“Praise the one who rides across the ancient skies; listen as He speaks with a mighty voice.” PS 68:33 CEV
As I read Psalm 68 this morning, I was struck by its complexity and by the anointing that was on David. The magnificence, sublimity and beauty of this comprehensive psalm is intertwined with three prophetic time periods and prophecies of David. The triple prophecy includes Solomon entering the temple in 970 BC as a king, Christ ascending into the heavenly sanctuary as a king and high priest in AD 33, and Christians entering the heavenly sanctuary at the second coming. The theme seems to be a procession and progression of events in the glorious timetable of God. It ties together Moses, David, Solomon, Christ, and Christians. I must give account from my spirit as few attempt to understand and tackle this complex prophetic vision given King David. The psalm begins: “God will arise, and his enemies shall be scattered: they also that hate Him, shall flee before Him. As the smoke vanishes, so shalt thou drive them away: and as wax melts before the fire, so shall the wicked perish at the presence of God.(Psalm 68:1-2 Geneva Bible) I believe this psalm was written when David brought the Ark to Mount Zion where He set up the most elaborate and costly 24/7 worship ever conceived, so glorious that one even today could only imagine the awe thereof. Note that in Old Testament times the movement and location of the Ark of the Covenant is extremely important because it was the earthly presence, glory, and power of Almighty God. The Psalm recognizes complete victory and assurance for the future into the Millennium where we victorious ones will rule and reign with King Jesus. Following this amazing psalm is a major imprecatory psalm, Psalm 69, that ends in an awesome Millennial prophecy: Psalm 69:35, “For God will save Zion, and will build the cities of Judah: that they may dwell there and have it in possession. The seed also of His servants shall inherit it: and they that love His name shall dwell therein.”
Sky Rider
“Sing unto God, sing praises to his name: extol Him that rides upon the heavens by His name JAH, and rejoice before Him (JAH [YAH] is an abbreviation of the name Jehovah). A father of the fatherless, and a judge of the widows, is God in his holy habitation.” (Psalm 68:4-5) David is distinguishing clearly between his God, the God of Israel, juxtaposed with Baal whom the Canaanites worshipped as the Rider on the clouds. The Spirit of God is all over David as he sees the Lord riding the highest heavens decreeing victory, a victory only questioned by the unbeliever. I personally see “Sky Rider” as the preincarnate Christ. I see the King on a mighty white horse traversing the ancient sky of the heavenly realms awaiting His major missions: 1. redemption of man, 2. establishment of the new and unending covenant in His Precious Blood, 3. continuous intercession for us as all creation groans awaiting manifestation of the sons of God and the Father’s command to return as triumphant King to rule and reign with us. Sky Rider, through the mystery of the Incarnation, becomes the Godman to complete the Father’s plan for His only creation of which He created in His image and destined to rule with His Son.
Precious Promises
The Psalm continues in verses 6-8: “God sets the solitary in families; He brings out those who are bound into prosperity (I am convinced that prosperity is His purpose for His people and absolutely requisite for the great harvest of souls in these last days and that our focus will shift from ourselves to the will of God); But the rebellious dwell in a dry land. O God, when You went out before Your people, When You marched through the wilderness, Selah The earth shook; The heavens also dropped rain at the presence of God; Sinai itself was moved at the presence of God, the God of Israel.” The word of God clearly and consistently confirms precious promises given His treasured creation. In 2 Peter 1:3-4, Peter states “According as His divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him that hath called us to glory and virtue: Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.” These promises are our hope which fuels faith requisite for victorious living and leadership that pulls on the dunamis power of Almighty God to manifest His Kingdom. Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians 4:20 that the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power.
Victory
David always ascribes victory unto God. Psalm 68: 2) as wax melts before the fire, the wicked will perish in the presence of God, 12) Kings and their armies flee in haste, 21) Surely God will crush the heads of His enemies, 34) Ascribe the power to God, whose majesty is over Israel. David never fails to acknowledge His God who always yields victory. Though physical Israel and we, spiritual Israel, become complacent and seem to forget, nevertheless it is our God that always brings victory. In Exodus 17:15 “Moses built an altar and called the name of it Jehovah Nissi.” Jehovah my banner, is the name of God given by Moses to the altar which he erected on the hill where he stood with uplifted hands while Israel prevailed over their enemies the Amalekites. We Christians tend to lack the knowledge of our identity in Christ. We need to stand unwavering in our most holy faith with our eyes firmly affixed on Jesus. “For in Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set us free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful man, as an offering for sin. He thus condemned sin in the flesh, so that the righteous standard of the law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. (Romans 8:2-4) The apostle Paul tells the Corinthians that we are being transformed by His glory, by the one who gives us victory, our Lord Jesus Christ. We live today in the assured victory of Christ and maintain the same by Holy Spirit.
Purpose in Christ’s First Coming
Psalm 68:18 is a prophecy of Christ’s first coming as suffering servant with mission of reconciliation and through propitiation restoration of covenant promise. There can be no doubt of His Divinity and efficacy of power and mission. “Thou hast ascended on high, thou hast led captivity captive: thou hast received gifts for men; yea, for the rebellious also, that the LORD God might dwell among them.” He has “opened the kingdom of heaven to all believers.” His ascent is the pledge of ours. His ascent is the sure prophecy of his second coming, and of the everlasting glory of his kingdom (see Acts 1:11, Colossians 3:4, Hebrews 9:28). In the Gospel of Matthew 21: 6-9 we find the prophesied triumphal entry into Jerusalem of Jesus: “And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way; others cut down branches from the trees, and strawed them in the way. And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the son of David: Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest.” The people, being familiar with scripture, believed their King had come to set them free of Roman tyranny and establish the eternal Kingdom of God. The reality of the entry is powerfully encapsulated by Henry Milman, in his 1827 hymn: “Ride on, ride on in majesty! In lowly pomp ride on to die. O Christ, your triumphs now begin over captive death and conquered sin. Ride on, ride on in majesty! The angel armies of the sky look down with sad and wondering eyes to see the approaching sacrifice. Ride on, ride on in majesty! Your last and fiercest strife is nigh. The Father on His sapphire throne awaits His own anointed Son. Ride on, ride on in majesty! In lowly pomp ride on to die. Bow your meek head to mortal pain, then take, O God, your power and reign.”
Purpose in Christ’s Second Coming and the Millennium
In Verses 21-35 of Psalm 68, David is seeing and prophesying the second coming and millennial reign of Jesus Christ. Psalm 68:29 reads “Because of Your temple at Jerusalem, kings will bring presents to You.” David’s confidence is that in the end, God and His covenant people would survive despite their enemies in the nations and kings would come in tribute to His throne in Jerusalem. In verse 29, David is speaking of a future time when Jesus will actually reign on earth, i.e., the millennium. This in itself necessitates a second coming. The era in which we live is manifesting Satan’s biggest fear and is the reason for the intensity of warfare we see exponentially increasing daily. It is also our great blessing to be in this hour where we could possibly witness the return of our victorious King. In verse 35 of Psalm 68, David is prophesying our ascension. Through Christ’s atoning sacrifice we are with Him always, via Holy Spirit in the earthly realm or in His presence in the heavenly realm. The Lord says, “My word will never return void but accomplish the purpose for which I sent it.” (Isaiah 55:9-11) When God brought His firstborn Son into the world He proclaimed: “Let all my angels bow down before Him and kiss Him in worship. And about his angels He says, I make my angels swift winds, and my ministers fiery flames. But about His Son, He called Him God, (clearly implied in the text and made explicit) saying, Your throne, O God, endures forever and ever and you will rule your kingdom with justice and righteousness, the righteous scepter is the scepter of your kingdom. For you have cherished righteousness and detested lawlessness. For this reason, God, your God, has anointed you and poured out the oil of bliss on you and He called Him Lord. Lord, you formed the earth in the beginning and with your own hands you crafted the cosmos. They will both one day disappear, but you will remain forever…They will all fade like a worn-out garment, but you are ‘I AM’ (a variation of the name of God revealed to Moses in Ex. 3:14, “I AM who I AM,” an obvious connection here to that incident and endorsement of the truth that the preincarnate Christ was the One who appeared in the burning bush). You never change, years without end. And God has never said this to any of His angels: Take your seat next to me at my right hand until I force your enemies to be a footstool for your feet. The angels are spirit-messengers sent by God to serve those who are going to be saved.” (Hebrews1:6-14 TPT) Glory to the One who is and was and is to come!
Sky Rider Splits Open the Heavens with His Thunderous Voice
“What a glorious God! He gives us salvation over and over, then daily he carries our burdens! Pause in His presence. Our God is a mighty God who saves us over and over! For the Lord, Yahweh, rescues us from the ways of death many times. But He will crush every enemy, shattering their strength. He will make heads roll for they refuse to repent of their stubborn, sinful ways. I hear the Lord God saying to all the enemies of his people, “You’d better come out of your hiding places, all of you who are doing your best to stay far away from me. Don’t you know there’s no place to hide? For my people will be the conquerors; they will soon have you under their feet. They will crush you until there is nothing left!” O God, my King, your triumphal processions keep moving onward in holiness; you’re moving onward toward the Holy Place! Leaders in front, then musicians, with young maidens in between, striking their tambourines. And they sing, “Let all God’s princely people rejoice! Let all the congregations bring their blessing to God, saying, ‘The Lord of the fountain! The Lord of the fountain of life! The Lord of the fountain of Israel!’ Astonishingly, it’s the favored youth leading the way: princes of praise in their royal robes and exalted princes are among them, along with princes who have wrestled with God. Display your strength, God, and we’ll be strong! For your miracles have made us who we are. Lord, do it again and parade from your temple your mighty power. By your command even kings will bring gifts to you. God, rebuke the beast-life that hides within us! Rebuke those who claim to be “strong ones,” who lurk within the congregation and abuse the people out of their love for money. God scatters the people who are spoiling for a fight. Africa {my beloved metron} will send her noble envoys to you, O God. They will come running, stretching out their hands in love to you. Let all the nations of the earth sing songs of praise to Almighty God! Go ahead, all you nations—sing your praise to the Lord! Pause in his presence. Make music for the one who strides the ancient skies. Listen to his thunderous voice of might split open the heavens. Give it up for God, for he alone has all the strength and power! Proclaim his majesty! For his glory shines down on Israel. His mighty strength soars in the clouds of glory. God, we are consumed with awe, trembling before you as your glory streams from your Holy Place. The God of power shares his mighty strength with Israel and with all his people. God, we give our highest praise to you!” (Psalm 68:19-35 TPT) Consider verse 35: what David is seeing is that when we are taken up with Him, we being the temple of God, after the second coming God will indwell us with the same Shekinah Glory as seen at Mt. Sinai and Solomon’s temple. Christians as the body of Christ are one with God in heaven with Christ as the head. God infills Christ and the church with His glory for the Millennium and for all eternity. When the triumphant King returns, we will be like Him and see our Father face to face.
“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands.” Psalm 19:1