Pastor Billington's Blog

Psalm 68:20-27 “God is to us a God of deliverance. To the LORD, the Lord, belongs escape from death. But God will strike through the head of his enemies, the hairy scalp of such a one as still continues in his guiltiness. The Lord said, “I will bring you again from Bashan, I will bring you again from the depths of the sea, that you may crush them, dipping your foot in blood, that the tongues of your dogs may have their portion from your enemies.” They have seen your processions, God, even the processions of my God, my King, into the sanctuary. The singers went before, the minstrels followed after, amongst the ladies playing with tambourines, ‘Bless God in the congregations, even the Lord in the assembly of Israel!’ There is little Benjamin, their ruler, the princes of Judah, their council, the princes of Zebulun, and the princes of Naphtali.”

God is our protector and deliverer too!

Colossians 1:12-14 “giving thanks to the Father, who made us fit to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light, who delivered us out of the power of darkness, and translated us into the Kingdom of the Son of his love, in whom we have our redemption, the forgiveness of our sins.”

The description of Israel’s procession to the sanctuary for worship should remind us that we are part of an even greater and more magnificent procession made possible because of Jesus!

Hebrews 12:22-24 “But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable multitudes of angels, to the festal gathering and assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect, to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better than that of Abel.”

For additional worship: Stand up and Bless the Lord (Hymns of Grace)

Psalm 68:17-19 “The chariots of God are tens of thousands and thousands of thousands. The Lord is amongst them, from Sinai, into the sanctuary. You have ascended on high. You have led away captives. You have received gifts amongst people, yes, amongst the rebellious also, that the LORD God might dwell there. Blessed be the Lord, who daily bears our burdens, even the God who is our salvation. Selah.”

The Psalm describes God, accompanied by His angelic army, escorting Israel from Mt. Sinai to Mt. Zion. After the victorious campaign, Israel’s leader receives gifts from the spoils, but he is really a proxy for God. It is God who ultimately brings victory, bears burdens, provides salvation, and is worthy of praise!

Paul uses this passage to refer to Jesus Christ:

Ephesians 4:7-10 “But to each one of us, the grace was given according to the measure of the gift of Christ. Therefore he says, ‘When he ascended on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts to people.’ Now this, ‘He ascended’, what is it but that he also first descended into the lower parts of the earth? He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.”

The Hebrew word for “receive” can mean “receive in order to give.” Paul understands it in this sense. Jesus has everything and distributes gifts as he will. We, in turn, use those gifts to worship and serve Him. Why? Because He brings victory, bears burdens, provides salvation, and is worthy of praise! By using this passage Paul identifies Jesus with God and reveals the concept of the trinity to us.

For additional worship: Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing (Reawaken Hymns)

Psalm 68:7-16 “God, when you went out before your people, when you marched through the wilderness … Selah. The earth trembled. The sky also poured down rain at the presence of the God of Sinai— at the presence of God, the God of Israel. You, God, sent a plentiful rain. You confirmed your inheritance when it was weary. Your congregation lived therein. You, God, prepared your goodness for the poor. The Lord announced the word. The ones who proclaim it are a great company. “Kings of armies flee! They flee!” She who waits at home divides the plunder, while you sleep amongst the camp fires, the wings of a dove sheathed with silver, her feathers with shining gold. When the Almighty scattered kings in her, it snowed on Zalmon. The mountains of Bashan are majestic mountains. The mountains of Bashan are rugged. Why do you look in envy, you rugged mountains, at the mountain where God chooses to reign? Yes, the LORD will dwell there forever.

Here David remembers when God brought His people through the desert and protected and provided for them. He gave them His word at Sinai, and they proclaimed it before the nations. He continued to watch over them as they conquered the promised land, and He gave them a place to worship Him forever.

The way God moved among His people in the past to provide for them and to fulfill His promises should give us hope and encouragement. We can trust His Word and rely on His care both today and for the future!

For additional worship: Sing Songs – Psalm 68 (The Psalm Project)

Psalm 68:1-6 “For the Chief Musician. A Psalm by David. A song. Let God arise! Let his enemies be scattered! Let them who hate him also flee before him. As smoke is driven away, so drive them away. As wax melts before the fire, so let the wicked perish at the presence of God. But let the righteous be glad. Let them rejoice before God. Yes, let them rejoice with gladness. Sing to God! Sing praises to his name! Extol him who rides on the clouds: to the LORD, his name! Rejoice before him! A father of the fatherless, and a defender of the widows, is God in his holy habitation. God sets the lonely in families. He brings out the prisoners with singing, but the rebellious dwell in a sun-scorched land.”

“God sets the lonely in families.” Perhaps you are a widow or an orphan. Perhaps you had parents who weren’t the best. Perhaps you’re looking for a spouse. Perhaps you’re looking for a friend! Not only is God your constant companion when you know Him, but He makes you a part of His family. That means that everyone else who is a part of His family is now related to you. We all have friends, family, siblings, and parents without number. Sometimes we just have to realize that and be willing to reach out and open up if we don’t want to be lonely.

Galatians 4:4-7 “But when the fullness of the time came, God sent out his Son, born to a woman, born under the law, that he might redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as children. And because you are children, God sent out the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, ‘Abba, Father!’ So you are no longer a bondservant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.”

Mark 3:33-35 “He answered them, ‘Who are my mother and my brothers?’ Looking around at those who sat around him, he said, ‘Behold, my mother and my brothers! For whoever does the will of God is my brother, my sister, and mother.’ ”

For additional worship: The Family of God (Bill Gather)

Psalm 67:1-7 “For the Chief Musician. With stringed instruments. A Psalm. A song. May God be merciful to us, bless us, and cause his face to shine on us. Selah. That your way may be known on earth, and your salvation amongst all nations, let the peoples praise you, God. Let all the peoples praise you. Oh let the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you will judge the peoples with equity, and govern the nations on earth. Selah. Let the peoples praise you, God. Let all the peoples praise you. The earth has yielded its increase. God, even our own God, will bless us. God will bless us. All the ends of the earth shall fear him.”

Is it fair to pray for God to bless us so that the world will know and follow Him? There are many who say so. How parallel are the promises given to the church and Israel?

Here the blessing seems to be physical and material, relating to the harvest. That seems typical of the blessings connected to the nation of Israel. Spiritual obedience brought physical blessings.

Today, however, our blessings seem to be more focused on the spiritual. Take the fruit of the Spirit for example:

Galatians 5:22-23 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, and self-control.”

And one such “fruit” was singled out by Jesus as being an example to the world:

John 13:35 “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

Rather than physical blessings, it seems that people will see our spiritual blessings and be attracted to God. So yes, pray for people to see God’s blessing in our lives and for them to be attracted by it!

Note too that the God of Israel is not just the God of Israel. All peoples will one day worship before Him!

For additional worship: Lord Dismiss Us with Thy Blessing (Olive Tree Hymns)

Psalm 66:16-20 “Come and hear, all you who fear God. I will declare what he has done for my soul. I cried to him with my mouth. He was extolled with my tongue. If I cherished sin in my heart, the Lord wouldn’t have listened. But most certainly, God has listened. He has heard the voice of my prayer. Blessed be God, who has not turned away my prayer, nor his loving kindness from me.”

We should always be ready to give a testimony of how God has heard and helped us. God does hear and answer prayer! But our own lives can hinder that.

Isaiah 59:1-2 “Behold, the LORD’s hand is not shortened, that it can’t save; nor his ear dull, that it can’t hear. But your iniquities have separated you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.”

Our sin does put up a barrier between us and God. Even though Jesus has taken away the eternal penalty for sin, our day-to-day relationship can still be affected by it. In truth, there is probably enough day-to-day sin in our lives that it’s a miracle God is ever willing to listen to us! But that’s the miracle of grace. And we need to remember that we also have a sinless advocate making intercession for us!

Romans 8:34 “Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, yes rather, who was raised from the dead, who is at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.”

For additional worship: Give us Clean Hands (Chris Tomlin)

Psalm 66:8-15 “Praise our God, you peoples! Make the sound of his praise heard, who preserves our life amongst the living, and doesn’t allow our feet to be moved. For you, God, have tested us. You have refined us, as silver is refined. You brought us into prison. You laid a burden on our backs. You allowed men to ride over our heads. We went through fire and through water, but you brought us to the place of abundance. I will come into your temple with burnt offerings. I will pay my vows to you, which my lips promised, and my mouth spoke, when I was in distress. I will offer to you burnt offerings of fat animals, with the offering of rams, I will offer bulls with goats. Selah.”

Praise God for testing? Yes! Because it brings about a refining process in our lives.

James 1:2-4 “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you fall into various temptations, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. Let endurance have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”

The offerings we bring are the offerings of praise and the offering of ourselves.

Hebrews 13:15 “Through him, then, let’s offer up a sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of lips which proclaim allegiance to his name.”

Romans 12:1 “Therefore I urge you, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service.”

For additional worship: Praise to the Lord, the Almighty

Psalm 66:1-7 “For the Chief Musician. A song. A Psalm. Make a joyful shout to God, all the earth! Sing to the glory of his name! Offer glory and praise! Tell God, “How awesome are your deeds! Through the greatness of your power, your enemies submit themselves to you. All the earth will worship you, and will sing to you; they will sing to your name.” Selah. Come, and see God’s deeds— awesome work on behalf of the children of men. He turned the sea into dry land. They went through the river on foot. There, we rejoiced in him. He rules by his might forever. His eyes watch the nations. Don’t let the rebellious rise up against him. Selah.”

Why should we sing and praise God? We remember the awesome deeds that He has done in our own lives, as well as the deeds that He has done historically for His people. He dried up the water so that the Israelites could escape from the Egyptians, and the Egyptians had no choice but to give up and submit themselves to His will! He is sovereign, mighty, and will rule forever. Anyone (or nation) is silly to try to go against Him!

For additional worship: From All That Dwell Below the Skies (Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow)

Psalm 65:6-13 “By your power, you form the mountains, having armed yourself with strength. You still the roaring of the seas, the roaring of their waves, and the turmoil of the nations. They also who dwell in faraway places are afraid at your wonders. You call the morning’s dawn and the evening with songs of joy. You visit the earth, and water it. You greatly enrich it. The river of God is full of water. You provide them grain, for so you have ordained it. You drench its furrows. You level its ridges. You soften it with showers. You bless it with a crop. You crown the year with your bounty. Your carts overflow with abundance. The wilderness grasslands overflow. The hills are clothed with gladness. The pastures are covered with flocks. The valleys also are clothed with grain. They shout for joy! They also sing.”

The title for this Psalm could be, “God’s sovereignty and blessing seen in the harvest.” A shorter title for our purposes should be, “God gives good gifts.” Of course, the greatest gift of all is our salvation!

A tidbit: when an unbeliever glimpses the glory of God, it can be a very frightening thing! “They also who dwell in faraway places are afraid of your wonders.” It can even be a frightening thing for a believer, if the angelic announcements we see in the Bible are any indication!

For additional worship: Eternal Source of Every Joy