Blessed be the Lord,
who daily loadeth us with benefits,
even the God of our salvation. Selah.

Psalm 68:19

The 19th verse of the 68th Psalm is an excellent base from which to build an exposition. God is no Ebenezer Scrooge when distributing his grace gifts to the Church.

So many, so weighty, are the gifts of God’s bounty to us that he may be truly said to load us with them; he pours out blessings till there is no room to receive them, Malachi 3:10. So constant are they, and so unwearied is he in doing us good, that he daily loads us with them, according as the necessity of every day requires.

Matthew Henry

It is widely believed that this Psalm was written when the Ark of the Covenant was brought to the tabernacle in Jerusalem after its twenty year sojourn in Kirjathjearim and its subsequent three months in the home of Obedience Edom (2nd Samuel 6; 1st Chronicles 13-16). The bringing back of the Ark was an occasion of remarkable joy and happiness in the nation. There was a true revival, hence the space which the writer of the Chronicles gives to this moment. Comparing Psalms 105, 118 and 137 with the Chronicles account highlights the parallel with the return of the Ark under David. This parallel is also present in the Psalm by virtue of the opening lines – “Let God arise and let his enemies be scattered”. When the Ark sent forth Moses employed the same language:

And it came to pass, when the ark set forward, that Moses said,
Rise up, LORD, and let thine enemies be scattered;
and let them that hate thee flee before thee.
And when it rested, he said,
Return, O LORD, unto the many thousands of Israel.

(Numbers 10:35-36)

Therefore in keeping with the return of the Ark of God, this is a Psalm of worship where the people are encouraged to praise. As they praised they rejoiced in the God who loaded them every day with His benefits!

As the writers of the Psalms produced their Holy Ghost inspired compositions, they constantly affirmed their faith in God. Their understanding of the Lord drew them into worship and thanksgiving. This is so in this Psalm.

Sing unto God, sing praises to his name:
extol him that rideth upon the heavens
by his name JAH, and rejoice before him.

(Psalm 68:4)

“JAH”, is simply a variant of Jehovah, the covenant keeping, unchangeable God. This was the God who poured out His daily weight of benefits. This is a long Psalm. From certain key parts, however, we can deduce the benefits which David was here enumerating. As it was so for him, so it is for us. We are a highly favoured people.

The purpose of this study is to highlight the various aspects of God’s weight of blessings, which he so freely upon David and and upon ourselves likewise.

THE GOODNESS OF GOD

A father of the fatherless, and a judge of the widows,
is God in his holy habitation.
God setteth the solitary in families:
he bringeth out those which are bound with chains:
but the rebellious dwell in a dry land.

(Psalm 68:5-6)

God is good, never failing those that are in need. The orphan and the widow as well as the slave and prisoner find relief in this God of consolation. He immense power is used to exercise goodness toward us, targeting His resources to our deepest most acute need

THE GUIDANCE OF GOD

O God, when thou wentest forth before thy people,
when thou didst march through the wilderness; Selah:
(Psalm 68:7

David was reflecting back to the wilderness sojourn. God guided the people going before them. Every path they took was His plan for them.

THE PRESENCE OF GOD

The earth shook, the heavens also dropped
at the presence of God: even Sinai itself was moved
at the presence of God…

The hill of God is as the hill of Bashan;
an high hill as the hill of Bashan.
Why leap ye, ye high hills? this is the hill
which God desireth to dwell in;
yea, the LORD will dwell in it for ever.
The chariots of God are twenty thousand, even thousands of angels:
the Lord is among them, as in Sinai, in the holy place.

(Psalm 68:15-17)

God had never failed His people throughout their long history. God dwelt among His people. Nor will he fail us, being present where His people gather.

THE TRIUMPH OF CHRIST

Thou hast ascended on high, thou hast led captivity captive:
thou hast received gifts for men;
yea, for the rebellious also, that the LORD God might dwell among them.

Blessed be the Lord,
who daily loadeth us with benefits,
even the God of our salvation. Selah.
He that is our God is the God of salvation;
and unto GOD the Lord belong the issues from death.

(Psalm 68:18-20)

The text at the heart of the Psalm, follows on from one of the most important messianic utterances in the whole of the Old Testament. A conquering General took captive his enemy’s slaves. Captivity became captive to another, to progress the economy of the triumphant nation.

Paul seized upon the 68th Psalm as he described the glorious ascendant Saviour pouring out His grace gifts to men. Those who were captive to Satan and his dangerous deceptions become captives to grace, furthering advances of the King of Kings.

But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.) And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: (Ephesians 4:7-13)

This is our purpose – to pray for the conquering of hearts and lives, that those who are bondage to Satan would become servants of our Saviour.

THE POWER FOR THE CHURCH

Thy God hath commanded thy strength:
strengthen, O God, that which thou hast wrought for us. (Psalm 68:28)

If the Church is to serve appropriately she can’t be effective without power. This power can’t be our resources, our own talents, our own energy – they will always fail.

This power is Christ’s. Therefore the great commission was granted with the promise of power for the task.

But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. (Acts 1:8)

This is how it has been for the Church in all ages. We must seek His power, the infilling of His Spirit praying like Moses that God would be our enabling constantly.

And let the beauty of the LORD our God be upon us:
and establish thou the work of our hands upon us;
yea, the work of our hands establish thou it. (Psalm 90:17)

THE PROSPECT FOR THE CHURCH

Sing unto God, ye kingdoms of the earth;
O sing praises unto the Lord; Selah: (Psalm 68:32)

In common with so many of the Psalms the worldwide vision and reach of Christ is constantly in focus. This is our prospect. The whole world for Christ because He has the sword and the crown.

And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True…and on his head were many crowns…And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword…And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS. (Revelation 19)

THE PREEMINENCE OF GOD

Ascribe ye strength unto God: his excellency is over Israel, and his strength is in the clouds. O God, thou art terrible out of thy holy places: the God of Israel is he that giveth strength and power unto his people. Blessed be God. (Psalm 68:34-35)

It is quite clear that David was determined to ascribe all glory to God. The worship was His, the temple was His, the praise was His, the kingdom and all the kingdoms of the world were His. THis is the theme of the Church in all ages. If the glory is ours it is not His work. We must be for the praise of the glory of His grace (Ephesians 1:6).

For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen. (Romans 11:36)