O God, when you went out before your people, when you marched through the wilderness, Selah
David composed this psalm to celebrate victories God granted him over his enemies, most likely after his triumph over the Ammonites and Syrians when the ark returned to Jerusalem. The ark's ascent to the holy mountain prefigures Christ's far more glorious ascension to heaven after He conquered His enemies and ours. Though the psalm rises to great heights of sublimity, its interpretation presents considerable difficulty at many points.
AI summary
Commenting on Psalm 68:1-35
O God, when thou wentest forth before thy people. What a sweetly suitable association, "thou" and "thy people; "—thou before, and thy people following! The Lord went before, and, therefore, whether the Red Sea or burning sand lay in the way, it mattered not; the pillar of cloud and fire always led them by a right way. When thou didst march through the wilderness.
Fresh mercies ought to revive our grateful sense of former ones. God Himself went before Israel through the wilderness as their guide and leader; if He brings His people into a desert, He will march ahead of them and bring them safely out of it.
AI summary
Commenting on Psalm 68:7-14