100. Captivity is Made Captive

The Psalms continue on in the same vein: all of mankind is guilty; some are blatantly evil and on those Jehovah will execute judgement. The upright in heart will be protected by God and they will wash their feet in the blood of the guilty: so that your foot may be dipped in the blood of your enemies. 68:23.  This is not at all a pleasant picture, however, I suppose, we must not over analyse that scene.  Not everything in the Bible means what it says.

Speaking of taking the Bible literally and referencing that to UFO's notice:

Psalm 68

Sing to God, ... praise Him who rides on the heavens. 

To Him who rides on the heavens of heavens of old. Psalm 68:4+33.

The chariots of God are myriads, thousands of thousands. Psalm 68:17

God has gone up with a shout, Jehovah with the sound of a trumpet. Psalm 47:5

It is phrases of this nature, and whole stories, throughout the Bible, that produced the name "Spaceship Theology" for this blog.  Time, and again, in the Bible, we see word pictures of Jehovah riding a spacecraft.  

The problem is that, because of our learning, we have trouble believing that the Bible means what it says.  Of course, there are statements, in the Bible, that conflict with this theory, but we need to remember that many of the poetic segments in the Bible are emotional prayers and openly expressed feelings; feelings of awe, immensity and infinitude that obscure the stated facts in the Bible.

You have gone up on high; You have led captivity captive. Psalms 68:18.  This line, in agreement with the Apostle Paul, (see Eph. 4:8), is usually referred to Christ, when, after he had led captivity captive by His death and resurrection, He ascended to heaven.

Other commentaries say it refers to the time when the ark of the covenant was brought home to Israel. 

Some have presented the following, alternate idea. There was war in Heaven. Michael and his angels warring against the dragon. Rev.12:7.  For you (the dragon, Satan) have said in your heart, I will go up to the heavens, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north. I will go up above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the Most High. Isaiah 14:12.

And the dragon and his angels warred but did not prevail. Nor was place found for them in Heaven any more. And the great dragon was cast out, the old serpent called Devil, and Satan, who deceives the whole world. He was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. Rev.12:7-9. 

After Jehovah wins the battle against Satan, this verse, Psalm 68:18 fits in: You have gone up on high; You have led captivity captive. For more about this whole intriguing topic may I suggest, http://ikefehr1939.blogspot.com/2013/01/the-war-in-heaven.html

The mountain of Bashan is God's mountain; the Bashan range is a mountain of peaks. Psalm 68:15.  an hill of eminences"; it had several tops, or little hills that rose up from it. Gill's commentary.

Psalm 22 warned us that Bashan was a place of danger: Many bulls have circled around Me; strong bulls Of Bashan have surrounded Me. Psalm 22:12.  By way of contrast Psalm 68:15 tells us that The mountain of Bashan is God's mountain; the Bashan range is a mountain of peaks.  In a spiritual sense, this is where we may go and find quietude and refreshment, far from the noise of this world's entertainment.

Psalm 72

The prelude to this psalm is A Psalm of Solomon, but it ends like this, The prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended. Psalm 72:20.  This statement is found just about in the middle of the Psalter: this merely shows that the psalms are not arranged in the order in which they were written; neither are the songs in the Church's hymn books.

Psalm 78

For He set up a testimony in Jacob, and ordered a Law in Israel, which He commanded our fathers, that they should teach them to their sons so that the generation to come might know; sons shall be born, and they shall arise and tell their sons, so that they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep His Commandments; and might not be like their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation. Psalm 78:5.

From here on the writer gives a brief outline of the history of Israel from the beginning of the conquest of Canaan to the rulership of king David.