In The Word
Read: Psalms 68:1-18
The God of Sinai and of the Sanctuary.
For the music director. A Psalm of David. A Song.
68 May God arise, may His enemies be scattered,
And may those who hate Him flee from His presence.
2 As smoke is driven away, so drive them away;
As wax melts before a fire,
So the wicked will perish before God.
3 But the righteous will be joyful; they will rejoice before God;
Yes, they will rejoice with gladness.
4 Sing to God, sing praises to His name;
Exalt Him who rides through the deserts,
Whose name is the Lord, and be jubilant before Him.
5 A father of the fatherless and a judge for the widows,
Is God in His holy dwelling.
6 God makes a home for the lonely;
He leads out the prisoners into prosperity,
Only the rebellious live in parched lands.
7 God, when You went forth before Your people,
When You marched through the desert, Selah
8 The earth quaked;
The heavens also dropped rain at the presence of God;
Sinai itself quaked at the presence of God, the God of Israel.
9 You made plentiful rain fall, God;
You confirmed Your inheritance when it was parched.
10 Your creatures settled in it;
In Your kindness You provided for the poor, God.
11 The Lord gives the command;
The women who proclaim good news are a great army:
12 “Kings of armies flee, they flee,
And she who remains at home will divide the spoils!”
13 When you lie down among the sheepfolds,
You are like the wings of a dove covered with silver,
And its pinions with glistening gold.
14 When the Almighty scattered the kings there,
It was snowing in Zalmon.
15 The mountain of Bashan is a mountain of God;
The mountain of Bashan is a mountain of many peaks.
16 Why do you look with envy, you mountains of many peaks,
At the mountain God has desired as His dwelling?
Indeed, the Lord will dwell there forever.
17 The chariots of God are myriads, thousands upon thousands;
The Lord is among them as at Sinai, in holiness.
18 You have ascended on high, You have led captive Your captives;
You have received gifts among people,
Even among the rebellious as well, that the Lord God may dwell there
New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation
Walking In The Word
Verse 1 says, “Let God arise, let His enemies be scattered.” This is a proclamation of faith, hope, and prophecy. It speaks of God coming and straightening that which is crooked. It also speaks of helping those who have suffered by the injustice on the earth, coming to the rescue of those in a pitiful state, and lifting them up to lead them to prosperity. He will do this by coming with His mighty army and ascending on high, but He will not come alone. He will bring the people with Him to share in His glory.
Of course, we are now reading this Psalm from this side of the prophecy. Yahshua has come and is leading the captive to freedom. Having conquered sin, death, and hell, the Lord of glory triumphantly entered heaven. He was attended by throngs of adoring angels, followed by all who would follow Him as saints, to sit on the throne and wield the scepter of an eternal dominion. He has also given gifts to men for the equipping of the saints, still on earth, to do His work and build up His body. This is so that the whole world may see Christ in all His fullness and maturity (Ephesians 4).
What does all this mean to us that follow Christ? It means that our King is on the throne, and we have His full support on the earth to continue to set the captives free. We must allow ourselves to be trained by the fivefold ministry to show the world the way to freedom.