Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Adult Sunday School Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/bb/bb19970413.htm

PSALMS: DIARIES OF GODLY OLD TESTAMENT SAINTS
Psalm Sixty-Eight - Learning HOW To Succeed Over The LONG Haul
(Psalm 68:1-35)
  1. Introduction
    1. Chuck Swindol writes that an old man once told him, "The problem with life is that it's so daily." Where we might be able to face a big crisis once in a great while on our own, the challenges we face often seem to occur so consistently that God's people cannot muster themselves to be that consistently able to cope.
    2. Psalm 68:1-35 is a triumphant enthronement psalm honoring the Lord for blessings of some known event, Bible Knowledge Commentary, Old Testament, p. 842. However, in realizing the victory and triumph of God, the psalmist recalls God's help to date, that God had consistently helped His weary people, and it teaches us how God is able to bear our burdens when we tire from the daily grind of the burdens:
  2. Learning HOW To Succeed Over The LONG Haul, Psalm 68:1-35.
    1. Though Psalm 68 is an enthronement psalm honoring God for some outstanding national triumph (Ibid.), king David used the psalm to honor the Lord for His sustaining grace all during the many days in the past when the nation tended to get weary of its burdens:
      1. In verse 9, David reported how God gave showers of rain in the wilderness to refresh His weary people during the wilderness wanderings en route to the land of Canaan, Ps. 68:7-9.
      2. In fact, even when some of the people were asleep out of fatigue among the saddlebags instead of watching over them to protect them from the enemy, God so protected Israel's safety that the nation was sheathed with silver and decked with gold from the spoils of her enemies, Ps. 68:12-13, Ibid.
      3. The destruction of Israel's enemies was pictured like snowfall on Mount Zalmon, a mount whose frozen waters would gradually melt and provide a steady, future refreshing flow for Israel's rivers, Ps. 68:14.
    2. The mighty truth behind this divine provision is detailed as follows in verse 19:
      1. God, as Israel's Savior and Adonai, or Master, bore Israel's burden of provision or care instead of Israel, God's servant, having to bear it! This gracious role of the master carrying his servant's load was possible only because Israel was (a) both related to God, her Savior and (b) was in submission to Him!
      2. As such, God carried Israel's burden day after day, 68:19b. The nation could not bear to take the dryness of the wilderness every day, or they could not keep awake long enough to protect all of her goods from all of her enemies, so God stepped in to take up the slack for Israel's inability to remain constant or vigilant or strong in adversity!
      3. The burden pertained not only to individuals in the nation, but to the whole GROUP: the burden pertained to "us", and meant that God made the smooth working of the whole GROUP work out!
    3. Accordingly, in the triumphant psalm, David drew hope for future divine help based on this past blessing:
      1. Because of this past divine track record in Israel's behalf, David was confident that God would continue to crush Israel's enemies, Ps. 68:21-23.
      2. Accordingly, David called upon God in worship to summon His power and demonstrate that strength once again for Israel's behalf, Ps. 68:28-30.
      3. Finally, David called upon the people to praise the Lord for His blessings and power, Ps. 68:31-35.
Lesson: (1) Israel had enjoyed success over the LONG haul because, during her inevitably human WEAK points, GOD was bearing the daily burdens of concerns, Ps. 68:19. These burdens dealt with the full gamut of human need, including financia l needs (68:10b), ready-made housing after the weary wilderness wanderings (68:6a with Deut. 6:10-12), legal defense provisions (68:5a,b), water for drinking (68:7,9) and military protection during personal weakness (68:12-13). (3) The REAS ON she enjoyed these provisions over the LONG haul was that, during that time WHEN (not IF) Israel's inevitable weaknesses came to the fore, since God was Her SAVIOR and MASTER, in GRACE God had carried weak Israel during her points personal failure to be a LONG haul success.

Application: If we (a) accept Christ as Savior from sin (Jn. 3:16) and (b) submit to His lordship in our lives, (c) we come under His gracious provision to cover our daily weaknesses so that, in the LONG haul, we survive the full gamut of crises to end up SUCCESSFUL with Him!