Psalm 68

1 May God arise, may his enemies be scattered;
may his foes flee before him.

2 As smoke is blown away by the wind,
may you blow them away;
as wax melts before the fire,
may the wicked perish before God.

3 But may the righteous be glad
and rejoice before God;
may they be happy and joyful.

4 Sing to God, sing praise to his name,
extol him who rides on the clouds —
his name is the LORD—
and rejoice before him.

5 A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows,
is God in his holy dwelling.

6 God sets the lonely in families,
he leads forth the prisoners with singing;
but the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land.

7 When you went out before your people, O God,
when you marched through the wasteland,
Selah

8 the earth shook,
the heavens poured down rain,
before God, the One of Sinai,
before God, the God of Israel.

9 You gave abundant showers, O God;
you refreshed your weary inheritance.

10 Your people settled in it,
and from your bounty, O God, you provided for the poor.

11 The Lord announced the word,
and great was the company of those who proclaimed it:

12 "Kings and armies flee in haste;
in the camps men divide the plunder.

13 Even while you sleep among the campfires,
the wings of my dove are sheathed with silver,
its feathers with shining gold."

14 When the Almighty scattered the kings in the land,
it was like snow fallen on Zalmon.

15 The mountains of Bashan are majestic mountains;
rugged are the mountains of Bashan.

16 Why gaze in envy, O rugged mountains,
at the mountain where God chooses to reign,
where the LORD himself will dwell forever?

17 The chariots of God are tens of thousands
and thousands of thousands;
the Lord has come from Sinai into his sanctuary.

18 When you ascended on high,
you led captives in your train;
you received gifts from men,
even from the rebellious—
that you, O LORD God, might dwell there.

19 Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior,
who daily bears our burdens.
Selah

20 Our God is a God who saves;
from the Sovereign LORD comes escape from death.

21 Surely God will crush the heads of his enemies,
the hairy crowns of those who go on in their sins.

22 The Lord says, "I will bring them from Bashan;
I will bring them from the depths of the sea,

23 that you may plunge your feet in the blood of your foes,
while the tongues of your dogs have their share."

24 Your procession has come into view, O God,
the procession of my God and King into the sanctuary.

25 In front are the singers, after them the musicians;
with them are the maidens playing tambourines.

26 Praise God in the great congregation;
praise the LORD in the assembly of Israel.

27 There is the little tribe of Benjamin, leading them,
there the great throng of Judah's princes,
and there the princes of Zebulun and of Naphtali.

28 Summon your power, O God;
show us your strength, O God, as you have done before.

29 Because of your temple at Jerusalem
kings will bring you gifts.

30 Rebuke the beast among the reeds,
the herd of bulls among the calves of the nations.
Humbled, may it bring bars of silver.
Scatter the nations who delight in war.

31 Envoys will come from Egypt;
Cush will submit herself to God.

32 Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth,
sing praise to the Lord,
Selah

33 to him who rides the ancient skies above,
who thunders with mighty voice.

34 Proclaim the power of God,
whose majesty is over Israel,
whose power is in the skies.

35 You are awesome, O God, in your sanctuary;
the God of Israel gives power and strength to his people.
Praise be to God!

As I read Psalm 68, the Lord impressed upon me a few things.

The Lord spoke to me about His enemies. Now, who are the Lord's enemies? From what I understand, Matthew 12:30 and Luke 11:23 provide some insights into this question. Jesus said "He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me, scatters." The Lord's enemies probably refer to people who don't believe in Him.

The Lord's enemies will not enjoy long-lasting success. Eventually, whatever they have achieved will fade away (Psalm 68:1-2, 12, 14, 21, 30). If they persist in their rebellious ways against God, they will soon find themselves living in hostile environments (Psalm 68:6c).

The next question is why would our God (of grace and mercy) want to bring ruins to these people? I believe the answer lies in Psalm 68: 29-31. God's heart is that His enemies will turn their hearts towards Him and submit to Him in humility.

Isn't Apostle Paul one such person? Before his conversion, he was a blasphemer (someone who curses God), persecutor and a violent man (1 Timothy 1:13). He was most qualified to be an enemy of the Lord at that time. However, after a supernatural encounter with Jesus, he gave His life to Him (Acts 9:1-19). From then on, Apostle Paul devoted his time into planting churches all around Asia Minor.

Those who loves the Lord knows Him as a Father to the fatherless and a Defender to the widows. He provides for the poor. He daily bears our burdens and worries. All of these are mentioned in Psalm 68:5, 10, 19.


Our only appropriate response is to praise Him, just like what is being described in Psalm 68:32-35.


Things to ponder
1. Are there people around you who seems really against Christians? Name a few of them.
2. Which characteristic of God (Father to the fatherless, etc.), mentioned in Psalm 68 speaks to you the most? Why?
3. Pray for those anti-Christians that you've listed down. And pen down a prayer of praise to God for the characteristic mentioned in previous question.