Psalm 68:1 ¶ «To the chief
Musician, A Psalm or Song of David.» Let God arise, let his enemies be
scattered: let them also that hate him flee before him. 2 As smoke is driven away, so drive them
away: as wax melteth before the fire, so let the wicked perish at the
presence of God. 3 But let the righteous
be glad; let them rejoice before God: yea, let them exceedingly rejoice. 4 Sing unto God, sing praises to his name:
extol him that rideth upon the heavens by his name JAH, and rejoice before him.
5 A father of the fatherless, and a
judge of the widows, is God in his holy habitation. 6 God setteth the solitary in families: he
bringeth out those which are bound with chains: but the rebellious dwell in a
dry land.
Numbers 10:35 And it came
to pass, when the ark set forward, that Moses said, Rise up, LORD, and let
thine enemies be scattered; and let them that hate thee flee before thee.
Commentators like Gill noted that this was penned when David and
his army brought the ark to the house of Abinadab.
2Samuel 6:1 ¶ Again, David
gathered together all the chosen men of Israel, thirty thousand. 2 And David arose, and went with all the people
that were with him from Baale of Judah, to bring up from thence the ark of God,
whose name is called by the name of the LORD of hosts that dwelleth between the
cherubims. 3 And they set the ark of God
upon a new cart, and brought it out of the house of Abinadab that was in
Gibeah: and Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, drave the new cart. 4 And they brought it out of the house of
Abinadab which was at Gibeah, accompanying the ark of God: and Ahio went before
the ark. 5 And David and all the house
of Israel played before the LORD on all manner of instruments made of fir wood,
even on harps, and on psalteries, and on timbrels, and on cornets, and on
cymbals.
The first two verses of this Psalm are about God enacting
retribution upon those who hate Him, who hold Him in contempt, and how
powerless they are against Him. There are Psalms that show this thinking but
the following verses popped out at me.
Proverbs 20:8 A king that
sitteth in the throne of judgment scattereth away all evil with his eyes.
And see this for the end of history.
2Thessalonians 2:8 And then
shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of
his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:
Even the greatest wickedness cannot stand before God if He does
not permit it to do so. But those who are his should rejoice and sing praises
to His name. Here is an abbreviated version of God’s name as JAH, a contraction
of Jehovah, God’s name, with JAH translated as LORD, all capitals elsewhere
Just as Jehovah is capitalized elsewhere as LORD, all caps, 6510 times as LORD, four as God, and four as Jehovah according to Strong’s. Jehovah, the LORD, all capitals, whom Strong’s
translates as, “the existing one,” is greater than all spiritual beings and all
things real or imagined by men and women.
Jehovah
is a transliteration of a Hebrew word of which we are not sure of the
pronunciation. There is disagreement over vowel points and how the word was
originally pronounced. Modernists will use Yahweh as there was no J sound as we
use it in either Hebrew or early English, or so I have read. However, the word
Jehovah has come down to us as the English version of God’s name. Since we
believe in the Holy Spirit’s hand in creating this Bible we accept Jehovah as
reasonable without trying to quibble over a pronunciation that the so-called
scholars cannot agree on and even if they could it would not help us understand
the Bible.
God
is a father to the fatherless.
Psalm 27:10 When my father
and my mother forsake me, then the LORD will take me up.
Psalm 146:9 The LORD
preserveth the strangers; he relieveth the fatherless and widow: but the way of
the wicked he turneth upside down.
God will enact justice for the poor and the oppressed. Sometimes
it happens in this life and sometimes recompense will be handed out in the
future.
Ezekiel 34:16 I will seek
that which was lost, and bring again that which was driven away, and will bind
up that which was broken, and will strengthen that which was sick: but I will
destroy the fat and the strong; I will feed them with judgment.
God is merciful to those who are suffering at the hands of others
but He is also merciful to the repentant sinners who have had a change of
heart. I want to read Psalm 107, an amazing Psalm.
Psalm 107:1 ¶ O give thanks
unto the LORD, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever. 2 Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom he
hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy; 3
And gathered them out of the lands, from the east, and from the
west, from the north, and from the south. 4
They wandered in the wilderness in a solitary way; they found no city to
dwell in. 5 Hungry and
thirsty, their soul fainted in them. 6
Then they cried unto the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them
out of their distresses. 7 And he led
them forth by the right way, that they might go to a city of habitation. 8 Oh that men would praise the LORD for his
goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men! 9 For he satisfieth the longing soul, and
filleth the hungry soul with goodness.
10 ¶ Such as sit in darkness and in the shadow of
death, being bound in affliction and iron; 11
Because they rebelled against the words of God, and contemned the
counsel of the most High: 12 Therefore
he brought down their heart with labour; they fell down, and there was none to
help. 13 Then they cried unto the LORD
in their trouble, and he saved them out of their distresses. 14 He brought them out of darkness and the
shadow of death, and brake their bands in sunder. 15 Oh that men would praise the LORD for his
goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men! 16 For he hath broken the gates of brass, and
cut the bars of iron in sunder.
17 ¶ Fools because of their transgression, and
because of their iniquities, are afflicted. 18
Their soul abhorreth all manner of meat; and they draw near unto the
gates of death. 19 Then they cry unto
the LORD in their trouble, and he saveth them out of their distresses. 20 He sent his word, and healed them, and
delivered them from their destructions. 21
Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his
wonderful works to the children of men! 22
And let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving, and declare his
works with
rejoicing.
23 ¶ They that go down to the sea in ships, that
do business in great waters; 24 These
see the works of the LORD, and his wonders in the deep. 25 For he commandeth, and raiseth the stormy
wind, which lifteth up the waves thereof. 26
They mount up to the heaven, they go down again to the depths: their
soul is melted because of trouble. 27
They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their
wits’ end. 28 Then they cry unto the
LORD in their trouble, and he bringeth them out of their distresses. 29 He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves
thereof are still. 30 Then are they glad
because they be quiet; so he bringeth them unto their desired haven. 31 Oh that men would praise the LORD for his
goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men! 32 Let them exalt him also in the congregation
of the people, and praise him in the assembly of the elders.
33 ¶ He turneth rivers into a wilderness, and the
watersprings into dry ground; 34 A
fruitful land into barrenness, for the wickedness of them that dwell therein.
35 He turneth the wilderness into a
standing water, and dry ground into watersprings. 36 And there he maketh the hungry to dwell, that
they may prepare a city for habitation; 37
And sow the fields, and plant vineyards, which may yield fruits of
increase. 38 He blesseth them also, so
that they are multiplied greatly; and suffereth not their cattle to decrease.
39 Again, they are minished and brought
low through oppression, affliction, and sorrow. 40 He poureth contempt upon princes, and causeth
them to wander in the wilderness, where there is no way. 41 Yet setteth he the poor on high from
affliction, and maketh him families like a flock. 42 The righteous shall see it, and rejoice: and
all iniquity shall stop her mouth. 43
Whoso is wise, and will observe these things, even they shall understand
the lovingkindness of the LORD.
Psalm 68:7 ¶ O God, when
thou wentest forth before thy people, when thou didst march through the
wilderness; Selah: 8 The earth shook,
the heavens also dropped at the presence of God: even Sinai itself was
moved at the presence of God, the God of Israel. 9 Thou, O God, didst send a plentiful rain,
whereby thou didst confirm thine inheritance, when it was weary. 10 Thy congregation hath dwelt therein: thou, O
God, hast prepared of thy goodness for the poor. 11 The Lord gave the word: great was the
company of those that published it. 12
Kings of armies did flee apace: and she that tarried at home divided the
spoil. 13 Though ye have lien among the
pots, yet shall ye be as the wings of a dove covered with silver, and
her feathers with yellow gold. 14 When
the Almighty scattered kings in it, it was white as snow in Salmon.
God led the Israelites out of Egypt.
Exodus 13:20 And they took
their journey from Succoth, and encamped in Etham, in the edge of the
wilderness. 21 And the LORD went before
them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a
pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night: 22 He took not away the pillar of the cloud by
day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people.
Mount Sinai was a place of a tremendous appearance by God to the
Israelites.
Exodus 19:18 And mount
Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because the LORD descended upon it in fire:
and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount
quaked greatly.
God blessed the Promised Land for them.
Deuteronomy 11:14 That I
will give you the rain of your land in his due season, the first rain and the
latter rain, that thou mayest gather in thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil.
He blessed this congregation of ex-slaves, His people.
Deuteronomy 32:13 He made
him ride on the high places of the earth, that he might eat the increase of the
fields; and he made him to suck honey out of the rock, and oil out of the
flinty rock; 14 Butter of kine, and milk
of sheep, with fat of lambs, and rams of the breed of Bashan, and goats, with
the fat of kidneys of wheat; and thou didst drink the pure blood of the grape.
The Lord gave the word, His written word to Moses, and many, many
Israelites kept it through generations. One known group even had rules about
copying that if they made a mistake on a piece of parchment or a scroll the
entire page must be destroyed and they would have to start over. But the Lord
also gave the word of His gospel and millions of Christians have paid it
forward in countless manuscripts and books. But back to the Israelites they
drove out the Canaanites from the land that God had promised them. Kings were
terrified and many fell by the sword.
Numbers 31:8 And they slew
the kings of Midian, beside the rest of them that were slain; namely, Evi, and
Rekem, and Zur, and Hur, and Reba, five kings of Midian: Balaam also the son of
Beor they slew with the sword. 9 And the
children of Israel took all the women of Midian captives, and their little
ones, and took the spoil of all their cattle, and all their flocks, and all
their goods.
We can also think of this as the spoils taken from Satan for God
by the Christian witness, as some commentators attest. Though the Israelites
lives had been bitter in their slavery God lifted them up and made them
beautiful in His eyes.
Exodus 1:14 And they made
their lives bitter with hard bondage, in morter, and in brick, and in all
manner of service in the field: all their service, wherein they made them
serve, was with rigour.
So, the Christian is clothed in Christ’s righteousness.
Romans 3:25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation
through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins
that are past, through the forbearance of God;
Revelation 19:8 And to her
was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the
fine linen is the righteousness of saints.
Finally, there is a reference to a snow-covered mountain or hill
called Salmon where God caused kings to flee. This is information we might not
be given elsewhere and is incidental to David’s praise and plea. John Gill
referred to Revelation and the destruction of the kings of the earth.
David’s praise of God continues.
Psalm 68:15 ¶ The hill of
God is as the hill of Bashan; an high hill as the hill of Bashan.
16 Why leap ye, ye high hills? this
is the hill which God desireth to dwell in; yea, the LORD will dwell
in it for ever. 17 The chariots
of God are twenty thousand, even thousands of angels: the Lord is
among them, as in Sinai, in the holy place. 18 Thou hast ascended on high, thou hast led
captivity captive: thou hast received gifts for men; yea, for the
rebellious also, that the LORD God might dwell among them. 19 Blessed be the Lord, who daily
loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Selah. 20 He that is our God is the God
of salvation; and unto GOD the Lord belong the issues from death.
21 But God shall wound the head of his
enemies, and the hairy scalp of such an one as goeth on still in his
trespasses.
Remember in 1Samuel 10:5 something referenced as the hill of
God is referenced as a place where a Philistine fort was?
1Samuel 10:5 After that
thou shalt come to the hill of God, where is the garrison of the Philistines:
Gill wrote that some say the hill of God was the place where the
Ark was brought, to the house of Abinadab.
1Samuel 7:1 ¶ And the men
of Kirjathjearim came, and fetched up the ark of the LORD, and brought it into
the house of Abinadab in the hill, and sanctified Eleazar his son to keep the
ark of the LORD. 2 And it came to pass,
while the ark abode in Kirjathjearim, that the time was long; for it was twenty
years: and all the house of Israel lamented after the LORD.
It is likened to another hill, the hill of Bashan, with
both being prominent hills. Gill and others refer to this as the Church in
typology. We will dwell with Him and He with us, for ever.
The chariots are referred to as angels of God, remembering
Elijah’s departing.
2Kings 2:11 And it came to
pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot
of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up
by a whirlwind into heaven. 12 And
Elisha saw it, and he cried, My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and
the horsemen thereof. And he saw him no more: and he took hold of his own
clothes, and rent them in two pieces.
But apart from prophecy David is still proclaiming God’s glory and
His victory over his enemies. He has delivered His people. Paul links this with
Christian doctrine and the actions of Christ toward us with regard to God’s
grace, His unmerited favor in delivering us from damnation.
Ephesians 4:7 But unto
every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. 8 Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on
high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.
God is in control of what happens after we die and our deliverance
from the second death, in a lake of unquenchable fire. He is the God of our
salvation. But He also is the doom of those who go on and persist in their
rebellion against Him.
Psalm 68:22 ¶ The Lord
said, I will bring again from Bashan, I will bring my people again from
the depths of the sea: 23 That thy foot
may be dipped in the blood of thine enemies, and the tongue of
thy dogs in the same. 24 They have seen
thy goings, O God; even the goings of my God, my King, in the sanctuary.
25 The singers went before, the players
on instruments followed after; among them were the damsels
playing with timbrels. 26 Bless ye God
in the congregations, even the Lord, from the fountain of Israel.
27 There is little Benjamin with
their ruler, the princes of Judah and their council, the princes of
Zebulun, and the princes of Naphtali. 28
Thy God hath commanded thy strength: strengthen, O God, that which thou
hast wrought for us. 29 Because of thy
temple at Jerusalem shall kings bring presents unto thee. 30 Rebuke the company of spearmen, the multitude
of the bulls, with the calves of the people, till every one submit
himself with pieces of silver: scatter thou the people that delight in
war. 31 Princes shall come out of Egypt;
Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God.
In verse 22 God is said to repeat His miracle of returning His
people from the depths of the Red Sea, if you remember Exodus. He will perform
another miracle as when He delivered His people from Og the king of Bashan, in
Numbers 21:33-35. Perhaps this is reference to end times events like Revelation
20:13 with the sea giving up its dead or God returning His people to the
Promised Land as in Isaiah 43:5-7 even perhaps referring to the translation of
the Church or the resurrection of the dead in Christ.
For verse 23 see the prophecies found in Isaiah and Revelation.
Isaiah 63:1 ¶ Who is this
that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah? this that is glorious in
his apparel, travelling in the greatness of his strength? I that speak in
righteousness, mighty to save. 2
Wherefore art thou red in thine apparel, and thy garments like him that
treadeth in the winefat? 3 I have
trodden the winepress alone; and of the people there was none with me: for I
will tread them in mine anger, and trample them in my fury; and their blood
shall be sprinkled upon my garments, and I will stain all my raiment. 4 For the day of vengeance is in mine heart,
and the year of my redeemed is come. 5
And I looked, and there was none to help; and I wondered that there was
none to uphold: therefore mine own arm brought salvation unto me; and my fury,
it upheld me. 6 And I will tread
down the people in mine anger, and make them drunk in my fury, and I will bring
down their strength to the earth.
Revelation 14:19 And the
angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth,
and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God. 20 And the winepress was trodden without the
city, and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the
space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs.
Verse 24 can be a prophecy of Christ walking with His disciples in
the Temple but in context John Gill reported that the Targum, a spoken
translation of the Hebrew Bible also called the Tanakh, said this is the divine
majesty leading the Hebrews out of the sea.
Then, in verse 25, some commentators likened this to the Apostles,
disciples, and Christ’s ministers of the word going before to preach the Gospel
with damsels likened to primitive churches while the context is said by many to
refer to musicians and singers going before an army. The Targum notes this as
Moses and Aaron singing at the Red Sea with damsels and Miriam playing the
instruments.
For verse 26 this cross-reference stands out.
Psalm 107:32 Let them exalt
him also in the congregation of the people, and praise him in the assembly of
the elders.
Then we have a reference to the tribes of Israel and a plea for
God’s strength to be given to them to establish them. The temple that has not
been built yet is referred to and then a prophecy of some future time when
other nations shall appeal to God and we know from history that Ethiopia was
one of the first countries that called itself Christian. In the 4th
century, the 300s AD, King Ezana of the kingdom of Aksum adopted Christianity
as the state religion.
Much of the latter parts of this passage contains a great deal of
symbolism with writers talking about bulls representing heathen countries and
calves representing foolish people ruled by the Antichrist. So, it would be
easy to get off in the weeds in this complex Psalm and a Bible Study on just
this Psalm could go on for many pages.
I think in context though we can understand David talking about
Israel’s history and future and that prophetically we can see Christ in this as
well as the end of all history in Revelation. What are your thoughts about this
Psalm so far?
Psalm 68:32 ¶ Sing unto
God, ye kingdoms of the earth; O sing praises unto the Lord; Selah: 33 To him that rideth upon the heavens of
heavens, which were of old; lo, he doth send out his voice, and that
a mighty voice. 34 Ascribe ye strength
unto God: his excellency is over Israel, and his strength is in
the clouds. 35 O God, thou art
terrible out of thy holy places: the God of Israel is he that giveth
strength and power unto his people. Blessed be God.
In the previous Psalm we had this;
Psalm 67:3 Let the people
praise thee, O God; let all the people praise thee. 4 O let the nations be glad and sing for joy:
for thou shalt judge the people righteously, and govern the nations upon earth.
Selah. 5 Let the people praise thee, O
God; let all the people praise thee.
God’s voice is mighty inasmuch as He spake the physical universe
into existence. Think of Psalm 29.
Psalm 29:1 ¶ «A Psalm of
David.» Give unto the LORD, O ye mighty, give unto the LORD glory and strength.
2 Give unto the LORD the glory due unto
his name; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness. 3 The voice of the LORD is upon the waters: the
God of glory thundereth: the LORD is upon many waters. 4 The voice of the LORD is powerful; the voice
of the LORD is full of majesty. 5 The voice
of the LORD breaketh the cedars; yea, the LORD breaketh the cedars of Lebanon. 6
He maketh them also to skip like a calf;
Lebanon and Sirion like a young unicorn. 7 The voice of the LORD divideth the flames of
fire. 8 The voice of the LORD shaketh
the wilderness; the LORD shaketh the wilderness of Kadesh. 9 The voice of the LORD maketh the hinds to
calve, and discovereth the forests: and in his temple doth every one speak of his
glory. 10 The LORD sitteth upon the
flood; yea, the LORD sitteth King for ever. 11 The LORD will give strength unto his people;
the LORD will bless his people with peace.
God’s mighty voice has reached millions for Christ and they are
His. His judgment will terrify a lost world. And yet there will come a time
when all of heaven and earth will sing praises to God with reverence to Christ.
In the end there will be a multitude of voices praising God.
Revelation 19:5 ¶ And a
voice came out of the throne, saying, Praise our God, all ye his servants, and
ye that fear him, both small and great. 6 And I heard as it were the voice of a great
multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty
thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. 7 Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to
him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself
ready.
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