Psalms
Chapter 68
Patriotic and Religious Ode
Arise, O God, scatter your enemies; let your foes flee before you.
As smoke is blown by the wind, so blow them away; as wax melts before the fire, so let the wicked perish before you.
But let the righteous be glad and exult before God; let them sing to God and shout for joy.
Sing to God, sing praises to his name; open the way, to him who rides upon the clouds; the Lord is his name. Rejoice in his presence.
Father of orphans and protector of widows— such is our God in his holy dwelling.
He gives shelter to the homeless, sets the prisoners free; but keeps the rebels in their jail.
O God, when you went forth, when you led your people through the desert,
the earth trembled; the heavens poured down rain, at the presence of God, the God of Israel.
Then you gave a rain of blessings, to comfort your weary children.
Your people found a dwelling, and, in your mercy, O God, you provided for the needy.
The Lord has dispatched messengers: “The Lord has shattered an army!”
The kings and their armies flee, yes, they flee; they flee!
A woman at home divides the spoils: wings of dove covered with silver, their pinions with shining gold.
When the Almighty routed the kings, snow fell on the Dark Mountain.
O mighty mountain of Bashan, high and rugged mountain,
why look with envy upon the mountain where God chooses to reign, where the Lord will dwell forever?
With myriads of powerful chariots, God came from Sinai into his Sanctuary.
You ascend on high, you have taken many captives. You receive tribute from people, including sinful rebels. Indeed the Lord lives there!
Blessed be the Lord, God, our savior, who daily bears our burdens!
Ours is a God who saves; the Lord lets us escape from death.
But he crushes the heads of his enemies, the hairy crowns of the criminals.
The Lord said, “I will bring them back from Bashan, back from the depths of the sea;
that you may bathe your feet in blood; and the tongues of your dogs may have their share of your foes.”
I remember the procession of the King, of my God, as they came into the Sanctuary:
the singers in front, the musicians last, between them, maidens playing tambourines.
Praise God in the great congregation, praise the Lord in the feasts of Israel.
There, in the lead is the least of them, the tribe of Benjamin; the princes of Judah in a body; the princes of Naphtali, and of Zebulon.
Summon your power, O God, with the strength you have wielded for us.
To your temple in Jerusalem, kings will come with gifts.
Rebuke the beasts that dwell in the reeds and the herd of bulls. Humble them; let them bring gold and silver. Scatter the nations who delight in war.
Let wealth come from Egypt; let Ethiopia extend its hands to God.
Sing to God, O kingdoms of the world; sing praises to the Lord,
to him who rides the ancient heavens, and speaks in the voice of thunder.
Proclaim the might of God; he is great in Israel, powerful in heavens.
Awesome in his Sanctuary is the God of Israel. He gives his people power and strength. Blessed be God!
Commentaries
68
This is the most picturesque—and obscure—of all the psalms. In the liturgy, it especially celebrates the Ascension of Christ. Furthermore, no wonder: it is a hymn suited for God’s climactic victory, fighting for his people, and there is a wild joy running through it. God rides on the clouds but also marches across the desert. He feeds his starving people and takes willing captives to his holy hill; his might is in the skies. Likewise, the Son of Man, whose chariot was a cloud (Dn 7:13, cf. Mt 26:64), traveled on foot through the wilderness and fed his people there (Jn 6). When He ascended, He took a host of ‘captives’ with him (Eph 4:8), and his power is felt from heaven, where He sits at the right hand of the Father. This psalm properly celebrates our liberation as we journey toward the Promised Land.