Psalm 68 (Psalms of Praise)

Psalm 68 (Psalms of Praise) – Sep 6^th, 2026

What is justice? Seems like it should be easy to answer such a simple question.

Signage inundates us with all kinds of claims about “justice”:

• “Justice for the people”
• “We are always one step ahead”
• “You pay nothing unless we win your case”
• “Demand justice”
• “We deliver big firm results with a small firm feel”
• “Winning isn’t everything; it’s the only thing”

TV courtroom dramas like Perry Mason, Matlock, Silk, Suits, or Better Call Saul proclaim “justice”:

• “Innocent until proven guilty. Four words to live by.”
• “I don’t play the odds, I play the man.”
• “Lawyers. We’re like health insurance. You hope you don’t need it.”
• “My job as a prosecutor is do justice, and justice is served when a guilty man is convicted and when an innocent man is not.”
• “Incompetent, irrelevant, and immaterial!”
• “It’s my job to win the case and move onto the next one – and win that one too.”

When it comes to justice, I suspect that billboards, slogans, shows, and stereotypes have arguably tainted the culture at large and you and I personally more than we realize. If these were all we had to go on, we might come away with the idea that justice had little to do with fairness or truth, let alone loving God, neighbors, or enemies. Letting culture alone inform us might make justice seem to be more about getting results, punishing enemies, winning cases, and squeezing out the maximum amount of compensation. Because we are constantly bombarded by a preponderance of these kinds of skewed ideas, we desperately need not just a realignment, but a renewal of our hearts and minds to line up with God’s heart and mind when it comes to justice.

As we continue our journey through the Psalms of Praise, we are going to discover that Psalm 68 has much to say about what life looks like when true justice is present and active. I encourage you to resist getting sidetracked by weird wordings or peculiar portrayals that are super hard to understand in our own time and place. Instead, I encourage us all to listen for the psalmist’s phrases that describe what God’s justice looks like and how we are to join Jesus in bringing about this justice in our world today:

Psalm 68 – “Let God rise up, let his enemies be scattered; let those who hate him flee before him. As smoke is driven away, so drive them away; as wax melts before the fire, let the wicked perish before God. But let the righteous be joyful; let them exult before God; let them be jubilant with joy. Sing to God, sing praises to his name; lift up a song to him who rides upon the clouds — his name is the Lord— be exultant before him. Father of orphans and protector of widows is God in his holy habitation. God gives the desolate a home to live in; he leads out the prisoners to prosperity, but the rebellious live in a parched land. O God, when you went out before your people, when you marched through the wilderness, (Selah) the earth quaked, the heavens poured down rain at the presence of God, the God of Sinai, at the presence of God, the God of Israel. Rain in abundance, O God, you showered abroad; you restored your heritage when it languished; your flock found a dwelling in it; in your goodness, O God, you provided for the needy. The Lord gives the command; great is the company of those who bore the tidings: ‘The kings of the armies, they flee, they flee!’ The women at home divide the spoil, though they stay among the sheepfolds— the wings of a dove covered with silver, its pinions with green gold. When the Almighty scattered kings there, snow fell on Zalmon. O mighty mountain, mountain of Bashan; O many-peaked mountain, mountain of Bashan! Why do you look with envy, O many-peaked mountain, at the mount that God desired for his abode, where the Lord will reside forever? With mighty chariotry, twice ten thousand, thousands upon thousands, the Lord came from Sinai into the holy place. You ascended the high mount, leading captives in your train and receiving gifts from people, even from those who rebel against the Lord God’s abiding there. Blessed be the Lord, who daily bears us up; God is our salvation. (Selah) Our God is a God of salvation, and to God, the Lord, belongs escape from death. But God will shatter the heads of his enemies, the hairy crown of those who walk in their guilty ways. The Lord said, ‘I will bring them back from Bashan, I will bring them back from the depths of the sea, so that you may bathe your feet in blood, so that the tongues of your dogs may have their share from the foe.’ Your solemn processions are seen, O God, the processions of my God, my King, into the sanctuary—the singers in front, the musicians last, between them girls playing tambourines: ‘Bless God in the great congregation, the Lord, O you who are of Israel’s fountain!’ There is Benjamin, the least of them, in the lead, the princes of Judah in a body, the princes of Zebulun, the princes of Naphtali. Summon your might, O God; show your strength, O God, as you have done for us before. Because of your temple at Jerusalem kings bear gifts to you. Rebuke the wild animals that live among the reeds, the herd of bulls with the calves of the peoples. Trample under foot those who lust after tribute; scatter the peoples who delight in war. Let bronze be brought from Egypt; let Ethiopia hasten to stretch out its hands to God. Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth; sing praises to the Lord, (Selah) O rider in the heavens, the ancient heavens; listen, he sends out his voice, his mighty voice. Ascribe power to God, whose majesty is over Israel; and whose power is in the skies. Awesome is God in his sanctuary, the God of Israel; he gives power and strength to his people. Blessed be God!”

The Psalms are simultaneously beautiful and complicated, aren’t they? We don’t have time to unpack every nuance of Psalm 68 today, but we are going to focus on two things about God and two things God requires of us.

The first thing about God is that God intervenes decisively.

Remember the Old Testament prophet Elijah and his confrontation with the prophets of Baal? 1 Kings 18 tells us that God sent Elijah to King Ahab after three years of drought and famine to announce the end of the drought. At Elijah’s instruction, Ahab summons the people of Israel, 450 prophets of Baal, and 400 prophets of Asherah to Mount Carmel. Once everyone is gathered there, the confrontation begins with Elijah getting all up in the people’s business. 1 Kings 18:21 – “Elijah then came near to all the people, and said, ‘How long will you go limping with two different opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him.’ The people did not answer him a word.” Elijah’s words were clear – they could not worship both Baal and YHWH. If it’s been awhile since you read how that confrontation turned out, I encourage you to read it this week – it will encourage your faith in God as the King of the universe!

In Psalm 68, the psalmist makes a direct reference to this same Canaanite god, Baal. This is one of those times when we realize we cannot understand the Bible if we detach it from the sociocultural background in which it was written. The Canaanites gave Baal titles including “rider of the clouds,” “the mighty one”, and “the one without equal.” They associated him with rain, lightning, wind, fertility, and kingship. Understanding this helps us to understand the wording of Psalm 68, which was written around the same time as the events of 1 Kings 18.

Psalm 68:4 says, “Sing to God, sing praises to his name; lift up a song to him who rides upon the clouds — his name is the Lord— be exultant before him.” The Psalmist is here declaring that the one who rides upon the clouds isn’t Baal at all – it’s Yah, his name is the Lord. Yah, as you might have guessed, is a contraction of God’s covenant name revealed to Moses at the burning bush, YHWH, “I am who I am.” YHWH is the rider on the clouds, the ruler of all creation! No matter what other claims are made, God is the only one who is worthy of our praise.

And so, we sing praises to YHWH, to Yah. Psalm 150 later gives us an excellent example of how to sing praises to God’s name, because in that psalm every verse ends with “praise him” or “hallelu-Yah.” Hallelujah is praise to Yah. God’s name becomes the very breath of worship! With every breath we sing praise to God our Creator, who is worthy of our praise!

But just as our understanding of justice gets tainted, our understanding of God easily gets tainted by myriads of philosophies competing for our attention. One of those is Deism, a religious philosophy that unfortunately influenced many of the U.S. Founding Fathers. Deism is the belief, based solely upon logic and observation, that a Supreme Being created the universe. So far so good. But although Deists believe in the existence of God as Creator, they believe that after creating the universe, God no longer intervenes. It’s easy to see the pervasive fruits of this erroneous belief all throughout both church and culture today. Believing that God is passive towards the universe, towards us, leads directly to the rejection of Jesus’ divinity and the Trinity, a core doctrine concerning the nature of God upon which our Christian faith rests. Here’s the truth of what God is like in relation to God’s beloved creation and beloved image-bearers:

Matthew 1:23 – “‘Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel,’ which means, ‘God is with us.’”

John 14:6 – “Jesus said … ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’”

1 Peter 1:3-4 – “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy he has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading.”

God loved the world so much that God sent Godself in the person of Jesus of Nazareth. Theology alert: it is absolutely crucial to understand this. Jesus was not just a good teacher. Jesus was not just a charismatic leader. Jesus is God with us; the way, the truth, and the life; our living hope! Jesus came precisely to intervene decisively in God’s beloved creation and in the lives of God’s beloved image-bearers. 1 Timothy 2:3-4 assures us that “God our Savior … desires everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” Jesus lived, ministered, died, and rose again so that all could receive a new birth into a living hope, to experience abundance of life – flourishing, wholeness, and delight – in God’s family right here, right now, and forever.

The second thing about God is that God provides justice!

C. S. Lewis, in his Reflections on the Psalms, notes that “the ancient Jews, like ourselves, think of God’s judgment in terms of an earthly court of justice. The difference is that the Christian pictures the case to be tried as a criminal case with himself in the dock; the Jew pictures it as a civil case with himself as the plaintiff.” Our view of justice has been so heavily influenced by billboards, slogans, shows, and stereotypes, that when it comes to justice, we often focus on wanting someone to be found guilty and punished for wrongdoing. So, when we read passages about God’s coming justice and judgment, it can make us cringe because we have a distorted and sorely lacking view of justice.

The psalmist wrote to people who longed for God’s justice and judgment to come. In the ancient near East, the lived reality of the masses was that even if someone had a perfectly watertight case and could get their case heard in court and tried by the laws of the land, no one would listen to them. They longed for God’s justice and judgment! When Jesus came announcing that God’s judgment was coming, it was truly good news! Help is on the way! Those who have lived their entire lives on the margins are not afraid of judgment; they long for it. When God comes to judge, finally their case will be heard! So maybe we can remind ourselves that passages like Psalm 9:8 are truly good news, not fearful news but blessed relief – “He judges the world with righteousness; he judges the peoples with equity.”

Let’s look at a few of the many Scriptures throughout the Bible that talk about on whose behalf it is that God intervenes decisively with justice.

Deuteronomy 10:17-18 – “the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who is not partial and takes no bribe, who executes justice for the orphan and the widow, and who loves the strangers, providing them food and clothing.”

Psalm 12:5 – “‘Because the poor are despoiled, because the needy groan, I will now rise up,’ says the Lord; ‘I will place them in the safety for which they long.’”

Malachi 3:5 – “I will be swift to bear witness against the sorcerers, against the adulterers, against those who swear falsely, against those who oppress the hired workers in their wages, the widow and the orphan, against those who thrust aside the alien, and do not fear me, says the Lord of hosts.”

Luke 4:17-19 – “[Jesus] unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written: ‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.’”

Theologian Beth Tanner notes that in Psalm 68 the psalmist shows “that God’s justice and support for the least of society are the very purposes behind God’s acts of power. We give our hallelujah to God, we praise the Lord, not because God destroys enemies but because … ‘our God is a God of salvation.’” Psalm 68 leaves no doubt as to the broken, violent, oppressive nature of humanity. And yet, as Tanner assures us, Psalm 68 offers us hope “that even if violence must be met with violence, it is not done for revenge, but for the establishment of God’s kingdom and God’s justice for all the world.”

Psalm 68 shows us two things about God: God is not passive; God intervenes decisively in God’s beloved creation and in God’s beloved image-bearers. More than that, God provides justice, especially to those who are vulnerable, those who cannot protect themselves, and those who lack social power: particularly the fatherless and widows; the poor and needy; the oppressed and downtrodden; and foreigners and resident aliens.

It is good to praise God for God’s justice. But we must also act. To follow Jesus means that we need to step away from passivity, too. What does God require of us, anyway?

The first thing God requires of us is that we are to act decisively with God’s justice.

Let’s look at some Scriptures and some quotes from Christian history:

Psalm 82:3-4 – “Give justice to the weak and the orphan; maintain the right of the lowly and the destitute. Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.”

Jeremiah 22:3 – “Thus says the Lord: Act with justice and righteousness, and deliver from the hand of the oppressor anyone who has been robbed. And do no wrong or violence to the alien, the orphan, and the widow, or shed innocent blood in this place.”

Amos 5:24 – “Let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.”

Micah 6:8 – “He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?”

Matthew 25:35-36 – “I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.”

Anti-Nazi pastor, theologian, and martyr Dietrich Bonhoeffer: “We are not to simply bandage the wounds of victims beneath the wheels of injustice, we are to drive a spoke into the wheel itself.”

Author, advocate, and activist Helen Keller: “… until the great mass of the people shall be filled with the sense of responsibility for each other’s welfare, social justice can never be attained.”

Pastor and scholar Donald E. Williams: “The virtue of justice does not focus on individual benefits but on the welfare of the community … the quintessential reason for justice in society is to work toward the common good of all people … In a society plagued with division and partisan politics, we could benefit from a deeper understanding of what it means to embrace the common good, to work toward not only our own well-being, but the flourishing of all in society.”

The second thing God requires of us is that we are to bless God!

The last line of Psalm 68 calls us to bless God as an act of adoration. The celebration of the reign of God is not so much about triumphalism as it is about entering into the fullness of life that God alone can grant. Psalm 68 invites us to imagine a life of flourishing and wholeness and delight in which justice is possible for all those in need. When we act decisively with God’s justice, it leads to very real needs being met in our communities right here, right now. It means food, clothing, shelter, a means to live.

Let’s not just dream about doing justice, but let’s move towards making concrete plans to regularly practice doing justice. Let’s not fall into the trap of thinking that we can’t do much because we are so small or weak or powerless ourselves. In this upside kingdom of God, we follow Jesus by doing small things with great love, reaching out to neighbors and nations, for the greater glory of God! That’s what changes the world!

Here are two examples of people who changed the world through tiny acts done with great courage and determination:

• Rosa Parks did a small act of justice in 1955 that changed the world: she remained in her seat and refused to participate in the evil practice of racial segregation. Her small choice led to the historic 381-day Montgomery Bus Boycott and a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that declared segregated public buses unconstitutional. She became known as “the mother of the civil rights movement.”
• Vasili Arkhipov, a Soviet sub officer, defied orders to launch a nuclear torpedo. His small choice prevented a nuclear war during the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962. He became known as “the man that saved the world.”

Let’s consider what small acts God would have us do this week. Maybe you know someone who is vulnerable, who needs protection, who lacks social power. Be their friend, listen to them, show up alongside them, help them fill out forms, take them to the grocery store, invite them to church.

It’s always a good idea to practice doing justice together – here are some ideas:

• Kelsey’s school’s monthly market day is a great way to directly help feed hungry people, as 200-300 families line up each month to receive supplies provided by the Atlanta Food Bank. Many hands are needed each month to bag and to distribute groceries.
• Our music outreaches are to people who are vulnerable, need protection, and lack social power. This includes both residents and staff members, who tend to have humble hearts and humble incomes.
• JR puts together delicious and nutritious food several times each month – main dishes for potlucks, refreshments for outreaches, and home-delivered meals for those among us who are struggling. He really enjoys doing all these, and he enjoys others joining in.
• When you find yourself getting involved with an opportunity to do justice through doing small things with great love, please reach out to others in our church family to invite them to come alongside you. We are better together!

In closing, when practical needs like food, clothing, shelter, comfort, music, humor, and presence are met, then our blessing of God, our praising of God becomes contagious. May praise be given to God, who is the God of justice, the majestic and powerful God who heals and saves and delivers and gives life. May praise for God spread to all the ends of the earth! May all nations bow in humble submission before God! May a vast international chorus of praise rise up to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, the God who intervenes decisively to provide justice for the fatherless and widows; the poor and needy; the oppressed and downtrodden; foreigners and resident aliens. May God give us courage, circumstances, grace, grit, direction, and determination, to act decisively with God’s justice as we do small things with great love, continuing Jesus’ ministry by reaching out to neighbors and nations, for the greater glory of God. And may we always and forever bless God in our hearts, our minds, our bodies, our voices, our words, our actions, our lives. Amen and Amen. Come, Holy Spirit!