2002-01-01
Good Morning Dear Ones,
Today, we will continue looking at the remarkable psalm which is titled “A National Song of Triumph.” It is the one which David wrote for the celebration of the return of the Ark to Jerusalem after it had been in Philistine hands and recalls the journey of the Ark from Sinai to the Promised Land. There are valuable lessons of history, and God reveals Himself in it too. That is why it is no waste of time for us to being looking at it now. Today’s passage, PS 68: 15-18, deals with the capture of Jerusalem by David. “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 will live there.”
To fully understand this passage, we need to go back to 2 SAM 5: 1-10, which tells the story of how David became the king of Israel. “Then all the tribes of Israel went to David at Hebron and said to him, ‘We are your own flesh and blood. In the past, even when Saul was still our king, you led the people of Israel in battle, and the Lord promised you that you would lead his people and be their ruler.’ So all the leaders of Israel came to King David at Hebron. He made a sacred alliance with them, they anointed him, and he became king of Israel. David was thirty years old when he became king, and he ruled for forty years. He ruled in Hebron over Judah for seven and a half years and in Jerusalem for over all Israel and Judah for thirty-three years. The time came when King David and his men set out to attack Jerusalem. The Jebusites, who lived there thought that David would not be able to conquer the city, and so they said to him, ‘You will never get in here; even the blind and the crippled could keep you out.’ (But David did capture their fortress of Zion and it became known as ‘David’s City.’) That day David said to his men, ‘Does anybody here hate the Jebusites as much as I do? Enough to kill them? Then go up through the water tunnel and attack those poor blind cripples.’ (That is why it is said, ‘The blind and the lame cannot enter the Lord’s house.’) After capturing the fortress, David lived in it and named it ‘David’s City.’ He built the city around it, starting at the place where land was filled in on the east side of the hill. He grew stronger all the time, because the Lord God Almighty was with him.”
You can see from PS 68: 15-16, that the Jebusites were smug and satisfied that the city of Jerusalem wouldn’t fall into David’s hands. When they took the attitude that their city was impenetrable, it reflected over-confidence and excessive pride. PR 16: 18 from the wisdom of David’s son, Solomon, tells the story. “Pride leads to destruction, and arrogance to downfall.” That is a valuable lesson for all of us. Another lesson from this situation comes from the fact that God was with David, and that the citadel’s capture revealed Jerusalem to be God’s chosen city, the place He had chosen to dwell. There are other Scriptures which support this notion. The attitude of God reflected in IS 31: 4-5 speaks volumes. “The Lord said to me [Isaiah], ‘No matter how shepherds yell and shout, they cannot scare a lion from an animal that it has killed; in the same way, there is nothing that can keep Me, the Lord Almighty, from protecting Mount Zion. Just as a bird hovers over its nest to protect its young, so I, the Lord Almighty, will protect Jerusalem and defend it.’ “ In the same way, that protection and privilege comes with responsibility. Christ spoke about salt and light, alluding to Jerusalem in MT 5: 14. “You are like a light for the whole world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid.” Jerusalem is a city on a hill, and God not only chose Mt. Zion as His dwelling place, but we can be sure His hope was that the faithfulness of its inhabitants would transmit His light from it.
At first one might think that the comment in (15-16) regarding Bashan “looking down with scorn on the mountain God chose to live” is rather curious. Remember that the former territory of Bashan [north of the Ammorite territory and east of the Jordan River] was kingdom that was led by King Og in the time just before the Israelites entered the Promised Land. When the Israelites came there, they won a decisive victory, because God was with them [DT 3: 3]. Once Jerusalem was revealed as God’s chosen city in David’s time, the high snow-summit of Mt. Hermon just north of Bashan looked down in envy at Mt. Zion, which is not as high. That was because God had chosen that highest point in Jerusalem. The lesson for us in this is the empowerment we have when our agenda is in line with God’s. This is empowerment that comes along with His protection. When David recalled the capture of Jerusalem from the Jebusites, He knew God was the real source of that victory. The same is true for the eventual arrival of the Ark in the Promised Land from Sinai. Of particular importance to us is the foreshadowing of the eventual establishment of God’s eternal Kingdom suggested in PS 68. These are powerful lessons, ones that should encourage and strengthen our faith.
David looked beyond the flesh and blood of his soldiers storming the heights of Jerusalem to see God ascending the high mount. God took “captives in His train” and “the spoils of victory.” Former rebels became believers, and He would dwell among them as their Lord and Savior. EPH 4: 8-10, “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 the 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.” Paul applies PS 68: 18 to the ascension of Christ. As Israel was victorious in capturing Jerusalem, we are reminded that God and Christ will be victorious over their foes. These “gifts to mankind” are a reward for Christ’s finished work on the cross. The gifts we have are given to us for the unity and edification of the Body of Christ, the church. The connections between all of these stories from the Scriptures reveal the consistency of their lessons for us that exist no matter what period in man’s history they were written. They are truly God-breathed and backed with His love.
PRAYER: O Lord, You have called us to a holy life in which You occupy the center position. Unlike egotistical humans, this call and demand for center position is not an act of arrogant pride. It is one of utter love for us, the same love that makes a mother eagle spread her wings to gather her young to the warmth of her body. You have asked us to look back on human history as David did when he recalled the capture of Jerusalem, Your “city on the hill.” This is because You want us to see Your sovereign power and know the protection that faith in You offers us. We humbly honor You, when we realize that Your light must shine from our lives, just a Your light will illuminate the New Jerusalem once Your eternal Kingdom is established. Our lives should be as that “city on the hill that cannot be hid” in this respect. We offer You our thanks, praise, adoration, worship, trust, and obedience for being the righteous, guiding, and loving presence in our lives that You are. In Christ’s name, amen.
Tomorrow, we will look at the section of PS 68 which is a song of praise to God for the victory over the Jebusites, PS 68: 19-23. The more I delve into the Scriptures, the more I realize how much God deserves our eternal praise. No other entity, not even our parents, spouses, or children, love us the way or to the extent that He does. I have learned that when we put God in the center and primary position in our lives, we and our families find ourselves blessed. My hope is that You make the same discovery in your lives. Peter and I also send you our love.
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn