Living Stream Ministry

VII. PRAISING GOD

In verses 24 through 28 we have the matter of praising God.

A. Praising God That His Enemies
Have Seen His Goings in the Sanctuary

"They have seen Your goings, O God,/The goings of my God, my King, in the sanctuary" (v. 24). Here "they" refers to the enemies, to the unbelievers; "goings" refers to God’s activities; and the "sanctuary" signifies the church.

In order to appreciate this part of Psalm 68, we need to be familiar with the background. At Mount Sinai God decreed the law and charged Moses to build the tabernacle with the ark and all the various furnishings. The erecting of the tabernacle was a kind of ceremony. All the children of Israel were assembled and, after everything had been arranged, the ark was brought in. I believe that, as verse 25 indicates, while the ark was being carried into the tabernacle, there was a procession of virgins and singers who went before the ark. At the rear there might have been another group composed not of virgins but of males from the tribes of Benjamin, Judah, Zebulun, and Naphtali (v. 27). This move of the ark was an activity of God, for God was with the ark. Hence, the ark’s activity was God’s activity. Furthermore, since Israel had been at Sinai for a long time, the peoples in the surrounding regions must have heard that something important was taking place and might have come to see what was happening. Therefore, this ceremony might have been observed not only by the children of Israel but also by a number of Gentiles who had come to witness the ceremony.

B. By the Virgins Sounding the Tambourines

"Singers go before; players after;/In the midst of virgins sounding the tambourines" (v. 25). Here the praise is by the females, by the virgins as singers going before and players after. In this verse "virgins" signifies the believers.

C. Blessing God in the Congregations
by Men Who Are of the Fountain of Israel

"Bless God in the congregations,/Even Jehovah, O you who are of the fountain of Israel./There are little Benjamin, who rules them,/And the princes of Judah in their company, /The princes of Zebulun, the princes of Naphtali./Your God has commanded your strength;/Strengthen, O God, that which You have done for us" (vv. 26-28). Here we have the blessing of God by the men, signifying the strong ones.

(Life-Study of Psalms, Chapter 28, by Witness Lee)