Read
(A psalm and a song by David for the music leader.)
God Will Win the Battle
1Do something, God!
Scatter your hateful enemies.
Make them turn and run.
2Scatter them like smoke!
When you come near,
make them melt
like wax in a fire.
3But let your people be happy
and celebrate because of you.
4Our God, you are the one
who rides on the clouds,
and we praise you.
Your name is the Lord,
and we celebrate
as we worship you.
5Our God, from your sacred home
you take care of orphans
and protect widows.
6You find families
for those who are lonely.
You set prisoners free
and let them prosper,
but all who rebel will live
in a scorching desert.
7You set your people free,
and you led them
through the desert.
8 God of Israel,
the earth trembled,
and rain poured down.
You alone are the God
who rules from Mount Sinai.
9When your land was thirsty,
you sent showers
to refresh it.
10Your people settled there,
and you were generous
to everyone in need.
11You gave the command, Lord,
and a chorus of women told
what had happened:
12“Kings and their armies
retreated and ran,
and everything they left
is now being divided.
13And for those who stayed back
to guard the sheep,
there are metal doves
with silver-coated wings
and shiny gold feathers.”
14God All-Powerful, you scattered
the kings like snow falling
on Mount Zalmon.
15Our Lord and our God,
Bashan is a mighty mountain
covered with peaks.
16Why is it jealous of Zion,
the mountain you chose
as your home forever?
17When you, Lord God, appeared
to your people at Sinai,
you came with thousands
of mighty chariots.
18 When you climbed
the high mountain,
you took prisoners with you
and were given gifts.
Your enemies didn't want you
to live there,
but they gave you gifts.
19We praise you, Lord God!
You treat us with kindness
day after day,
and you rescue us.
20You always protect us
and save us from death.
21Our Lord and our God,
your terrible enemies
are ready for war,
but you will crush
their skulls.
22You promised to bring them
from Bashan
and from the deepest sea.
23Then we could wash our feet
in their blood,
and our dogs could chew
on their bones.
24We have seen crowds marching
to your place of worship,
our God and King.
25Singers come first,
and then the musicians,
surrounded by young women
playing tambourines.
26They come shouting,
“People of Israel,
praise the Lord God!”
27The small tribe of Benjamin
leads the way,
followed by the leaders
from Judah.
Then come the leaders
from Zebulun and Naphtali.
28Our God, show your strength!
Show us once again.
29Then kings will bring gifts
to your temple
in Jerusalem.
30Punish that animal
that lives in the swamp!
Punish that nation
whose leaders and people
are like wild bulls.
Make them come crawling
with gifts of silver.
Scatter those nations
that enjoy making war.
31Force the Egyptians to bring
gifts of bronze;
make the Ethiopians hurry
to offer presents.
32Now sing praises to God!
Every kingdom on earth,
sing to the Lord!
33Praise the one who rides
across the ancient skies;
listen as he speaks
with a mighty voice.
34Tell about God's power!
He is honored in Israel,
and he rules the skies.
35The God of Israel is fearsome
in his temple,
and he makes us strong.
Let's praise our God!
Reflect
Psalm 68 is a long psalm which gives us a wide range of praise experiences. Through it we sense David’s conflicts and challenges, are drawn into some of the many reasons to praise God in the midst of opposition, and get a glimpse of our ascended Lord Jesus and his victory.
The breadth, height and width of God-honouring praise is revealed here. Consider the psalm to see why David was able to praise God in the midst of conflict and therefore why we can, in the face of opposition, enter God’s presence and “be in high spirits – and be jubilantly rejoicing“ (v 3 Amplified Bible). Our praise can include:
- Affirming God’s powerful victory over all the Church’s enemies whether human philosophies or spiritual dark forces of evil (vv 1,14,18,21).
- Praising God for his gentle compassion and kind mercy to the fatherless, widows, and the lonely and isolated (vv 5 and 6).
- Uplifting the living God for his power and majesty (vv 33-35).
In the praising congregation of the temple, there is place for all – both the unimportant (little Benjamin) and the great princes of Judah (vv 24-27 NIV).
Through Jesus’ ascension to God’s right hand, he now has all authority and power. Read verse 18 again which Paul quotes in Ephesians 4:8. We can picture Jesus on his throne with the enemies of Satan, sin and death at his feet, crushed and vanquished. It was this vision of the power and glory of the ascended Jesus that sustained and inspired Stephen at his martyrdom. He saw what David had seen – the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God (Acts 7:55,56).
Respond
Spend time in praise to your Father for his victory in Jesus especially in the challenges you face.
George Anderson
George is a retired Presbyterian minister who resides in Binbrook Ontario, Canada with his wife, Audrey. George & Audrey emigrated from South Africa to Ile Perrot, Quebec, in 1989 with their four daughters all of whom are now married and living in Ontario with their nine grand-children. After teaching high school Math and working in SU in South Africa, George pastored two churches there and four churches in Canada, the last being in the beautiful Muskoka town of Huntsville. The main focus of George’s ministry has been building up congregations through the renewing grace and power of the Spirit of Jesus as expressed in Acts 2 v 42 – teaching, fellowship, eating together and prayer. George enjoys bird-watching and hiking with Audrey and the occasional tennis and golf.