Some thoughts on Psalm 68:18 & Ephesians 4:8
You ascended on high, leading a host of captives in your train and receiving gifts among men, even among the rebellious, that the Lord God may dwell there.
Therefore it says, “When he ascended on high he led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men.”
Observations from these 2 passages:
1) Christ ascended on high.
Christ is THE SOVEREIGN KING & LORD. He completes His work and ascends to His Throne at The Right Hand of The Father.
2) He led a host of captives.
Who are the captives?
-former enemies of God made into children of God; Christians see Luke 4:18
Where didHe lead them?
Into the dwelling place of God; the covenant body of Christ where righteousness dwells.
3) He gave gifts to men.
Ephesians 4speaks of God gave…to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ which was completed by 70A.D. The covenant body of Christ is the dwelling place of God NOW.
Eph 4:11 And he GAVE the apostles, the prophets,the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, 12 TO EQUIP the saints for the work of ministry,for building up THE BODY OF CHRIST,
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to THE CAPTIVES and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed,
But now we are released from the law, having died to that which HELD US CAPTIVE, so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the written code.
Now before faith came, we were HELD CAPTIVE under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed.
PSALM 68 (ESV)
To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. A Song.
68 God shall arise, hisenemies shall be scattered; and those who hate him shall flee before him!
2 As smoke is driven away, so you shall drive themaway; as wax melts before fire, so the wicked shall perish beforeGod!
3 But the righteous shall be glad; they shallexult before God; they shall be jubilant with joy!
2 As smoke is driven away, so you shall drive themaway; as wax melts before fire, so the wicked shall perish beforeGod!
3 But the righteous shall be glad; they shallexult before God; they shall be jubilant with joy!
4 Sing to God, singpraises to his name; lift up a song to him who rides through thedeserts;
his name is the Lord; exultbefore him!
5 Father of the fatherless and protector ofwidows is God in his holy habitation.
6 God settles the solitary in ahome; he leads out the prisoners to prosperity, but therebellious dwell in a parched land.
his name is the Lord; exultbefore him!
5 Father of the fatherless and protector ofwidows is God in his holy habitation.
6 God settles the solitary in ahome; he leads out the prisoners to prosperity, but therebellious dwell in a parched land.
7 O God, whenyou went out before your people, when you marched through thewilderness, Selah
8 the earth quaked, the heavens poured downrain, before God, the One of Sinai, before God, the God of Israel.
9 Rain in abundance, O God, you shed abroad; yourestored your inheritance as it languished;
10 your flock found a dwelling in it; in yourgoodness, O God, you provided for the needy.
8 the earth quaked, the heavens poured downrain, before God, the One of Sinai, before God, the God of Israel.
9 Rain in abundance, O God, you shed abroad; yourestored your inheritance as it languished;
10 your flock found a dwelling in it; in yourgoodness, O God, you provided for the needy.
11 The Lord gives theword; the women who announce the news are a great host:
12 “The kings of the armies—theyflee, they flee!” The women athome divide the spoil—
13 though you men lieamong the sheepfolds— the wings of a dove covered with silver, its pinionswith shimmering gold.
14 When the Almighty scatters kings there, let snow fallon Zalmon.
12 “The kings of the armies—theyflee, they flee!” The women athome divide the spoil—
13 though you men lieamong the sheepfolds— the wings of a dove covered with silver, its pinionswith shimmering gold.
14 When the Almighty scatters kings there, let snow fallon Zalmon.
15 O mountain of God,mountain of Bashan; O many-peaked mountain, mountain of Bashan!
16 Why do you look with hatred, O many-peaked mountain,at the mount that God desired for his abode, yes, where the Lord will dwell forever?
17 The chariots of God are twice tenthousand, thousands upon thousands; the Lord is among them; Sinai is nowin the sanctuary.
18 YOU ASCENDED ON HIGH, LEADING A HOST OF CAPTIVES IN YOURTRAIN AND RECEIVING GIFTS AMONG MEN,
EVEN AMONG THE REBELLIOUS, THAT THE LORD GOD MAY DWELL THERE.
16 Why do you look with hatred, O many-peaked mountain,at the mount that God desired for his abode, yes, where the Lord will dwell forever?
17 The chariots of God are twice tenthousand, thousands upon thousands; the Lord is among them; Sinai is nowin the sanctuary.
18 YOU ASCENDED ON HIGH, LEADING A HOST OF CAPTIVES IN YOURTRAIN AND RECEIVING GIFTS AMONG MEN,
EVEN AMONG THE REBELLIOUS, THAT THE LORD GOD MAY DWELL THERE.
19 Blessed be the Lord, whodaily bears us up; God is our salvation. Selah
20 Our God is a God of salvation, and to God, the Lord, belong deliverances fromdeath.
21 But God will strike the heads of his enemies, thehairy crown of him who walks in his guilty ways.
22 The Lord said, “I will bring them back fromBashan, I will bring them back from the depths of the sea,
23 that you may strike your feet in their blood, that the tongues of your dogs may have their portion from the foe.”
20 Our God is a God of salvation, and to God, the Lord, belong deliverances fromdeath.
21 But God will strike the heads of his enemies, thehairy crown of him who walks in his guilty ways.
22 The Lord said, “I will bring them back fromBashan, I will bring them back from the depths of the sea,
23 that you may strike your feet in their blood, that the tongues of your dogs may have their portion from the foe.”
24 Your processionis seen, O God, the procession of my God, my King, into the sanctuary—
25 the singers in front, the musicianslast, between them virgins playing tambourines:
26 “Bless God in the great congregation, the Lord, O you who areof Israel's fountain!”
27 There is Benjamin, the least of them, in thelead, the princes of Judah in their throng, the princes of Zebulun, theprinces of Naphtali.
25 the singers in front, the musicianslast, between them virgins playing tambourines:
26 “Bless God in the great congregation, the Lord, O you who areof Israel's fountain!”
27 There is Benjamin, the least of them, in thelead, the princes of Judah in their throng, the princes of Zebulun, theprinces of Naphtali.
28 Summon your power, OGod, the power, O God, by which you have worked for us.
29 Because of your temple at Jerusalem kingsshall bear gifts to you.
30 Rebuke the beasts that dwell among the reeds,the herd of bulls with the calves of the peoples.
Trample underfoot those who lust after tribute; scatter the peoples who delightin war.
31 Nobles shall come from Egypt; Cush shall hastento stretch out her hands to God.
29 Because of your temple at Jerusalem kingsshall bear gifts to you.
30 Rebuke the beasts that dwell among the reeds,the herd of bulls with the calves of the peoples.
Trample underfoot those who lust after tribute; scatter the peoples who delightin war.
31 Nobles shall come from Egypt; Cush shall hastento stretch out her hands to God.
32 O kingdoms of the earth,sing to God; sing praises to the Lord, Selah
33 to him who rides in the heavens, theancient heavens; behold, he sends out his voice, his mighty voice.
34 Ascribe power to God, whose majesty is over Israel,and whose power is in the skies.
35 Awesome is God from his sanctuary; the God ofIsrael—he is the one who gives power and strength to his people.
Blessed be God!
33 to him who rides in the heavens, theancient heavens; behold, he sends out his voice, his mighty voice.
34 Ascribe power to God, whose majesty is over Israel,and whose power is in the skies.
35 Awesome is God from his sanctuary; the God ofIsrael—he is the one who gives power and strength to his people.
Blessed be God!
Ephesians4
I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing withone another in love, 3 eager tomaintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God andFather of all, who is overall and through all and in all. 7 But grace wasgiven to each one of us according to the measure of Christ'sgift. 8 THEREFORE IT SAYS,
“WHEN HE ASCENDED ON HIGH HE LED A HOST OF CAPTIVES, AND HE GAVE GIFTS TO MEN.”
9 (In saying,“He ascended,” what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower regions, the earth? 10 He whodescended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.) 11 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the workof ministry,for building up the body of Christ, 13 until we allattain to the unity ofthe faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ,14 so that wemay no longer be children, tossed to andfro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning,by craftiness in deceitfulschemes. 15 Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 16 from whom thewhole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes thebody grow so that it builds itself up in love.
17 Now this Isay and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. 18 They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of theignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. 19 They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy topractice every kind of impurity. 20 But that isnot the way you learnedChrist!—21 assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, 22 to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life andis corrupt through deceitfuldesires, 23 and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, 24 and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in truerighteousness and holiness.
25 Therefore,having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another. 26 Be angry anddo not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, 27 and give no opportunity to the devil. 28 Let the thiefno longer steal, but rather let himlabor, doing honest work with his ownhands, so that he mayhave something to share with anyone in need. 29 Let nocorrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for buildingup, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Let allbitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you,along with all malice. 32 Be kind toone another, tenderhearted, forgiving oneanother, as God in Christ forgave you.
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