20 Our God is a God who saves!
The Sovereign Lord rescues us from death.
21 But God will smash the heads of his enemies,
crushing the skulls of those who love their guilty ways.
22 The Lord says, “I will bring my enemies down from Bashan;
I will bring them up from the depths of the sea.
23 You, my people, will wash your feet in their blood,
and even your dogs will get their share!”
24 Your procession has come into view, O God—
the procession of my God and King as he goes into the sanctuary.
25 Singers are in front, musicians behind;
between them are young women playing tambourines.
26 Praise God, all you people of Israel;
praise the Lord, the source of Israel’s life.
27 Look, the little tribe of Benjamin leads the way.
Then comes a great throng of rulers from Judah
and all the rulers of Zebulun and Naphtali. NLT
Start this study by thinking about each phrase of verse 20.
Take a moment to express these two phrases in a prayer of thanksgiving to God.
After having done that, ask yourself this question: Why is verse 21 meant to be shocking? Why does verse 21 give the words “savior” and “rescue” more weight?
In verses 22-23, why would David say that the Lord says this? Isn’t this too violent? Or are we missing something about the nature of Israel in David’s time? What role did “battle” play in Israel’s relationship with God and with the other nations around them?
Describe the victory procession that David has in mind in verses 24-27.
::::: DIGGING DEEPER ::::::
Side study– Why would the tribe of Benjamin lead the way? If you have time, do a study on what this could mean.
::::: APPLICATION CHALLENGE :::::
Respond to the mix of emotions and requests in this section of Psalm 68 with a time of prayer.
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