Psalm 68:5

Psalm 68:5

A father and defender

Let’s remember that this Psalm was written to celebrate the fact that a nomadic nation was on the move. They were marching to Emmanuel’s Land and their God was with them, in fact He marched before them! Some of the marchers were eager-eyed and excited by the prospect, others dragged their feet and pondered over the uncertainty of it all! Amongst that vast multitude of people were orphans and widows and every other kind of woe-begotten soul trudging along and wondering what exactly lay ahead. In those vast crowds were young and old who had lost loved ones because of the rigors of Egypt and the violent attentions of the slave masters. Oh, how they wished that mum and dad or their wife or husband could be with them! How many of those children and widowed women must have worried about who would look after them if they were attacked by hostile forces? However, they must press on and take whatever the journey threw their way. 

What an extraordinary moment of kindness, that in the middle of this song of triumph, such lost and lonely ones are reminded that they have a place too. The Lord God is their Father and he especially defends vulnerable children and widows who have lost their protection. The Lord who dwells in the Ark of the Covenant at the head of the procession, is aware of them and He will watch over them. If they follow Him, they will be safe. And the Lord is still in His heavenly dwelling, and He knows the needs and desires of all of us. How comforting to discover that there is a special place of care in His heart for the fatherless and the widows. He is a God who especially helps those who have none other to look after them. Hallelujah! 

 

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