Psalms 68:1

Psa. 68. The bringing up of the ark of God out of the house of Obed-edom, the Gittite, into the city of David, on the top of mount Zion, on which occasion this psalm was penned, was the most remarkable type of the ascension of Christ that we have in the Old Testament. then Christ rode upon the heavens by his name JAH. Before, his divinity was veiled; he appeared as a mere man, and as a worm and no man; he had as it were laid aside his glory as a divine person, emptied himself of the name and form of God; but now he appears in his ascension as God, in the glory of his divinity, in the name and glory of the great JAH or JEHOVAH. Psalms 68:4. "Then he rode upon the heaven of heavens, which were of old." Verse 33. As the apostle says, he ascended up far above all heavens. As the inhabitants of the land of Canaan were gathered together to attend the ark in this its ascension into mount Zion; 2 Samuel 6:15; 1 Chronicles 15:3; 1 Chronicles 15:25; 1 Chronicles 15:28; 2 Samuel 6:19; 1 Chronicles 16:2, so without doubt the inhabitants of the heavenly Canaan were gathered together on occasion of Christ's ascension to attend him into heaven. For he ascended into heaven in like manner as he shall descend at the last day, Acts 1:11, with like glory and magnificence, and with a like attendance. He shall come at the last day in the glory of his Father. So he, without doubt, ascended in that glory after his human nature was transformed as it was, as it passed out of our atmosphere. That Christ entered heaven with divine glory, is manifest by Psalms 24:7-10, "Lift up your heads, O ye gates, that the King of glory may come in," etc. Christ will descend at the last day with the clouds of heaven, and so he ascended into heaven. (Acts 1:9 and Daniel 7:13 with Notes.) Christ will descend to judgment; and so he ascended to judge and confirm the angels, to give repentance unto Israel, and remission of sin, and by his knowledge to justify many, and to judge the prince of this world, and to execute judgment on the wicked; and as he will descend with all the heavenly hosts of both saints and angels, so he ascended. They came forth out of heaven to meet the King of glory as he ascended. As the Roman generals after a signal battle and victory over their enemies abroad, far distant from Rome, when they returned in triumph (which is a great type of Christ's ascension), had multitudes to attend them, so had Christ in his ascension into heaven. See in how many respects the Roman triumphs were like Christ's ascension, Mastricht, p. 597. vol. 2. See also the description of a Roman triumph, Chambers's Dictionary. As Christ's descent will be attended with the general resurrection, so was his ascension with the risen bodies of many of the saints, and was followed with a great spiritual resurrection of the world.

As the ark in its ascension into mount Zion, was attended with the princes of the people; Psalms 68:27; Psalms 47:9, and with the captains of their hosts, 1 Chronicles 15:25, and with the ministers of the sanctuary, 1 Chronicles 15:4, etc. so Christ, in his ascension, was attended with the angels, who are called the principalities and powers of heaven, and are the mighty champions in God's armies, and the ministers of the heavenly sanctuary, as they are represented in Revelations. Shall a departing soul of a saint ascend to heaven with a convoy of angels, being carried by angels into Abraham's bosom? and shall not the King of saints and angels in his ascension into heaven, be attended with myriads of angels? That Christ was attended with multitudes of angels in his ascension into heaven, is manifest by Psalms 68:17-18, "The chariots of God are twenty thousand, even thousands of angels; the Lord is among them, as in Sinai the holy place. Thou hast ascended on high; thou hast led captivity captive: thou hast received gifts for men; yea, for the rebellious also, that the Lord God might dwell among them." These are the chariots in which Christ ascended, as Elijah, in his ascension into heaven, did not ascend without chariots and horses of fire to convoy him. These were a symbol of the convoy of angels by which he was conducted into heaven; as those chariots and horses of fire were that defended the city where Elijah was from the Syrians, as appears by 2 Kings 6:16; 2 Kings 6:17. Those in Christ's triumphant entrance into heaven answer to the triumphant chariot in which the victor entered the city of Rome, and also was attended with the princes, and rulers, and captains of the people, and ministers of his sanctuary, as he was attended with the patriarchs, and prophets, and holy princes, and martyrs, more eminent first of the Old Testament, as that church which was in being before Christ's ascension, and with many of them with their prison bodies.

Though many of the angels attended Christ from the top of mount Olivet, yet it appears to me probable that the place where he was met by the whole multitude of the heavenly hosts, saints and angels, was in the upper parts of the earth's atmosphere, beyond the region of the clouds, at the place where it is said a cloud received Christ out of the sight of the disciples, as they stood beholding him as he went up, and that that cloud that received him was a symbol of that glorious host of saints and angels: a heavenly multitude is called a cloud. See Hebrews 12:1 with Notes. A host of angels seems to be here represented by that cloud of glory in which God appeared in mount Sinai, spoken of here in Psalms 68:17, where the psalmist speaks of the thousands of angels that convoy Christ to heaven, it is added, "The Lord is among them, as in Sinai, his holy place." (See the places there cited in the margin.) When Christ passed out of sight of earthly inhabitants, then he joined the heavenly inhabitants, then he joined the heavenly inhabitants. The atmosphere belongs to the earthly world: so far Satan's power extends, who is god of this earthly world, and prince of the power of the air. When Christ had gotten out of this world, then heaven met him and received him, and it is probable that Christ's human nature there had its transformation into its glorious state; it was not transformed at his first resurrection, for he appeared as he used, and conversed, and ate, and drank with his disciples; nor was it transformed at his first ascent from the surface of the earth, for the disciples beheld him, and knew him as he went up, because he appeared as he used to do, but the disciples beheld him so long until he was transformed, for so long they might behold him; but when he was transformed into his heavenly glory, it was not meet that they should behold him any longer while in this mortal state, for this state is not the state appointed for us to behold Christ in his glory; nor indeed could they see him so and live; and therefore when he was transformed, a cloud hid him from them. As long as Christ was within the limits of this earthly world, it was meet that he should remain in his earthly state; but when he passed out of this world and met heaven, it was meet that he should be transformed into his heavenly state; an earthly body might subsist as far as the region of the clouds, but it could not subsist farther. Christ ascended from thence to heaven in his glorified state with all his holy angels; and at the last day he will descend from heaven in the same glorified state, with all the holy angels, and no farther; for there the saints on earth shall meet him, being caught up in the clouds, or to the region of the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air; and from thence shall Christ be seen in his glory by all that shall remain on this earth. When Christ came to meet the heavenly hosts in their glory, and to be in the midst of them, it was not meet that he should remain any longer in his earthly state, for flesh and blood shall not inherit the kingdom of God; so far Christ ascended slowly and gradually, as earthly bodies are wont to move, so that the disciples could see him as he went up, but from thence, without doubt, he mounted with inconceivable swiftness, answerable to the activity of a heavenly glorious body.

As they attended the ark in its ascension with great joy and with shouts, and the sound of the trumpet, and all kinds of music, singing God's praises, 2 Samuel 6:15; Chronicles 15, with the context in that and the following Chapter s; this represents the glorious joy and praise with which the heavenly hosts attended Christ in his ascension. Psalms 47:5, "God is gone up with a shout, the Lord with the sound of a trumpet:" Psalms 47:5, the very same as is said concerning the ascension of the ark in 2 Samuel 6:15. That was an exceeding joyful day in Israel; it is said they brought up the ark with joy. Chronicles 15. 2 Samuel 6:12, "David danced before the Lord with all his might." So Christ's ascension is represented as an exceeding joyful occasion. Psalms 47:6, etc. "On that occasion sing praises to God, sing praises, sing praises to our King, sing praises," etc. And in Psalms 68:3, "Let the righteous be glad; let them rejoice before the Lord; yea, let them exceedingly rejoice;" and verse 25, "The singers went before, and the players on instruments followed after, among them were the damsels playing with timbrels."

When the ark was ascended and placed on the throne of God's mercy-seat, David dealt among all the people, even among the whole multitude of Israel, as well to the women as men, to everyone a cake of bread, and a good piece of flesh, and a flagon of wine, 2 Samuel 6:19 and 1 Chronicles 16:3. So speaking of Christ in this psalm, verse 18, the psalmist says, "Thou has ascended on high, thou hast led captivity captive, and received gifts for men, yea, for the rebellious also."

David brought the ark into the tabernacle in Zion with sacrifices offered to God, and when he had offered the sacrifices, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord, and gave men gifts, 1 Chronicles 16:1-3, and 2 Samuel 6:17; 2 Samuel 6:18; 2 Samuel 6:19. So Christ, when he ascended, entered into heaven with his own blood, the blood of that sacrifice that he had offered, and so obtained the blessing for men which he then gave to them, by sending down the Holy Spirit upon them.

David, when the ark was ascended, returned to bless his household; so Christ, when he was ascended, returned by his Spirit to bless his church, which is the household of God, and is Christ's house, as the apostle calls it in Hebrews 3.

When David thus returned to bless his household, Michal, that had been his wife before, despised him, because he troubled himself so much, and made himself so vile, and therefore was Michal rejected; but of the maid-servants whom Michal contemned, was he had in honor; so the Jewish church that had been Christ's church before his ascension, yet because Christ humbled himself so much, and made himself so vile, they despised and rejected him, and called him king of the Jews in contempt, as Michal calls David king of Israel in contempt. Therefore, when Christ returned by his Spirit to bless his household after his ascension, the church of the Jews was rejected and became barren; but the Gentile nations, whom the Jewish church used to contemn as poor slaves, while they called themselves the children of God and free, of them was Christ had in honor. Michal was Saul's daughter, David's persecutor, that was at the head of affairs in Israel before David; but David tells Michal that God chose him before her father; so the priests, and elders, and scribes were the father of the Jewish church, were at the head of affairs in God's church before Christ, and were Christ's persecutors, but God chose him before them.

The glorious attendants and consequents of Christ's ascension are in a very lively manner represented in this psalm, and other divine songs, that seem to be penned on occasion of the removing the ark, as particularly Christ's glorious victory over his enemies, Psalms 68:1; Psalms 68:2; Psalms 68:18. The destruction of Satan's kingdom and his church's enemies that followed, verse Psalms 68:12; Psalms 68:14; Psalms 68:16; Psalms 68:23-30. A terrible manifestation of wrath against obstinate sinners, Psalms 68:6; Psalms 68:21. The publishing the gospel in the world, verse Psalms 68:11; Psalms 68:33. A remarkable pouring out of the Spirit, verse Psalms 68:9. A great increase of the privileges of the church, and a more abundant measure of spiritual blessings, Psalms 68:3; Psalms 68:10; Psalms 68:13; Psalms 68:18; Psalms 68:19; Psalms 68:24; Psalms 68:28; Psalms 68:34; Psalms 68:35. The calling of the Gentiles, verse 6, 29, 31, 32. A glorious salvation from slavery and misery to those who are sinners and enslaved, Psalms 68:6; Psalms 68:13; Psalms 68:20; Psalms 68:22.

The like might be observed of other songs penned on this occasion, as Psa. 47, and that which is given us in 1 Chr. 16.

Psa. 68:8-9