Psalm 68 · a question people ask
"You have ascended on high" (68:18). Who is the psalm speaking to?
The psalm speaks to God as you in this part of it: "God, when you went out before your people, when you marched through the wilderness" (68:7), and "You, God, sent a plentiful rain" (68:9). The verse before 68:18 says, "The chariots of God are tens of thousands and thousands of thousands. The Lord is among them, from Sinai, into the sanctuary" (68:17), and 68:18 ends, "that the LORD God might dwell there" (68:18) (tap ascended). Ephesians quotes the verse. Paul (Ephesians 1:1) writes, "When he ascended on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts to people" (Ephesians 4:8), and asks of its words, "Now this, “He ascended”, what is it but that he also first descended into the lower parts of the earth?" (Ephesians 4:9). He answers, "He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things" (Ephesians 4:10), and he writes it of "the gift of Christ" (Ephesians 4:7). These notes say only what the two passages say.
The verses
“God, when you went out before your people, when you marched through the wilderness... Selah.”
“You, God, sent a plentiful rain. You confirmed your inheritance when it was weary.”
“The chariots of God are tens of thousands and thousands of thousands. The Lord is among them, from Sinai, into the sanctuary. You have ascended on high. You have led away captives. You have received gifts among people, yes, among the rebellious also, that the LORD God might dwell there.”
“Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus through the will of God, to the saints who are at Ephesus, and the faithful in Christ Jesus:”