In Your Strength, Lord, the King Rejoices (Psalm 21:1–13)
Where does our joy and gladness come from? What is true joy
and gladness? People seek joy and happiness, yet no one can escape pain and
suffering. In fact, there is often more pain than pleasure. This world
disappoints us, but the hope of heaven—the hope that will never put us to
shame—is the true source of our joy and gladness. Amen!
In Psalm 21:1–13, King Jesus Christ rejoices in the Lord’s
strength and is greatly glad in His salvation. It is because the Lord God
raised Christ, who died and was buried, from the dead, breaking the power of
death and giving eternal life to all who believe.
The King rejoices in your strength, Lord, and is greatly
glad in your salvation
1 The king rejoices in your strength, Lord. How great
is his joy in the victories you give! 2 You have granted him his heart’s
desire and have not withheld the request of his lips. 3 You came to
greet him with rich blessings and placed a crown of pure gold on his head.
(Psalm 21:1–3)
Where does joy and gladness come from? The King, our Lord
Jesus Christ, rejoices in the Lord’s strength and is greatly glad in His
salvation. True joy and gladness come from the Lord God.
But what is this joy and gladness like? It is not something
the world can give. People find joy in eating, seeing, sexual pleasure, gaining
wealth, achieving success, marriage, and having children. The problem is, all
these things are temporary. No matter how well you eat today, you must eat
again tomorrow. You travel to enjoy the pleasure of seeing new things—but these
joys fade. Such things are neither wrong nor useless; rather, they remind us of
the truth that nothing in this world can truly satisfy the human heart.
Then how is the joy that comes from heaven different from
what the world offers? God is the source of joy and gladness that the world
cannot give. He gives salvation by His mighty power—the same power that raises
the dead. The power of His resurrection can only be received by faith. Therefore,
the joy and gladness that God gives can be experienced always, regardless of
circumstances or place.
Jesus suffered on this earth, yet He was always filled with
the joy and gladness that the Father gave Him. This is because the Lord granted
His heart’s desire and did not withhold His prayer (Psalm 21:2). God heard
Jesus’ plea, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing,”
and gives eternal life to everyone who believes in Him (John 3:16).
Moreover, God welcomed Him with rich blessings and placed a
crown of pure gold on His head (Psalm 21:3). The Father welcomed His Son who
obeyed even unto death, setting Him on the highest throne and appointing Him as
Judge over all creation. Though Jesus was rejected, persecuted, and despised by
His people and by the world, the Father in heaven received Him with glorious
blessings and crowned Him with gold.
9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave
him the name that is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee
should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue
acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
(Philippians 2:9–11)
Through the victories you gave, his glory is great; you
have bestowed on him splendor and majesty
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
unending 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. (Psalm 21:4–7)
Jesus Christ died so that we might have life. God accepted
His sacrificial death and gave eternal life to all who believe. This shows that
the way of the cross is the way of life. Here, “life” means eternal life—not
merely long life or quantity, but quality. Some may be breathing and appear
alive, yet without eternal life they are spiritually dead.
Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one
comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6)
The way of the cross that Jesus walked is the path that
leads to life. Through His blood shed on the cross, we are reconciled to God
(Colossians 1:20). To fulfill this promise, Jesus became flesh, took up the
cross, and died a redeeming death.
God saved Jesus Christ from the grave and raised Him from
the dead. He made Him the firstfruits of the resurrection, greatly glorifying
Him and clothing Him with honor and majesty (Psalm 21:5). He made Him King of
kings and Lord of lords, so that every knee should bow before Him.
However, as the prophet Isaiah prophesied, Jesus was
despised and rejected by people, and there was nothing beautiful or desirable
about Him.
2 He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like
a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing
in his appearance that we should desire him. 3 He was despised and
rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from
whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.
(Isaiah 53:2–3)
But the Lord Almighty exalted His Son who suffered, poured
out endless blessings on Him, and filled Him with joy and gladness (Psalm 21:6).
Jesus received that joy and delight only from God the Father. This is because
Jesus fully trusted His Father, and through the unfailing love of the Most
High, He was never shaken (Psalm 21:7). In the same way, those who trust and
believe in the Lord Jesus Christ will never be put to shame or be shaken
because of God’s unfailing love.
As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be
put to shame.” (Romans 10:11)
We do not belong to those who shrink back and are destroyed,
but to those who have faith and are saved (Hebrews 10:39).
Your hand will lay hold on all your enemies
Your hand will lay hold on all your enemies; your right hand
will seize your foes. When you appear for battle, you will burn them up as in a
blazing furnace. The Lord will swallow them up in his wrath, and his fire will
consume them. You will destroy their descendants from the earth, their
posterity from mankind. (Psalm 21:8–10)
The king’s enemies refer to Satan, the devil, and those who
follow him. The devil does not submit to God or His word but opposes Him.
Without reason, he hates God, resists Him, and disobeys. Like a roaring lion,
he prowls around looking for someone to devour. He disguises himself as an
angel of light to deceive and cause people to fall. The devil is the one who
led Judas Iscariot and countless others into deception, destruction, and ruin.
The devil deceives people through the allure of money and
success, because no one is free from desiring them. The enemy is cunning,
skillfully wrapping lies in the appearance of truth. Human sexual desire, too,
is powerful and strong. Throughout history, even many clergy have fallen
through sexual immorality.
But King Jesus Christ will expose every hidden enemy who
deceives from behind the scenes and will execute righteous judgment on them.
The piercing eyes of the Lord are like flames of fire—no one, not even Satan,
can hide from them. For instance, when a person does wrong, they cannot escape
the pangs of conscience. On the last day, the wrath of God will come, and His
enemies will be swallowed up and consumed like fire in a furnace. The prophet
Isaiah foretold what would happen to the fallen enemy who receives God’s
judgment:
But you are brought down to the realm of the dead, to the
depths of the pit. Those who see you stare at you, they ponder your fate: “Is
this the man who shook the earth and made kingdoms tremble, the man who made
the world a wilderness, who overthrew its cities and would not let his captives
go home?” (Isaiah 14:15–17)
The devil and all who follow him will face God’s judgment
and be cut off from among the living. Those who resist God and refuse to obey
Him will have no place in heaven or on earth. For them, there is only hell
prepared. God opposes the proud who stand against Him, and His wrath will bring
their final destruction.
Be exalted in your strength
Though they plot evil against you and devise wicked schemes,
they cannot succeed. You will make them turn their backs when you aim at them
with drawn bow. Be exalted in your strength, Lord; we will sing and praise your
might. (Psalm 21:11–13)
God blesses those who obey Him, but He punishes those who
rebel and oppose Him. The world plotted to harm the King, Christ, and crucified
Him, but God raised Him from the dead. The schemes of this world will come to
nothing, for God Himself opposes His enemies.
Therefore, all the hosts of heaven and earth sing: “Be
exalted in your strength, Lord; we will sing and praise your might.” This is
our song and our prayer. As we follow the way of the cross and our flesh is
crucified with Him, the glory and majesty of God are revealed. Then the love,
joy, and peace of God flow in our hearts like a river. Amen.
October 19, 2025
Buffalo Livingstone Church ©2025, David Lee Ministries ©2025
– All Rights Reserved.
Scripture quotes are from the NIV.
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