Psalm 20

“Save, Jehovah: Let the King answer us when we call” (Psalm 20:9).

While the chief focus of Jehovah and Jesus at the end of the Gospel Age is the completion of the church, their attention upon the natural seed of Abraham is also significant. Many prophecies describe the regathering of Israel at the end of the age. This regathering is done while the Jews are still in unbelief. It is while they are in the land of promise that their “eyes” will be opened, and they will finally recognize Jesus as their Messiah.

The Jews in the land of Israel today vary widely in what they believe. There are those who are complete atheists with no faith at all. And there are those who still faithfully endeavor to obey the law of Moses and believe with all their hearts in the promises of their Hebrew Scriptures. God does not deal directly with those who have no faith. It is only by faith that anyone can have a relationship with God. “Without faith it is impossible to be well‑pleasing unto him; for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that seek after him” (Hebrews 11:6).

God knows those who love him and have faith in his promises. Many scriptures designate these as a “remnant.” A remnant of what? A remnant can be simply what is left over. But we suggest that this remnant is a remnant of faith, a remnant of those who still believe in the promises given while the mass of Jews is in unbelief. An example of this usage is found in Isaiah 10:20: “It shall come to pass in that day, that the remnant of Israel, and they that are escaped of the house of Jacob, shall no more again lean upon him that smote them, but shall lean upon Jehovah, the Holy One of Israel, in truth.”

And it is these that he seeks to make a new covenant with (Isaiah 1:9, Romans 9:27, Micah 5:7, 8, Zephaniah 3:13, Joel 2:32)

But this remnant must be tested, as is true of all those who seek God. And at the end of the Gospel Age, that ultimate test is called “the time of Jacob’s Trouble”¹ (Jeremiah 30:7). It is in this experience that Isaiah refers to the remnant as “holy”: “It shall come to pass, that he that is left in Zion, and he that remaineth in Jerusalem, shall be called holy, even every one that is written among the living in Jerusalem” (Isaiah 4:3).

(1) Editor’s Note: A common view connects the “time of Jacob’s trouble” (Jeremiah 30:7) with the final future invasion of Gog against Israel. However, some editors see the expression as referring to the diaspora, the distresses of Israel through the age. In either case, Ezekiel 38 indicates a pending final trouble that takes Israel into the Kingdom.

This “holy” remnant, holy because of their faith, is separated in some unspecified way from those who do not possess the faith necessary: “I will cause you to pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant; and I will purge out from among you the rebels, and them that transgress against me; I will bring them forth out of the land where they sojourn, but they shall not enter into the land of Israel: and ye shall know that I am Jehovah” (Ezekiel 20:37, 38).

But in this extreme trouble, where every earthly defense has been removed, the holy remnant is left with only their faith and the promises of God. At that point of extremity, there is nothing they can do but pray. The 20th Psalm, a Psalm of David, could well be the prayer they offer at that moment. And it is also the moment when the blindness of their eyes will be lifted.

The first four verses are written in the third person. It is as if King David, recognizing a severe trouble coming upon his people, lifts his own prayer to Jehovah on their behalf. And as King David is a type of Jesus Christ. We can well imagine Jesus, their yet‑unrecognized King, urging them on to the ultimate revelation of his care.

Verse 1: “Jehovah answer thee in the day of trouble; The name of the God of Jacob set thee up on high;” The “time of Jacob’s trouble” is indeed a day of trouble. So severe is it that the invading enemy is permitted deep penetration into the land of Israel. “This shall be our peace. When the Assyrian shall come into our land, and when he shall tread in our palaces” (Micah 5:5).

It may seem to many that the Jews will once again be threatened with extinction. But they pray to their God Jehovah for an answer. The expression “the God of Jacob” is used several times in scripture in connection with events at the end of the Gospel Age, giving us a time application. (See article on Psalm 46 in this issue.)

Verse 2: “Send thee help from the sanctuary, and strengthen thee out of Zion.” Modern faithful Jews would understand that the sanctuary in both the Tabernacle and the Temple was the place of Jehovah’s presence. They will appeal to the rulership and power of Zion, the seat of their king. Circumstances will be dire and they will need immediate help.

Verse 3: “Remember all thy offerings, and accept thy burnt sacrifice; Selah.” As ancient Israelites rendered the offerings and burnt sacrifices to Jehovah as required by the Law, they knew that such obedience would be pleasing to God and guarantee protection and prosperity. The holy remnant also knows that and will ask God to remember their offerings in their time of need.

Verse 4: “Grant thee thy heart’s desire, And fulfil all thy counsel.” Only the holy remnant has the condition of heart that God approves. They still love Him despite centuries of abuse and suffering at the hands of their enemies. As a people they kept the hope alive, “next year in Jerusalem.” Now they are there. But the threats against them continue. They believe that their God will ultimately and finally deliver them through his promises.

“Delight thyself also in Jehovah; And he will give thee the desires of thy heart. Commit thy way unto Jehovah; Trust also in him, and he will bring it to pass” (Psalm 37:4, 5).

Verse 5: “We will triumph in thy salvation, And in the name of our God we will set up our banners: Jehovah fulfil all thy petitions.” With this verse the perspective changes to the first person. The holy remnant picks up the admonition of the first four verses and now make it their own. With confidence in their God, they embrace the triumph that will shortly come. And, with humble hearts, they attribute it all to their God.

Verse 6: “Now know I that Jehovah saveth his anointed; He will answer him from his holy heaven With the saving strength of his right hand.” No longer does hope sustain the holy remnant. Now it is reality. They know and witness His deliverance. Just like the ancient Israelites in Egypt, Jehovah’s saving power and strength are evident.

Verses 7, 8: “Some trust in chariots, and some in horses; But we will make mention of the name of Jehovah our God. They are bowed down and fallen; But we are risen, and stand upright.” Since the establishment of modern Israel in 1948, the survival of the nation has been due to its own military defenses. The holy remnant recognized the hand of Jehovah in these victories, but it was through natural means. This contributed to the unbelief of many Jews. Their confidence was in their own strength and in the vaunted Israeli Defense Force (IDF). But God’s permission for the enemy to invade so deeply into their country took away any thought that they could survive with their own “chariots” and “horses,” symbolic of their modern defenses. These evidently will be defeated in the invasion.

But the holy remnant never did put their full trust in these material defenses. Even in those early military successes, they properly attributed it to their God. Those who did put their faith in their own martial resources will have fallen to the enemy. However, the holy remnant found strength and confidence in the name of Jehovah!

Verse 9: “Save, Jehovah: Let the King answer us when we call.” Here we finally have a recognition of Jehovah’s anointed king. This verse not only conveys a full deliverance from their enemy, but also a final, eye‑opening recognition of their true King and Messiah, and his power. This last verse appears to parallel to Zechariah 12:10: “I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplication; and they shall look unto me whom they have pierced; and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his first‑born.”

God’s holy remnant is the faithful core of natural Israel. Their salvation, along with the previously completed salvation of the last members of the church, spiritual Israel, will bring to fruition the word of the Apostle Paul: “So all Israel shall be saved: even as it is written, There shall come out of Zion the Deliverer; He shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: And this is my covenant unto them, When I shall take away their sins” (Romans 11:26, 27).