NOW THIS I KNOW - Connell Memorial United Methodist Church

Connell Memorial United Methodist Church.
Sunday, June 13, 2021.

                                                      NOW THIS I KNOW
                                                            Psalm 20
                                                   Rev. Jefferson M. Furtado

Today we continue in our sermon series, “Wonderful Words of Life,” where we journey through
the books of poetry and wisdom in our Holy Scriptures. I mentioned last week that the Psalms
teach us about faith and speak of God’s good and perfect will for the created world. The psalms
also express a rich faith experience where God stands near and answers those who call. The
depth, beauty, and power of the psalms are a gift that continues to help us connect with God
and live in peace and harmony with others. I have come to learn, that there is a hidden power
in poetry and songs. Something in those mediums connects deeply with our souls and moves us
to a deeper level within our senses. This hidden power opens our lives to experience the Divine
with our minds and feelings. There is a quote attributed to Saint Augustine of Hippo that says,
“[The one] who sings prays twice.” So, we continue to in this journey through the psalms,
indeed praying that our minds will be open to new understandings of God’s will for us.

Theologian William Holladay says, “As long as men and women have used words, they must
have used words with rhythm: words with power; words to be repeated; words with which to
recall the heroism of battle, to bring success to the hunt, to celebrate the joy of birth and the
sorrow of death.”1 Songs, beloved, psalms give testimony to God’s action in our lives and in the
world. And today we hear the psalmist proclaim an affirmation that indeed the LORD and he
alone saves.

Psalm 20 is widely considered to be a royal psalm. These are psalms that speak of the king, the
anointed one. They were primarily composed during the dynasty of David. But they do not
necessarily uplift the king. These psalms remind the people that true power, wisdom,
deliverance, and salvation come from God and God alone. Therefore, we are to place our full
trust in the LORD. These royal psalms remind us that praying for rulers, presidents, governors,
and those who rule is an ancient tradition.2 You may remember the words of God spoken
through prophet Jeremiah to those exiled saying, “Promote the welfare of the city where I have

1William Holladay. The Psalms Through Three Thousand Years (Locations 318-320). Kindle Edition.
2Mays, James L.. Psalms: Interpretation: A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching. Presbyterian Publishing Corporation (Location 2183).
Kindle Edition.

Connell Memorial United Methodist Church.
Sunday, June 13, 2021.

sent you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because your future depends on its welfare.”3 The
faith of the people of Israel helped them to understand that though an individual may lead a
nation, only God has the power to rule. So, here in this psalm, the psalmist expresses that the
king is not the one who saves but stands in need of salvation.

The ancient Israelites had a funny relationship with kings. The book of 1 Samuel tells us about
life in the land God had promised to Abraham. The people of Israel were a people set apart.
Though their neighboring nations had kings, the people of God were governed by judges. As
Samuel grew in age, he did as his predecessor, appointing his sons to replace him. But you see,
Samuel’s sons didn’t really follow in his footsteps. As the Bible tells us, the two sons of the great
judge and prophet tried to make a profit by accepting bribes in their roles, perverting justice for
the people.4 So, the people of the land were rightly concerned about the new fellas who were
to take Samuel’s place. They went to Samuel saying, “Look, you’re an old man, and your sons
aren’t following in your footsteps. Here’s what we want you to do: Appoint a king to rule us,
just like everybody else.”5 Even though God had cared for the people; even though God had
protected them from the powerful enemies that surrounded them; even though time and time
again the leadership model God had offered gave the people all that they needed, still they
wanted to blend into the cultural surroundings and be just like everyone else. This request was
deeply offensive to Samuel—who had served faithfully—and to God who had called the people
to be his own possession.

But God told Samuel not to be disheartened, for they were not rejecting Samuel, their rejection

was against God. Speaking to Samuel, God said, “They are doing to you only what they’ve been

doing to me from the day I brought them out of Egypt to this very minute, abandoning me and

worshipping other gods.”6 God told Samuel to do for them what they asked, but to warn the

people about the consequences of having a king. So Samuel spoke to them saying, “This is the

way the kind of king you’re talking about operates. He’ll take your sons and make soldiers of

3 Jeremiah 29:7, CEB.
4 See, 1 Samuel 8:1-3.
5 1 Samuel 8:5, MSG.
6 1 Samuel 8:8, CEB.

Connell Memorial United Methodist Church.
Sunday, June 13, 2021.

them… He’ll put some to forced labor on his farms, plowing and harvesting, and others to

making either weapon of war or chariots in which he can ride in luxury. He’ll put your daughters

to work as beauticians and waitresses and cooks. He’ll conscript your best fields, vineyards, and

orchards and hand them over to his special friends. He’ll tax your harvests and vintage to

support his extensive bureaucracy. Your prize workers and best animals he’ll take for his own

use. He’ll lay a tax on your flocks and you’ll end up no better than slaves.”7 Yet the people

insisted on wanting a king. The Psalmist here reminds the people and us, that protection,

direction, victory, and life all come from God.

God is and should always be at the center of life and all things. The faith expressed in this psalm

reminds all of us that when God is the center of our life and focus, though things may be shaky,

yet we can feel secure. The faith expressed by the psalmist tells us that when life is falling apart;

when pains in the body, mind, or spirit are so great that is impossible to even breathe; when

mornings, afternoons, and evenings bring no joy; when we are stuck between a rock and hard

place—finding no possible way out—there is a God who hears in times of distress, sends help

from His Temple, and sustains from his Holy Mountain. There is a certain type of faith

expressed here that tells us, God remembers God’s people. God remembers the love, sacrifice,

and faithfulness. There is a certain faith expressed here that tells us, only those who place their

faith in God can rest in peace.

The faith we find in these verses is a faith that remembers! A faith that recalls that victory over

Egypt did not come because of horses and chariots; victory over Jericho did not come because

of armies and swords; Gideon’s victory over Midian did not come because of numerous

soldiers;8 David’s victory over Goliath was not the product of strength and training. All these

7   1 Samuel 8:11-17, MSG.
8   Judges 6-7.

Connell Memorial United Methodist Church.
Sunday, June 13, 2021.

and others are testimonies to God’s action bringing salvation to God’s people. The key

protagonist in the life of Israel is not their kings, it is God. A God who calls us towards a faith

that assures us that the One we serve is able to save!

Beloved, we may stand many moons from the reality of the people of Israel, but like them, we

too live in a world of divided loyalties. Like them, we too go through seasons when we reject

the One who has created, called, strengthened, support, and defended us. We can look around

the world and see individuals whose attachments are not to the God who “owns the sky, the

highest heavens, the earth, and everything in it.”9 We can look around and see individuals and

nations who feel secure because of their prestige and possessions. When turning on our TVs or

picking our phones is not hard to find those who give witness, near and far, a type of life that

rejects the One who calls us to walk in all his ways, to love and serve Him with all our heart, all

our being, and all our strength.10 There are those who reject the voice of the One who calls us

to care for the forgotten, neglected, and rejected of our society—the poor, the unemployed,

the homeless, the elderly, the immigrant. But the word of the psalmist for all those who

distance themselves from God are words of caution. The psalmist reminds them (and us) that

when we live in our way, by our own rules, relying on our own strength we collapse and fall.

That is true for individuals and nations. But the word for those who trust in the LORD is one of

encouragement and hope. For those who place their trust in the LORD, the psalmist says,

“stand up straight and strong.”

There is a great truth we can learn from the psalmist: God and God alone is the One whom we

can trust for all our troubles. So friends, when you find yourself in times of challenge, pain, or

trouble remember! Remember that God created you. Remember that in previous times of

9   Deuteronomy 10:14, CEB.
10   See Deuteronomy 6:5.

Connell Memorial United Methodist Church.
Sunday, June 13, 2021.

challenge God rescued you with mighty hand. Remember that no amount of money, no

positions, no level of education or intelligence can bring salvation into our lives. As the Apostle

Paul reminds us, we are saved by God’s grace, through faith, and that’s God’s gift to us.11 “We

are God’s accomplishment, created in Christ Jesus to do good things.”12

So beloved, place your whole trust in God. Pray to the LORD, for He hears our prayers. And may

Jacob’s God protect you. May God send help to you from the sanctuary and support you from

Zion. May God recall and be pleased with your offerings. May God grant what is in your heart

and fulfill all your plans.

May this be so today, tomorrow, and always.

Amen.

11   See Ephesians 2:1-10.
12   Ephesians 2:10b, CEB.