Loaded With Blessings

Psalm 68

It’s a day of national celebration and everyone is in the streets rejoicing.  There are shouts of joy, and even dancing. This is the scenario for our Psalm today, which was written by King David.  The Ark of the Covenant had been captured by the Philistines and held captive. King David had recaptured it, and now he was returning the Ark to Jerusalem amid great rejoicing (II Samuel 6:12-19). Throughout this psalm, David gives many reasons to praise God, and we can look at a few of them here.

God is victorious over all of His enemies.  When the Ark was captured, the people of God may have thought that was it, all hope was gone, and that God was defeated.  That could not be farther from the truth. God can never be defeated!  Satan and his minions will never have the victory.  Verse one is reminiscent of what Moses said when the Ark of the Covenant was being lifted and moved to a new location during the wilderness wandering (Numbers 10:35-36). There will soon come a day when all of God’s enemies will flee and scatter before Him when He comes to bring judgment to this world.

Another thing that David praises God for, and which many can relate to, is that the Lord God cares for the most vulnerable in society, the fatherless and widows (vs. 5).  Many people have grown up without a father, perhaps because he died or he walked out on the family. Maybe someone’s father was physically there, but he never showed love or cared for his family.  God is there to be a Father to the fatherless. He also especially cares for those whose husbands have died or walked out on them, as well. Everyone needs God’s protecting love!

In verse 10 we read that God provides for the poor, who are also among the most vulnerable in society.  Jesus knows what we need, and when we will need it. He knows our needs long before we’ll even need them, and has provided for it.  Jesus is equipped to take us through any emergency we will ever face.

On the cross of Calvary, Jesus defeated two of mankind’s biggest enemies, enemies that Satan has used against us since man was sent out of the Garden of Eden.  Salvation through Jesus Christ sets us free from the enemies of sin and death (vs. 20-21). Those who refuse to trust Jesus as their Savior will be crushed by sin and death.

Verse 18 is also quoted in Ephesians 4:8.  This verse in Ephesians celebrates the ascended Christ’s victory over evil.  By trusting in Jesus, we can overcome evil as well.

Who would not want to exchange our load and burden of trials, worries and troubles for a load of blessings and benefits?  God has promised to take and carry all of our burdens if we only cast them on Him (I Peter 5:7; Matthew 11:28-30). In verse 19 of our Psalm, we read that our God pours blessings on us.  He loads them, heaps them on us. Sometimes, though, we are just too encumbered with our worries and problems to notice those benefits that God has poured on us. Let’s give Jesus our burdens, and start praising Him for our benefits!

Just like a rooster who has been through a huge storm, seemingly beaten, feathers missing, the hen house and yard destroyed, will struggle to climb the fence and crow to announce a new day, we need to continue to give God praise, even in the storm.  The rooster knows that the new dawn brings new blessings and benefits. If a rooster knows that, we should remember that as well.