For the director of music. Of David. A psalm. A song.
Another song/psalm by David. (What is the difference between song and psalm?)
Psalm 68: 1-4, Blown away
May God arise,
may his enemies be scattered;
may his foes flee before him.
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.
But may the righteous be glad
and rejoice before God;
may they be happy and joyful.
Sing to God,
sing praise to his name,
extol him who rides on the clouds--
his name is the LORD--
and rejoice before him.
The psalm begins with the shout that accompanied the lifting up of the ark in Numbers 10: 35. Because this psalm describes a might procession, some argue that it was sung as part of the procession of the ark in 2 Samuel 6: 12-15.
David praises God for His defeat of foes and enemies, for His protection of the righteous. God is portrayed as riding on the clouds, an image of a powerful supernatural being. The wicked are unmade; they dissipate like smoke in the air, like wax melting in a fire.
Psalm 68: 5-6, Father to the vulnerable
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.
Here God defends the fatherless, the widows, the prisoners, but not the rebellious. He leads the prisoners in song.
Psalm 68: 7-10, The One of Sinai
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 events of the Sinai peninsula, during the Exodus, are recalled. In addition to shaking the earth, God also provides the refreshing rains, both literal and figurative.
Psalm 68: 11-13, Wings of silver and gold
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."
Kings and armies run from the Lord and the people proclaim victory by announcing this flight. Both Alter and Kidner see in this psalm echoes of Deborah's song from Judges 5. Kidner writes that the noun translated "those" (the ones who make the proclamation in the second line, above) is a feminine noun; this fits with both the song of Deborah and the Jewish custom of women leading the dancing and singing after a victory.
Psalm 68: 14-16, Jealous mountains
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.
Why gaze in envy, O rugged mountains,
at the mountain where God chooses to reign,
where the LORD himself will dwell forever?
The scattering of kings is dramatic, somehow linked to snow on a nearby mountain.
The rugged mountains are envious of the mountain (Zion?) that Your YHWH has chosen.
Psalm 68: 17-18, Chariots of God
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.
God enters His sanctuary with thousands of chariots, with captives and gifts. The apostle Paul, in New Testament times, will expound on verse 18 (Ephesians 4: 7-16),identifying Messiah Yeshua (Jesus) as the one who ascended on high, leading captives and giving a variety of gifts to build up His Church.
Psalm 68: 19-23, Enemies crushed
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."
God carries our burdens, and defends us from our enemies and death.
Psalm 68: 24-27, Process comes into view
Your procession has come into view, O God,
the procession of my God and King into the sanctuary.
In front are the singers,
after them the 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.
A procession is described. As occurs in other places (eg. 1 Samuel 18: 6-7), the women lead the singing and the dancing, playing on drumlike instruments (here translated as "tambourines".) This may be both a supernatural procession but also a temple procession in preparation for a temple celebration. The procession is led by the little tribe of Benjamin.
Psalm 68: 28-34, Power from the temple
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 theLord,
Selah,
God is called to demonstrate his power as he reigns from Jerusalem. Nations represented by a beast, by a herd of bulls, are to be humbled.
Alter and others believe that the "beast among the reeds" in verse 30 is a description of Egypt, a connection made clearer in the verse that follows, explicitly naming Egypt and Cush (in the upper Nile.) Once again, the people of Israel recall their past salvation from Egypt and project that salvation into the future.
Psalm 68: 33-34, Power from the temple
to him who rides the ancient skies above,
who thunders with mighty voice.
Proclaim the power of God,
whose majesty is over Israel,
whose power is in the skies.
YHWH is Rider of the Clouds; His voice is thunder. It is He who spreads His majesty over Israel.
Psalm 68: 35, Awesome God
You are awesome, O God, in your sanctuary
the God of Israel gives power and strength to his people.
Praise be to God!
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