Psalm 68:24-35 NKJV
24 They have seen Your procession, O God,
The procession of my God, my King, into the sanctuary.
25 The singers went before, the players on instruments followed after;
Among them were the maidens playing timbrels.
26 Bless God in the congregations,
The Lord, from the fountain of Israel.
27 There is little Benjamin, their leader,
The princes of Judah and their company,
The princes of Zebulun and the princes of Naphtali.
28 Your God has commanded your strength;
Strengthen, O God, what You have done for us.
29 Because of Your temple at Jerusalem,
Kings will bring presents to You.
30 Rebuke the beasts of the reeds,
The herd of bulls with the calves of the peoples,
Till everyone submits himself with pieces of silver.
Scatter the peoples who delight in war.
31 Envoys will come out of Egypt;
Ethiopia will quickly stretch out her hands to God.
32 Sing to God, you kingdoms of the earth;
Oh, sing praises to the Lord, Selah
33 To Him who rides on the heaven of heavens, which were of old!
Indeed, He sends out His voice, a mighty voice.
34 Ascribe strength to God;
His excellence is over Israel,
And His strength is in the clouds.
35 O God, You are more awesome than Your holy places.
The God of Israel is He who gives strength and power to His people.
David finishes his Psalm with a beautiful picture of God’s people coming together to worship Him. Men and women, Israelites from the south and from the north, the little tribes and the powerful tribes from “the fountain of Israel,” as well as Gentiles from all over the world are all united in their joyful procession to the tabernacle in Jerusalem to praise God for His greatness and for His goodness.
During the time of the Old Testament, it was the physical location of Jerusalem and the building of the tabernacle and temple where God had chosen to be gracious to sinful mankind, through the sacrifices that He commanded to be made on that particular altar. Now Christ Jesus is where God has chosen to be gracious to sinful mankind, and wherever His Gospel is preached and His Sacraments are administered, there God invites people to gather and to rejoice in the goodness of the God who gave His only-begotten Son into death for our sins, so that we might enter by faith into the new Israel of His holy Christian Church and be called “the people of God.”
V. 28 is translated quite differently from one English version to the next, but Luther’s translation captures the sense of it well: “Your God has established your kingdom. Oh, that You would strengthen it for us, O God, for it is Your work.” God established the Old Testament kingdom of Israel, even as He builds the New Testament kingdom of the Christian Church. Let us pray earnestly that He would strengthen it among us, because it is His work, and only He can give us the strength we need to remain steadfast in His Word.
While believers joyfully gather in God’s Church to praise Him, the unbelieving and “the peoples who delight in war” are rebuked and driven away by God. Let us pray that the unbelieving may be brought to repentance and faith before Christ returns, when the impenitent will be driven away permanently into the outer darkness. Meanwhile, let us continue to rejoice in the God of our salvation and to proclaim His goodness far and wide! Let us pray: O God, receive the joyful praises of Your people whom You have redeemed, and, by Your Holy Spirit, give strength and power to Your people, for Jesus’ sake. Amen.