Psalm 68:11

Psalm 68:11

A mighty throng of women!

At first reading, this verse, and those that immediately follow it, seems rather bizarre. What are the women doing here and who are this mighty throng? We are going back to an era when only the men became soldiers and went out to fight. Women were not expected, or trained, to take up arms, they remained at home with their children and awaited news of the battle. Israel had many Canaanite foes to overcome on their journey from Sinai to the Promised Land, and they were constantly engaged with hostile forces. The Land they had been promised was surrounded by well-armed and obstinate nations who were prepared to go to any lengths to stop the progress of this rabble of Hebrew slaves! So, whenever, and wherever the people moved, they had to be prepared for battle and all of the eligible menfolk were expected to join the army.

What is special about this verse is that those patient wives and mothers who waited for news of military success received the confirmation of it first, from the Lord! “The Lord announces the word.” News travelled fast and the camp was soon alive with the cheers and shouts of the victorious throng as they proclaimed the good news! What joyful moments these must have been.

I wonder where the men are in today’s church, who are up for the fight? Armed and ready for war, willing to lay down their lives for their families? Where are the men who have a clue about the spiritual war that we are engaged in? Where are they? The women are waiting to proclaim the good news of God’s victory but most of their men are too distracted or too weak to go out and fight. No wonder the church is in decline in so many places. 

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