Verse of the Day 8-16-22

Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior,
who daily bears our burdens.
Our God is a God who saves;
from the Sovereign LORD comes escape from death.
Surely God will crush the heads of his enemies,
the hairy crowns of those who go on in their sins.
The Lord says, “I will bring them from Bashan;
I will bring them from the depths of the sea,
that your feet may wade in the blood of your foes,
while the tongues of your dogs have their share.” Psalm 68:19-23

God carries his people’s burdens, helping his people escape death. The many names for God in verses 19-20 emphasize his power to save. God saves his people by judging their enemies, graphic images of judgement ensue. Those who rebel against God’s good design are allies of the serpent and will have their heads crushed (v. 21; c.f. Genesis 3:15). Like an ancient king, God will lead a train of captives from both east and west, displaying his widespread victory (Psalm 68:22). We may recoil at the bloody imagery used in verse 23, but the kind of evil being vanquished is comparable to that perpetrated by Ahab and Jezebel, who after their tyrannical reign came to an end dogs licked up their blood (1 Kings 21:17-19; 22:34-38 and 2 Kings 9:30-37).

Today’s Bible Readings:

Nehemiah 11:1-12:26, 1 Corinthians 10:14-33, Psalm 34:11-22 and Proverbs 21:14-16