To the end, a psalm of David himself.
1. The title is a familiar one; the Psalm is of Christ.
2. O Lord, the King shall rejoice in Your strength Psalm 20:1. O Lord, in Your strength, whereby the Word was made flesh, the Man Christ Jesus shall rejoice. And shall exult exceedingly in Your salvation. And in that, whereby Thou quickenest all things, shall exult exceedingly.
3. You have given Him the desire of His soul Psalm 20:2. He desired to eat the Passover, Luke 22:15 and to lay down His life when He would, and again when He would to take it; and You have given it to Him. John 10:18 And hast not deprived Him of the good pleasure of His lips. My peace, says He, I leave with you: John 14:27 and it was done.
4. For You have presented Him with the blessings of sweetness Psalm 20:3. Because He had first quaffed the blessing of Your sweetness, the gall of our sins did not hurt Him. Diapsalma. You have set a crown of precious stone on His Head. At the beginning of His discoursing precious stones were brought, and compassed Him about; His disciples, from whom the commencement of His preaching should be made.
5. He asked life; and You gave Him: He asked a resurrection, saying, Father, glorify Your Son; John 17:1 and You gave it Him, Length of days for ever and ever Psalm 20:4. The prolonged ages of this world which the Church was to have, and after them an eternity, world without end.
6. His glory is great in Your salvation Psalm 20:5. Great indeed is His glory in the salvation, whereby You have raised Him up again. Glory and great honour shall Thou lay upon Him. But You shall yet add unto Him glory and great honour, when You shall place Him in heaven at Your right hand.
7. For You shall give Him blessing for ever and ever. This is the blessing which You shall give Him for ever and ever: You shall make Him glad in joy together with Your countenance Psalm 20:6. According to His manhood, You shall make Him glad together with Your countenance, which He lifted up to You.
8. For the King hopes in the Lord. For the King is not proud, but humble in heart, he hopes in the Lord. And in the mercy of the Most Highest He shall not be moved Psalm 20:7. And in the mercy of the Most Highest His obedience even unto the death of the Cross shall not disturb His humility.
9. Let Your hand be found by all Your enemies. Be Your power, O King, when You come to judgment, found by all Your enemies; who in Your humiliation discerned it not. Let Your right hand find out all that hate You Psalm 20:8. Let the glory, wherein Thou reign at the right hand of the Father, find out for punishment in the day of judgment all that hate You; for that now they have not found it.
10. You shall make them like a fiery oven: You shall make them on fire within, by the consciousness of their ungodliness: In the time of Your countenance: in the time of Your manifestation. The Lord shall trouble them in His wrath, and the fire shall devour them Psalm 20:9. And then, being troubled by the vengeance of the Lord, after the accusation of their conscience, they shall be given up to eternal fire, to be devoured.
11. Their fruit shall You destroy out of the earth. Their fruit, because it is earthly, shall You destroy out of the earth. And their seed from the sons of men Psalm 20:10. And their works; or, whomsoever they have seduced, You shall not reckon among the sons of men, whom You have called into the everlasting inheritance.
12. Because they turned evils against You. Now this punishment shall be recompensed to them, because the evils which they supposed to hang over them by Your reign, they turned against You to Your death. They imagined a device, which they were not able to establish Psalm 20:11. They imagined a device, saying, It is expedient that one die for all: John 11:50 which they were not able to establish, not knowing what they said.
13. For You shall set them low. For You shall rank them among those from whom in degradation and contempt You will turn away. In Your leavings You shall make ready their countenance Psalm 20:12. And in these things that Thou leavest, that is, in the desires of an earthly kingdom, You shall make ready their shamelessness for Your passion.
14. Be Thou exalted, O Lord, in Your strength Psalm 20:13. Be Thou, Lord, whom in humiliation they did not discern, exalted in Your strength, which they thought weakness. We will sing and praise Your power. In heart and in deed we will celebrate and make known Your marvels.
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St. Augustine (354 - 430)
Was an early Christian theologian and philosopher [5] whose writings influenced the development of Western Christianity and Western philosophy. He was the bishop of Hippo Regius in north Africa and is viewed as one of the most important Church Fathers in Western Christianity for his writings in the Patristic Era. Among his most important works are The City of God and Confessions.When the Western Roman Empire began to disintegrate, Augustine developed the concept of the Church as a spiritual City of God, distinct from the material Earthly City. His thoughts profoundly influenced the medieval worldview. The segment of the Church that adhered to the concept of the Trinity as defined by the Council of Nicaea and the Council of Constantinople closely identified with Augustine's On the Trinity.
Aurelius Augustinus, Augustine of Hippo, or Saint Augustine is one of the most important figures in the development of Western Christianity. In Roman Catholicism and the Anglican Communion, he is a saint and pre-eminent Doctor of the Church, and the patron of the Augustinian religious order. Many Protestants, especially Calvinists, consider him to be one of the theological fountainheads of Reformation teaching on salvation and grace. In Orthodox Churches he is considered a saint by some while others are of the opinion that he is a heretic, primarily for his statements concerning what became known as the filioque clause.
Born in Africa as the eldest son of Saint Monica, he was educated in Rome and baptized in Milan. Augustine drifted through several philosophical systems before converting to Christianity at the age of thirty-one. Returning to his homeland soon after his conversion, he was ordained a presbyter in 391, taking the position as bishop of Hippo in 396, a position which he held until his death.
St. Augustine stands as a powerful advocate for orthodoxy and of the episcopacy as the sole means for the dispensing of saving grace. In the light of later scholarship, Augustine can be seen to serve as a bridge between the ancient and medieval worlds. A review of his life and work, however, shows him as an active mind engaging the practical concerns of the churches he served.