The Bible’s boring? Christ’s escape from death makes possible our escape stories. And Israel’s, too!
Having presented the great battle at Calvary that ultimately wins the war, the composer of Psalm 68 now turns our attention back to the issue of Israel’s failure and various aspects of the remnant of Israel’s restoration. This we find in Stanza 5 (vv 19-23) and Stanza 6 (vv 24-27). If we take these panels as chronological, then God has moved on from working with Israel because of the rejection of His Son, their promised Messiah. But God, the ultimate Promise-Keeper, is not done with Israel! “Has God cast away His people? Certainly not!” (Rom 11:1). So, says the psalmist, “Blessed be the Lord, who daily loads us with benefits, the God of our salvation! Selah. Our God is the God of salvation; and to God the Lord belong escapes from death” (Ps 68:19-20). Isn’t that the truth! The future remnant of Israel is pictured as an estranged wife returning to her husband (Jer 3:14-18). She is a valley of dry bones becoming a vast army (Ezk 37:1-14), and an olive tree, once cut down, but again grafted into her original roots (Rom 11:23-24). Her “escapes from death” are legion. At time of writing, college students are calling for eradicating the Jewish state! And the last escape will be the greatest, at “the time of Jacob’s trouble” (Jer 30:7). “But God will wound the head of His enemies” (Ps 68:21), and the Lord “will bring them back” (v 22). What a grand “procession” it will be, “the procession of my God, my King, into the sanctuary” (v 24). Then, according to Stanza 7 (vv 28-31) and Stanza 8 (vv 32-35), “Kings will bring presents to You” (v 29), a sentiment repeated in Psalm 72:10-11. And there He is, as at the beginning, coming with clouds (vv 33-34; see Rev 1:7). Thus we see the final and universal triumph of His breathtaking plan.