Psalm 68, part 1, verses 1 to 6, Let God arise

 

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.

 

These are words used by Moses when the ark moved forward.

 

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.