What does Psalm 20:3 mean?

David had presented offerings and burnt sacrifices in the tabernacle. The congregation asked the Lord to accept the offerings and burnt sacrifices favorably. It was customary for the king to offer sacrifices before going into battle (1 Samuel 7:9–11). Burnt sacrifices were offered voluntarily in devotion to the Lord. They represented the worshiper's complete submission to the Lord.

Romans 12:1–2 summons every believer to present his body to God as a living sacrifice and to resist the lure of the world to conform his thinking to its ungodly philosophy. The apostle James, too, urges believers to submit ourselves to God and resist the Devil (James 4:7). He promises that the Devil will then flee from us. We can present a financial offering to God, but first we ought to offer ourselves to Him.

Paul commended the churches of Macedonia for the way they gave to Paul and his missionary team. He wrote in 2 Corinthians 8:5: "They gave themselves first to the Lord and then by the will of God to us."

This verse includes the term se'lāh, which is among the most obscure in all of Hebrew Scripture. It's likely related to terms which mean "pause," as well as those which imply "praise." Another possibly-related word implies weighing something, as on scales. The term, transliterated as "selah" in English, may also be used as a musical term. This may mean an interlude without instruments, a pause, or some other transition.