Psalm Sermon 21 PART 2 — Length of Days Forever

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[SECTION THREE — The Crown and the Blessings]
[Cello note sustained]
[Preacher — measured, theological]

The third and following verses 
enumerate the specific blessings 
the king has received.

For thou preventest him 
with the blessings of goodness.
Thou settest a crown of pure gold on his head.
He asked life of thee, 
and thou gavest it him,
even length of days for ever and ever.
His glory is great in thy salvation.
Honour and majesty hast thou laid upon him.

The verb preventest here is the King James English 
for what we would today call coming before, 
or going before.
The Lord goes before the king 
with the blessings of goodness.
The blessings precede the king's request.
God's generosity is prior to David's asking.

This is one of the deep patterns of biblical theology.
We are recipients before we are askers.
The grace comes first.
Our prayer is the response to grace already given, 
not the condition that earns grace not yet given.

Then comes the crown of pure gold.
Then the life that is given when life is asked.
Then the length of days 
for ever and ever.

[SECTION FOUR — Length of Days Forever]
[Cello note slightly warmer]
[Preacher — careful, building toward arrival]

I want us to dwell on that phrase, 
dear brothers and sisters.

Length of days for ever and ever.

This is a remarkable phrase to find 
in an Old Testament psalm 
about an earthly king.

David did not receive length of days for ever and ever.
He died, like every king before and after him.
The kings of Judah his successors 
did not receive length of days for ever and ever.
Most of them died violently 
or in disgrace 
or in exile.

No earthly king has ever received 
what this verse declares.

What then is going on here?

The Holy Spirit who inspired this psalm 
was reaching toward a king 
who would actually receive what the verse promises.
A king whose days would be 
literally without end.
A king whose life, asked of the Father, 
would be given in such a way 
that death itself could not interrupt it.

The Christian tradition has read this verse, 
from the earliest days of the church, 
as pointing beyond David 
to David's greater son.

Jesus Christ is the king of whom this verse speaks 
in its deepest sense.
He asked life of the Father.
The Father gave it him, 
even length of days for ever and ever, 
in the resurrection on the third day.
His glory is great in his Father's salvation.
Honour and majesty have been laid upon him 
in his exaltation to the right hand of the Father.

This is not interpretive overreach.
This is what the New Testament itself does 
with the royal psalms.
Acts thirteen explicitly applies 
resurrection language to David's successor.
The book of Hebrews applies royal-psalm language 
to Christ throughout its argument.
The earliest Christian preaching 
saw in these psalms the very pattern 
that Christ has now fulfilled.

[SECTION FIVE — Most Blessed Forever]
[Cello note steady, warm]
[Preacher — pastoral, theological]

The psalm continues in verse six:

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

Made him most blessed forever.
This is, again, language that exceeds 
what any earthly king could literally claim.

And exceeding glad with thy countenance.
The face of God.
The countenance turned toward the king 
in unmediated gladness.

We who have followed the Psalms together 
across many sessions 
will recognize this language 
from Psalm seventeen.
I shall be satisfied 
when I awake with thy likeness.
Howard Thurman taught us to see this verse 
as resurrection language — 
the awakening into the face of God 
that all the faithful anticipate.

Psalm twenty-one says it more directly.
The king has been made exceeding glad 
with God's countenance.
This is the eschatological joy 
that the New Testament will later describe 
as the believer's hope.

And it is the joy that Christ now possesses 
at the right hand of the Father, 
where he intercedes for us 
in the unmediated presence of the divine countenance, 
exceeding glad in his eternal exaltation.

[end]

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[intro] [American Episcopal Scholarly-Preaching Sermon] [Mid-sized Episcopal church acoustic] [Single sustained low cello note] [Faint sanctuary atmosphere] [Preacher — continuing, scholarly engagement with warm pastoral cadence] [SECTION THREE — The Crown and the Blessings] [Cello note sustained] [Preacher — measured, theological] The third and following verses enumerate the specific blessings the king has received. For thou preventest him with the blessings of goodness. Thou settest a crown of pure gold on his head. He asked life of thee, and thou gavest it him, even length of days for ever and ever. His glory is great in thy salvation. Honour and majesty hast thou laid upon him. The verb preventest here is the King James English for what we would today call coming before, or going before. The Lord goes before the king with the blessings of goodness. The blessings precede the king's request. God's generosity is prior to David's asking. This is one of the deep patterns of biblical theology. We are recipients before we are askers. The grace comes first. Our prayer is the response to grace already given, not the condition that earns grace not yet given. Then comes the crown of pure gold. Then the life that is given when life is asked. Then the length of days for ever and ever. [SECTION FOUR — Length of Days Forever] [Cello note slightly warmer] [Preacher — careful, building toward arrival] I want us to dwell on that phrase, dear brothers and sisters. Length of days for ever and ever. This is a remarkable phrase to find in an Old Testament psalm about an earthly king. David did not receive length of days for ever and ever. He died, like every king before and after him. The kings of Judah his successors did not receive length of days for ever and ever. Most of them died violently or in disgrace or in exile. No earthly king has ever received what this verse declares. What then is going on here? The Holy Spirit who inspired this psalm was reaching toward a king who would actually receive what the verse promises. A king whose days would be literally without end. A king whose life, asked of the Father, would be given in such a way that death itself could not interrupt it. The Christian tradition has read this verse, from the earliest days of the church, as pointing beyond David to David's greater son. Jesus Christ is the king of whom this verse speaks in its deepest sense. He asked life of the Father. The Father gave it him, even length of days for ever and ever, in the resurrection on the third day. His glory is great in his Father's salvation. Honour and majesty have been laid upon him in his exaltation to the right hand of the Father. This is not interpretive overreach. This is what the New Testament itself does with the royal psalms. Acts thirteen explicitly applies resurrection language to David's successor. The book of Hebrews applies royal-psalm language to Christ throughout its argument. The earliest Christian preaching saw in these psalms the very pattern that Christ has now fulfilled. [SECTION FIVE — Most Blessed Forever] [Cello note steady, warm] [Preacher — pastoral, theological] The psalm continues in verse six: For thou hast made him most blessed for ever. Thou hast made him exceeding glad with thy countenance. Made him most blessed forever. This is, again, language that exceeds what any earthly king could literally claim. And exceeding glad with thy countenance. The face of God. The countenance turned toward the king in unmediated gladness. We who have followed the Psalms together across many sessions will recognize this language from Psalm seventeen. I shall be satisfied when I awake with thy likeness. Howard Thurman taught us to see this verse as resurrection language — the awakening into the face of God that all the faithful anticipate. Psalm twenty-one says it more directly. The king has been made exceeding glad with God's countenance. This is the eschatological joy that the New Testament will later describe as the believer's hope. And it is the joy that Christ now possesses at the right hand of the Father, where he intercedes for us in the unmediated presence of the divine countenance, exceeding glad in his eternal exaltation. [end]

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