Arise, O Lord!

Psalm 68:1-3; 7-10
 Let God arise,
let His enemies be scattered;
Let those also who hate Him flee before Him.
As smoke is driven away, so drive them away;
As wax melts before the fire,
So let the wicked perish at the presence of God.
But let the righteous be glad;
Let them rejoice before God;
Yes, let them rejoice exceedingly...

O God, when You went out before Your people,
When You marched through the wilderness, the earth shook;
The heavens also dropped rain at the presence of God, the God of Israel.
You, O God, sent a plentiful rain.
Whereby You confirmed Your inheritance,
When it was weary.
Your congregation dwelt in it;
You, O God, provided from Your goodness for the poor..."

Commentary notes,"Let them also that hate him flee before him - Almost the exact language used by Moses in Numbers 10:35. It is possible that this may have been used on some occasion when the Hebrews were going out to war; but the more probable supposition is that it is general language designed to illustrate the power of God, or to state that his rising up, at any time, would be followed by the discomfiture of his enemies. The placing of the ark where it was designed to remain permanently would be a proper occasion for suggesting this general truth, that all the enemies of God must be scattered when he rose up in his majesty and power. " [1]

Numbers 10:35-36 says,
So it was, whenever the ark set out, that Moses said:

'Rise up, O Lord!
Let Your enemies be scattered,
And let those who hate You flee before You.'

And when it rested, he said:

'Return, O Lord,
To the many thousands of Israel.”       

“Gird your sword upon Your side, Mighty One Arise!... Arise Oh God” Sings

Arise, Strongs #6965, the Hebrew word qum means to rise, arise, stand, rise up, stand up; it also can mean to become powerful, maintain oneself, be established and/or carry out.[2]  When someone 'arises' it has to do with action.   

Commentary mentions, "The ark was the symbol of the divine presence, and the idea is, that wherever that was, the enemies of God would be subdued, or that it was only by the power of Him who was supposed to reside there that his enemies could be overcome." [3]

When the Lord arose, he brought His Presence as symbolized by the Ark of the Covenant.   His presence brought freedom, joy, provision, transformation, direction, salvation as well as judgment to their enemies.

Psalm 132:8-10; 13-18 says,

“Arise, O Lord, to Your resting place,

You and the ark of Your strength.

Let Your priests be clothed with righteousness,

And let Your saints shout for joy.

For Your servant David's sake,

Do not turn away the face of Your Anointed...

For the Lord has chosen Zion;

He has desired it for His dwelling place:

'This is My resting place forever;

Here I will dwell, for I have desired it.

I will abundantly bless her provision;

I will satisfy her poor with bread.

I will also clothe her priests with salvation,

And her saints shall shout aloud for joy.

There I will make the horn of David grow;

I will prepare a lamp for My Anointed.

His enemies I will clothe with shame,

But upon Himself His crown shall flourish.”[a]

 “Let God arise, Let God arise, Our God reigns now and forever” sings.

David cried out and called on the Lord to arise when he felt surrounded by his enemies.  

In Psalm 3 he proclaims,

"Lord, how they have increased who trouble me!
Many are they who rise up against me.
Many are they who say of me, 'There is no help for him in God.'

But You, O Lord, are a shield for me,
My glory and the One who lifts up my head. 
I cried to the Lord with my voice,
And He heard me from His holy hill.

I lay down and slept;
I awoke, for the Lord sustained me.
I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people
who have set themselves against me all around.

Arise, O Lord;
Save me, O my God!
For You have struck all my enemies on the cheekbone;
You have broken the teeth of the ungodly.
Salvation belongs to the Lord.
Your blessing is upon Your people."

When God arose to save David because he cried out to him. He rose up in His wrath to save David from His enemies. David says in 2 Samuel 22:8-16,

"Then the earth shook and trembled:
The foundations of heaven quaked and were shaken,
Because He was angry.
Smoke went up from His nostrils,
And devouring fire from His mouth;
Coals were kindled by it.
He bowed the heavens also, and came down with darkness under His feet.

He rose upon a cherub, and flew;
And He was seen upon the wings of the wind.
He made darkness canopies around Him,
Dark waters and thick clouds of the skies.
From the brightness before Him coals of fire were kindled.

'The LORD thundered from heaven,
And the Most High uttered His voice.
He sent out arrows and scattered them;

Lightening bolts, and He vanquished them.
Then the channels of the sea were seen,
The foundations of the world were uncovered,
At the rebuke of the Lord,
At the blast of the breath of His nostrils. "

Like a mother or father who sees their child in trouble and comes to their rescue, He arose in wrath against the enemy to protect and defend them.   

Psalm 7:6 says, “Arise, O Lord, in Your anger; lift Yourself up because of the rage of my enemies, and awake for me to the judgment You have commanded.”

The Lord hears the cries of the poor and needy and arises to help them.   He  arises in mercy to defend and protect those in need.

Psalm 12:5-8 says,
Because the poor are plundered and the needy groan,
    I will now arise,” says the Lord.
    “I will protect them from those who malign them.”
And the words of the Lord are flawless,
    like silver purified in a crucible,
    like gold refined seven times.

You, Lord, will keep the needy safe
    and will protect us forever from the wicked,
who freely strut about
    when what is vile is honored by the human race. 

Psalm 10:12 says, “Arise, O Lord! Lift up Your hand.' Do not forget the afflicted.”

He also arises out of covenant.  In the time of the Israelites in the Bible, when two parties were in covenant and one was being attacked, the other would come to their rescue.  As part of a covenant, the party with the strength and power would fight on behalf of the weaker party. 

Psalm 17:13 David says, “ Arise, O Lord, confront him, cast him down; deliver my life from the wicked with Your sword.”

The Lord arose because Israel was in covenant with God and He heard their cry or was petitioned for help. The Israelites called God to arise out of their covenant with Him and He saved them from their enemies.

When David was surrounded by evil and there was darkness in all the nations around him, he called on God to arise. In Psalm 19:15-20 he proclaims,

“The nations have fallen into the pit they have dug;
    their feet are caught in the net they have hidden.
The Lord is known by his acts of justice;
    the wicked are ensnared by the work of their hands.

The wicked go down to the realm of the dead,
    all the nations that forget God.
But God will never forget the needy;
    the hope of the afflicted will never perish.

Arise, Lord, do not let mortals triumph;
    let the nations be judged in your presence.
Strike them with terror, Lord;
    let the nations know they are only mortal.”

Being a king himself, he understood making a plea for justice to the King. A good king listens and responds in mercy.   

David proclaims in Psalm 9:3-10,

“My enemies turn back;
    they stumble and perish before you.
For you have upheld my right and my cause,
    sitting enthroned as the righteous judge.
You have rebuked the nations and destroyed the wicked;
    you have blotted out their name for ever and ever.
Endless ruin has overtaken my enemies,
    you have uprooted their cities;
    even the memory of them has perished.
The Lord reigns forever;
    he has established his throne for judgment.
He rules the world in righteousness
    and judges the peoples with equity.
The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed,
    a stronghold in times of trouble.
Those who know your name trust in you,
    for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you.”

Isaiah prophesies that in the end times during the tribulation where all looks dark and ones enemies seem to be closing in, God will hear the plea's of His people and arise. He proclaims in Isaiah 60:1-3, 18-22,

“Arise, shine, for your light has come,
    and the glory of the Lord rises upon you.
See, darkness covers the earth
    and thick darkness is over the peoples,
but the Lord rises upon you
    and his glory appears over you…

No longer will violence be heard in your land,
    nor ruin or destruction within your borders,
but you will call your walls Salvation
    and your gates Praise.
The sun will no more be your light by day,
    nor will the brightness of the moon shine on you,
for the Lord will be your everlasting light,
    and your God will be your glory.
Your sun will never set again,
    and your moon will wane no more;
the Lord will be your everlasting light,
    and your days of sorrow will end.

Then all your people will be righteous
    and they will possess the land forever.
They are the shoot I have planted,
    the work of my hands,
    for the display of my splendor.
 The least of you will become a thousand,
    the smallest a mighty nation.
I am the Lord;
    in its time I will do this swiftly.”

“Our God is a God who saves.... He reigns now and forever.”

Lord, we love you and long to see the fullness of your deliverance from enemies. Arise, O Lord! 

a. When the presence of God filled the temple with glory and Solomon prayed to dedicate the temple to God, he quoted David and said in 2 Chronicles 6:41-42,

 'Now therefore,
Arise, O Lord God, to Your resting place,
You and the ark of Your strength.
Let Your priests, O Lord God, be clothed with salvation.
And let Your saints rejoice in goodness.
O Lord God, do not turn away the face of Your Anointed;
Remember the mercies of Your servant David.”

1,3.  Barnes' Notes on the Bible.   Located at: http://bible.cc/psalms/68-1.htm.   Last Accessed: 2/4/13

23. Thomas Nelson Publishers: Nelson's Concordance of Bible Phrases. Nashville : T. Nelson Publishers, 1992, S. 32