Escaping Death

DEVOTION

PSALMS

ESCAPING DEATH

Ps 68:11-20

11 The Lord announced the word, and great was the company of those who proclaimed it: 12 "Kings and armies flee in haste; in the camps men divide the plunder. 13 Even while you sleep among the campfires, the wings of [my] dove are sheathed with silver, its feathers with shining gold." 14 When the Almighty scattered the kings in the land, it was like snow fallen on Zalmon.

15 The mountains of Bashan are majestic mountains; rugged are the mountains of Bashan. 16 Why gaze in envy, O rugged mountains, at the mountain where God chooses to reign, where the LORD himself will dwell forever? 17 The chariots of God are tens of thousands and thousands of thousands; the Lord [has come] from Sinai into his sanctuary. 18 When you ascended on high, you led captives in your train; you received gifts from men, even from the rebellious — that you, O LORD God, might dwell there.

19 Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens. Selah  20 Our God is a God who saves; from the Sovereign LORD comes escape from death.

NIV

Again this portion of the Psalm speaks in prophetic language. God announcing his word and men, a great company of men proclaiming it. Surely this could mean either the prophets of old as well as the early Christian church lead by the Apostles. But is also could be speaking of the Day of the Lord when he raptures his church. There will be chaos among the nations, kings and armies fleeing in haste, people plundering, the world will not know what happened, but it will be in chaos. This talks about his power and majesty, mountains will move, look how many chariots God has at his disposal, thousands upon thousands. Those who he led captive in his train are the saints from all over the world when we all leave here and ascend into the heavens to meet him in the air. Yet this also speaks of our daily lives in the here and now. How great is the power of God to sustain us, to keep us, he has so many chariots to fight our battles. But he also clothes us in his armor, to we also might take our stand against the schemes of the evil one. However, if our stand weakens the least bit, God is there. Daily, bearing our burdens. We should be able to withstand the schemes of the evil one, because of God’s armor upon us, but if we stubble the least bit, God is there to hold us up, to bear our burden. We do not have to bear the burden alone. We do not have to face life alone. We do not have to try to remain steadfast alone. We do not have to be a perfect warrior against the forces of evil, for God will bear our burden. He will also bear our burden of sin. Let’s face it, sin is a burden, it weights us down, the evil one who have us feel the guilt and shame of failing God, of not being perfect, of not being able to be free of sin, in word, thought or deed. But God bears that burden for us, on a daily basis. He freed us from that guilt and shame, he dismantles the schemes of the evil one and protects us with his armor. He is the Lord God who saves us. It is from God and God alone that we escape death. It is through faith we are saved, not by works least anyone of us would boast as to how well we did. Can we even image we could be so perfect that our perfection is what saved us from death. It seems ludicrous to think anything we ever did, no matter how good the works are, that they would be the reason we escape death, that they would be the reason we were saved. It is by faith alone in the Almighty God through his Son, Jesus Christ, that we are saved. God bears our burdens, he saves us from everything. Through our faith in Jesus Christ, who is the armor of God, whom we are clothed in, we escape death.