This page gives you questions and leader’s notes for studying Psalm 68 in a small group, a Sunday class, or on your own. Psalm 68 is a long victory song that celebrates God marching out in front of his people, scattering his enemies, and taking up residence in his sanctuary. The questions below move from what the psalm says, to what it means, to how it shapes daily life.
Psalm 68 at a Glance
The psalm opens with a call for God to arise and scatter his enemies, then moves to a joyful summons to sing praise to the one who rides on the clouds. It recalls God’s care for the fatherless, the lonely, and the prisoners, and then looks back to the wilderness journey and the trembling of Sinai.
From verse 15 onward the mood shifts toward Zion. The mountains are invited to look at the hill God has chosen, and the procession of God into the sanctuary is described with singers, musicians, and tribes. The closing verses call the nations to sing, and end by ascribing strength to God over Israel and his people.
Observation Questions
Use these first to make sure everyone has read the text carefully and agrees on what it says before anyone begins to interpret it. Ask a volunteer to read the passage aloud before starting.
Psalm 68:1-3
1 Let God arise! Let his enemies be scattered! Let them who hate him also flee before him. 2 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. 3 But let the righteous be glad. Let them rejoice before God. Yes, let them rejoice with gladness.
(WEB)
Read this opening passage to set the tone of the psalm as a victory song. It invites the group to see that God’s justice and the joy of the righteous belong together.
Psalm 68:5-6
5 A father of the fatherless, and a defender of the widows, is God in his holy habitation. 6 God sets the lonely in families. He brings out the prisoners with singing, but the rebellious dwell in a sun-scorched land.
(WEB)
These verses reveal God’s care for the fatherless, widows, and lonely. Reading them aloud helps the group connect the psalm to people in their own community.
Psalm 68:19-20
19 Blessed be the Lord, who daily bears our burdens, even the God who is our salvation. Selah. 20 God is to us a God of deliverance. To the LORD, the Lord, belongs escape from death.
(WEB)
This short reading captures the heart of the psalm’s message about God as one who bears burdens and delivers. It is a good place to pause for personal reflection.
Psalm 68:24-26
24 They have seen your processions, God, even the processions of my God, my King, into the sanctuary. 25 The singers went before, the minstrels followed after, among the ladies playing with tambourines, 26 “Bless God in the congregations, even the Lord in the assembly of Israel!”
(WEB)
Reading the procession aloud lets the group picture the public worship of God’s people. It also gives a sense of the joy and movement the psalm describes.
Psalm 68:32-35
32 Sing to God, you kingdoms of the earth! Sing praises to the Lord! Selah. 33 To him who rides on the heaven of heavens, which are of old; behold, he utters his voice, a mighty voice. 34 Ascribe strength to God! His excellency is over Israel, his strength is in the skies. 35 You are awesome, God, in your sanctuaries. The God of Israel gives strength and power to his people. Praise be to God!
(WEB)
The closing verses call the nations to sing and ascribe strength to God. Ending the session with these words sends the group out with a note of praise.
Memory Verse for Psalm 68
Psalm 68:19
Blessed be the Lord, who daily bears our burdens, even the God who is our salvation. Selah.
(WEB)
Memorizing this verse gives a simple truth to carry through the week: the Lord bears our burdens daily. Repeat it aloud in the morning as a reminder to trust him with the day.
A Closing Prayer for the Group
Father, we thank you that you arise for your people and scatter every enemy that opposes your good purposes. We bring you the burdens we have carried into this room, and we ask you to take them from our shoulders as you have promised to do daily. Make us a family for the lonely among us, and teach us to rejoice in you even when our circumstances are hard. Strengthen us as we leave this study, and let the strength that belongs to you be seen in our lives. Amen.
