Psalm 68
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!
4 Sing to God, sing praises to his name;
lift up a song to him who rides through the deserts;
his name is the Lord;
exult before him!
5 Father of the fatherless and protector of widows
is God in his holy habitation.
6 God settles the solitary in a home;
he leads out the prisoners to prosperity,
but the rebellious dwell in a parched land.
7 O God, when you went out before your people,
when you marched through the wilderness, Selah
8 the earth quaked, the heavens poured down rain,
before God, the One of Sinai,
before God, the God of Israel.
9 Rain in abundance, O God, you shed abroad;
you restored your inheritance as it languished;
10 your flock found a dwelling in it;
in your goodness, O God, you provided for the needy.
11 The Lord gives the word;
the women who announce the news are a great host:
12 “The kings of the armies—they flee, they flee!”
The women at home divide the spoil—
13 though you men lie among the sheepfolds—
the wings of a dove covered with silver,
its pinions with shimmering gold.
14 When the Almighty scatters kings there,
let snow fall on Zalmon.
15 O mountain of God, mountain of Bashan;
O many-peaked mountain, mountain of Bashan!
16 Why do you look with hatred, O many-peaked mountain,
at the mount that God desired for his abode,
yes, where the Lord will dwell forever?
17 The chariots of God are twice ten thousand,
thousands upon thousands;
the Lord is among them; Sinai is now in the sanctuary.
18 You ascended on high,
leading a host of captives in your train
and receiving gifts among men,
even among the rebellious, that the Lord God may dwell there.
19 Blessed be the Lord,
who daily bears us up;
God is our salvation. Selah
20 Our God is a God of salvation,
and to God, the Lord, belong deliverances from death.
21 But God will strike the heads of his enemies,
the hairy crown of him who walks in his guilty ways.
22 The Lord said,
“I will bring them back from Bashan,
I will bring them back from the depths of the sea,
23 that you may strike your feet in their blood,
that the tongues of your dogs may have their portion from the foe.”
24 Your procession is seen, O God,
the procession of my God, my King, into the sanctuary—
25 the singers in front, the musicians last,
between them virgins playing tambourines:
26 “Bless God in the great congregation,
the Lord, O you who are of Israel's fountain!”
27 There is Benjamin, the least of them, in the lead,
the princes of Judah in their throng,
the princes of Zebulun, the princes of Naphtali.
28 Summon your power, O God,
the power, O God, by which you have worked for us.
29 Because of your temple at Jerusalem
kings shall bear gifts to you.
30 Rebuke the beasts that dwell among the reeds,
the herd of bulls with the calves of the peoples.
Trample underfoot those who lust after tribute;
scatter the peoples who delight in war.
31 Nobles shall come from Egypt;
Cush shall hasten to stretch out her hands to God.
32 O kingdoms of the earth, sing to God;
sing praises to the Lord, Selah
33 to him who rides in the heavens, the ancient heavens;
behold, he sends out his voice, his mighty voice.
34 Ascribe power to God,
whose majesty is over Israel,
and whose power is in the skies.
35 Awesome is God from his sanctuary;
the God of Israel—he is the one who gives power and strength to his people.
Blessed be God!
The Church Season of Easter isn't short. Pentecost is pretty quick. And we know in life, Easter decorations are being planned to take down and put in boxes. This is Easter Week? Oh, that's right. Moved along pretty quickly. Good to plan, good to see everyone, and now the run your race to win and fight the good fight is back ON.
Is God upset about this? No, we don't have 6 months of Easter. The Bible plans and then Jesus changes the earth and Heaven and doesn't do anything but move on to doing Life. We aren't leaving the Salvation of Jesus, instead allowing Jesus in dwelling in all of our lives. Now Easter picks us up to go up again in Jesus. Salvation: Millenniums of planning and dedication. Even Isaiah 7 has all the aspects of the Roman Empire encroaching on Judea. Very detailed planning, The Lord God has established.
Exodus tells us God is concerned with families having a Hope and a Future. Something to bring them together and plan life, stability, around each other. Easter changes us forever, we will Live Forever in Jesus Christ.
Psalm 68 is like getting out family photo albums and looking at the yesterday, today and tomorrow. How the past influences today and puts on the path for a Hope and a Future.
Isaiah 40:31,
Those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles…
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!
God declares Himself to be Help and Helper.
Hebrews 11:6
And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists
and that he rewards those who seek him.
God is Good and He wants goodness for us. He says always pray with hope. To fly is to see, our momentary problems are small. Freedom in God. Mount up on wings.
3 But the righteous shall be glad;
they shall exult before God;
they shall be jubilant with joy!
4 Sing to God, sing praises to his name;
lift up a song to him who rides through the deserts;
his name is the Lord;
exult before him!
Eagles fly to provide for themselves and their young. Joy of life. Joy of purpose. Mount up on wings of Eagles. Ride the winds as they provide. The incredible views Eagles have of life. And new perspective. Joy in the Journey. Be glad. Exult. Know the Lord. Be Jubilant. God is Good.
Jesus the Lord is Alive.
5 Father of the fatherless and protector of widows
is God in his holy habitation.
6 God settles the solitary in a home;
he leads out the prisoners to prosperity,
but the rebellious dwell in a parched land.
Eagles are literally huge nest builders. All nests are 6 feet in diameter, at least. Eagles long for the stability of an established home and return and return. Their offspring nest within a mile. (The Lord has given us this Eagle verse!! Lord Jesus!!!)
7 O God, when you went out before your people,
when you marched through the wilderness, Selah
8 the earth quaked, the heavens poured down rain,
before God, the One of Sinai,
before God, the God of Israel.
9 Rain in abundance, O God, you shed abroad;
you restored your inheritance as it languished;
10 your flock found a dwelling in it;
in your goodness, O God, you provided for the needy.
Eagles can travel 125 miles a day. And an Eagle doesn't necessarily migrate. Yet, the capability for continental travel is easily seen as obtainable. Solutions and loyalty. In difficult times and good, God knows even the Sparrow. Eagles rely on God's Blessings to live. All of the bird's majesty doesn't make him immune and self-sufficient.
11 The Lord gives the word;
the women who announce the news are a great host:
12 “The kings of the armies—they flee, they flee!”
The women at home divide the spoil—
13 though you men lie among the sheepfolds—
the wings of a dove covered with silver,
its pinions with shimmering gold.
14 When the Almighty scatters kings there,
let snow fall on Zalmon.
Even Eagles do better as two by two. Father and Mother Eagle team up to provide for their young.
15 O mountain of God, mountain of Bashan;
O many-peaked mountain, mountain of Bashan!
16 Why do you look with hatred, O many-peaked mountain,
at the mount that God desired for his abode,
yes, where the Lord will dwell forever?
17 The chariots of God are twice ten thousand,
thousands upon thousands;
the Lord is among them; Sinai is now in the sanctuary.
18 You ascended on high,
leading a host of captives in your train
and receiving gifts among men,
even among the rebellious, that the Lord God may dwell there.
You would think and Eagle would have a more warm and indulgent expression, no, the Eagle
purely relies on Grace and effort to prosper. Grace even on Eagles. The Lord God dwells where He will.
19 Blessed be the Lord,
who daily bears us up;
God is our salvation. Selah
20 Our God is a God of salvation,
and to God, the Lord, belong deliverances from death.
21 But God will strike the heads of his enemies,
the hairy crown of him who walks in his guilty ways.
22 The Lord said,
“I will bring them back from Bashan,
I will bring them back from the depths of the sea,
23 that you may strike your feet in their blood,
that the tongues of your dogs may have their portion from the foe.”
We cannot earn Salvation and His Grace. Daily He bears us up.
24 Your procession is seen, O God,
the procession of my God, my King, into the sanctuary—
25 the singers in front, the musicians last,
between them virgins playing tambourines:
26 “Bless God in the great congregation,
the Lord, O you who are of Israel's fountain!”
27 There is Benjamin, the least of them, in the lead,
the princes of Judah in their throng,
the princes of Zebulun, the princes of Naphtali.
Eagles for all with all fierce, hard countenance, gather, sometimes, 50 in a tree to hunt or be in communion. Eagles do not run each other off like Blue Jays.
28 Summon your power, O God,
the power, O God, by which you have worked for us.
29 Because of your temple at Jerusalem
kings shall bear gifts to you.
30 Rebuke the beasts that dwell among the reeds,
the herd of bulls with the calves of the peoples.
Trample underfoot those who lust after tribute;
scatter the peoples who delight in war.
31 Nobles shall come from Egypt;
Cush shall hasten to stretch out her hands to God.
Nor are Eagles without the drive to eat going to let a free meal fly by in someone else's hands. And many times the original Eagle goes home with the meal. The Lord isn't surprised by war and the envious. The Lord allows us to stretch out our hands to God. Who calls us The Beloved!
32 O kingdoms of the earth, sing to God;
sing praises to the Lord, Selah
33 to Him who rides in the heavens, the ancient heavens;
behold, He sends out His voice, His mighty voice.
34 Ascribe power to God,
whose majesty is over Israel,
and whose power is in the skies.
Awesome is God from His sanctuary;
the God of Israel—He is the one who gives power and strength to his people.
Blessed be God!
The Lord sent flight to Jesus and Elijah to return home.
God is not unaffected to watch the Eagle fly. His Good Creation.
God blesses His people to be strong in the Joy of the Lord!
3 John 1:2
Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you
and you may be in good health,
as it goes well with your soul
John 13:34
Jesus gives His Disciples
a New Commandment
To Love One Another
as He has Loved Us.
The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you.
My love be with you all in Christ Jesus.
We will know the Hills and
High Ways, highways
of Heaven.
Matthew 24:30
'Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man
coming on the clouds of heaven
with power and great glory.
Amen.