RRB notes on Psalm 21

To the chief Musician, a Psalm of David

Psalms 21 KJV

1. The king [a] shall joy in thy strength, O LORD; and in thy salvation how greatly shall he rejoice!

[a] Double application: David here and Jesus Christ in vs. 4.

2. Thou hast given him his heart’s desire, and hast not withholden the request of his lips. Selah.

3. For thou preventest him with the blessings of goodness: thou settest a crown of pure gold on his head. [b]

[b] Double application: Solomon (Song of Sol. 3:11) and Jesus Christ (Psa. 45:11).

4. He asked life of thee, and thou gavest it him, even length of days for ever and ever. [c]

[c] See comments on Tit. 1:2; Heb. 5:7.

5. His glory is great in thy salvation: honour and majesty hast thou laid upon him.

6. For thou hast made him most blessed for ever: thou hast made him exceeding glad with thy countenance.

7. For the king [d] trusteth in the LORD, and through the mercy of the most High he shall not be moved.

[d] Double application: David in vss. 7-8 and Jesus Christ in vss. 9-10.

8. Thine hand shall find out all thine enemies: thy right hand shall find out those that hate thee.

9. Thou shalt make them as a fiery oven in the time of thine anger: the LORD shall swallow them up in his wrath, and the fire shall devour them. [e]

[e] Mal. 4:1-3; 2 Thess. 1:8; Matt. 3:10-12.

10. Their fruit shalt thou destroy from the earth, and their seed from among the children of men. [f]

[f] Isa. 14:20; Job 18:19.

11. For they intended evil against thee: they imagined a mischievous device, which they are not able to perform. [g]

[g] Matt. 21:38; Acts 3:14-15, 2:22-24.

12. Therefore shalt thou make them turn their back, when thou shalt make ready thine arrows [h] upon thy strings against the face of them.

[h] Second Advent (Psa. 18:14).

13. Be thou exalted, LORD, in thine own strength: so will we sing and praise thy power.

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Titus 1:2 KJV

In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began; 1

RRB Comment:

1 (1:2) This promise is not a promise made to any sinner about salvation; it has nothing to do with election (Eph. 1:4) or God’s “purpose” (1 Pet. 1:20). It is a promise made to the second member of the Godhead, since there was nobody else around “before the world began” to whom to make it. The Father promised the Lord Jesus Christ that if He died for sinners (see Rev. 13:8) that He would be resurrected and given “eternal life” as a man (Psa. 18:4-5, 69:1-3 cf. Psa. 21:4, 49:15; Acts 2:27).

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Hebrews 5:7 KJV

Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death,e and was heardf in that he feared;

RRB Comment:

e See note on Matt. 26:42.

(26:42) John R. Rice has this “cup” being the Devil trying to kill Christ in the garden. Going to Hebrews 5:7, he has this prayer being answered in the affirmative and the Lord not having to drink the “cup.” Christ’s prayer was indeed “heard” and answered – with a “NO!” The “cup” was the wrath of God (Psa. 75:8; Isa. 51:17, 22; Jer. 25:15, 17, 28, 49:12; Ezek. 23:31-33), and the Lord did drink it (John 18:11). John R. Rice didn’t know what he was talking about.

f  Cf Isa. 49:8.