What Does Psalm 20:4 Mean? | Be Stirred, Not Shaken (2023)

FAQs

What is the explanation to Psalm 20 4? ›

Chapter Summary

The congregation voices its invocation, asking the Lord to protect, help, support, and give David success. King David responds by assuring the congregation that the Lord answers prayer and will grant him victory over the enemy. He is certain the enemy will fall while he and his men will stand.

Psalm 62. Truly he is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.

Psalm 20 teaches us to trust God rather than human power, such as military might. “Some take pride in chariots, and some in horses, but our pride is in the name of the Lord our God” (Ps. 20:7). Financial assets, no less than military assets, can be the basis for a false faith in human power.

Psalms 20:4-5 In-Context

3 May he remember all your sacrifices and accept your burnt offerings. 4 May he give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed. 5 May we shout for joy over your victory and lift up our banners in the name of our God.

Rousing the emotions; exhilarating.

The Lord means for us to guard our hearts by filtering our emotions, desires, thoughts, and responses through his Word. He is the watchman that protects our souls.

Ultimately, “shaking” is the removal of whatever is imperfect or sinful from both heaven and earth, not the destruction of the earth in favor of heaven. The language here is a reference to Haggai 2, where “shaking” refers to the overthrow of foreign occupiers, so that Israel and its temple can be reconstructed.

He wants us to understand what it means to receive a Kingdom that cannot be shaken – no matter what circumstances or challenges or fears or battles we must face. We may not enjoy being shaken in this manner – but God has real purpose in it all – and it is earthed in His amazing love for us.

He will never let the righteous be shaken…

We will all face trials and difficulties in this life. Jesus never promised us an easy life, he actually promised the opposite. But for those who trust God those difficulties will not shake us, they will not destroy us. That's what the Bible promises over and over.

Here's an example of how you can use Psalm 20 to pray for you and our church. 20:1 May the Lord answer you in the day of trouble! May the name of the God of Jacob protect you! Where in your life do you need the Lord to help?

What is the main message of psalm? ›

The book of Psalms expresses worship. Throughout its many pages, Psalms encourages its readers to praise God for who He is and what He has done. The Psalms illuminate the greatness of our God, affirm His faithfulness to us in times of trouble, and remind us of the absolute centrality of His Word.

The psalm is attributed to David. This psalm and the following one are closely related: they are both liturgical psalms: the first is an intercession, the second is a thanksgiving; in both, the king is the prominent figure. Psalm 20 is used in both Jewish and Christian liturgies. It has often been set to music.

Make a joyful noise to the Lord” says the Psalm writer. The Hebrew word for “noise” is ruwa, meaning to shout in applause, to cry out in triumph. It is an energetic word that comes straight from the heart. Verses 1-3 of Psalm 100 were probably sung by worshipers approaching the temple for worship.

This word communicates to us that God will place a hedge of protection around his children. Overall, the first line in this blessing means that when God will “bless and keep you,” He will provide for and protect you.

"The Lord bless you and keep you" is a setting of the Priestly Blessing, also known as the Aaronic blessing, from the Book of Numbers in the Bible (Numbers 6:24–26). The blessing, sung or spoken, is used at the conclusion of worship, baptism, ordination, marriage, and other special occasions in Christian worship.

3:1-2, NKJV). To “stir up” here means to wake from sleep, to arouse, and activate the mind and understanding.

transitive verb. : to cause (someone) to feel a strong emotion and a desire to do something.

being excited or provoked to the expression of an emotion. synonyms: affected, moved, touched affected. acted upon; influenced. emotional. of more than usual emotion.

What is an example of shaken? ›

shocked and upset by an unpleasant experience: He was badly shaken after the attack. She wasn't hurt but was very shaken up. Wayne scrambled to the road, cut, bruised and badly shaken.

If you're shaken, you are profoundly upset and disturbed.

to make someone doubt something that they were certain was true.

Kingdom of God, also called Kingdom Of Heaven, in Christianity, the spiritual realm over which God reigns as king, or the fulfillment on Earth of God's will. The phrase occurs frequently in the New Testament, primarily used by Jesus Christ in the first three Gospels.

[7] For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.

The Lord is laying bare all the foundations that men have so trusted. The Psalms speak of this: “If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?” (Psalm 11:3). Think about it: Nobody — no politician, economist or financial expert — has been able to explain the sudden evaporation of great wealth.

Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.

Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

It means moral, right, just, balanced, or natural etc.

That Jesus prayed the Psalms is evident, most notably, perhaps, on the cross: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Psalm 22:1; Matt. 27:46).

What psalm is a good prayer? ›

Psalm 63:1-8

Because your love is better than life, My lips will glorify you. I will praise you as long as I live, And in your name I will lift up my hands.

As human words to and about God, the Psalms instruct us in myriad ways about how to worship God. They teach us how to sing, dance, rejoice, give thanks, confess sin, grieve, express anger, make requests of God, proclaim God's name far and wide, and more.

The Psalms are a unique treasure of Scripture that connect a believer's head and heart in a rich and vivid way. While most of Scripture delivers words from God to man, the Psalms provide man with Spirit-inspired words to pray and sing to God.

David was about to lead Israel into battle, and he needed the help of God in each of these ways. i. Because King David was about to lead Israel as a whole into battle, the language is full of references appealing to the LORD as the God of Israel. The LORD: Using Yahweh, the covenant name of God.

Verse 3. Next, in Psalm 20:3 – the people ask that the king's religious devotion to the Lord would be accepted. That the Lord would remember and accept all the times when the king had offered an offering according to God's rules.

He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside still waters; he restores my soul. He leads me in right paths for his name's sake. Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and your staff— they comfort me.

For his anger is but for a moment, and his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning. We are about to celebrate the greatest joy we could ever know, the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. There was however, a night to endure before the morning dawned.

What does it mean to hold God's name holy above all? ›

To pray 'hallowed be Your name' means to ask God to let His name be worshipped, exalted, honored, and adored on earth as it is in heaven. It is to ask God to so move and act in the world, that people will worship and treasure Him above all else.

God bless (you)!

said when saying goodbye to someone, to say that you hope good things will happen to them : Good night everyone, and God bless. said when someone sneezes, to say that you hope they have good health: "Achoo!" "God bless you."

The Lord bless us and keep us. The Lord make His face to shine upon us, and be gracious unto us. The Lord lift up His countenance upon us, and give us peace, this day (night) and forever more. Amen.

Prayer with the community is most powerful, for the Lord himself said: “Where two or three are gathered in my name I am in the midst of them” (Matthew 18:20).

First, when we ask God for a blessing, we admit that we need his blessing, and we confront the fact that we are not able to do everything we want to. We show that we need God's grace. Second, when we ask for a blessing, we intentionally present our deepest concerns to God.

Thank you for your kind wishes. I appreciate the sentiment. Thank you for your good wishes. Thanks for your sentiment!

Since the colonial era, abolitionist writers turned to Psalm 121 as proof of God's protection for enslaved people. In his rendering, Bloch presents a shirtless black man with his eyes lifted “unto the hills,” seeking relief from God.

Rend your heart and not your garments” (Joel 2:12–13). In Bible days, people expressed sorrow by tearing (rending) their clothes. Everyone who saw them knew they were grieving. If someone wanted to demonstrate their repentance and sorrow over their sin, they would publicly tear their clothes.

The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree:

To “flourish like a palm tree” means to stand tall and to live long. The AMP says that the righteous will be: long-lived, stately, upright, useful, and fruitful. Palm trees have been important to humans throughout much of history.

1. Haughty eyes: Haughty eyes deals with pride and God hates pride. The eyes are the windows into pride. The phrase, “That person looks down on me!” That's the haughty eye and its full of pride. Pride is the original sin that goes all the way back to the Garden of Eden.

What does train your eyes mean? ›

the ability to see the difference between things that are similar or to recognize that someone has a particular skill.

"And Jesus told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart." The Lord wants us to know that he actually understands that our lives can sometimes seem hopeless.

Tearing his clothes was for him a means of expressing his sorrow at the death of the king or a feeling of remorse for having quickened the death of Saul, even though Saul himself wanted it so. Rending of garments by David and his officials at the death of Saul and Jonathan was also a sign of mourning (2 Sm 1:11–12).

Clothed in Christ Eternally

Third, the imagery of being clothed in Christ describes the transformation of our bodies that will take place when we are resurrected from the dead. Paul explains that “this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality” (1 Cor 15:53).

The palm branch is a symbol of victory, triumph, peace and eternal life, originating in the ancient Near East and the Mediterranean world (Wikipedia). Palms and palm branches have symbolic meaning to the Jews of today and in ancient times.

Early Christians used the palm branch to symbolize the victory of the faithful over enemies of the soul, as in the Palm Sunday festival celebrating the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem.

Palm trees symbolize abundance, eternal life, fertility, good luck, growth, longevity, righteousness, victory, and wisdom. In Ancient Greece and Rome, palm branches were given to victorious athletes or gladiators. Palm trees also have religious significance and symbolic value in Christianity, Judaism, and Islam.