My wife and I are reading through the Psalms in our evening reading and occasionally a nugget of the Psalms jumps out of the page. Don’t you love it when, after years of reading the “Old Book” passages become alive, reinforcing old teachings or simply warming your heart.
This is the book of Psalms, and it is rich.
I pray I can communicate a portion of the blessing we receive from this wonderful book.
Psalm 68:1-3
1 To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. A Song. God shall arise, his enemies shall be scattered; and those who hate him shall flee before him!
2 As smoke is driven away, so you shall drive them away; as wax melts before fire, so the wicked shall perish before God!
3 But the righteous shall be glad; they shall exult before God; they shall be jubilant with joy!
I must admit to my readers that, though I have read through the Word many times this psalm is not familiar to me. I am coming to this psalm, almost as one who has never read it, never considered what it’s message is. It is somewhat like a buried treasure for me to find. Let’s consider Psalm 68 together.
As I am researching the reason for the writing of this psalm by David, I find that most historians place this writing of the psalm with the entrance of the ark coming into Jerusalem. The specific passage where the ark is prepared and brought into the City of David is 2 Samuel 6
Right out of the block, David reaches back in history, when Moses and the fledgling nation were travelling through the Sinai. Moses spoke of the Lord rising when the ark was to be moved to the next resting place, as the nation journeys to the promised land.
Numbers 10:35 And whenever the ark set out, Moses said, “Arise, O LORD, and let your enemies be scattered, and let those who hate you flee before you.”
David is taking this passage and continuing the advancement of the ark in history, and in the nation of Israel. The Ark will reside in the sanctuary and the procession of the ark will be addressed later in this psalm. At this time and in the first three verses, David opens with the passage out of Numbers, speaking of God’s advancement, and of God’s enemies scattering, and fleeing from Him.
David, ever the poet, brings the mind picture of smoke and wax before the reader
Smoke
Typically, smoke refers to the gaseous products of materials being burnt, including the presence of very tiny particles of carbon or such. It may include a fume or vapor that is lighter than air, hotter than the surrounding atmosphere, as is obvious by its rising in the air. But note that as smoke rises in the air, the air is still. Any motion in the atmosphere is immediately felt by the smoke, and is helpless against the motion. The smoke offers no resistance to any slight wind, has no strength to oppose any minor breath of a breeze. Smoke is without any strength.
David refers to smoke as a picture of the strength of God’s enemies, the strength of those who hate God. He likens the strength of smoke as to their ability to withstand in God’s presence.
It is interesting that David speaks only of God rising as an action, not of His advancement against the enemies. It is simply that He is lifted up. The enemies have no strength. They flee as smoke in the wind.
Wax
Wax before fire.
David continues with the picture of wax being too close to a fire. As wind speaks to the smoke, so heat (or fire) speaks to the wax. And yet during the time of David, wax was plentiful in one application. Candles. As a candle is used for the production of light, the wax is consumed by the fire. It not only cannot stand in the presence of fire, it is actually consumed by the fire. Whatever you may think consumption implies in this verse, I will leave to the reader. The wicked will perish as the candle is consumed.
Not so with the righteous. Where as the wicked flee as smoke in a breeze and are consumed as wax before a fire, the righteous exult before God.
Is there a greater difference that can be expressed? No running away, no escaping, no terror and fright. Gladness, exultation and joy. As David speaks of exultation, he uses a word that speaks of one jumping for joy, of entering into a triumph or victory.
How very different two types of souls are when God rises up. Avoidance or sheer joy. Running away or gladness.
David is bringing in the Ark into Jerusalem and is recounting to us what this represents, who is coming into town! He is the One who rises up. His description is beautiful, poetic, but somewhat less than the reality we know of.
For when we think of the One rising up, we see Jesus, the One who was lifted up (onto a cross), rose up from the grave, and rises up in our hearts and lives as we seek Him.
Seek Him today, with joy and gladness.
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Considering the Bible 