“We will rejoice in thy salvation, and in the name of our God we will set up our banners: the LORD fulfil all thy petitions.”
My Notes
What Does Psalms 20:5 Mean?
This is a communal psalm — the people of Israel speaking to their king before battle. They declare in advance that they will celebrate God's salvation, set up banners in His name, and pray that all the king's petitions will be fulfilled. The celebration is declared before the victory, not after. They're committing to joy they haven't yet experienced.
The phrase "set up our banners" is military imagery — raising standards, planting flags, marking territory. But the banners are raised "in the name of our God," not in the king's name or the army's. The victory belongs to God before it's won. The flag they'll plant is His.
The final phrase — "the LORD fulfil all thy petitions" — is prayer spoken to the king about God. The people are praying for their leader's prayers to be answered. It's an intercessory act: they don't just pray for victory; they pray for the king's prayers to be effective. There's a communal investment in the leader's relationship with God.
Reflection Questions
- 1.Have you ever declared faith before the outcome was clear? What gave you the confidence?
- 2.Who in your life speaks courage over you before your battles? Are you doing that for anyone else?
- 3.What does 'setting up banners in the name of our God' look like in your daily life?
- 4.How does advance celebration differ from presumption?
Devotional
The people declare victory before the battle is fought. They commit to rejoicing before they have the outcome. They raise banners before there's territory to claim. This is faith as advance celebration — deciding what you'll do with the victory before you know if it's coming.
This isn't presumption; it's trust. The people aren't claiming they'll win by their own strength. They're saying: when God saves — and He will — this is how we'll respond. The celebration is planned because the God is known. They've seen Him work before. They expect Him to work again.
The communal dimension is beautiful. This isn't one person's private faith — it's a congregation speaking courage over their leader. "The LORD fulfil all thy petitions" is the community praying for the king's prayers. Your faith community exists for exactly this: to speak truth over you when you're heading into battle, to declare God's salvation over your situation before the outcome is clear.
Who is speaking over you before your battles? And whose battles are you speaking over? The people of God aren't spectators to each other's wars. They're intercessors, banner-raisers, advance celebrators.
What would it look like to declare your joy in advance — not because you know the outcome, but because you know the God?
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
We will rejoice in thy salvation,.... That is, "so will we", &c. or "that we may" (p), &c. or "let us"; these words,…
We will rejoice in thy salvation - According to the idea of the psalm suggested in the introduction, this is a response…
This prayer for David is entitled a psalm of David; nor was it any absurdity at all for him who was divinely inspired to…
The prayer is still continued. Let us(or, That we may) shout for joy at thy salvation; Jehovah Himself was Israel's…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture