“Ascribe ye strength unto God: his excellency is over Israel, and his strength is in the clouds” – Part 2

Psa 68:3-11

Psa 68:3 But let the righteous be glad; let them rejoice before God: yea, let them exceedingly rejoice.
Psa 68:4 Sing unto God, sing praises to his name: extol him that rideth upon the heavens by his name JAH, and rejoice before him.
Psa 68:5 A father of the fatherless, and a judge of the widows, is God in his holy habitation.
Psa 68:6 God setteth the solitary in families: he bringeth out those which are bound with chains: but the rebellious dwell in a dry land. Psa 68:7 O God, when thou wentest forth before thy people, when thou didst march through the wilderness; Selah:
Psa 68:8 The earth shook, the heavens also dropped at the presence of God: even Sinai itself was moved at the presence of God, the God of Israel.
Psa 68:9 Thou, O God, didst send a plentiful rain, whereby thou didst confirm thine inheritance, when it was weary.
Psa 68:10 Thy congregation hath dwelt therein: thou, O God, hast prepared of thy goodness for the poor.
Psa 68:11 The Lord gave the word: great was the company of those that published it.

Right near the end of the Psalm we are looking at in this study we find the title of our study in verse 34 which says “Ascribe ye strength unto God: his excellency is over Israel, and his strength is in the clouds.” Those words truly define the exercise that we are all called unto as the Lord makes his strength perfect through the Israel of God (Gal 6:16) who is was and will be perfected by the means that God has devised to reconcile all His creation (2Sa 14:14). That means is described in verse 34 of this Psalm as “his excellency” and “his strength“, which we know He is making perfect through the weak and marred vessels of clay that God created (Jer 18:4). He is making his strength perfect through us today, and we can conclude in this verse 34 that we are those clouds that He is perfecting and preparing to bring his strength and excellency over the rest of Israel in their appointed time as the body of Christ.

In our last study we examined the negative and positive use of the word ‘scatter’ to some degree and were reminded of how all the promises of God are ‘yes’ in Christ (2Co 1:20), meaning every word by which we live is essential and needful to understand how God scatters the first vessel of clay and brings out of that experience a new creation or vessel of honour that is fashioned by the same God who made the first man Adam to be destroyed and not able to inherit the kingdom of God (1Co 15:50).

It is through this process of tearing down and building up that the new creation is formed at the expense of the old.

Mar 13:2 And Jesus answering said unto him, Seest thou these great buildings? there shall not be left one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.

The garments of Christ, which represent the righteousness of Christ, are first scattered like the elect who are scattered in four parts. Each soldier got a part of Christ’s clothing, and there were four parts distributed. The number four represents that scattering of all the world, because all have sinned and gone astray and have been scattered as this event symbolizes. This parable also tells us what we must do to Christ first by making merchandise of his righteousness, his garments, and it is all done or accomplished by casting of lots which reminds us again that all these actions were predestined and accomplished for our learning and admonition.

Lev 16:8 And Aaron shall cast lots upon the two goats; one lot for the LORD, and the other lot for the scapegoat.
Lev 16:9 And Aaron shall bring the goat upon which the LORD’S lot fell, and offer him for a sin offering.
Lev 16:10 But the goat, on which the lot fell to be the scapegoat, shall be presented alive before the LORD, to make an atonement with him, and to let him go for a scapegoat into the wilderness.

What a blessing to know that when it comes time for mankind to try to rip the righteousness of Christ away from Him and His body, God does not let them prevail, but rather as we again read in this prophecy and parable of Joh 19:23-24, the garment cannot be ripped, and God inspires the actions of these men to preserve the word or cloth of Christ just like the Jews who were given to keep the oracles of God (Act 7:38, Rom 3:2).

Mat 27:35 And they crucified him, and parted his garments, casting lots: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, They parted my garments among them, and upon my vesture did they cast lots.

Joh 19:23 Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took his garments, and made four parts, to every soldier a part; and also his coat: now the coat was without seam, woven from the top throughout.
Joh 19:24 They said therefore among themselves, Let us not rend it, but cast lots for it, whose it shall be: that the scripture might be fulfilled, which saith, They parted my raiment among them, and for my vesture they did cast lots. These things therefore the soldiers did.

In this study we will look more closely at the effect of Christ’s excellency and strength working in our lives and what is the fruit that is produced as a result of this blessed relationship were given to share today.

Psa 68:3 But let the righteous be glad; let them rejoice before God: yea, let them exceedingly rejoice.
Psa 68:4 Sing unto God, sing praises to his name: extol him that rideth upon the heavens by his name JAH, and rejoice before him.

The pattern is revealed again how there is joy in the morning after weeping endures for a night (Psa 30:5, Mat 26:75). This is when we sing praises to his name: and extol him that works in our heavens by His powerful spirit or excellency and strength which we ascribe unto him.

Psa 68:5 A father of the fatherless, and a judge of the widows, is God in his holy habitation.
Psa 68:6 God setteth the solitary in families: he bringeth out those which are bound with chains: but the rebellious dwell in a dry land.

God is turning the hearts of the fathers to the children and the children to the fathers and showing us that without him we are spiritually fatherless and widows without our true groom (Mal 3:1, Mal 4:6).

God takes care of His children who have the honour of coming out of this world and understanding the shadows and types that are hidden from our own flesh and blood family who are deceived and cut off from God today for our sakes (Luk 10:24).

It takes his dwelling in “holy habitations” to convince us of this new family relationship where we now honour our heavenly Father and are no longer of our father the devil. We recognize that we are spiritual widows for having been dragged out of Babylon (Rev 18:4, Joh 6:44) which is a “dry land” that keeps people bound to lies where there is no stay of bread or water to be had (Isa 3:1).

Psa 68:7 O God, when thou wentest forth before thy people, when thou didst march through the wilderness; Selah:
Psa 68:8 The earth shook, the heavens also dropped at the presence of God: even Sinai itself was moved at the presence of God, the God of Israel.

The parallel thought for us in this verse is found in Hebrews 10:32 where we’re encouraged to remember the former days and what great struggles we were given to bring us closer and closer to that place where we don’t trust in our own flesh but in God alone (2Co 1:9, Pro 3:6-9).

Unless our earth shakes and our heavens (our minds) drop at the presence of God (Rom 14:11) we will not come to know God and Jesus Christ in this age (1Jn 4:17, 1Pe 5:6-9). The bride of Christ that comes up on Mount Sinai is of a meek and quiet spirit today and ultimately is becoming that example of a city set on a hill or nation which God provides for the world to learn of His glory and power (Oba 1:21, 1Pe 3:4, Isa 66:7-8).

Psa 68:9 Thou, O God, didst send a plentiful rain, whereby thou didst confirm thine inheritance, when it was weary.
Psa 68:10 Thy congregation hath dwelt therein: thou, O God, hast prepared of thy goodness for the poor.
Psa 68:11 The Lord gave the word: great was the company of those that published it.

So on one hand we have the whole stay of water and bread taken away contrasted with what God is doing with those who are His in this age. Our inheritance is in Christ, and we are Christ’s inheritance (Eph 1:18, Col 1:12, Joh 8:12, Mat 5:14), and God is making His strength perfect through this weary flesh by sending “plentiful rain”.

God has called the “poor” of the world to be rich in faith (Jas 2:5), which demonstrates His goodness and desire to not overlook any crumb (Joh 6:12, Mar 7:28), any part of his creation, for He so loved the world that He gave Christ and His body (Joh 3:16) for the feeding of the masses of humanity. As we read “The Lord gave the word: great was the company of those that published it.“

God’s elect are called in this age to witness to His great power as we demonstrate not just how God can take a small scattered group and do a great work through us, but also how that work ascribes to the world His strength and excellency in making us one body of believers, one bread and a ministry of disciples who love one another and are being used to ultimately reconcile all the world by turning the hearts of the fathers to the children and the children to the fathers (Mal 4:6).