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1-4.
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The verbs of petition (cp. 72:15b) are most impressive:
hear.... defend....send help....strengthen....remember....accept....grant....
fulfil. The king cannot succeed unless he have his people solidly behind
him, with the same spiritual intensity.
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1.
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The Lord hear thee in the day of trouble. Such a
day, when he needs both wisdom and defense, comes to most kings at some
time or other. 2 Sam. 8-10 and Psa. 60 give a picture of such crises in the
early part of David’s reign.
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The name of the God of Jacob defend thee = “Set
thee on a high place” (69:29; 91:14), i.e. the elevated mount Zion (cp.
2:1-6).
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2.
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And strengthen thee out of Zion. Possibly a reference
to divine guidance through the high priest with Urim and Thummim: cp.
60:5,6.
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3.
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This is one of the places where Selah is quite
unmistakably linked with the offering of sacrifice at the altar-rock in Zion
(see Introduction, Chapter 7).
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5.
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In the name of our God we will set up our banners: 60:4
again. But note the italics. Should not this read thy (i.e. God’s)
banners? The Hebrew dagal means “standards”
— banners for an army (Song 5:10, mg.; 6:4,10).
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6.
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He will hear him from his holy heaven. Compare v. 2:
“out of Zion”. Passages like 2 Chron. 30:27; 1 Kings 8:27,30 and
8:32,33 (Psa. 11:4; 18:6; 26:8; Zech. 2:13?) seem to suggest that the Holy of
Holies was thought of as “heaven” because it was the dwelling place
of the visible presence of God. The Shekinah Glory in the earthly temple was a
symbol of the perfect and absolute reality in heaven itself.
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7,8.
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Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will
remember the name of the Lord our God. They are brought down and fallen: but we
are risen, and stand upright. These verses are difficult, not being
particularly relevant to a coronation ode (unless the past tenses speak with the
assurance of faith about what is confidently anticipated). But reference to the
Assyrian invasion in Hezekiah’s reign comes easily. Chariots (2 Sam. 8:4;
10:18; Isa. 37:24) and horses (Job 39:18; Jer. 4:13; Joel 2:4) bespeak human
might, but God is more powerful (Psa. 33:16,17; 68:17; 76:6; 1 Sam. 17:45-47;
Prov. 21:31; Isa. 31:1; Matt. 26:53). Therefore the kings of Israel had no need
to multiply horses (Deut. 17:16). And they needed no chariots, for one inspired
prophet of the Lord was worth more than many chariots (2 Kings 2:12;
13:14).
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1.
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The day of trouble. An initial reference to
Jacob’s troubles, in which he was defended by God (Gen. 32:24,28; 33:9-12;
35:3; Jer. 30:7). The prayer of King Jesus on behalf of his people will be
answered forthwith in the day when they put confidence in his power to bring
heavenly help, and not before.
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3.
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Thy offerings = the voluntary, or peace offerings (Heb.
minchah): Lev. 2:1.
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And accept thy burnt offering, i.e. save those who
believe in him, by the merits of his own personal sacrifice.
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5.
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We will rejoice in thy salvation. They, his faithful
ones, his New Israel, share his triumph over adversity and the salvation that he
brings.
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And in the name of our God we will set up our banners,
as a token of victory over all adversaries: Exod. 17:15. The king sets over
his beloved a banner of love (Song 2:4, degel — a
related word). The Son of Man lifted up, in loving sacrifice, is the
banner of the Lord (Num. 21:1-9; Isa. 11:10; John 3:14,15; 12:32).
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The Lord fulfil all thy petitions. Compare Psa. 21:2,4
— especially his prayers as a King-Priest on behalf of his own.
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6.
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The Lord saveth (and also in v. 9) echo the name
Isaiah.
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Saveth his anointed is, virtually, the name Jesus
Christ: cp. 28:8; 18:50 (Heb.).
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7.
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We will remember the name of the Lord our God. This is
an excel-lent example of how the Covenant Name of God is often associated,
especially in the Psalms, with the words “remember” and
“memorial”. The concordance reveals plenty of such examples. Note
Deut. 17:16; and contrast 1 Kings 4:26. Instead, the Messiah relies on the
cherubim chariots of the Lord, as in Psa. 18.
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8.
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We are risen. This can now be read as resurrection, not
just recovery from misfortune.
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And stand upright, as in Dan. 12:13; Luke
21:36.
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Save, Lord; let the King hear us when we call. The
words surely imply that the King acts with God’s full authority. Or, the
verse could read: O Lord, save the king. He (the King) will answer us when we
call (cp. RSV mg.).
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3.
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Accept is literally “turn to ashes” (AV
mg.). God accepted the offering by sending forth His consuming fire from the
Most Holy to consume it completely (Lev. 9:24; 1 Chron. 21:26; 2 Chron. 3:1;
7:1,3; Judg. 6:21; 13:19,20; 1 Kings 18:24,38; Gen. 3:24 — cp. with Gen.
4:4; 15:17). For the New Testament equivalent of absolute dedication, see Rom.
12:1,2; Heb. 13:15,16; 1 Pet. 2:5.
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4.
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Grant thee according to thine own heart, and fulfil all thy
counsel. As Eli blessed Hannah following her prayer: 1 Sam. 1:17.
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7.
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But we will remember (“boast”
or “take pride” in) the Name of the Lord our God. This
is a point Paul takes up in 1 Cor. 1:31 (Jer. 923,24); 2 Cor. 10:17: “He
that glorieth, let him glory (boast) in the Lord.”
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