Let God arise, let His enemies be scattered. Let those also who hate Him 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. (Psalm 68:1-2)
The opening verse of this psalm is based on the passage in the Torah which says, “So it was, whenever the ark set out, that Moses said: ‘Rise up, O Lord! Let Your enemies be scattered, and let those who hate You flee before You’” (Numbers 10:35). It is understood that, wherever and whenever the camp of Israel moved, the ark of God went before them, including the times when they went into battle. It is only fitting that this be so seeing that the ark served as God’s Throne on the earth. And so, for God to arise from His earthly Throne infers that He does so with the intent to act — and in this case, His intended action is to move against His enemies and cause them to scatter.
It should be pointed out that His enemies are our enemies; those who hate Him hate His people. As it is written, “Your enemies make a tumult; those who hate You have lifted up their head and taken crafty counsel against Your people and consulted together against Your treasured ones. They have said, ‘Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation, that the name of Israel may be remembered no more’ ” (Psalm 83:2-4). In other words, God doesn’t have to defend Himself against His enemies but He has pledged to be our Protector and Defender. Therefore, David implores the Almighty to rise up and cause those who come against His people to take flight.
I think it’s also important to point out that, deposited within the ark was the Tablets of the Law — i.e. The Word of God. Just as the Presence of God causes darkness to flee and scatter, the Word of God quickly exposes the lies of the enemy and dissolves his idle threats and baseless accusations into puddles of nothing. As the wind disperses smoke, the Word of God causes the plots and schemes of the Adversary to melt away. Because it is “living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword,” nothing and no one is able to stand when faced with the Truth and Authority of the Word of God. So in these days of great darkness, let us say, “Let God arise and let His enemies be scattered” — and may the Presence and Word of God arise within us as we proclaim His greatness in the earth.
Blessings and Shalom,
Bill
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