Let God rise up in power
Psalm 68 (selected verses)
To the leader. Of David. A Psalm. A Song.
1 Let God rise up, let his enemies be scattered; let those who hate him flee before him.
2 As smoke is driven away, so drive them away; as wax melts before the fire,
let the wicked perish before God.
3 But let the righteous be joyful; let them exult before God;
let them be jubilant with joy.
4 Sing to God, sing praises to his name;
lift up a song to him who rides upon the clouds—
his name is the Lord—be exultant before him.
5 Father of orphans and protector of widows is God in his holy habitation.
6 God gives the desolate a home to live in; he leads out the prisoners to prosperity,
but the rebellious live in a parched land.
7 O God, when you went out before your people,
when you marched through the wilderness, Selah
8 the earth quaked, the heavens poured down rain
at the presence of God, the God of Sinai, at the presence of God, the God of Israel.
9 Rain in abundance, O God, you showered abroad;
you restored your heritage when it languished;
10 your flock found a dwelling in it;
in your goodness, O God, you provided for the needy….
24 Your solemn processions are seen, O God,
the processions of my God, my King, into the sanctuary—
25 the singers in front, the musicians last, between them girls playing tambourines:
26 “Bless God in the great congregation, the Lord, O you who are of Israel’s fountain!”…
32 Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth; sing praises to the Lord, Selah
33 O rider in the heavens, the ancient heavens;
listen, he sends out his voice, his mighty voice.
34 Ascribe power to God, whose majesty is over Israel; and whose power is in the skies.
35 Awesome is God in his sanctuary, the God of Israel;
he gives power and strength to his people.
Blessed be God!
The actual psalm is twice this long. The comments are based on what we have before us.
God is victorious, because those who oppose God flee before the majesty of God. This truth is often forgotten. God is awesome beyond imagining – in the presence of God knees shake – we fall on our faces in wonder and awe. Vs. 7,8 – the earth quaked and the rains fell as God was present at Mount Sinai – God is awesome and powerful. Vs. 33 – God rides in the heavens, his power is in the skies – that is, his power is beyond human control and even human imagining.
This powerful God is on the side of the poor, the oppressed, the widow and the orphan all of whom are overlooked and taken advantage of. The goodness of God is to be seen in God’s provision for the needy (vs. 10). The weak and the powerless run to God. The powerful who use their power for their own ends, whose resources are used to line their own pockets flee from God.
The powerless, the overlooked, the unrecognized join God’s “solemn” procession going up to the place of worship. “Solemn” is in quotation marks, because the tambourines are played, and it is hard to be somber when there are tambourines. This is joyful serious praise – it is not light-weight, it is not frivolous – because it is rooted in the truth that God is actively involved in the world. And responding to God is serious, joyful work.
God is victorious on behalf of those who have no advocate. God shows his power on behalf of those who are downtrodden. And they are filled with joy as they proclaim: “Blessed be God!”
PRAYER:
We praise you, O Lord, for you are the great God who reigns in majesty. You uphold the cause to the lowly, and stand with those who have no place. You alone are worthy of our honour and praise. Blessed be you, God of the universe. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.