Let God arise, Let His enemies be scattered; Let those also who hate Him flee before Him. As smoke is driven away, So drive them away; As wax melts before the fire, So let the wicked perish at the presence of God. Psalm 68:1, 2
A father of the fatherless, a defender of widows, Is God in His holy habitation. 6 God sets the solitary in families; He brings out those who are bound into prosperity; But the rebellious dwell in a dry land. Psalm 68:5, 6
A Celebration of Triumph
The God of Sinai and of the Sanctuary
This long psalm of praise extols God as father and savior, and looks forward to a time when all the earth will gather to worship the Lord at his sanctuary. David celebrates God’s power and goodness before reviewing His historic acts on behalf of Israel. These culminate in God’s choice of Jerusalem as the site of His sanctuary. The result of this triumph is celebrated by God’s people, who now call on Him to scatter their enemies and praise Him for His majestic rule.
Key concepts: Jerusalem, Temple
68:1-3 Let God arise… flee before Him: The presence of the wicked on the earth is an assault on God’s holiness and a constant threat to the righteous. Only God’s mercy compels Him to delay His judgment. But when God awakes, His enemies will be scattered; they will disappear like smoke. Let the righteous… rejoice exceedingly: The joy of the righteous will be great when there is an end to all evil (58:10).
1 To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David. A Song. Let God arise, Let His enemies be scattered; Let those also who hate Him flee before Him. 2 As smoke is driven away, So drive them away; As wax melts 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; Yes, let them rejoice exceedingly.
68:4 YAH is a shortened form of the divine name Yahweh (Ex. 3:14, 15). There is a significant emphasis on the name of God in this section.
4 Sing to God, sing praises to His name; Extol Him who rides on the clouds, By His name Yah, And rejoice before Him.
68:5, 6 The Lord is not limited to clouds and storms; He also meets the needs of the helpless. For all people, He is in His holy habitation, dispensing justice.
5 A father of the fatherless, a defender of widows, Is God in His holy habitation. 6 God sets the solitary in families; He brings out those who are bound into prosperity; But the rebellious dwell in a dry land.
68:7-10 The poet describes the work of God on behalf of His people in poetic terms that recall the Exodus events and draws on the Song of Deborah (Judg. 5:4). The language of this section is also an expansion of the description in v. 4; this is the march of God as true God of the Storm.
7 O God, when You went out before Your people, When You marched through the wilderness, Selah 8 The earth shook; The heavens also dropped rain at the presence of God; Sinai itself was moved at the presence of God, the God of Israel. 9 You, O God, sent a plentiful rain, Whereby You confirmed Your inheritance, When it was weary. 10 Your congregation dwelt in it; You, O God, provided from Your goodness for the poor.
68:14 The Almighty is the name Shaddai, a title that refers to the majesty and strength of the Lord (91:1). The scattering of kings refers to the early battles won by Israel during the wilderness period and at the time of the conquest of the land of Canaan.
14 When the Almighty scattered kings in it, It was white as snow in Zalmon.
68:15, 16 Bashan was a very fertile area northeast of the Sea of Galilee, a part of the former territory of Og. It is possible that the connotation of Bashan as a place of plenty is transferred poetically to Jerusalem in these verses, for it was only in Jerusalem that the Lord had sworn that he would dwell.
15 A mountain of God is the mountain of Bashan; A mountain of many peaks is the mountain of Bashan. 16 Why do you fume with envy, you mountains of many peaks? This is the mountain which God desires to dwell in; Yes, the Lord will dwell in it forever.
68:18 “Ascended on high” The passage foreshadows the return of Jesus to heavenly realms after His resurrection. This event is described in Acts 1:1-11, and its significance is interpreted in John 3:13, 6:62, 20:17, Acts 2:34, and Eph. 4:8-9. (See also Phil. 2:5-11 and 1 Tim. 3:16) The ascension of Jesus marks His triumph over the powers of sin and death.
“Gifts” In Eph. 4:8 the conqueror distributes his spoils to his own people. Jesus, triumphant, distributed spiritual gifts to the church. When God delivered His people from Egypt, He brought them out with great treasures from the Egyptians (Ex. 12:35, 36). These gifts were used by the people of Israel to build the tabernacle (Ex. 35) that the Lord God might dwell there.
18 You have ascended on high, You have led captivity captive; You have received gifts among men, Even from the rebellious, That the Lord God might dwell there.
68:21, 22 The Lord is the Victor over the enemies of His people. None shall escape, whether near – Bashan – or far – in the sea. Like grapes they will be crushed, and justice will finally be served (58:10).
21 But God will wound the head of His enemies, The hairy scalp of the one who still goes on in His trespasses. 22 The Lord said, “I will bring back from Bashan, I will bring them back from the depths of the sea,
68:29, 30 Kings… presents: The term presents means “gifts offered in homage.” Royal guests came to Solomon with gifts; but the ultimate prophetic fulfillment of this verse was in the kings who came to Jerusalem to bring gifts to the infant Jesus. One day all kings witll show their obedience and humility before Jesus, the great King. Egypt, Assyria, and Canaan may be indicated by the phrases the beasts of the reeds, the herd of bulls, and the calves of the peoples. The point of these verses seems to be general submission to the royal house in Jerusalem.
29 Because of Your temple at Jerusalem, Kings will bring presents to You. 30 Rebuke the beasts of the reeds, The herd of bulls with the calves of the peoples, Till everyone submits himself with pieces of silver. Scatter the peoples who delight in war.
68:33-35 The psalm ends with a celebration of the presence of god in the midst of His people. This section looks forward to the reign of Jesus the Savior King (Zeph. 3:14-17). Him who rides on the heaven of heavens is a development of the phrase found in v. 4. The Lord’s voice is the thunder; God is the true God of storm and Creator of universe. When all things are considered, there is nothing in the universe that can be compared with God. Thus the poet says You are more awesome than Your holy places.
33 To Him who rides on the heaven of heavens, which were of old! Indeed, He sends out His voice, a mighty voice. 34 Ascribe strength to God; His excellence is over Israel, And His strength is in the clouds. 35 O God, You are more awesome than Your holy places. The God of Israel is He who gives strength and power to His people. Blessed be God!
** Jesus Christ is the Savior King. He is not a king who does not care about his people, who enslave and uses his people. He is a friend who laid down His own life for us. Yet, He is not a helpless being. He is the almighty God who is coming back to us soon.
68 1 To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David. A Song. Let God arise, Let His enemies be scattered; Let those also who hate Him flee before Him. 2 As smoke is driven away, So drive them away; As wax melts 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; Yes, let them rejoice exceedingly. 4 Sing to God, sing praises to His name; Extol Him who rides on the clouds, By His name Yah, And rejoice before Him. 5 A father of the fatherless, a defender of widows, Is God in His holy habitation. 6 God sets the solitary in families; He brings out those who are bound into prosperity; But the rebellious dwell in a dry land.
7 O God, when You went out before Your people, When You marched through the wilderness, Selah 8 The earth shook; The heavens also dropped rain at the presence of God; Sinai itself was moved at the presence of God, the God of Israel. 9 You, O God, sent a plentiful rain, Whereby You confirmed Your inheritance, When it was weary. 10 Your congregation dwelt in it; You, O God, provided from Your goodness for the poor. 11 The Lord gave the word; Great was the company of those who proclaimed it: 12 “Kings of armies flee, they flee, And she who remains at home divides the spoil. 13 Though you lie down among the sheepfolds, You will be like 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 Zalmon.
15 A mountain of God is the mountain of Bashan; A mountain of many peaks is the mountain of Bashan. 16 Why do you fume with envy, you mountains of many peaks? This is the mountain which God desires to dwell in; Yes, the Lord will dwell in it forever. 17 The chariots of God are twenty thousand, Even thousands of thousands; The Lord is among them as in Sinai, in the Holy Place. 18 You have ascended on high, You have led captivity captive; You have received gifts among men, Even from the rebellious, That the Lord God might dwell there. 19 Blessed be the Lord, Who daily loads us with benefits, The God of our salvation! Selah 20 Our God is the God of salvation; And to God the Lord belong escapes from death. 21 But God will wound the head of His enemies, The hairy scalp of the one who still goes on in His trespasses.
22 The Lord said, “I will bring back from Bashan, I will bring them back from the depths of the sea, 23 That your foot may crush them in blood, And the tongues of your dogs may have their portion from your enemies.” 24 They have seen Your procession, O God, The procession of my God, my King, into the sanctuary. 25 The singers went before, the players on instruments followed after; Among them were the maidens playing timbrels. 26 Bless God in the congregations, The Lord, from the fountain of Israel. 27 There is little Benjamin, their leader, The princes of Judah and their company, The princes of Zebulun and the princes of Naphtali. 28 Your God has commanded your strength; Strengthen, O God, what You have done for us. 29 Because of Your temple at Jerusalem, Kings will bring presents to You. 30 Rebuke the beasts of the reeds, The herd of bulls with the calves of the peoples, Till everyone submits himself with pieces of silver. Scatter the peoples who delight in war. 31 Envoys will come out of Egypt; Ethiopia will quickly stretch out her hands to God.
32 Sing to God, you kingdoms of the earth; Oh, sing praises to the Lord, Selah 33 To Him who rides on the heaven of heavens, which were of old! Indeed, He sends out His voice, a mighty voice. 34 Ascribe strength to God; His excellence is over Israel, And His strength is in the clouds. 35 O God, You are more awesome than Your holy places. The God of Israel is He who gives strength and power to His people. Blessed be God!
