Your security was never anchored in how tightly you hold God, but in how faithfully He holds you, and He does not let go.
8 Your hand will find out all of your enemies. Your right hand will find out those who hate you.
9 You will make them as a fiery furnace in the time of your anger. Yahweh will swallow them up in his wrath. The fire shall devour them.
10 You will destroy their descendants from the earth, their posterity from among the children of men.
11 For they intended evil against you. They plotted evil against you which cannot succeed.
12 For you will make them turn their back, when you aim drawn bows at their face.
13 Be exalted, Yahweh, in your strength, so we will sing and praise your power.
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