Psalm 68: 18 TPT
He ascends into the heavenly heights, taking his many captured ones with him, leading them in triumphal procession. And gifts were given to men, even the once rebellious, so that they may dwell with Yah.
Yesterday we saw that when we accept Jesus as Lord, God comes and makes His abode in us, Immanuel, God with us. Today’s verse leads us to an end time message which is pretty funny when you consider it was written before Jesus even came to earth. It is about Jesus, though, that this verse is written. This verse talks about us living with God. When we move into the next phase of life, we will go live with God. Jesus said that though he was leaving, he was going to prepare a place for us (John 14: 2).
There will be a glorious day when we will be set completely free from captivity. Finally, there will be nothing which holds us back. You will enjoy a level of liberty that you cannot even understand. You will say, “I really didn’t even realize I was captured and held prisoner until just this moment when the truth of complete freedom overtook me.”
David looked into heaven and received a vision of Jesus’ ascension. He saw us in his procession. Then God showed him that gifts were bestowed on humans. These would be spiritual gifts. What does that look like? Use your imagination but I think it is the gift of instantaneous travel, of seeing spirit beings, of different languages. Maybe there are gifts of patience and tolerance.
This verse reminds me of the Exodus from Egypt. Not only were God’s people set free, they left carrying gifts of great wealth given to them by the Egyptians. God’s idea of setting the captives free involves fitting them with the accoutrements of a good life.
One surely appreciates that even the formerly rebellious people were given good gifts. David might have been surprised but also gratified for none of us is without some blame. All of those failures are left behind as we enter the wake of Jesus’ glorious ascension. You can now ask the Father about your gifts and you can request gifts. Do you want the gift of tongues? How about the ability to see angels? They are called gifts because Father is giving stuff away. He has an unlimited supply and no interest in holding back his good gifts. Even if you were once rebellious, you now qualify for God’s best. Crazy, right? I am glad God plays by a kinder set of rules than we do. Everything is now available to us, including a home with the Father.
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