Commentary - Psalm 68:24-27

Bird's-eye view

Psalm 68 is a great victory anthem, a triumphal ode celebrating God as the Divine Warrior who scatters His enemies and provides for His people. This section, verses 24 through 27, shifts the scene from the battlefield to the parade. The war is over, the victory is won, and now the King is returning to His royal city. This is a glorious, public, and noisy procession into the sanctuary. It is a picture of David bringing the Ark to Jerusalem, but more than that, it is a prophetic picture of the Lord Jesus Christ's ascension into the heavenly sanctuary after His finished work on the cross. The enemies have been defeated, and now the King is taking His throne, accompanied by the joyful praises of His redeemed people, gathered from every tribe and corner of the nation.

What we are watching is the formal, public celebration of a great conquest. The worship described here is not quiet, internal, or private. It is corporate, loud, musical, and organized. It is a ticker tape parade for the King of kings, and the whole nation is involved, from the smallest tribe to the greatest, from the north to the south. This is a picture of the catholicity and unity of the Church, celebrating the enthronement of her Lord.

Outline

The Triumphal Procession of the King

They have seen Your procession, O God, The procession of my God, my King, into the sanctuary. (v. 24)

The first thing to note is that this is a public event. "They have seen" it. Who are "they"? In the context of the whole psalm, "they" are the scattered enemies. The victory of God is not a secret affair. It is a public spectacle. The ungodly are made to witness the triumph of the King they opposed. This is what happened when Christ ascended on high; He made a public spectacle of the principalities and powers, triumphing over them in it (Col. 2:15). The ascension was not a quiet slip back into heaven; it was a cosmic victory lap.

The psalmist then makes it personal: "The procession of my God, my King." This is not an abstract deity or a distant monarch. This is the covenant God of the believer, the King to whom the psalmist has sworn fealty. Our worship is always grounded in this personal relationship. He is God, but He is my God. He is King, but He is my King. This procession is heading "into the sanctuary." For David, this was the tent he had pitched in Zion. For us, this is the heavenly Mount Zion, the city of the living God, where Christ has entered as our forerunner.

The singers went on, the musicians after them, In the midst of the maidens beating tambourines. (v. 25)

This is what robust, biblical worship looks like. It is ordered: the singers are first, then the musicians. It is not chaotic, but it is certainly not silent. This is a symphony of praise. And it is communal, involving the whole people of God. The mention of "maidens beating tambourines" is significant. This is not just a male event; the women are central to the celebration, just as Miriam was after the crossing of the Red Sea. This is loud, rhythmic, joyful praise. This is the sound of a people who know their God has conquered. It is not a funeral dirge; it is a victory march.

Bless God in the congregations, Yahweh, the fountain of Israel. (v. 26)

The response to seeing the King's procession is to bless Him. And this blessing is to happen "in the congregations." The Hebrew is plural, emphasizing that this is the corporate gathering of God's people. We are saved as individuals, but we are saved into a body, a congregation, a church. Our praise finds its fullest expression when we are gathered together. The one we bless is Yahweh, identified here as "the fountain of Israel." God is the source, the wellspring, of His people. All our life, our strength, our blessings, and our salvation flow from Him as from a fountain. To bless Him is to gratefully acknowledge Him as our source for everything.

There is Benjamin, the youngest, having dominion over them, The princes of Judah in their throng, The princes of Zebulun, the princes of Naphtali. (v. 27)

Here we see a representative sample of the parade's participants, and the list is telling. First is "Benjamin, the youngest, having dominion over them." Benjamin was the smallest tribe, and yet here they are in a position of leadership. This is a beautiful illustration of how God chooses the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God's kingdom operates on a different principle than the kingdoms of men. Then comes Judah, the royal tribe, from whom David came and from whom the Messiah would come. They are here "in their throng," a great multitude. After the southern tribes of Benjamin and Judah, we see two northern tribes: Zebulun and Naphtali. Their inclusion is crucial. This is not a regional celebration. This is all Israel, from south to north, united in praise. This points to the great reality of the New Covenant, where God gathers a people for Himself from every tribe, tongue, and nation, uniting them as one body in Christ. It is also a prophetic nod to Galilee, the region of Zebulun and Naphtali, where the Messiah would begin His public ministry, shining a great light.

Application

First, our corporate worship should reflect the reality of Christ's victory. He has ascended, He is enthroned, and He has scattered His enemies. Our Sunday gatherings, therefore, should be celebrations. They should be joyful, robust, and confident. We are not approaching a defeated king, but a triumphant one. Our singing should be loud, our prayers should be bold, and our hearts should be glad.

Second, we must remember that our worship is a public testimony. The world is watching. Like the enemies of God in this psalm, they see our procession. Does our gathering on the Lord's Day look like a victory parade? Does it declare to the watching world that our God, our King, reigns?

Finally, this passage is a glorious picture of the unity of the Church. Benjamin and Judah, Zebulun and Naphtali, all marching together. In Christ, our old distinctions are rendered meaningless. We are one people, from one fountain, marching in one procession, to bless one King. Let us therefore strive to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace, celebrating the glorious diversity of the people our victorious King has redeemed.