Psalm 68.
This is the fourth and greatest of the series of songs (Psalms 65 to 68), and celebrates the judgments of God, the setting up of His authority on earth with the blessing of the righteous, and the scattering of the enemies. The opening verse is the word of Numbers 10:35, when God let His people of Israel through the wilderness to the promised land. Verses 1 to 6 comprise the preface or brief of the psalm.
There will be no standing out against Him in that day verse 2 lets us know, but the righteous shall rejoice exceedingly, as we learn from verse 3. The distress and agony of the godly during the fearful three years and a half of Daniel 7:25; 9:27; 12:11; Matthew 24:15-29, and Relation 11:3-13 will then be, over, and tears and fears will have given place to peace and joy (see Isaiah 52:7-12 in connection with this psalm).
In verse 4 the better reading is “ ... . cast up a way for Him that rideth in the deserts; His name is Jah; and rejoice before Him.” Jah is a name of God which is found twice in Exodus; 40 times in the Psalms, and three times in Isaiah, and is usually translated LORD, like the name Jehovah. Jah is Him who was, and is, and is to come, the existing One.
Except for the “rebellious,” who are the unrepentant Israelites (verses 5 and 6), describe the humble and God-fearing who have suffered for righteousness’ sake, and who will be blessed in that day of deliverance.
Verse 7 brings us to the body of the psalm, and like verse 1, the first thought is of that early day of Israel’s history when, fresh from the slavery of Egypt, they were led by the pillar of the cloud by day, and the pillar of fire by night to the border of the land designed for their dwelling place. (See Judges 5:4, 5).
The psalm speaks much of God as active in goodness in behalf of His poor afflicted people; though they have lain among the refuse, they shall be as wings of a dove covered with silver, and her feathers with greenish yellow gold (verse 13). What a contrast! Kings of armies flee, and the housekeepers divide the spoil (verse 12). Great indeed must then be the number of those (women apparently, for the word is feminine) who tell out the glad news of God’s restoring grace toward His people (verse 11).
Verse 15-17 refer to the cleansed Jerusalem, fitted for God’s dwelling place. In verse 17 the translation should be: “The chariots of God are twenty thousand; thousands upon thousands; the Lord is among them; tis a Sinai in holiness.”
The first part of verse 18 is quoted in Ephesians 4:8 as referring to Christ, and it is evident from a reading of the psalm that it is He who is spoken of as Jehovah, God, the Lord; the close of verse 18 shows this in a very marked way, for it tells that the once rebellious, but soon to be repentant Israel is to have the earthly dwelling place of Jah Elohim, the Lord God,—here no other than the rejected Messiah!
Why is not all of verse 18 quoted in Ephesians 4? Because the latter part is about Israel and the earth, and Ephesians is occupied with Christ and the Church, His heavenly bride.
The close of the psalm shows reunited Israel (verses 26, 27), and the subjection of kings who will bring presents to Jerusalem to Him who is God and Son of David (verse 29).
Verse 30 seems to refer particularly to the Antichrist and those of his company, and the last five verses show the millennial reign of Christ fully established.
ML 01/18/1931