Post Eight:
From the First to the Last — When YHWH (יהוה) Arises, Who Remains?
In our previous study, we examined the woman pursued by the dragon, her tribulation, and the place prepared for her protection. We also considered the distinction between the woman and her remaining seed, against whom the dragon subsequently makes war.
Now I want to return to a psalm that has brought several of our earlier discussions together.
Psalm 68 begins with YHWH (יהוה) arising and His enemies scattering. The righteous rejoice, the earth trembles, and the account describes women proclaiming good news. Yet among these descriptions, there is a particular woman who remains at home while kings and armies flee.
Why is her position worth examining? And what might we recognize when we compare her with the woman protected in Revelation 12, the promises to Philadelphia, and the household that follows the joining of the two?
Let God Arise — Let His Enemies Be Scattered
Psalm 68 opens with a declaration that God's enemies will scatter and those who hate Him will flee. The wicked are compared to smoke driven away and wax melting before fire, while the righteous are described as rejoicing before God. Read Psalm 68:1–3.
Notice the contrast. The enemies flee, but the righteous rejoice. The same divine arising produces very different outcomes according to the relationship of those involved.
These opening words bring us back to Numbers 10, where Moses speaks as the ark sets forward, calling upon YHWH (יהוה) to arise and scatter His enemies. Read Numbers 10:33–36.
The ark described here is the ark of the covenant, distinct from the ark Noah entered. Yet the accounts invite us to examine God's presence, appointed movement, protection, and the outcome for those opposed to Him.
In Noah's days, the waters came upon the earth while those within the ark were preserved. The destruction outside did not require Noah to leave the place YHWH (יהוה) had appointed for him.
Could Psalm 68 be showing us another perspective in which divine intervention brings deliverance while those belonging to God remain under His protection?
The Fatherless, the Widow, and the Dwelling
Before describing the armies and their defeat, Psalm 68 identifies God as Father of the fatherless and Judge of widows. He makes a home for the solitary and brings prisoners into prosperity, while the rebellious inhabit a parched land. Read Psalm 68:4–6.
Why does this appear in a psalm that speaks so powerfully about enemies, armies, victory, and divine authority?
Could the outcome of God's judgment concern more than the removal of wickedness? Could it also involve restoring a place to those who have been left without protection, companionship, or a home?
These words bring us back to our earlier studies concerning the widow, the orphan, the barren woman, and the household built under one shepherd.
Isaiah speaks of a barren woman whose children will become numerous and whose tent must be enlarged. Ezekiel describes a covenant of peace, multiplication, and God's dwelling among His people. Read Isaiah 54:1–5 and Ezekiel 37:24–28.
The purpose of deliverance is not merely that an enemy falls. Those who have been deprived of what they need are also brought into God's care.
We should remember this when examining judgment and restoration. The removal of evil and the gathering of God's family belong to the larger purpose we have been tracing.
The Earth Trembles — The Heavens Pour Down
Psalm 68 recalls God going before His people through the wilderness. The earth trembles, the heavens pour down, and Sinai shakes at the presence of God. The psalm also describes YHWH (יהוה) providing abundantly for His inheritance. Read Psalm 68:7–10.
The wilderness, the shaking, and the provision appear together.
This brings us back to Exodus, where the people were nourished by manna, and to Hebrews 12, where the shaking of what can be shaken is contrasted with receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken. Read Hebrews 12:25–28.
Consider the recurring pattern. The surroundings may shake, enemies may flee, and the existing order may be disturbed, yet provision remains for those under God's care.
When Jesus speaks of the powers of the heavens being shaken, he also describes the Son of Man appearing in glory and his chosen ones being gathered. Read Matthew 24:29–31.
Should we assume that shaking always means the destruction of everyone present? Or should we first examine who is removed, who remains, and what follows?
The question becomes particularly interesting when we return to the woman in Psalm 68.
The Women Who Proclaim — And the Woman Who Remains
Psalm 68:11 describes YHWH (יהוה) giving the word and a great company of women announcing it. The following verse describes kings of armies fleeing, while a woman who remains at home divides the spoil. Read Psalm 68:11–12.
Pay attention to the wording.
Verse 11 speaks of proclaiming women, a multitude. Verse 12 presents a feminine singular action: she divides the spoil.
The many women proclaiming and the singular woman dividing are worth distinguishing before we attempt to interpret their relationship.
The woman remains at home while the armies flee. She is not described as going out to fight those armies herself, yet she participates in what follows their defeat.
Why is she shown remaining in her place?
Why is she associated with the division of spoil?
And might her position help us examine the difference between those protected during an appointed conflict and those who participate in the work that follows?
In Revelation 12, the woman is given a prepared place and nourishment away from the serpent. Philadelphia receives a promise concerning the hour of trial. In Psalm 68, the woman remains at home while the opposing armies flee. Read Revelation 12:13–17 and Revelation 3:7–13.
The circumstances are described differently, yet they invite us to examine an important relationship between protection, faithfulness, and the outcome of conflict.
Remaining in the place YHWH (יהוה) has provided does not mean that the one protected has no part in what He accomplishes.
The Spoil — What Follows the Battle?
The division of spoil brings another question into view.
What happens after an enemy is overcome?
Scripture contains accounts in which spoil follows battle, but it also speaks of restoration, captives being released, and people receiving what had been lost.
Isaiah 53:12 speaks of the suffering Servant receiving a portion and dividing spoil, while Psalm 69:4 describes restoring what the speaker did not take. Read Isaiah 53:10–12 and Psalm 69:1–4.
In our earlier studies, we examined the distinction between the one committing wrongdoing and the one made to bear its consequences. The taking of what does not belong to someone, suffering under another's authority, and the eventual restoration of what was lost have become recurring threads.
Could the woman dividing spoil provide another perspective on what happens after those who took or claimed authority are overcome?
We should not assume every reference to spoil represents precisely the same event. Yet the repeated actions of taking, overcoming, receiving, and restoring are worthy of comparison.
And this brings us toward the larger household.
If the Bride has a distinct place, and those who follow her have their own roles, could the outcome of the conflict involve more than the protection of the Bride alone?
The Protected Woman and Those Who Face Trial
In our examination of Revelation 2 and 3, we distinguished the promises to Smyrna and Philadelphia.
Smyrna is warned of tribulation and told to remain faithful even unto death. Philadelphia is promised protection concerning the hour of trial. Read Revelation 2:8–11 and Revelation 3:7–13.
Now compare Revelation 20:9, where the nations surround the camp of the saints and the beloved city, but fire comes down from heaven and consumes the attackers. Read Revelation 20:7–10.
Those surrounded are not described as overcoming the opposing nations through their own military strength. The intervention comes from heaven.
Psalm 68 describes armies fleeing while the woman remains at home. Revelation 20 describes hostile nations surrounding the saints before divine intervention brings their attack to an end.
These passages may illuminate different settings or different aspects of the wider conflict. What interests me is the repeated distinction between those under divine protection and those who seek to overcome them.
We can also remember Ezekiel 39, where the aftermath of judgment includes seven months devoted to cleansing the land. Read Ezekiel 39:11–16.
The work following judgment receives its own attention. It is not simply passed over as though nothing remains to be accomplished.
Could this help us recognize why Scripture speaks of preservation, gathering, cleansing, and restoration through different scenes and time markers?
The Bride's protection, the elect's testing, and the later cleansing of the land need not be collapsed into one identical experience merely because they belong to the larger picture of deliverance.
He Ascended on High — Captives and Gifts
Psalm 68 continues with another significant passage.
Verse 18 speaks of ascending on high, leading captives, and receiving gifts among men. Paul later quotes this psalm when describing Christ's ascension and the giving of gifts. Read Psalm 68:17–20 and Ephesians 4:7–13.
This is an important connection because Scripture itself brings the psalm into the discussion of Christ.
Ephesians goes on to describe gifts associated with the building up of the body, until unity and maturity are reached. The work extends beyond the moment of ascension.
We have already examined Christ seated at the right hand of YHWH (יהוה), waiting until his enemies are subjected. We have also distinguished the completed joining of the two from the developing household.
Here, ascension and the building up of the body appear within the same larger discussion.
What does it mean that the one who ascended also provides what is needed for the growth and preparation of others?
And what should we learn from the distinction between the victory accomplished and the work that continues afterward?
The God of Deliverance
Psalm 68:19–20 speaks of God bearing burdens and being a God of deliverance, including escape from death.
Those words deserve attention alongside the earlier descriptions of prisoners, widows, the fatherless, scattering armies, and the woman who remains at home.
The psalm is not only about the defeat of enemies. It also directs attention toward the One who delivers and sustains His people.
This brings us back to our studies of the Last Adam, the promised resurrection, and the household that grows into God's dwelling. Christ is described as the Firstborn from the dead, while others follow according to their appointed relationship to Him. Read Colossians 1:15–20 and 1 Corinthians 15:20–28.
The destruction of evil is not the same thing as the completion of every work of restoration.
And the deliverance of those who belong to YHWH (יהוה) may involve different experiences of preparation, protection, testing, and gathering.
Where the Word Leads
Psalm 68 begins with God arising and His enemies scattering. It describes the care given to the widow, the fatherless, and the solitary, the shaking of the earth, women proclaiming the word, and a singular woman remaining at home while kings flee.
It then speaks of ascension, captives, gifts, and the God of deliverance.
These images connect with several threads we have already examined: the protected woman, the prepared household, the elect who endure testing, and the restoration that follows judgment.
We do not need to decide that every passage describes one identical prophetic event before recognizing the relationships they invite us to consider.
For now, I leave this question:
When YHWH (יהוה) arises and the opposing powers scatter, are we looking only at the destruction of His enemies—or should we also be examining who remains, who receives, and what is restored afterward?
Perhaps the woman who remains at home is reminding us to pay closer attention to the different roles within the victory and the household that follows.
Threads to Follow
- God arises and enemies scatter: Numbers 10:33–36; Psalm 68:1–3.
- Widows, orphans, and the restored household: Psalm 68:4–6; Isaiah 54:1–5; Ezekiel 37:24–28.
- The shaking and what remains: Psalm 68:7–10; Haggai 2:6–9; Hebrews 12:25–28; Matthew 24:29–31.
- The proclaiming women and the woman dividing spoil: Psalm 68:11–12; Psalm 45:9–15; Isaiah 53:12.
- Protection during conflict: Revelation 3:7–13; Revelation 12:13–17; Revelation 20:7–10.
- The aftermath and cleansing: Ezekiel 39:9–16; Psalm 69:4.
- Ascension, captives, and gifts: Psalm 68:17–20; Ephesians 4:7–16.
- The Firstborn and the restoration of life: Colossians 1:15–20; 1 Corinthians 15:20–28.
The books were opened…
🌿 Studies by Maria Emilia ~ 🗺️ Continue exploring: Visit Bible Books to find studies organized by book of the Bible, along with related studies and links.
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