2002-01-01
Good Morning Dear Ones,
As I was looking at the next section of Handel’s “Messiah,” I saw that it deals with the capture of Jerusalem from the pagan Jebusites by David as a foreshadowing of Christ’s ultimate victory leading to the establishment of His Kingdom. PS 68 is a national song of triumph. While the #36 Air for bass, "Thou Art Gone Upon High” is based on PS 68: 18, I want to discuss the passage that contains the verses 15-18 to put this remarkable story in context. PS 68: 15-18, “What a mighty mountain is Bashan, a mountain of many peaks! Why from your mighty peaks do you look with scorn on the mountain on which God chose to live? The Lord will live there forever! With His many thousands of mighty chariots the Lord comes from Sinai into the holy place. He goes up to the heights, taking many captives with Him; He receives gifts from rebellious men. The Lord God will live there.”
At the time of David’s move to capture Jerusalem, it was securely held by Jebusites that believed the city to be impenetrable. This effort on David’s part was one of the first things he did after being anointed king of Israel. The Jebusites were pagans, and God’s desire to rid His “city on the hill,” the city of His choice, of pagans was apparently made clear to David. 2 SAM 5: 1-9 tells the story of these events. 2 SAM 5: 10 reveals to us the reason why David and his men are successful in capturing Jerusalem and in other victories they would have as time went on, “He grew stronger all the time, because the Lord God Almighty was with him.”
The citadel’s capture reveals Jerusalem as God’s chosen “city on the hill.” Mt. Hermon is a series of snow-capped peaks located north of Bashan from which the lower Mt. Zion might seem to be inferior when they are compared. Yet, it is Mt. Zion that God chose as His holy place. The eastern ridge of what is today called Mt. Zion is the slightly less than ten acre area that David captured from the Jebusites. The northern portion of this area is Mt. Moriah, Jerusalem’s highest place and the one-time location of Abraham’s threshing stone. That is the place on the temple mount where the actual temple stood. Today, it is the place where the Dome of the Rock stands. Once David captured the city, he called it the “City of David.” David knows Who the real Source of his victory is. It was not his cleaver strategy or the valor of his men. He recognizes his victory came from the numberless chariots of God assaulting the city. David’s faith in God allowed him to see God taking Mt. Zion bringing former rebels to faith, so that He could dwell among these people as their Lord and Savior. (Remember that EZK 10: 4 where the shekinah glory of the Lord departs the temple hadn’t happened yet at this time).
In EPH 4: 8-10, Paul applies verse 18 to the Ascension of Christ. “As the Scripture [PS 68: 18] says, ‘When He went up to the very heights, He took many captives with Him; He gave gifts to mankind.’ Now, what does ‘He went up’ mean? It means that first He came down to the lowest depths of earth. So the One Who came down is the same One Who went up, above and beyond the heavens, to fill the whole universe with His presence.” The KJV uses the terms, “He led captivity captive,” in EPH 4: 8 to indicate that He was victorious and over His enemies and gave gifts to men. The gifts men received were their salvation and later, the establishment and growth of the church.
When we look at this explanation of these verses, the listener hears the #36 air for bass, “Thou Art Gone Upon High” with a new understanding. The words actually sung are: “Thou art gone upon high. Thou hast led captivity captive; and received gifts from men. Yea, even for Thine enemies God might dwell among them.”
This theme is furthered in PS 68: 11, “The Lord gave the command, and many women carried the news:” Let me explain that this sentence ends with a colon because what follows is a description of the situation which culminates in the key event described in verse 17. “With His many thousands of mighty chariots, the Lord comes from Sinai into the holy place.” This is Israel’s national procession in which the Ark is taken from Mt. Sinai to Mt. Zion. It symbolizes God’s march to ultimate victory. The command given in (11) is to begin the march against the Jebusite enemies. The assurance of victory (because this is God’s will) is implicit in this. If we read the Song of Deborah in Judges 5, there are some noticeable similarities between it and PS 68.
We should not be left wondering how this applies to us. Someone made the foolish comment that the OT is nothing more than a collection of interesting stories with very pretty language. I would vigorously take exception to that in light of what is discussed here. Over and over again, we have seen how the events depicted in the OT are a foreshadowing of those in the NT. A number of the prophecies there have already been fulfilled in our time, but there are yet more that remain to be fulfilled in our future. My faith tells me that some of those in the latter category can happen any time. I subscribe to the definition of a prophet given in DT 18: 18-22 (which I hope you will read). We have the fulfillment of the prophecies that has already taken place to provide us with the identities of which people were actually speaking God’s words. Since some of their prophecies are yet to be fulfilled, we need to take those seriously too. My faith, and I truly hope yours, is encouraged in knowing that Christ will return and will establish His Kingdom to supplant all others on earth. Handel wanted us to understand this by presenting these Scriptures in his music and to be edified by that belief.
PRAYER: O Lord, throughout the history of mankind, You have sent us various individuals to convey Your all-important messages to us. Some were prophets, some were kings, and some where even composers of music-all of whom You have inspired. There are so many ways that You speak to us. Help us to have the diligence to take the time to look at the Scriptures You give us and listen to what the Holy Spirit reveals to us about how they apply to our lives. Let us dedicate ourselves to building up both our own faith and that of others by what we learn from You. We praise, adore, worship, and honor You for the faithfulness You show in making these messages available to us. In Christ’s name, amen.
God may not be dwelling on earth right now as He did in David’s time, but He dwells within the hearts of believers in the form of the Holy Spirit. We are so blessed to have this immediate and continuing communication with Him available to us. That is why we can never feel abandoned in the face of what ever trials challenge us. Take comfort in that and know that your Father in heaven loves eternally. Peter and I also send you our love too.
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn