Psalm 85

¹ You showed favor to your land, O LORD; you restored the fortunes of Jacob.
² You forgave the iniquity of your people and covered all their sins. Selah
³ You set aside all your wrath and turned from your fierce anger.
⁴ Restore us again, O God our Savior, and put away your displeasure toward us.
⁵ Will you be angry with us forever? Will you prolong your anger through all generations?
⁶ Will you not revive us again, that your people may rejoice in you?
⁷ Show us your unfailing love, O LORD, and grant us your salvation.
⁸ I will listen to what God the LORD will say; he promises peace to his people, his saints but let them not return to folly.
⁹ Surely his salvation is near those who fear him, that his glory may dwell in our land.
¹⁰ Love and faithfulness meet; righteousness and peace kiss each other.
¹¹ Faithfulness springs forth from the earth, and righteousness looks down from heaven.
¹² The LORD will indeed give what is good, and our land will yield its harvest.
¹³ Righteousness goes before him and prepares the way for his steps

Love and faithfulness meet; righteousness and peace kiss each other. Faithfulness springs forth from the earth, and righteousness looks down from heaven. As I read these two verses, I see a beautiful picture of the gospel. God in his righteousness looked down from heaven and send his son into the world to give us hope. Now with hope we look to heaven with faithfulness knowing that Christ will come again and restore all things to him. This hope gives us peace. We no longer need to worry about today or tomorrow for the Lord will indeed give what is good to us.

Yet, this is not the hope of those you know not the Lord. Those who know not the Lord look to this hope as foolishness and a weakness to those who believe in this hope. I realized that their eyes are indeed blinded to this hope. Why this blindness? Is it because of the desires for the things of this life (the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life) that is ever portrait before them by Satan? As I look back on my walk with the Lord, I realize the hardships that were part of my path, the many failures I had; however, I realize also that through it all God was there with me. The more I travel down this path with the Lord the more I realized I do not deserve these blessings from the Lord, and yet I come to a peace about the relationship because I realize that His nature is slowly be reflected by me to others.

As I started today’s journey in the psalms, I started it off this morning by sharing with a friend the first verse of Psalm 81 as a song of joy. Verse one of Psalm 81 states “Sing for joy to God our strength; shout aloud to the God of Jacob!” In this psalm the psalmist writes “The LORD will indeed give what is good, andour land will yield its harvest”. As I read these Psalms 81 through 85, I see a picture of the believer’s journey in this world.

Psalm 74

A maskil of Asaph.

This is the third of twelve Psalms bear the name of Asaph

¹ Why have you rejected us forever, O God? Why does your anger smolder against the sheep of your pasture?
² Remember the people you purchased of old, the tribe of your inheritance, whom you redeemed Mount Zion, where you dwelt.
³ Turn your steps toward these everlasting ruins, all this destruction the enemy has brought on the sanctuary.
⁴ Your foes roared in the place where you met with us; they set up their standards as signs.
⁵ They behaved like men wielding axes to cut through a thicket of trees.
⁶ They smashed all the carved paneling with their axes and hatchets.
⁷ They burned your sanctuary to the ground; they defiled the dwelling place of your Name.
⁸ They said in their hearts, “We will crush them completely!” They burned every place where God was worshiped in the land.
⁹ We are given no miraculous signs; no prophets are left, and none of us knows how long this will be.
¹⁰ How long will the enemy mock you, O God? Will the foe revile your name forever?
¹¹ Why do you hold back your hand, your right hand? Take it from the folds of your garment and destroy them!
¹² But you, O God, are my king from of old; you bring salvation upon the earth.
¹³ It was you who split open the sea by your power; you broke the heads of the monster in the waters.
¹⁴ It was you who crushed the heads of Leviathan and gave him as food to the creatures of the desert.
¹⁵ It was you who opened up springs and streams; you dried up the ever flowing rivers.
¹⁶ The day is yours, and yours also the night; you established the sun and moon.
¹⁷ It was you who set all the boundaries of the earth; you made both summer and winter.
¹⁸ Remember how the enemy has mocked you, O LORD, how foolish people have reviled your name.
¹⁹ Do not hand over the life of your dove to wild beasts; do not forget the lives of your afflicted people forever.
²⁰ Have regard for your covenant, because haunts of violence fill the dark places of the land.
²¹ Do not let the oppressed retreat in disgrace; may the poor and needy praise your name.
²² Rise up, O God, and defend your cause; remember how fools mock you all day long.
²³ Do not ignore the clamor of your adversaries, the uproar of your enemies, which rises continually.

This psalm starts with these two questions:  why have you rejected us forever, O God’ and why does your anger smolder against the sheep of your pasture? He then goes on in the psalm and writes about the power of God, verses the pride of the wicked.  Why God does permit the wicked to mock Him and his people.  These are questions that we ask God when everything around us seems to be falling apart.  Why does it seem godless prosper? 

Asaph also tackles the question of why a sovereign God permits evil and why this evil behavior seems to prosper.   In verse 22 he writes “Rise up, O God, and defend your cause; remember how fools mock you all day long.”  One of the most difficult questions I can’t answer is “why does God permit evil?”  Every time I ask this question I go to Genesis chapter three.   Why was the tree of knowledge of good and evil placed in the Garden of Eden?  Why was Satan allowed to tempt Adam and Eve in the Garden?  Was man created by God as a result of Satan’s rebellion? 

As I read this psalm I realize that sometimes when I read the Bible I end up having more questions than answers.  However, I know that I can always fall back on the faithfulness of God.  The battle of the godless (wicked) against God present questions that I may never understand.   

This is the second of twelve Psalms bear the name of Asaph

1 Surely God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart.
2 But as for me, my feet had almost slipped; I had nearly lost my foothold.
3 For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
4 They have no struggles; their bodies are healthy and strong.
5 They are free from the burdens common to man; they are not plagued by human ills.
6 Therefore pride is their necklace; they clothe themselves with violence.
7 From their callous hearts comes iniquity; the evil conceits of their minds know no limits.
8 They scoff, and speak with malice; in their arrogance they threaten oppression.
9 Their mouths lay claim to heaven, and their tongues take possession of the earth.
10 Therefore their people turn to them and drink up waters in abundance.
11 They say, “How can God know? Does the Most High have knowledge?”
12 This is what the wicked are like always carefree, they increase in wealth.
13 Surely in vain have I kept my heart pure; in vain have I washed my hands in innocence.
14 All day long I have been plagued; I have been punished every morning.
15 If I had said, “I will speak thus,” I would have betrayed your children.
16 When I tried to understand all this, it was oppressive to me
17 till I entered the sanctuary of God; then I understood their final destiny.
18 Surely you place them on slippery ground; you cast them down to ruin.
19 How suddenly are they destroyed, completely swept away by terrors!
20 As a dream when one awakes, so when you arise, O Lord, you will despise them as fantasies.
21 When my heart was grieved and my spirit embittered,
22 I was senseless and ignorant; I was a brute beast before you.
23 Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand.
24 You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory.
25 Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you.
26 My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
27 Those who are far from you will perish; you destroy all who are unfaithful to you.
28 But as for me, it is good to be near God. I have made the Sovereign LORD my refuge; I will tell of all your deeds.

My purpose in life is found in verse 28.

This is the second of twelve Psalms that bears the name of Asaph and is probably one of the Psalms that has had the most material written about it.

In this psalm, Asaph tackles several difficult questions that believers will face in life. The first question he addresses is the question is why a sovereign God permits evil and why this evil behavior seems to prosper. Here is so of the reasoning that Asaph gives to address this issue.

Verse 1. Stated as a fact: ^“Surely God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart.”

Psalm 15 gives the characteristics of this type of person:

 walk is blameless

 does what is righteous

 who speaks the truth from his heart

 has no slander on his tongue

 does his neighbor no wrong

 casts no slur on his fellowman

 despises a vile man

 honors those who fear the LORD

 keeps his oath even when it hurts

 lends his money without usury

 does not accept a bribe against the innocent

He who does these things will never be shaken

Verses 2 and 3: The problem is stated as “I almost slipped”.

Why? Because I envied the arrogant. I saw their prosperity and desired it.

Verses 4 thru 12 Characteristics of the Arrogant:

They have no struggles

Their bodies are healthy and strong
They are free from the burdens common to man

They are not plagued by human ills.
They wear pride is their necklace

They clothe themselves with violence.
Their callous hearts are full of iniquity

The evil conceits of their minds know no limits.
They scoff, and speak with malice

In their arrogance, they threaten oppression.
Their mouths lay claim to heaven

Their tongues take possession of the earth.
Therefore, their people turn to them and drink up waters in abundance.
They say, “How can God know?”

They say, “Does the Most High have knowledge?”
This is what the wicked are like always carefree

They increase in wealth.

Verses 13 -16 The reasons I almost slipped (I saw their earthly treasures and desired them):

Surely in vain have I kept my heart pure

In vain have I washed my hands in innocence
All day long I have been plagued

I have been punished every morning.
If I had said, “I will speak thus,” I would have betrayed your children.
When I tried to understand all this, it was oppressive to me

Verses 17 thru 20 The answer to my question:

When I entered the sanctuary of God

I understood their final destiny
Surely, you place them on slippery ground

You cast them down to ruin
How suddenly are they destroyed

They are completely swept away by terrors! As a dream when one awakes, so when you arise, O Lord, you will despise them as fantasies.

Verses 21, 22 How the knowledge of God’s way has an effect me:

When my heart was grieved

My spirit embittered,
I was senseless and ignorant

I was a brute beast before you

Verses 23 thru 28 My relationship with God:

I am always with you

You hold me by my right hand
You guide me with your counsel

Afterward you will take me into glory
Whom have I in heaven but you

And earth has nothing I desire besides you
My flesh and my heart may fail

But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever
It is good to be near God

I have made the Sovereign LORD my refuge

I will tell of all your deeds.

Verses 18, 19, 20, 27 The Ungodly relationship with God:

Surely, you place them on slippery ground

You cast them down to ruin.
How suddenly are they destroyed, completely swept away by terrors?

Those who are far from you will perish

You destroy all who are unfaithful to you

You will despise them as fantasies

This sentence from Oswald Chambers’ book My Utmost for His Highest from the reading onMarch 13 “ The consequences and circumstances resulting from our surrender will never even enter our mind, because our life will be totally consumed with Him” This is what I believe the psalmist is trying to portrait in this psalm. There is the way in which we should walk daily. However, we see many that live lifestyles we envy even through their walk is not in truth. We then begin to question our walk with God. The life of surrendering to God is a day by day actively. Some days it seems to be a moment by moment actively where we must constantly go back to him for strength. As I watched the Lord of the Rings, I marveled at the job that J.R. Tolkien did of portraying the Christian’s journey through life through the character of Frodo Baggins. This journey is full of good times, bad times, times of failure, times of success, times of friendship, times of betrayal, but the journey does continue. We can give up or go on. However, if we are totally commented to Christ, as Frodo was to his mission, we would keep moving forward in the task that is ahead of us. Frodo could have just given up, but he did not. The greatest purpose that a believer can have in his or her life is to grow into a closer relationship to God.

Of Solomon.

¹ Endow the king with your justice, O God, the royal son with your righteousness.
² He will judge your people in righteousness, your afflicted ones with justice.
³ The mountains will bring prosperity to the people, the hills the fruit of righteousness.
⁴ He will defend the afflicted among the people and save the children of the needy; he will crush the oppressor.
⁵ He will endure as long as the sun, as long as the moon, through all generations.
⁶ He will be like rain falling on a mown field, like showers watering the earth.
⁷ In his days the righteous will flourish; prosperity will abound till the moon is no more.
⁸ He will rule from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth.
⁹ The desert tribes will bow before him and his enemies will lick the dust.
¹⁰ The kings of Tarshish and of distant shores will bring tribute to him; the kings of Sheba and Seba will present him gifts.
¹¹ All kings will bow down to him and all nations will serve him.
¹² For he will deliver the needy who cry out, the afflicted who have no one to help.
¹³ He will take pity on the weak and the needy and save the needy from death.
¹⁴ He will rescue them from oppression and violence, for precious is their blood in his sight.
¹⁵ Long may he live! May gold from Sheba be given him. May people ever pray for him and bless him all day long.
¹⁶ Let grain abound throughout the land; on the tops of the hills may it sway. Let its fruit flourish like Lebanon; let it thrive like the grass of the field.
¹⁷ May his name endure forever; may it continue as long as the sun. All nations will be blessed through him, and they will call him blessed.
¹⁸ Praise be to the LORD God, the God of Israel, who alone does marvelous deeds.
¹⁹ Praise be to his glorious name forever; may the whole earth be filled with his glory. Amen and Amen.
²⁰ This concludes the prayers of David son of Jesse.

This psalm ends with “This concludes the prayers of David son of Jesse”.  The title given to this psalm is “Of Solomon”, but as I read the words of this psalm it points me to the future kingdom of Christ.  As I study the psalms as I age I realized that there is a political message in the writings of David.  David was a man after God’s own heart and this psalm points to a King (Christ) who will be bless all the nations.  So as David concludes his prayers I will consider the list of what this future King will do during His reign.  

He will judge your people in righteousness, your afflicted ones with justice.
He will defend the afflicted among the people and save the children of the needy; He will crush the oppressor.
He will endure as long as the sun, as long as the moon, through all generations.
He will be like rain falling on a mown field, like showers watering the earth.
He will rule from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth.
He will deliver the needy who cry out, the afflicted who have no one to help.
He will take pity on the weak and the needy and save the needy from death.
He will rescue them from oppression and violence, for precious is their blood in his sight.

David ends his prayer with these words “May His name endure forever; may it continue as long as the sun. All nations will be blessed through him, and they will call him blessed.”  In Matthew 6:9, 10 these words were given to us as we start our prayer “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”  Christ has freed us from the curse of sin.  We do not see this total freedom yet as we make our journey here on earth.  But for those in Christ we can feel the presence of the Holy Spirit moving daily in our life to help us in our battles against this sinful nature.  This battle is found in Ephesians chapter six.

A quick look at the verses in Ephesians chapter six will reveal that we are in a battle, and this is a battle against authorities, against powers of this dark world, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realm.  These words do point to a real battle and to prepare us to fight for this the Lord has provided us with these protections: the breastplate of righteousness, the helmet of salvation, and the belt of truth.   These three items are given to us as protection and all we have to do is put these items on.  The weapons describe in these verses are: the sandals of the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, and the sword of the spirit.  These three items are given to us as weapons to fight the battle of faith.  These items are only as good as we learn to apply them.  However, Paul ends this discussion about our battle with the need for direction that comes with prayer.   

¹ In you, O LORD, I have taken refuge; let me never be put to shame.
² Rescue me and deliver me in your righteousness; turn your ear to me and save me.
³ Be my rock of refuge, to which I can always go; give the command to save me, for you are my rock and my fortress.
⁴ Deliver me, O my God, from the hand of the wicked, from the grasp of evil and cruel men.
⁵ For you have been my hope, O Sovereign LORD, my confidence since my youth.
⁶ From birth I have relied on you; you brought me forth from my mother’s womb. I will ever praise you.
⁷ I have become like a portent to many, but you are my strong refuge.
⁸ My mouth is filled with your praise, declaring your splendor all day long.
⁹ Do not cast me away when I am old; do not forsake me when my strength is gone.
¹⁰ For my enemies speak against me; those who wait to kill me conspire together.
¹¹ They say, “God has forsaken him; pursue him and seize him, for no one will rescue him.”
¹² Be not far from me, O God; come quickly, O my God, to help me.
¹³ May my accusers perish in shame; may those who want to harm me be covered with scorn and disgrace.
¹⁴ But as for me, I will always have hope; I will praise you more and more.
¹⁵ My mouth will tell of your righteousness, of your salvation all day long, though I know not its measure.
¹⁶ I will come and proclaim your mighty acts, O Sovereign LORD; I will proclaim your righteousness, yours alone.
¹⁷ Since my youth, O God, you have taught me, and to this day I declare your marvelous deeds.
¹⁸ Even when I am old and gray do not forsake me, O God, till I declare your power to the next generation, your might to all who are to come.
¹⁹ Your righteousness reaches to the skies, O God, you who have done great things. Who, O God, is like you?
²⁰ Though you have made me see troubles, many and bitter, you will restore my life again; from the depths of the earth you will again bring me up.
²¹ You will increase my honor and comfort me once again.
²² I will praise you with the harp for your faithfulness, O my God; I will sing praise to you with the lyre, O Holy One of Israel.
²³ My lips will shout for joy when I sing praise to you I, whom you have redeemed.
²⁴ My tongue will tell of your righteous acts all day long, for those who wanted to harm me have been put to shame and confusion.

Charles Spurgeon sums up this Psalm by calling it “THE PRAYER OF THE AGED BELIEVER”. He sums up this Psalm asbeing written by one “who, in holy confidence of faith, strengthened by a long and remarkable experience, pleads against his enemies, and asks further blessings for himself. Anticipating a gracious reply, he promises to magnify the Lord exceedingly.” As I read this Psalm, I picture the walk of a righteous person as he makes his journey of life on this earth. Verse one set the stage for having a righteous walk on our journey through life on this earth. We must learn that it is only in God we can find a refuge, a place to retreat in times of trouble.

As I read this Psalm, I realize that one of the main purposes of a believer is to tell of the mighty acts of God in our life and to proclaim his righteousness to others. In this Psalm the Psalmist declares to others God’s splendor all day long as he praises the Lord more and more. He proclaims God’s righteous and his salvation all day long. He daily conversation centers on God’s righteousness both in times of trouble as well as seasons of great abundant of blessings in one’s life. However, the Psalmist recognizes that there are those who want to harm him, who are characterized as wicked, evil and cruel man. In light of this Psalm believers today should put forth the same example in their lives as the Psalmist does in this Psalm. So as you walk daily in this world walk it in the same light as the Psalmist does: taking refuge in the Lord, knowing it is He who rescues you from the wicked, praising God all the daily long, knowing that he is the one that has created the splendor that we see daily and finally realizing that it is Him who teaches us to walk in the way.

I have realized that the more I study the Psalms the more my daily conversations centered on how great God’s righteous acts are toward those whom pursue a life pleasing to Him. As having a blessed life of knowing Christ from an early age I reflect on my youth and recall how truly this greatness of His goodness has been in my life. As we age, we begin to realize the true pressures of this life and how we are in a battle against the spiritual wickedness that Paul writes about in Ephesians chapter six. So as we face these battles we must approach it in the same manner as Paul outlines in Philippians chapter three: “Yea verily, and I count all things to be loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but refuse, that I may gain Christ, and be found in him, not having a righteousness of mine own, even that which is of the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith: that I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, becoming conformed unto his death; if by any means I may attain unto the resurrection from the dead.” So, as I go about today’s journey may my song be reflective of that great hymn “and the things of earth grow strangely dim in the light of his glory and grace”.

As I read and reflect upon these words of David and study his life, I realize that the path God had for David was not always the path that David had for himself. In Revelation three verses seven and eight John writes “And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things said he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that opened, and no man shuts; and shuts, and no man opened; I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name.”. As I look at this verse and also study the only other reference to the key of David found in Isaiah 22:22 I noticed three characteristics that the church of Philadelphia had that David also possessed: little strength, kept God’s ways and did not deny God’s name. David’s strength was in his trust of God strength and not the strength that David possessed. David knew that the events and daily happenings in his life was for God’s purpose and not the path that David had planned for that day. Did David realize this from his youth? I believe not, He grew in the grace and the knowledge of the Lord just as we all do. However, this one thing was true in David’s life as they must be in the believer’s life; he did not deny God or God’s way.

¹ Hasten, O God, to save me; O LORD, come quickly to help me.
² May those who seek my life be put to shame and confusion; may all who desire my ruin be turned back in disgrace.
³ May those who say to me, “Aha! Aha!” turn back because of their shame.
⁴ But may all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you; may those who love your salvation always say, “Let God be exalted!”
⁵ Yet I am poor and needy; come quickly to me, O God. You are my help and my deliverer; O LORD, do not delay.

As I read this psalm, I can picture Christ praying this during his earthly ministry. The message of God’s love and the way of his righteousness was not only rejected but was opposed by the very ones he was sent to share the good news of God’s salvation. As you read this psalm ask yourself this simple which group would I be in: those who desire Christ’s ruin, or those who love your salvation? Those who seek his ruin will be turned back in disgrace; those who love his salvation will praise the Lord.

As I study the psalms the theme of Isaiah 53 which is title in my Bible as “The suffering and triumph servant” appears quite often.  Once I really started studying the Bible in detail my pastor point me to Isaiah 53.  He told me that this passage would reveal the entire ministry of Christ to me.  The passage really starts in Isaiah 52:13 with the introduction of my servant by the God of Israel.  In these passages we see this servant presented as a tender shoot and a root out of dried ground.  He had not beauty that we should desire to know him. 

However, it goes on and states: he was despised and rejected of men, a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief.   He was wounded for our transgressions; he was bruised for our iniquities:  the chastisement of our peace was upon him and with his stripes we are healed.  He was oppressed, and was afflicted;  He was taken from prison and for judgment and for our transgressions was he stricken.  Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him and he put him grief; when He shall make his soul an offering for sin, He shall see his seed, and shall prolong his days and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.

So as I study the psalms I must realize that I see two ways:  one that seeks to destroy God and those who follow His way, or those who seek refuge in God for help and security from danger.  Paul speaks of this battle in Ephesians 6:12 “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”  There as I study the psalms I realized why the theme of many of these psalms focuses on the battle of right and wrong, a battle of the ungodly and the godly.  The battles that David fought in his days are the same we will face as we sojourned of this earth.  This sojourned is made more precious for us since we seek for a city which hath foundations whose builder and maker is God.   

¹ Save me, O God, for the waters have come up to my neck.
² I sink in the miry depths, where there is no foothold. I have come into the deep waters; the floods engulf me.
³ I am worn out calling for help; my throat is parched. My eyes fail, looking for my God.
⁴ Those who hate me without reason outnumber the hairs of my head; many are my enemies without cause, those who seek to destroy me. I am forced to restore what I did not steal.
⁵ You know my folly, O God; my guilt is not hidden from you.
⁶ May those who hope in you not be disgraced because of me, O Lord, the LORD Almighty; may those who seek you not be put to shame because of me, O God of Israel.
⁷ For I endure scorn for your sake, and shame covers my face.
⁸ I am a stranger to my brothers, an alien to my own mother’s sons;
⁹ for zeal for your house consumes me, and the insults of those who insult you fall on me.
¹⁰ When I weep and fast, I must endure scorn;
¹¹ when I put on sackcloth, people make sport of me.
¹² Those who sit at the gate mock me, and I am the song of the drunkards.
¹³ But I pray to you, O LORD, in the time of your favor; in your great love, O God, answer me with your sure salvation.
¹⁴ Rescue me from the mire, do not let me sink; deliver me from those who hate me, from the deep waters.
¹⁵ Do not let the floodwaters engulf me or the depths swallow me up or the pit close its mouth over me.
¹⁶ Answer me, O LORD, out of the goodness of your love; in your great mercy turn to me.
¹⁷ Do not hide your face from your servant; answer me quickly, for I am in trouble.
¹⁸ Come near and rescue me; redeem me because of my foes.
¹⁹ You know how I am scorned, disgraced and shamed; all my enemies are before you.
²⁰ Scorn has broken my heart and has left me helpless; I looked for sympathy, but there was none, for comforters, but I found none.
²¹ They put gall in my food and gave me vinegar for my thirst.
²² May the table set before them become a snare; may it become retribution and a trap.
²³ May their eyes be darkened so they cannot see, and their backs be bent forever.
²⁴ Pour out your wrath on them; let your fierce anger overtake them.
²⁵ May their place be deserted; let there be no one to dwell in their tents.
²⁶ For they persecute those you wound and talk about the pain of those you hurt.
²⁷ Charge them with crime upon crime; do not let them share in your salvation.
²⁸ May they be blotted out of the book of life and not be listed with the righteous.
²⁹ I am in pain and distress; may your salvation, O God, protect me.
³⁰ I will praise God’s name in song and glorify him with thanksgiving.
³¹ This will please the LORD more than an ox, more than a bull with its horns and hoofs.
³² The poor will see and be glad you who seek God, may your hearts live!
³³ The LORD hears the needy and does not despise his captive people.
³⁴ Let heaven and earth praise him, the seas and all that move in them,
³⁵ for God will save Zion and rebuild the cities of Judah. Then people will settle there and possess it;
³⁶ the children of his servants will inherit it, and those who love his name will dwell there.

As I read this psalm it points me to the suffering of Christ on the last day of his ministry on this earth. So many of these verses are tied to the New Testament account of this day. My I be like the poor in verse thirty-two and be glad. As Christ stated in Matthew 5:3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” is alluded to here in verse thirty-six “those who love his name will dwell there”. So as you read this psalm reflect back on the cross, and then focus you praise to the one who is now seated on the right hand of God in heaven.

As I review this psalm this week the more it points me to the direction of the cross.  I wondered what Jesus thought of this verse as he would read it during the early days of His ministry.  Reading these words is nothing like living through the actual event.  There was an event in my life that was very dark.  I called it my Gethsemane moment.  It was a time in my life that I could literally feel the pain from the tightness of my heart.  No words could express this pain.  So as you read these words thank God for the sacrifice that Christ paid for the sins of the world, because we can never realize the true pain he suffered on the cross.

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 themthe 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!

Introduction of Psalm 68 verse 1-3.
May God arise

May his enemies be scattered

May his foes flee before him
May you blow them away as smoke is blown away by the wind

May the wicked perish before God as wax melts before the fire
May the righteous be glad and rejoice before God

May they be happy and joyful

Praises to God 4-6
Sing to God, sing praise to his name, extol him who rides on the clouds his name is the LORD and rejoice before him.  A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling.  God sets the lonely in families, he leads forth the prisoners with singing; but the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land.

History of God with his people verses 7-15.

When you went out before your people, O God, when you marched through the wasteland, Selah the earth shook, the heavens poured down rain, before God, the One of Sinai, before God, the God of Israel. You gave abundant showers, O God; you refreshed your weary inheritance.  Your people settled in it, and from your bounty, O God, you provided for the poor.  The Lord announced the word, and great was the company of those who proclaimed it: “Kings and armies flee in haste; in the camps men divide the plunder.  Even while you sleep among the campfires, the wings of my dove are sheathed with silver, its feathers with shining gold.”
When the Almighty scattered the kings in the land, it was like snow fallen on Zalmon.  The mountains of Bashan are majestic mountains; rugged are the mountains of Bashan.

Future battle of the Lord. 16-33

Why gaze in envy, O rugged mountains, at the mountain where God chooses to reign, where the LORD himself will dwell forever?  The chariots of God are tens of thousands and thousands of thousands; the Lord has come from Sinai into his sanctuary.  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.  Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens. Selah Our God is a God who saves; from the Sovereign LORD comes escape from death.  Surely God will crush the heads of his enemies, the hairy crowns of those who go on in their sins.  The Lord says, “I will bring them from Bashan; I will bring them from the depths of the sea, that you may plunge your feet in the blood of your foes, while the tongues of your dogs have their share.”  Your procession has come into view, O God, the procession of my God and King into the sanctuary.  In front are the singers, after themthe musicians; with them are the maidens playing tambourines.  Praise God in the great congregation; praise the LORD in the assembly of Israel.  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.  Summon your power, O God; show us your strength, O God, as you have done before.  Because of your temple at Jerusalem kings will bring you gifts.  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.  Envoys will come from Egypt; Cush will submit herself to God. Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth, sing praise to the Lord, Selah to him who rides the ancient skies above, who thunders with mighty voice. 

Our message to the world verses 34,35.

Proclaim the power of God, whose majesty is over Israel, whose power is in the skies.  You are awesome, O God, in your sanctuary; the God of Israel gives power and strength to his people. Praise be to God!

As you can see, I paraphrased this Psalm to help me get a better grasp of it meaning. 

Introduction of Psalm 68 verse 1-3

Praises to God 4-6

History of God with his people verses 7-15

Future battle of the Lord. 16-33

Our message to the world verses 34, 35

¹ May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face shine upon us, Selah
² that your ways may be known on earth, your salvation among all nations.
³ May the peoples praise you, O God; may all the peoples praise you.
⁴ May the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you rule the peoples justly and guide the nations of the earth. Selah
⁵ May the peoples praise you, O God; may all the peoples praise you.
⁶ Then the land will yield its harvest, and God, our God, will bless us.
⁷ God will bless us, and all the ends of the earth will fear him.

As I started studying this Psalm I really did not know where to begin. This is a

simple Psalm with a simple message “may God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face shine upon us”. Yet it was this simple prayer that Moses (Numbers 6:22-27) instructed Aaron and his sons to use to bless Israel. This benediction recognizes that God is the source of all good blessings in a person’s life.

Verse two presents two requests of knowledge from the writer of this Psalm to God. First that His ways may be known on the earth. The second was that his salvation might be known among all nations. The interesting issue in this verse is the focus on the whole earth, not just the nation of Israel. We have the tendency just to focus on the issues around us, but in this verse the author of this Psalm makes us realized that the knowledge of God and his salvation is for the whole world.

The last two verses are the realization of the results that can come from following God’s ways. The land will yield it harvest, we will be blessed of God, and all the ends of the earth will fear him.  Job’s life was an example of both of these results.  Job’s life was blessed until Satan challenge God to test Job.  After the challenge Job’s life was not only blessed, but Job was now a witness to his neighbors of the fear of God. 

I know the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom, but what is the fear of God?  I have wondered and searched all my life for the true meaning of the fear of God, One thing I have realized is that I need and desire his presence in my life daily.  Just the thought of having to live in a world without God would bring fear to me.  If one does not have the fear of God in their live when they would be like those that Paul describes in Romans 1:21,22 “Because that when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful:  but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools.”  A life that does not have God is a godless life.  Therefore, I would fear a life without Him

¹ Shout with joy to God, all the earth!
² Sing the glory of his name; make his praise glorious!
³ Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds! So great is your power that your enemies cringe before you.
⁴ All the earth bows down to you; they sing praise to you, they sing praise to your name.” Selah
⁵ Come and see what God has done, how awesome his works in man’s behalf!
⁶ He turned the sea into dry land, they passed through the waters on foot come, let us rejoice in him.
⁷ He rules forever by his power, his eyes watch the nations let not the rebellious rise up against him. Selah
⁸ Praise our God, O peoples, let the sound of his praise be heard;
⁹ he has preserved our lives and kept our feet from slipping.
¹⁰ For you, O God, tested us; you refined us like silver.
¹¹ You brought us into prison and laid burdens on our backs.
¹² You let men ride over our heads; we went through fire and water, but you brought us to a place of abundance.
¹³ I will come to your temple with burnt offerings and fulfill my vows to you–
¹⁴ vows my lips promised and my mouth spoke when I was in trouble.
¹⁵ I will sacrifice fat animals to you and an offering of rams; I will offer bulls and goats. Selah
¹⁶ Come and listen, all you who fear God; let me tell you what he has done for me.
¹⁷ I cried out to him with my mouth; his praise was on my tongue.
¹⁸ If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened;
¹⁹ but God has surely listened and heard my voice in prayer.
²⁰ Praise be to God, who has not rejected my prayer or withheld his love from me!

This psalm deals with the whole aspect of living. To truly live a believer’s life in this world we must develop godly habits that reflect a walk with God. However, the purpose of this walk is not to manifest our godliness but to let God make us more Christ like in everything we attempt to do. My public prayers are simple. Father, we thank you for everything you have done for us and for meeting our every need. Father be with us in everything we say and do, for we ask this in Jesus name – Amen. This prayer should reflect the desire in my heart to walk in God’s way. This psalm provides instruction and is a great guide by which we should walk in God’s way.

Reflecting on the question “Can I give an answer to the unbelieving world why I am a Christian?” I can look to this psalm for the answer. As you read this psalm notice that the first four verses are praises to God. This is the way our prayers should start. When I look at the world around me and the beauty of it, I should see the awesomeness of God. Verse five speaks of how awesome God’s works are for man’s sake. He has created everything; however, his greatest creation was man who was formed after God’s own image.

Yet I can see that God has a greater purpose for us in his creation. These verses also tell me of times of testing and refining. It is during this testing and refining that God preserves us and keeps us from falling. Verses eleven and twelve reveals that our paths will not be a bed of roses. We will face prison and times were others completely control everything we do. We will have times where we must be the burden bearers for others. We will see others take advantage of us and use us for their purpose. We will even see the forces of nature turn against us. Yet after all of this the psalm states “come and see what God has done for me.

The key to living a Christian life is also highlighted in this psalm. Verse eighteen “If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened” sums up the relationship we must have with God. Sin will keep us from enjoying a relationship with God. Sin also makes the answer to the question “can I give an answer to the unbelieving world why I am a Christian” much more difficult to answer. When I cherish sin in my heart then I am just like the rest of the world around me. I either blend in with the world or present a poor example of what a Christian should portray. And most of all my simple prayer will go unanswered. I guess that is why our Lord included the little phase in the Lord’s prayer “and forgive us this day our daily trespasses as we forgive those who trespasses against us.

This psalm also gives us insight on how to handle national issues as we are facing today in America. God has given us the example Israel to look to as guidance during times that we are facing today in America. Exodus chapter one set the background for God calling Israel out as a nation and delivering them for Egypt (Exodus 1:8-14).

Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who knew not Joseph. And he said unto his people, Behold, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we: come, let us deal wisely with them, lest they multiply, and it come to pass, that, when there fall out any war, they also join themselves unto our enemies, and fight against us, and get them up out of the land. Therefore, they did set over them taskmasters to afflict them with their burdens. And they built for Pharaoh store-cities, Pithom and Raamses. But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and the more they spread abroad. And they were grieved because of the children of Israel. And the Egyptians made the children of Israel to serve with rigor: and they made their lives bitter with hard service, in mortar and in brick, and in all manner of service in the field, all their service, wherein they made them serve with rigor.

Egypt had forgotten Joseph and his God that delivered the Egyptians and the world from famine and made Egypt a world leader four hundred and thirty years before. The same is taking place in the USA today. We are forgetting that it was God who made this nation of ours great.

Verse five “Come and see what God has done, how awesome his works in man’s behalf!” is the theme of this Psalm. As we look at the history of Israel, we see how awesome God has been to his chosen people. But what does the average person believe the nature of God? If I could only ask a person one question to find out their views on God what would that question be? It would not be “Who is God?”, since many would start the answer off as do you mean “what is God or Is there a God”. No, instead I would ask the same question that the Psalmist asked in Psalm eight “What is man?”. For within the reply to the question will come either an acknowledgment of God or a denial of God. Either man was the creation of God or man evolved. God either has a place in their life or God does not exist. So ask yourself this question “Who is God?”.