Psalm 68:18
When you ascended on high, you took many captives; you received gifts from people, even from the rebellious— that you, Lord God, might dwell there. (NIV)
Today’s Reading: Psalm 68 and Ephesians 4:1-16
Psalm 68 is a victory song praising God for victory over enemies. This is another psalm that might not draw our attention as being fulfilled prophecy had it not been for the apostle Paul quoting from it. In Ephesians chapter four, Paul quotes Psalm 68:18 in making the case for the Church being united and mature in our knowledge of Jesus. Since we know now that the direct object of this psalm is Jesus, let’s zoom out from verse 18 and see what else we find.
From the beginning of the psalm, we can see that there has been a great victory. That victory is the cross and the resurrection. When Jesus conquered death all of God’s enemies fled and scattered (vs 1). God’s people can be happy and joyful because of this great victory we have in Jesus (vs 3).
Beginning in verse seven and continuing through verse 14, the psalmist recalls the history of God leading His people out of Egypt and through the wilderness. God has been abundantly generous and faithful to His people as He brought them into the Promised Land.
However, verse 15 is where the psalmist begins to make his point. Mount Bashan lies east of the Jordan River in modern day Syria. Historically the region of Bashan was known for its fertile land, thick forests and rich pastures filled with cattle. The psalmist addresses the mountain personifying it as being envious of the chosen mountain of God.
The mountain of God is Mount Zion where God chooses to reign and will dwell forever (vs 16). In the book of Revelation, we see Jesus there as well. “Then I looked, and there before me was the Lamb, standing on Mount Zion, and with him 144,000 who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads” (Rev 14:1). Thus, verses 15 through 18 in our psalm are looking ahead to the time when the earth is gone, the new heaven and new earth have come, and Jesus reigns for eternity.
Praise be to Jesus, the one who “daily bears our burdens” (vs 19). He escaped death and has defeated his enemies. This victory is described in gory detail in verses 21 through 23. He crushed the enemies’ heads and he waded in their blood. Even the lowly scavenger dogs had their fill. “And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross” (Col 2:15).
The rest of the psalm from verse 24 to the end describe the victory parade as Jesus enters his sanctuary. All the kingdoms of earth will submit to him and worship him.
“You, God, are awesome in your sanctuary;
the God of Israel gives power and strength to his people.
Praise be to God!” (vs 35).
Christ in the Old Testament 
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