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Psalm 89:21
with whom my hand shall be established. My arm will also strengthen him.
19Then you spoke in vision to your saints, and said, “I have given strength to the warrior. I have exalted a young man from the people.
20I have found David, my servant. I have anointed him with my holy oil,
21with whom my hand shall be established. My arm will also strengthen him.
22No enemy will tax him. No wicked man will oppress him.
23I will beat down his adversaries before him, and strike those who hate him.
Notice
God’s hand and arm make David’s strength a matter of divine support, raising the question of what sustains someone entrusted with responsibility.
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Where else Scripture says this
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Psalm 18:32–39the God who arms me with strength, and makes my way perfect?Both passages name God as the source of strength: one promises it to David, while the other acknowledges receiving it.
Isaiah 42:1“Behold, my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights: I have put my Spirit on him. He will bring justice to the nations.God pledges support to his servant in both passages, strengthening David in the psalm and upholding his chosen servant in Isaiah.
Isaiah 41:10Don’t you be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you. Yes, I will help you. Yes, I will uphold you with the …Both promises join strength with God’s hand, describing help that comes from God himself.
Psalm 89:13You have a mighty arm. Your hand is strong, and your right hand is exalted.The mighty arm and strong hand praised here are the same images used for God’s promised support of David.
Psalm 80:17Let your hand be on the man of your right hand, on the son of man whom you made strong for yourself.Both passages connect God’s hand with a man whom God strengthens, though Psalm 89 names that man as David.
Psalm 80:15–17the stock which your right hand planted, the branch that you made strong for yourself.Both passages attribute strength to God and speak of his hand, using a branch in Psalm 80 and David in Psalm 89.
Ezekiel 30:24–25I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon, and put my sword in his hand; but I will break the arms of Pharaoh, and he will groan before the king of …Both passages describe God strengthening a king, though Ezekiel names Babylon’s king and also announces the breaking of Pharaoh’s arms.
2 Samuel 7:8–16Now therefore tell my servant David this: ‘The LORD of Armies says, “I took you from the sheep pen, from following the sheep, to be prince over my people, over …Both settings name David as God’s servant and describe God’s action in raising him to his position.
Zechariah 10:12I will strengthen them in the LORD. They will walk up and down in his name,” says the LORD.God promises strength in both passages, addressing David in the psalm and a group who will walk in his name in Zechariah.
Isaiah 49:8The LORD says, “I have answered you in an acceptable time. I have helped you in a day of salvation. I will preserve you and give you for a covenant of the …Both passages speak of God’s support for the person addressed, expressed as strengthening in the psalm and help and preservation in Isaiah.
2 Samuel 7:13He will build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.Both use the language of establishing: God’s hand with David in the psalm, and a kingdom’s throne in Samuel.
Zechariah 10:6“I will strengthen the house of Judah, and I will save the house of Joseph. I will bring them back, for I have mercy on them. They will be as though I had not …Both contain God’s promise to strengthen, directed to David in the psalm and to the house of Judah in Zechariah.
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Encouragement
David has been anointed, yet he still needs strength from God. The promise locates the source of his help in God’s own hand and arm.
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Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY). Scripture from the World English Bible (public domain). Arc diagram after Chris Harrison and Christoph Römhild (2007).