Psalm 68
To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. A Song.
1 God shall arise, his enemies shall be scattered; and those who hate him shall flee before him!
2 As smoke is driven away, so you shall drive them away; as wax melts before fire, so the wicked shall perish before God!
This psalm is about the complete victory of God over his enemies, and so it begins with a strong statement of this theme. The psalm will describe God’s march from Egypt to the promised land and then the conquest of that land. God is a warrior God, fighting on behalf of his people. When God rises up to fight, his enemies will be scattered. Those who are opposed to him will retreat and ultimately be annihilated. They will have the strength of smoke before wind and wax before fire, which is to say, none at all. This is the national story of Israel and this song celebrates it like no other. The psalm is quoted in the New Testament in reference to the victory of Jesus, so it is the song of the Christian as well. The song is meant to encourage us with the fact that we are members of the winning team. This is good to know when it feels like you’re behind and the opposing team is running up the score. You might feel weak and demoralized, hopeless and out-gunned, but you’ve got a veteran on your team and skill players that can turn things around rather quickly. This entire psalm is a prophetic vision of what Jesus does in his three and a half year ministry on earth. It is the ultimate conflict between good and evil, God and the Devil, and it isn’t even close. This is the message that the psalmist wants to communicate - not just victory, but a full-blown butt kicking, head stomping rout. This is both an account of that victory as well as a snapshot of greater victory to come, ultimate redemption and eternal life together with all on our team. So don’t be discouraged and quit too soon. Victory is ours. It’s also important to recognize that our real enemies are not people. They are victims and tools of the enemy. This perspective allows us not to show anger but rather mercy. There are those that hate God and live in ways that are contrary to his, but this is because they are self-deceived. Our job is to win them over to our team by pointing them to our leader’s power and love.
3 But the righteous shall be glad; they shall exult before God; they shall be jubilant with joy!
4 Sing to God, sing praises to his name; lift up a song to him who rides through the deserts; his name is the LORD; exult before him!
While the enemies of God are retreating before him, vanishing like smoke before the wind and melting like wax, the people of God are absolutely giddy. The writer seems to employ every word possible to communicate how ecstatic the people are at the actions of God. They are filled with joy, exulting before God, overjoyed with joy, singing to God, psalming to his name, singing to the one who rides through the deserts, exulting before him. This is a victory parade like no other, ticker tape, loud music, chanting, yelling, nothing but smiles and laughter. Ding dong the witch is dead. The object of this joy and celebration is the LORD himself (the abbreviated name for God YH is used here). He is Elohim (the mighty one) who rides through the deserts. The Hebrew word for desert is arabah, and it’s also the name of the desert valley to the south of the Dead Sea wilderness to the south of Israel. It is the land through which Israel wandered before being settled in the land. The King James translation and other modern translations (NIV for example) translate the word as cloud, as in God rides on the clouds. This was also a name used for Baal, the rain god of Canaan. God is both the one who led Israel through the arabah and the one who rides the clouds, literally leading them with a cloud by day. This same God leads us through the wilderness by riding the clouds before us. In our wilderness wandering on this earth, we can look up to the one who’s gone before us, Jesus. We can look up to the heavens and see the beauty, power, and majesty of God in the clouds. We can look back to his victories and be reminded that we are part of that victory parade and so we joyfully rejoice with great joy, giddy with gladness. Look to the clouds today to see the one who has always been with us on our journey and who will someday return in those clouds to lead us to the ultimate promised land.
5 Father of the fatherless and protector of widows is God in his holy habitation.
6 God settles the solitary in a home; he leads out the prisoners to prosperity, but the rebellious dwell in a parched land.
Not only does God trounce his enemies, he reverses the fortunes of the down and out. He is a father to the fatherless, a protector of widows. He settles a solitary person in a family, and he leads prisoners to prosperity. He’s the one who turns things around in a moment. Even the rebellious experience this reversal as well, rising up in their belief that they will create a better world, they wind up living in a place without substance and life, on the edge of living. In what sense is God a father to the orphan and a husband to the widow? I mean he isn’t literally these things because both of these groups actually need a flesh and blood father and protector. It must mean that he is the hope of those who are the bottom end of the social scale, poor and powerless. They must put their hope in his provision and protection because they have no other. I don’t know exactly how the psalmist saw God doing this in his day, but it is a notable characteristic of God throughout the psalms that he is one who cares for the least and lost of society, and this seems striking to me. The gods of the ancient world were all about power and pride, but YHWH seems to show special concern for the humble poor. Indeed, it is often those who live in poverty who are more keenly aware of their spiritual poverty as well, unlike those of us who have a lot of things. I believe that God does things for the poor, lonely, and imprisoned through the agency of his people. This was probably true in the time of the psalmist today as well. People who have experienced God’s goodness and reversal of fortunes in their life are more likely to be grateful and willing to help others experience God’s goodness as well. This is why the church has always cared for the orphan, the widow, the lonely, and the prisoner. There are ministries in the church devoted to each of these, although they have changed forms over the years. What are you doing for these groups of people for whom God shows special concern? If you are made in his image, you should care about them as well, giving generously to ministries that care for them and getting personally involved in blessing their lives. God protects orphans and widows in his holy habitation. This seems to be a reference to the temple and thus his living among us. The awareness that YHWH lives with us and among us should compel us to care for one another even better. He is not distant and unfeeling, but dwelling among us. In fact, sometimes he comes to us in a distressing disguise -- “When I was a stranger you invited me in.”
7 O God, when you went out before your people, when you marched through the wilderness, Selah
8 the earth quaked, the heavens poured down rain, before God, the One of Sinai, before God, [Or before God, even Sinai before God] the God of Israel.
The psalmist elaborates on God’s “leading the prisoners to prosperity” by detailing the march from slavery in Egypt to freedom in the promised land. God went before his people, parting the Red Sea, leading them with a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. The “cloud by day” served both as a guide and as a means of shade from the blazing sun. And here the psalmist adds that God caused downpours to provide water for his people in the desert. God made his presence perhaps most forcefully known at Sinai when the mountain quaked and God spoke to Moses, giving him the law that would guide the nation and individuals for the rest of human history. It’s kind of a big deal. Earthquakes, like all natural phenomena were understood to be caused by God, reminding the people of his power and authority over all things. Sinai would come to be associated forever with the law, and the evidence of the authority of that law was backed up by natural signs of earthquakes and apparently downpours of rain. The feast commemorating the giving of the law was Pentecost, so it’s not surprising then that when God births the church, he does so on Pentecost, fulfilling the law, with a demonstration of his power and authority in the gift of tongues, speaking good news to all nations. This event shook the Israel and later the entire Roman empire, and it continues to shake the world wherever the church goes and ushers in God’s life-saving authority. God is leading the church through the wilderness, sending refreshing downpours, guiding us by his cloud spirit, shaking the world as the church advances in culture. We have the privilege to be a part of this Jesus parade, this good news proclaiming movement. Let us advance with joy, hope, and confidence.
9 Rain in abundance, O God, you shed abroad; you restored your inheritance as it languished;
10 your flock [Or your congregation] found a dwelling in it; in your goodness, O God, you provided for the needy.
These verses elaborate further on God’s provision for the people in the desert, sending abundant rain when they languished. God’s people are described as his inheritance, the thing that he gets, that belongs to him, his birthright. Do you think of yourself as God’s inheritance? We have items in our home that are an inheritance, treasured possessions not because they are particularly valuable because they are old, but treasured because they were things that parents and grandparents treasured, things that might be wept over if they were lost or broken because of the memories stored in them. An inheritance is something that is kept, preserved, in order to be passed on. In this sense, God was preserving his inheritance by keeping them alive in the wilderness. He enjoys us and has a special connection with us in part because of what we’ve been through together over the years. Just as God valued his people as his inheritance, they found a dwelling in God’s goodness. Evidence of this is God’s provision for the poor. The poor have always been with us. Society has always been stratified, even in communist systems which claim equality of outcome, human nature and capacity being what it is. The good news is that God shows special concern for the poor, modeling this for his people. I’m imagining the rain falling in the desert on all the people, rich and poor, good and bad, just and unjust. The people rush to collect it in jars as it runs down the creases of the tents. God’s good earth is available to all, a sign of his goodness and common grace. What’s amazing about God is that people are his inheritance, not things. We inherit things, but God already has everything. The one thing that he doesn’t have by virtue of being the Creator God is the heart of each one of us. That must be freely given.
11 The Lord gives the word; the women who announce the news are a great host:
12 “The kings of the armies—they flee, they flee!” The women at home divide the spoil—
13 though you men lie among the sheepfolds— the wings of a dove covered with silver, its pinions with shimmering gold.
Psalm 68 has many passages that are notoriously difficult to translate, and this is one of them. The text is describing the conquest as former slaves in Egypt moved through the wilderness and into the land, defeating armies along the way. Here the women are announcing the good news. Lots of women, as if they were a company of the army itself, are ecstatic that the battle is over and their sons and husbands are coming home. It’s hard to know who celebrates a victory more -- the soldiers themselves or their wives and mothers. The psalmist pictures the celebration back at home, among the tents to which the women once feared their men would never return. The women say, “the kings of hosts of armies, they run, they run,” actually repeating the same Hebrew word twice for emphasis. The women back at the home divide up the spoils of war, the items left behind on the battlefield and in the conquered towns. Their fortunes have reversed. A few days before they were fearing for their lives, but now they are enriched by the labor of others. Verse 13 is the most difficult to translate. “You men lie down in sheepfolds, the wings of the dove covered in silver and gold.” This could be the men of the Israelite army, sleeping after battle, with the spoils of battle all round them. “Dove” is used elsewhere as a metaphor for Israel (including the name, Jonah). They are exhausted, resting in a sheepfold, once again a picture of reversal. Humble sheep are typically in sheepfolds, but now they are inhabited by wealthy soldiers. Because the previous verse is about the spoils of war, we assume the following verse is as well. This could also be referring to the fleeing armies referenced in the previous verse. In this case the men who are lying down are dead (sleep can be a metaphor for death). They are the “kings” and their “host”, and like sheep for the slaughter, they lie fallen, their shiny armor encasing their lifeless bodies. No matter how the verse is interpreted the overall message is the same. Dramatic victory belongs to God and his people. This stunning victory is ours in Christ as well. Surprise! Just when you thought it was over and your king is dead on a cross, Sunday morning the tomb is empty and the centurions who guarded it have fled. The women make the discovery and celebrate without fully understanding the magnitude of what has happened. It is unbelievably too good to be true. And yet it is.
14 When the Almighty scatters kings there, let snow fall on Zalmon.
15 O mountain of God, mountain of Bashan; O many-peaked [Or hunch-backed; also verse 16] mountain, mountain of Bashan!
16 Why do you look with hatred, O many-peaked mountain, at the mount that God desired for his abode, yes, where the LORD will dwell forever?
The psalmist paints another image of the scattering of the kings. It is like snow falling on Zalmon, a mountain of black basalt, the snow creating a stark contrast, covering the darkness of the rock with the white of snow. He addresses the mountain multiple times as if it were a person gazing in envy at the mountain of God, Moriah (really more of a hill) where God chose to dwell. The ancients worshiped the gods in the mountains. These high places allowed them to get closer to heaven where the gods dwelt. The mountain of Bashan referred to here was likely one of those mountains, a holy place where pagan worship took place. These were no doubt beautiful and unique mountains -- dark, striking, many-peaked -- a perfect place for a mysterious god to dwell. But God chose to dwell not on a mountain far from the center of life, but he moved into the middle of town. Moriah was a high point just north of the city of David. Not really a mountain like those of Bashan, but one that was rich in symbolic significance. Abraham had offered his only son Isaac there in response to a test of his faith. There God had provided redemption for Isaac, and a thousand years from the writing of this psalm, God would provide redemption for the world through the sacrifice of his own son. The rugged mountains of Bashan would be eclipsed by a lowly neighbor to the south, the hill of Moriah. The psalm writer didn’t know the hill as Calvary as we do, but it was special to him because it was the place where God promised to live, a place where people could go and pray and be confident that they were heard. They didn’t have to travel far, just up the hill a bit to meet with God. God in the midst of his people -- another unique aspect of Jewish religion, ultimately fulfilled by Emmanuel, God himself has come to dwell among us. Today fulfilled by his Holy Spirit who lives inside of us. Look in envy O beautiful mountains of the world. God didn’t choose to make his house on you. He chose to live in me.
17 The chariots of God are twice ten thousand, thousands upon thousands; the Lord is among them; Sinai is now in the sanctuary.
18 You ascended on high, leading a host of captives in your train and receiving gifts among men, even among the rebellious, that the LORD God may dwell there.
Speaking of Zion, the LORD God has made his home there. These verses are describing a victory parade, a procession of army and captives making their way through the capital city. This is what the ancient conquering kings did when they returned from battle. They put on a display of their armed forces with the vanquished enemy in chains behind them, showing off the spoils of war, the tribute and wealth taken from conquered peoples. In this case, it is purely metaphorically. Israel never had a chariot army. This was something that Egypt and other mighty nations had -- a quick and terrifying strike force. Israel depended on the chariots of God, and here they are said to number in the twenties of thousands (using the dual form of the word for ten thousand). The God of Sinai, who demonstrated his power with storms and earthquakes has now taken up residence on a new mountain, Zion, Jerusalem. Although the event remembered here is the conquest of the land during the days of Joshua, this psalm may have been composed by David for the occasion of bringing the ark of the covenant up to Jerusalem. As a metaphor, there were no actual captives in chains following God’s army, but the image reminded the people of Israel’s victories over the Canaanite peoples during the days of Joshua. The army of Israel swept through the land and displaced its inhabitants, something so surprising and unheard of in the ancient world, and yet it was their history, their explanation for how they came to possess the land. This text takes on a whole new meaning when Paul uses it to describe the resurrection of Jesus, the captives referring to those who were captive to sin and death, now freed. The reference to gifts is even turned around by Paul’s quotation in Ephesians. The gifts in the case of Jesus are from him and to men, as if the conquering king was not accepting tribute but giving it out! Even the rebellious receive these gifts as Paul himself was one of those rebels at one time. This verse is the connection point between the conquering God of Sinai and the conquering Jesus of Nazareth. He is our leader, our commander, our victorious king and we march with him in triumphal procession, inviting others along the way to join the victory parade.
19 Blessed be the Lord, who daily bears us up; God is our salvation. Selah
20 Our God is a God of salvation, and to God (YHWH), the Lord, belong deliverances from death.
As God takes up his dwelling in the midst of his people, there is a cry of worship directed toward him. The specific reason for praise is that He daily bears us up (lit. day day he loads [us]). Some translations say that he loads us with benefits and others that he loads up our burdens and carries them for us. Both are true of course, but in context I lean toward the metaphor of God carrying our burdens, connecting God’s actions to those of the former slaves in Egypt. God has become their servant and now their salvation. Not only has he taken their burden but he’s saved their lives. The phrase, “deliverances from death” doesn’t mean that they will never die, but that they will be saved from an untimely death, an early death. Of course the phrase takes on another layer of meaning when we see Jesus connected with verse 18, meaning that he is the same Lord of verses 19-20. He literally does save us from death as he himself said, “He who believes in me will live even though he dies.” Death is swallowed up in victory. So God rescues us in big and small ways. The big way is important to us when we or someone we love passes away. We can have confidence that God has delivered them from death in the ultimate sense. The small way that God delivers us is the way that he carries our daily burdens -- our anxiety, our fear, our disappointment and discouragement. He can deliver us from those as well if we will give them to him. Jesus said that we are to be yoked with him so that he carries the load with us. Life is easier if you are yoked with someone who is going the same direction, has been there before and is much stronger than you. Cast your cares upon the Lord because he cares for you. (I Peter 5:7, quoting Psalm 55:22).
21 But God will strike the heads of his enemies, the hairy crown of him who walks in his guilty ways.
22 The Lord said,“I will bring them back from Bashan, I will bring them back from the depths of the sea,
23 that you may strike your feet in their blood, that the tongues of your dogs may have their portion from the foe.”
The psalmist returns to the imagery of battle, describing the complete victory that God has over his enemies and our enemies. He strikes them on the head, giving them a mortal wound. Furthermore, he subjects them to public humiliation, bringing them back from the highest mountains (the aforementioned Bashan) and the lowest seas just so the victors can stomp on them some more, stepping on their blood and allowing unclean dogs to lick their blood and eat the flesh remaining on their bodies. This does seem excessive, but apparently the psalmist wants to communicate the massive and complete victory of God on behalf of his people. No doubt the people had seen or heard of such displays of victory in the ancient world as generals committed indecent atrocities even against the dead as a warning to those who would cross them. Bodies were left on the field of battle or hanging in public view for all to see what happens to those who rebel. The psalm depicts God doing the same type of thing -- so seriously does he take his rule and so great is his desire to prevent people from going the wrong direction in regard to his law. This again is where the New Testament helps us with applying this grisly text. Our enemy is the devil and his angels. Their fight is against YHWH and his angels, and we are the collateral damage. Satan hurts us to get to God, like a criminal who would target children to get to their parents. God wants us to know that in the victory of Jesus over sin and death, the devil and his angels are utterly defeated and are never coming back to torment us again. Satan’s head has been crushed (fulfilling the prophecy of the crushing of the serpent’s head in Genesis 3) and the bodies of his fallen angels have been gathered from high and low so that we can trounce upon them and know that they are defeated, that they are under our feet. Romans 16:20 says that “the God of peace will soon crush Satan underneath your feet.” Yes, Paul had read Psalm 68 and he understood its implications. Don’t allow a defeated enemy to come back from the dead and torment you. Jesus has crushed his skull. Live in that victory today.
24 Your procession is [Or has been] seen, O God, the procession of my God, my King, into the sanctuary—
25 the singers in front, the musicians last, between them virgins playing tambourines:
26 “Bless God in the great congregation, the LORD, O you who are of Israel's fountain!”
The description of the victory parade continues, switching from the focus on YHWH and the captives to a look at the worshipers. As God comes near to the sanctuary (presumably in the form of the ark of the covenant), the singers are out front leading the procession, followed by the instrumentalists. Maidens with tambourines are mixed in there as well. We get a little glimpse of Israel’s corporate worship practices here, although this may have been a special occasion. It’s clear that musical worship is central. Music elevates the soul and gives us a vessel for containing and sharing truth. No doubt these singers and musicians were singing the songs of Zoin and of the glory of God. Verse 26 gives us the lyric of their song: “Blessed be God in the great congregation, YHWH from the fountain of Israel”. Psalm 87:7 refers to a song sung in unison, “All my fountains are in you.” The central theme of their song is that God is their source of life. Then and now, water is life. Humans are 70% water and we need that water replenished continually in order to survive. While we take water for granted in the modern world, even for many in the world today, procuring clean water is something that requires a great deal of time and effort. To have a spring of fresh, cool water adjacent to the place where you lived was a tremendous blessing. This is what YHWH is to Israel, a life-giving stream in their midst. It’s no surprise then that when messiah comes, he meets a woman at a well who is thirsty for a source of water that will not take so much effort and leave her so disappointed. Jesus offers himself. “Drink me and you’ll never thirst again.” Until you are satisfied in Jesus, other gods will tempt you with what they have to offer, and it will not satisfy. It’s easy to shout that God is our fountain when we’re in the worshiping congregation, but not so much when we are alone in the wilderness. When the music has faded and the crowds have gone home, where do you find your satisfaction? What fountain do you drink from?
27 There is Benjamin, the least of them, in the lead, the princes of Judah in their throng, the princes of Zebulun, the princes of Naphtali.
28 Summon your power, O God, [By revocalization (compare Septuagint); Hebrew Your God has summoned your power] the power, O God, by which you have worked for us.
29 Because of your temple at Jerusalem kings shall bear gifts to you.
Following the musicians we have the nobility of the tribes marching toward the temple. Benjamin is the least of the princes (the word “least” in Hebrew sounds similar to “princes”). Benjamin was the youngest of the 12 sons of Jacob and yet Israel’s first king, Saul, came from this tribe. There was conflict between this tribe and David’s tribe, Judah, for the first seven years of David’s reign as these two monarchs overlapped. (David was anointed while Saul was still king). The princes of Zebulun and Naphtali represent the northern kingdom which came after the reign of Solomon. This suggests the possibility of later editing even though the psalm claims to be written by David. The prominence of Judah is fitting since the monarchy that began with David who was from the tribe of Judah would continue for another 1,000 years (more or less), culminating in Jesus the messiah, the Lion of Judah. The psalmist calls upon God to summon his power, the power by which he has worked for his people. The psalmist acknowledges that foreign kings will bring tribute to God, coming to his temple to see and hear the mighty things that He has done. This was fulfilled during the days of Solomon when the Queen of the South came bearing gifts because of the reputation of Solomon, his wisdom, and his temple. Jesus even references this himself, asserting that he is one greater than Solomon. In this psalm we see Jesus once more as the God-king to whom all peoples come to worship. He is both among the throng as a prince of Judah and he is the object of their worship at the temple for he has come to make his home among us.
30 Rebuke the beasts that dwell among the reeds, the herd of bulls with the calves of the peoples. Trample underfoot those who lust after tribute; scatter the peoples who delight in war. [The meaning of the Hebrew verse is uncertain]
31 Nobles shall come from Egypt; Cush shall hasten to stretch out her hands to God.
32 O kingdoms of the earth, sing to God; sing praises to the Lord, Selah
The beasts and bulls in verse 30 may refer to Egypt because of the reference to their dwelling among the reeds. Egypt was a kingdom built along the banks of the Nile. Egypt of course was the ancient nemesis of Israel enslaving them for hundreds of years, and while she would never threaten Israel again with actual invasion, she was always there poised to do so. So the psalmist tells the Lord to rebuke Egypt should she ever try to enslave the people of Israel. The psalmist calls upon God to stomp on those who lust after tribute, that is, those that would try to conquer other lands so they could tax their wealth. He calls upon God to scatter the peoples who delight in war. The Hebrew has the word “silver” here, perhaps as one might scatter coins? Earlier the psalmist had used the word “silver” to describe the plunder taken during the conquest that was now being used to clothe the Israelites. The psalmist then describes a reversal. Instead of sending armies, Egypt and Cush (modern Ethiopia) will send envoys, seeking peace. The roles will be reversed and Israel will be the nation that is feared with whom everyone wants to make peace. This never really happens in world history, but there is a sense in which this is fulfilled in the church. There was an Ethiopian eunuch, a man who served nobility, who came to faith in Jesus on a chariot ride. He went back to his people and through him (and likely others), one of the oldest churches in the world was birthed. The Coptic church remains a stronghold of the Christian faith and has done so through centuries of oppression by the dominant islamic culture. Egypt and Cush, stretching out their hands to God, kingdoms of the earth singing praises to the Lord! This is the great missionary movement of God, taking the warfare metaphors of the psalms and realizing them as spiritual victories. In the centuries after Christ, northern Africa would become for almost half a millenia a center of Christian culture, the psalmist’s prayer fulfilled. What are we doing today to share the good news with this region so that once again, Ethiopia may stretch out her hand to God?
33 to him who rides in the heavens, the ancient heavens; behold, he sends out his voice, his mighty voice.
34 Ascribe power to God, whose majesty is over Israel, and whose power is in the skies.
35 Awesome is God from his [Septuagint; Hebrew your] sanctuary; the God of Israel—he is the one who gives power and strength to his people. Blessed be God!
These closing verses have similarities to Psalm 29, another psalm of David that depicts God’s voice commanding the storm, reigning over the flood and giving peace to his people. Similarly, Psalm 18 depicts YHWH as riding the cherubim and spending his strength for the good of David. Psalm 104 begins with the same image of God riding the clouds. This was also a metaphor for Baal in the ancient world, so the two were in competition. Of course, we know who won that contest on Mt. Carmel (I Kings 18). Seeing the power of God in the storm is nothing new. Even today, violent weather is attributed to an act of God in the way that it humbles us and reminds us that we are not god, not even close. God rides in the “heaven of heavens”, the highest heavens, and ancient heavens, the home of the stars. Today we understand a bit more about the vastness of those heavens. God easily navigates the galaxies, his power beyond comprehension -- all knowing, all powerful, ever-present -- this is our God. His majesty is over his people Israel and yet he has also taken up residence in their midst, his sanctuary, his holy place is in the middle of his people. He has led them from Egypt to Sinai, through the wilderness and then to Jerusalem and the temple. The victory parade has come to a conclusion at the steps of the temple where God can now be met and worshiped. Today we do not have to got to Jerusalem to experience God’s presence. God has come to us in Jesus. Jesus is his temple, the vessel in which he visited our planet. And we the church are now his temple in whom God dwells by his Holy Spirit. May that Spirit of holiness be the place in which I live, never losing my awe of the God who navigates the cosmos with ease, speaks clearly in his word and shares power and strength with his people.