"O God, thou art terrible out of thy holy places: the God of Israel is He that giveth strength and power unto His people. Blessed be God."
Psalm 68:35
Part 1
Today: God’s Power is To Be Feared
In this psalm of David, he speaks of “God Scattering His Enemies.” Even more critical than these events of destroying His foes are the lessons behind the events that teach us of God’s character and power. What can we learn about our God through our verse for today, David’s conclusion to this wonderful psalm? (It would be a great time to read through Psalm 68 for yourself.)
God is powerful!
“Ascribe ye strength unto God: his excellency is over Israel, and his strength is in the clouds” (Psalm 68:34).
God is to be feared!
“O God, thou art terrible out of thy holy places.” (a)
“Thou art terrible”
This word “terrible” from the Hebrew text is different from how we typically use the word today. Generally, if something or someone is “terrible” we think of this as “extremely bad,” or “distressingly serious,” something “sinister.”[1] In one sense, this Old Testament word does mean that God is “causing or likely to cause terror.” But there is more to it than that. For God to be described as “terrible” is the idea that because of who He is and what He does, He must be feared.
“Thou inspirest awe and fear. Thy saints obey with fear and trembling, and thine enemies flee in dismay”[2] (Spurgeon).
Such a great God deserves our deepest, heartfelt reverence. When Jehovah spoke with Moses as He was calling him to deliver His people, notice Moses’ humble and reverent response to Him.
“Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God” (Exodus 3:6).
How should I respond to being in God’s holy presence? Come tomorrow, and let’s see.
Quote: “The purpose of God and the power of God is available for every man” (G. Campbell Morgan).[3]
[1] “Terrible,” definition from https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-d&q=define+terrible. Downloaded:
Wednesday, November 11, 2020. Edited for our use.
[2] C.H. Spurgeon, Treasury of David, the electronic version in eSword. Psalm 68:35.
[3] Morgan’s quote Downloaded: Wednesday, October 28, 2020. From: https://www.azquotes.com/quotes/topics/power-of-god.html.