Praise be to the Lord
Psalms 68:19 - A verse highlighting God’s active involvement in our lives as He helps us through challenges, offering His strength and grace.
The Ark of the Covenant enters Jerusalem. Image generated by ChatGPT (OpenAI) using the DALL·E model.
“Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens.”
Psalms 68:19 NIV
I’m glad to be studying another psalm today; the Lord knows I can use His wisdom if only I can understand it. Be sure to visit our collection of devotionals written about the Book of Psalms — it’s a wonderful place to receive inspiration and wisdom!
This is one of the psalms of David, and it is believed that it was written when the Ark of the Covenant was being brought into Jerusalem (2 Samuel 6 - depicted by AI in the image at the top of this devotional). It’s not only a psalm of celebration around the momentous occasion, but also thanking God for His faithfulness in giving Israel victory over its enemies so that Jerusalem would be secure enough to receive the Ark.
The commentaries on this psalm are rather interesting in that it has a very difficult composition. In his commentary on Psalm 68, David Guzik of Enduring Word noted that 18th Century Anglican bishop George Horne referred to the psalm as “…beautiful, sublime, and comprehensive, but very difficult…”. Irish biblical scholar Adam Clarke wrote that “I know not how to undertake a comment on this psalm; it is the most difficult in the whole Psalter.” In that case, it’s good we’re only looking at one verse today!
Part of the difficulty of the psalm and this specific verse has to do with how it is translated from the original Hebrew. In the NIV translation we’re using, David sings praises to “the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burden.” The NKJV translates the Hebrew as “Blessed be the Lord,Who daily loads us with benefits, The God of our salvation!”
There’s quite a bit of difference there! “Bearing our burden” can mean a variety of things, from God’s provision and protection, to the peace that we get from putting our full faith in Jesus Christ. “Loading us with benefits” appears to put the emphasis on provision. In either case, the verse is giving thanks and praise for God’s salvation, and highlights God’s active involvement in our lives as He helps us through challenges and offers both strength and grace.
The ancient Hebrew word used for load or burden that causes all of the confusion in translation is עָמַס (ʿāmas). It can also mean to “lay on a load”, as in providing us with a pile of God-given benefits. Adam Clarke (in another of his commentaries) thought that the Hebrew phrase could also refer to God as “our prop day by day”, with the meaning of God supporting us from every direction, propping us up, bearing our weight, and making sure that we don’t fall or collapse.
David offers a perfect short prayer in this psalm, first by thanking and praising God, next by acknowledging Him the Savior of His chosen people, and finally through his recognition that God never fails — every day He props us up!
Heaven On Wheels Daily Prayer:
Father in Heaven, I praise You as my Lord and Savior. Thank You for carrying my burdens each day, providing for my needs, and being my protection in an evil world. I especially thank You for saving me from death, which no longer has power over me since I know I will rise from death as Jesus did. I ask for You to continue to hold me up each day as I learn to walk in Your ways and tell others of Your glory, grace, power, and love. AMEN.