Psalm 68

“Here I raise mine Ebenezer; hither by thy help I’m come;” is the opening line of the second stanza of the great hymn, “Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing.” I immediately started singing that line as I read Psalm 68. The word Ebenezer means "stone of help" and was the name of a monument raised by the prophet Samuel, saying, "Thus far has the Lord helped us" (1 Sam. 7:12). In Psalm 68 the psalmist is remembering many of Israel’s Ebenezer’s, the many monuments to help her remember the great acts of God on behalf of His people.

The psalm may be one of the oldest records of liturgies used by the Jews in their worship of God. Verse one is recalling the words of Moses, as recorded in Numbers 10:35, “And whenever the Ark set out, Moses would shout, “Arise, O Lord, and let your enemies be scattered! Let them flee before you!” Tradition holds that King David wrote this psalm; however, the reference to the Temple, which was not built until well after David’s death, suggests the psalm was amended in its use over time. The Apostle Paul quotes this psalm in Ephesians 4:8 and points us to the ultimate fulfillment of this psalm in the ascension of Jesus.

How does this psalm help us in our journey seeking the life in Christ as our way of life? I suggest you stand and read the psalm out loud, as if you were reading the psalm in a worship service. Allow yourself to get caught up in the rhythms and prose. I believe you will get a heightened sense of our very dynamic God. The Apostle Paul says that God is at work in our lives (Philippines 2:13). This psalm can help you appreciate God is at WORK in YOUR life! Not in some passive way, but in an active, vigorous, energetic, and dynamic way.

Psalm 68 is also a reminder of the importance for each of us to keep a catalog of our own, personal, Ebenezer’s. After you stand and read Psalm 68 take time to write your own psalm of praise. Thank God for all the ways He has shown himself strong in your life. I suggest you close your psalm with an outpouring of praise for God’s ultimate work in your life, as suggested by the second stanza of the Ebenezer hymn.

Here I raise mine Ebenezer;

hither by thy help I’m come;

and I hope, by thy good pleasure,

safely to arrive at home.

Jesus sought me when a stranger,

wandering from the fold of God;

he, to rescue me from danger,

interposed his precious blood.

“Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing”

(Robert Robinson, 1758)

Sē’lah

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What word or phrase in today’s reading of the Psalms

 attracts your attention?

Reflect on that word or phrase.

What insights come to you?

How does this passage touch your life today?

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Reading for July 10, 2012          Psalm 69