Psalm 69:4-5

Life's troubles all but overwhelm the author of Psalm 69, like swirling, swift flood waters (verses 1-3). One of the psalmist's problems is hostile enemies, and thus he or she says in verses 4-5:

"More in number than the hairs of my head
are those who hate me without cause;
many are those who would destroy me,
my enemies who accuse me falsely.
What I did not steal
must I now restore?
O God, you know my folly;
the wrongs I have done are not hidden from you."

1. God's people do not merely have enemies; they have MANY enemies. The psalmist says that his enemies are more numerous than the hairs on his head. The wicked assume there is strength in numbers; thus, they band together against God's people, and their numbers are impressive and foreboding. When this happens, God's people must realize in faith that God is stronger than all human beings individually or corporately.
2. Often, people hate God's people in spite of the fact that God's people have done nothing to cause them to hate them. The author of Psalm 35 says in verses 7 and 19:
"For without cause they hid their net for me;
without cause they dug a pit for my life. . . .
Do not let my treacherous enemies rejoice over me,
or those who hate me without cause wink the eye."
Frequently, God's people do good for others, and the recipients of their good respond by doing evil to them. Jeremiah experienced this, and says in Jeremiah 18:20:
"Is evil a recompense for good?
Yet they have dug a pit for my life.
Remember how I stood before you [Yahweh]
to speak good for them,
to turn away your wrath from them."
Tragically, those who return evil for good are often people who profess to be followers of God and Christ. One thinks of Judas betraying Jesus.
3. The enemies of the composer of Psalm 69 have "accused him falsely." Those who are striving to serve God have experienced this. It was typical of Jesus' opponents to bring false accusations against him. The same was true of Paul. We should not be surprised when people bring false accusations against us.
4. The psalmist had stolen nothing, yet her or his enemies were demanding that she or he restore what she or he had stolen. How unfair this is! Yet wicked people do not care how they hurt people they wish to hurt.
5. The psalmist does not pretend to be without sin. He or she freely confesses his or her sins to God, and admits that no human being can hide his or her sins from God. The problem is that other human beings are condemning the psalmist for certain sins; and it is inappropriate for human beings to put themselves in God's place and sit in judgment on their fellows. Human beings condemn others with the intention of hurting them; God condemns sinners for the purpose of transforming them into his likeness.
May God help his people as they absorb the hatred and hostility and destructiveness of others, and seek to serve God by returning good for evil.

John Willis

Psalm 69:1-3

Psalm 69 is a long lament psalm. It falls into two parts:
A. Verses 1-29--The composer alternates between praying for Yahweh's help (verses 1a, 6, 13-18, 22-25, 27-28, 29b) and complaining because of numerous problems he or she is facing (verses 1b-5, 7-12, 19-21, 26, 29a).
B. Verses 30-36--The composer promises to praise Yahweh for delivering him or her and his or her faith community.

The psalm begins with these words in verses 1-3:

"Save me, O God,
for the waters have come up to my neck.
I sink in deep mire,
where there is no foothold;
I have come into deep waters,
and the flood sweeps over me.
I am weary with my crying;
my throat is parched.
My eyes grow dim
with waiting for my God."

1. The psalmist is completely dependent on God, and so he or she cries out: "Save me, O God" (verse 1a); "in the abundance of your steadfast love, answer me" (verse 13c); "with your faithful help rescue me" (verses 13d-14a); and "let your salvation, O God, protect me" (verse 29b). Human beings are as helpless as newborn babies, whether they realize it or not; their very lives, moment by moment, depend totally on God.
2. The troubles in the psalmist's life are numerous and overwhelming. He or She compares this with unexpected rushing, rising flood waters (see also verses 14b, d-15). One caught in this situation sinks in deep mire and cannot get a firm footing, like being trapped in quicksand. The waters are rising quickly, and are now up to the victim's neck (verse 1b); in fact, they are sweeping over him or her (verse 2d). As the waters swirl around the helpless sufferer, she or he is swept off her or his feet, and the waters are so swift it is impossible to swim or to maintain any kind of equilibrium. The prey is swept along by the rushing current. Anyone who has experienced a series of serious reversals like death or divorce or personal loss, etc., can empathize with the psalmist immediately.
3. Through all this, the poet has been praying for God to intervene, and nothing has happened. The speaker's throat is dry from crying out to God so often and so long. He or she is tired, and finds it very difficult to stay alert or to stay awake--and yet trouble is breathing down his or her neck every moment. All he or she can do is "wait for God." Yet the time is getting very short. The psalmist feels death is near.
Human beings face numerous and serious tragedies and threats in life. In such times, Psalms like Psalm 69 give us words to express how we feel. We would like to "be in control," but the reality is: Troubles and problems are sweeping away our footing and overwhelming us. How desperately we need God in such times! Let us be bold to "wait for God."

John Willis

Psalm 68:32-35

Psalm 68 concludes with this summons to all nations to praise Yahweh as universal king in verses 32-35:

"Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth;
sing praises to the Lord,
O rider in the heavens, the ancient heavens;
listen, he sends out his voice, his mighty voice.
Ascribe power to God,
whose majesty is over Israel;
and whose power is in the skies.
Awesome is God in his sanctuary,
the God of Israel;
he gives power and strength to his people.
Blessed be God!"

1. The God proclaimed throughout the Bible from Genesis to Revelation is not an exclusivistic or isolated God restricted to one people. Since Yahweh created all that is, he is the universal God. So the psalmist calls on the "KINGDOMS OF THE EARTH" to sing praises to him. Yahweh is "KING" (verse 24), and so all the KINGDOMS of the earth are under his command (see further Jeremiah 10:7, 10; Psalms 2:1-6, 10-12; 46:4-11; and very often in the Psalms).
2. Like verse 4, verse 33 borrows an idea about Baal from the Ugaritic texts, and declares that Yahweh (not Baal) is the "rider upon the clouds," the "rider in the heavens." Yahweh's "voice," of course, is thunder (see Psalm 29:3-9; Job 37:5; and often).
3. The terms "power," "majesty," and "awesome" are all common terms to describe a king--see Exodus 15:11, 18; Deuteronomy 33:26; Psalms 47:2; 65:5-6; 66:3-5; 96:3-6; 99:1-5; etc.
4. Yahweh's "sanctuary" is simultaneously his abode in heaven and his abode in the temple--see Psalms 27:4; 29:9-11; 76:1-2; 78:67-69; 84:1-4; 132:1-14; etc.
Our God is the universal king. He is in control of his world and the peoples who live on it, whether we realize and acknowledge it or not. May we gladly take our place at his feet as his servants and followers.

John Willis

Psalm 68:32-35

Psalm 68 concludes with this summons to all nations to praise Yahweh as universal king in verses 32-35:

"Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth;
sing praises to the Lord,
O rider in the heavens, the ancient heavens;
listen, he sends out his voice, his mighty voice.
Ascribe power to God,
whose majesty is over Israel;
and whose power is in the skies.
Awesome is God in his sanctuary,
the God of Israel;
he gives power and strength to his people.
Blessed be God!"

1. The God proclaimed throughout the Bible from Genesis to Revelation is not an exclusivistic or isolated God restricted to one people. Since Yahweh created all that is, he is the universal God. So the psalmist calls on the "KINGDOMS OF THE EARTH" to sing praises to him. Yahweh is "KING" (verse 24), and so all the KINGDOMS of the earth are under his command (see further Jeremiah 10:7, 10; Psalms 2:1-6, 10-12; 46:4-11; and very often in the Psalms).
2. Like verse 4, verse 33 borrows an idea about Baal from the Ugaritic texts, and declares that Yahweh (not Baal) is the "rider upon the clouds," the "rider in the heavens." Yahweh's "voice," of course, is thunder (see Psalm 29:3-9; Job 37:5; and often).
3. The terms "power," "majesty," and "awesome" are all common terms to describe a king--see Exodus 15:11, 18; Deuteronomy 33:26; Psalms 47:2; 65:5-6; 66:3-5; 96:3-6; 99:1-5; etc.
4. Yahweh's "sanctuary" is simultaneously his abode in heaven and his abode in the temple--see Psalms 27:4; 29:9-11; 76:1-2; 78:67-69; 84:1-4; 132:1-14; etc.
Our God is the universal king. He is in control of his world and the peoples who live on it, whether we realize and acknowledge it or not. May we gladly take our place at his feet as his servants and followers.

John Willis

Psalm 68:28-31

The composer of Psalm 68 continues the second main section of this poem (verses 19-35) with this petition in verses 28-31:

"Summon your might, O God;
Show your strength, O God,
as you have done for us before.
Because of your temple at Jerusalem,
kings bear gifts to you.
Rebuke the wild animals that live among the reeds,
the herd of bulls with the calves of the peoples.
Trample under foot those who lust after tribute;
scatter the peoples who delight in war.
Let bronze be brought from Egypt;
let Ethiopia hasten to stretch out its hands to God."

1. The poet prays that God who delivered his people from their enemies in days gone by (see verses 4-18) will intervene again and deliver his people now from their enemies. These enemies are hostile nations, symbolized by Egypt and Ethiopia (verses 30-31).
2. The psalmist emphasizes Yahweh's "power" or strength in verses 28-35, actually referring to it seven times (verses 28a, b, 33b, 34a, c, 35c [twice]). God's power is incomparable. No nation or group of nations stands a chance against His strength.
3. While hostile nations seek to force God's people into paying them tribute to prevent them from attacking and destroying God's people (verse 30c), the nations must recognize that Yahweh alone is king (see verse 24b) and thus bring tribute to him (verses 29, 31).
4. As in many biblical texts, here the psalmist compares God's enemies with wild animals and bulls (verse 30a, b; see 17:12; 22:12-13, 16, 20-21; 57:4; 58:6; 59:6, 14; 74:12-14; 89:10; 1 Corinthians 15:32; Philippians 3:2; Titus 1:12; Jude 10).
God's people are always surrounded by hostile enemies of all kinds. It is reassuring to know that "we can do all things through him who strengthens us" (Philippians 4:13).

John Willis

The composer of Psalm 68 continues the second main section of this psalm (verses 19-35), in which he/she summons hearers to praise Yahweh for his mighty works among human beings (which she/he described in verses 4-18), with a description of a typical worship processional ending at the Jerusalem sanctuary or temple in verses 24-27:

"You solemn processions are seen, O God,
the processions of my God, my King, into the sanctuary--
the singers in front, the musicians last,
between them girls playing tambourines:
'Bless God in the great congregation,
the Lord, O you who are of Israel's fountain!'
There is Benjamin, the least of them, in the lead,
the princes of Judah in a body,
the princes of Zebulun, the princes of Naphtali."

1. After great victories, it was common to celebrate with magnificent processions. This was especially important when Yahweh won the victory. See the descriptions of the processions after the crossing of the Red Sea in Exodus 15:20-21; after David killed Goliath and the Israelites defeated the Philistines in 1 Samuel 18:6-7; and after Nehemiah and his co-workers finished rebuilding the wall around Jerusalem in Nehemiah 12:27-43.
2. In the procession described in Psalm 68, the worshipers extol Yahweh for two things: (1) He is KING (verse 24b). He has proved this again by defeating Israel's enemies and their kings (see verses 11-14). (2) He is Israel's "FOUNTAIN" (verse 26b), that is, the source of Israel's life and strength (see Jeremiah 2:13; 17:13).
3. God encourages worshipers to use their best gifts when they praise him for his mighty acts. Verse 25 singles out three kinds of gifts: (a) singers (see Psalms 33:3a; 149:1); (b) musicians, that is, those who play musical instruments (see Psalms 33:2, 3b; 149:3); and (c) girls who play tambourines (which calls to mind Exodus 15:20; 1 Samuel 18:6).
4. Among God's people there is no distinction between who is greater and who is inferior. Mark 10:35-45 makes this very clear. See also James 2:1-13. So the smallest tribe numerically (Benjamin) leads the procession in worship.
Praise God for his great concern for all his peopl

Psalm 68:19-23

Having described Yahweh's mighty acts from leading his people out of Egyptian bondage at the exodus to making Mount Zion his dwelling place in verses 4-18, the composer of Psalm 68 now summons God's people to celebrate the victories and sovereignty of their heavenly King in verses 19-35, a paragraph which begins and ends with the words: "Blessed be the Lord [God]!"
First, the psalmist summons God's people to praise Yahweh for his salvation against powerful enemies in verses 19-23:

"Blessed be the Lord,
who daily bears us up;
God is our salvation.
Our God is a God of salvation,
and to God the Lord belongs escape from death.
But God will shatter the heads of his enemies,
the hairy crown of those who walk in their guilty ways.
The Lord said, 'I will bring them back from Bashan,
I will bring them back from the depths of the sea,
so that you may bathe your feet in blood,
so that the tongues of your dogs may have their share from the foe.'"

1. Yahweh does not "drop down out of heaven" occasionally to "take care of some problem" on earth. Rather, he is always with us. He "DAILY" bears us up. The symbolic name "Yahweh" means something like "I am [always there for you]." See Exodus 3:14-15; 6:2-8; Deuteronomy 4:7; Joshua 1:5, 9; Isaiah 41:8-13.
2. It is inevitable that God's people will face many enemies--both internal and external, both physical and spiritual. God alone has the power and wisdom to defeat all these enemies, but he does so speedily and effectively. Whether those enemies are on the mountain tops of Bashan or in the depths of the sea, Yahweh will defeat them (verse 22). The greatest enemy to all human beings is death; but Yahweh will destroy that enemy as well (verse 20b; see 1 Corinthians 15:20-28; Hebrews 2:14-18.
Praise God, who alone is able to give us victory over all our enemies--even over death.

John Willis

Psalm 68:15-18

The first major section of Psalm 68 (verses 4-18) concludes with verses 15-18. The psalmist relates briefly how Yahweh brought his people out of Egyptian bondage (v. 7a), led them safely through the wilderness (v. 7b), and gave them the promised land of Canaan for a heritage (vss. 6, 9-14). Now, in verses 15-18, he/she tells how Yahweh chose Zion/Jerusalem to be his dwelling place:

"O mighty mountain, mountain of Bashan;
O many-peaked mountain, mountain of Bashan!
Why do you look with envy,
O many-peaked mountain,
at the mount that God desired for his abode,
where the Lord will reside forever?
With mighty chariotry, twice ten thousand,
thousands upon thousands,
the Lord came from Sinai into the holy place.
You ascended the high mount,
leading captives in your train
and receiving gifts from people,
even from those who rebel against the Lord God's abiding there."

1. Yahweh came from Mount Sinai (v. 17c), where the gave his people the law (Exodus 19-24), to Mount Zion (vss. 16c, 17c), which David captured from the Jebusites (2 Samuel 5:6-10), and where Solomon built the temple (1 Kings 6). By these events, Yahweh made the temple on Mount Zion his dwelling place (vss. 16b-c, 17c-18a; see 1 Kings 6:11-13; Psalms 76:2; 78:58-69; 84:1; 132:1-14).
2. Yahweh chose Mount Zion as his dwelling place above all other mountains in the land of Canaan; so, the other mountains "envy" Mount Zion (v. 16a).
3. Yahweh entered Jerusalem/Zion as king, leading his angelic army against his enemies (v. 17a-b), defeating and capturing enemy soldiers and receiving tribute (gifts) from foreign nations too awestruck to oppose him (v. 18b-c).
Our God is incomparable. He can and does do awesome things in our world. May we have eyes to see his mighty works and ears to hear his words of comfort and challenge.

John Willis