Psalm 20: Trust

Psalm 20 is known for verse 7, “Some trust in chariots, and some in horses; but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.” It’s a powerful declaration that exalts God above all our enemies, that sets His power over all our weaknesses, that establishes His ability above the ability of anyone and anything we may ever face. But is that really what David was trying to say? Was this a comparison and a contrast? Was this the same as when David stood before Goliath and said, “you come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty”? Is this a statement of faith or was it a call to trust? Was this a reminder that “no weapon formed against you shall prosper” or was it a command to “put your trust in God”?

Psalm 20 begins as a prayer and a blessing. David basically praying blessing over the lives of his people. His desire for them is that the LORD would answer their prayers, defend them in trouble, strengthen them in weakness and accept their worship as pleasing to His heart. David prayed that God would grant them the desires of their heart and fulfill His plan for their lives. David then declared, personally and prophetically, that the LORD saves His anointed and answers from heaven with the strength of His right hand. With all these prayers and with these declarations of truth David then turns the Psalm from God to us, from what we need to Who we have, from our requests to God’s requirements.

As Israel was preparing to go into the Promised Land, near the end of the 40 years of wandering and as Moses was preparing to pass leadership of Israel to Joshua, God spoke through him to the people with a command and a promise. First, in Deuteronomy 17:16, the command was given for the future, “But the king (who they would not have for hundreds of years) must not acquire many horses for himself or send the people back to Egypt to acquire more horses, for the LORD has told you, ‘You are never to go back that way again’.” At that time the might of armies was measured by the number of horses and chariots they had. Common sense would be that to defend against horses and chariots, you would need horses and chariots, that to advance against an army of might you would need to match and exceed their might. In some ways, God was tying Israel’s hands, He was requiring dependence upon Him, dependence that would feel foolish, that would look inferior, that would seem impossible.

When God makes a command, it is often to reveal a promise. In Deuteronomy 20:1, God explained the command by giving a promise, “When you go out to war against your enemies and see horses, chariots, and an army larger than yours, do not be afraid of them; for the LORD your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, is with you.” The point was not that Israel did not need horses or chariots, it was that dependence upon God would call Him to action on their behalf. What God knows about our hearts is that if we have the tools we believe we need, the tools we see in the hands of others, we turn toward independence. He empties our hands, not simply to show His glory, but to teach us dependence.

This means that Psalm 20:7 was not poetic; it was personal, and it was practical. It was not hypothetical, David was addressing a real issue that God had already spoken to clearly. This was a reminder of a command, it was a call, not to simply trust, but to show trust through obedience. When David wrote, “Some trust in chariots, and some in horses”, he was also saying, “but we can’t”. He was not making a statement about the inferiority of those other weapons, He was reminding Israel of the command to not split their trust. He was reminding them that they had already been given their orders, they had been given their strategy, it was not to meet the might of their enemies, but to obey the Word of the LORD. Horses and chariots were not negative, but God was calling Israel to choose to have less than their enemies so that they could discover that in Him, they would always have what they needed.

The final part of the sentence has probably been mistranslated slightly. Most modern translations say, “but we trust in the name of the LORD our God”. The King James seems to be much more accurate, the Hebrew word used here is “zakar” and it means “to remember, recall, call to mind”. David is not making a contrast of trust, he is making a command to remember. “While others are trusting in their chariots and horses, remember that the LORD has already spoken to and about this.” This is not a declaration that “God can”, this is a command that “we must”. We must place our trust where God has commanded it and when we are tempted to be like everyone else around us, we must remember what God has spoken and what God requires.

So, for us it’s not horses and chariots, but what is it? What are the things we have been called to be dependent upon God for? What are the places God’s Word commands obedience, but we are tempted to trust cultural sensibilities? Maybe it’s finances, marriage, employment, politics, health or any other number of things. The key is not to declare God’s greatness over the situation, but to obey His commands in the situation. Whatever we may be facing today, God has spoken to it and He is with us in it. The question is not whether He will prevail, it is we will trust Him enough to be different from the rest? Will we learn to believe that the only way to truly trust is to fully obey?