You meet him with the blessings of goodness; You set a crown of pure gold upon his head. He asked life from You, and You gave it to him—length of days forever and ever. His glory is great in Your salvation; honor and majesty You have placed upon him. For You have made him most blessed forever. (Psalm 21:3-6)
As we continue gleaning from this psalm, David speaks from the perspective of one who had been a lowly shepherd that God raised up to rule over His people as king. From that vantage point, consider his words as acknowledgement of what God had done in his life. At the same time, let us consider what God meant for David, in many respects, He means to bestow upon all of His people. For example, blessings and goodness are ordained for God’s servants as it is written, “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope” (Jeremiah 29:11).
During his life, David literally wore a crown that signified his authority as well as God’s favor upon him as the chosen leader of Israel. And for that reason, God granted him a long life; certainly not a life void of trial and hardship but a life in which God’s purpose for him was to bear good fruit. Likewise in Messiah, we have all been given access to abundant life — not a trouble free life. By His Spirit and Word, we are equipped and empowered to live as He has ordained and to fulfill our purpose here on earth, hence the abundant life Messiah spoke of. And if we are faithful to do His Will, we shall receive an “imperishable crown of life,” reserved “for those who love Him” (1 Corinthians 9:25, James 1:12).
Finally, David expressed great satisfaction in all that God had bestowed upon him — glory, honor and majesty — and the fact that the Almighty had ordained that he was blessed and was to be a blessing. In fact, the Hebrew phrasing could be rendered to say, “You have placed him to be a blessing forever.” The point is that, like Abraham before him, David understood that all God had done for him was not just for him. Abraham was blessed in order to be a source of blessing to many people. Likewise, David was blessed so that he could be a source of blessing to those God had placed under his leadership.
This being understood, it stands to reason that for all God has bestowed upon us — goodness, abundant life etc. — we should be thankful. In turn, our thankfulness should be exhibited in such a way that we are a source of blessing to others. In short, what God has done for us is not just for us but for all those God will place in our path.
Blessings and Shalom,
Bill
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