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God shall arise, His enemies shall be scattered; and those who hate Him shall flee before Him! As smoke is driven away, so You shall drive them away; as wax melts before fire, so the wicked shall perish before God! But the righteous shall be glad; they shall exult before God; they shall be jubilant with joy! (Psalm 68:1-3)
“God shall arise, His enemies shall be scattered.” Many psalms begin with a plea for God’s help or a prayer for patience during difficult times: “How long, O LORD? Will You forget me forever?” (Psalm 13:1a) or “Make haste, O God, to deliver me!” (Psalm 70:1a). This psalm does not start that way. There is no fear or pleading, no wavering or uncertainty. The first verse is a statement of fact: God will rise up and His enemies will be scattered. The psalmist knows that this is true because of God’s mighty acts in the past. God rose up in power and delivered His people from slavery in Egypt and scattered His foes. The psalmist is confident in God’s conquering might. The Lord had risen in power in the past and He would do so again.
“God shall arise, His enemies shall be scattered.” Like the psalmist, we can be certain that God will act in power. Just as the psalmist looked back to God’s power during the Exodus from Egypt, we look back to the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. God acted in conquering might to save us, although His power was concealed in the weakness of the baby born in Bethlehem. Jesus acted in power as He drove out demons, healed the sick, and fed the multitudes. When Jesus was lifted up on the cross, God was acting in power to save us, although that power was again concealed in weakness, suffering, and death. Jesus rose to life, overcoming death and the devil. It had happened before and it happened again. The Lord arose in conquering might, and His enemies were scattered.
“God shall arise, His enemies shall be scattered.” God arises daily in our lives to scatter our enemies. Baptized into Christ, we share His victory over sin, death, and the devil. God arises in might during the Lord’s Supper as we receive Jesus’ body and blood for the forgiveness of our sins. The Lord arises in might as He answers our prayers and scatters the darkness of fear and sorrow. Finally, on the Last Day, our Savior will return in power and glory. We will be raised bodily as Jesus was raised, sharing His victory over death, “the last enemy” (1 Corinthians 15:26a). The devil who deceived us will be thrown into “the lake of fire and sulfur” to be tormented forever (Revelation 20:10b). On that day, God will arise and scatter His enemies and, as the psalmist foretold, we will live forever, jubilant with joy, in our Savior’s presence!
WE PRAY: Arise in power and come, Lord Jesus! Amen.
This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Carol Geisler.
Reflection Questions:
- Does it help you to know that people in the Bible cried out to God for help in their lives?
- What did Jesus do to give us victory over “the last enemy,” death?
- How does God’s victory over sin, death, and the devil give you hope and confidence in your daily life?
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