24 They have seen Your [w]procession, O God,
The [x]procession of my God, my King, [y]into the sanctuary.
25 The singers went on, the musicians after them,
[z]In the midst of the maidens beating tambourines.
26 Bless God in the congregations,
Even the Lord, you who are of the fountain of Israel.
27 There is Benjamin, the [aa]youngest, [ab]ruling them,
The princes of Judah in their throng,
The princes of Zebulun, the princes of Naphtali.28 [ac]Your God has commanded your strength;
Show Yourself strong, O God, who have acted [ad]on our behalf.
29 [ae]Because of Your temple at Jerusalem
Kings will bring gifts to You.
30 Rebuke the beasts [af]in the reeds,
The herd of bulls with the calves of the peoples,
Trampling under foot the pieces of silver;
He has scattered the peoples who delight in war.
31 Envoys will come out of Egypt;
[ag]Ethiopia will quickly stretch out her hands to God.32 Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth,
Sing praises to the Lord, Selah.
33 To Him who rides upon the [ah]highest heavens, which are from ancient times;
Behold, He [ai]speaks forth with His voice, a mighty voice.
34 Ascribe strength to God;
His majesty is over Israel
And His strength is in the [aj]skies.
35 [ak]O God, You are awesome from Your [al]sanctuary.
The God of Israel Himself gives strength and power to the people.
Blessed be God!
The last part of this psalm reads like a victory celebration. We have musicians and maidens “beating” tambourines, with a whole parade going on to celebrate what God has done. Don’t miss that last part, because it’s the most important bit. There’s no celebrating what the soldiers did, or what a great leader David was in the battle.
Time and time again, we see Israel slide away from God, but why? Because God would deliver them from their enemies, and then they a new generation would rise up who didn’t understand who did the delivering, and they forgot God and thought they could do it all in their own strength. I know, it’s a run-on sentence, but it was a never ending cycle with Israel, and it can be a cycle in our own lives too.
So when the psalmist saw the strength and power of his nation, he rightly gives credit to God. That’s where their strength came from, that’s why they had overcome their enemies and put flight to the war-mongers on their border. When they relied on God, and remembered to see His plan in every fight, they found victory.
It’s easy to get going with our busy schedules and forget God. Whether you run your own business, or are part of a larger team, or your job is “simply” managing a home with children and chores and things that aren’t so simple, we need God to help us “win” whatever battle is in front of us today.
Don’t dive in before you ask God to guide you. Ask him “What’s next? What do you have for me to do today?” With your focus on Him, step into your day and let him walk with you all the way. Don’t depend on your own strength, it isn’t enough. But He is more than enough, today, and every day!