Loaded Down
I am a self-professed Bible nerd. You may have read this about me or heard me say it about myself. Now, as a Bible and Theology student my nerdiness is having full expression! Within the resources of the college library I am finding answers to many questions, and learning to further appreciate God’s word given to us through Scripture. There are so many passages in which to dive deeper and experience the richness and fullness of His word.
Today, spend a moment with me in Psalms. This collection of songs and prayers conveys the spectrum of human emotion and experience. Within the prayers for deliverance, hymns extolling God’s character and greatness, and songs of worship, is a theme of praise. God, indeed, is worthy of all praise for all He has done and all He will yet do.
Psalm 68 is a song that praises God for victory in battle and would have reminded the congregation of Israel of God’s mighty power and His care for His people. It rehearses some of God’s mighty acts like how He blows His enemies away like a puff of smoke, how He commands the rain, and reigns over mountains. It ends with these verses:
Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth, sing praise to the Lord, (Selah) to him who rides the ancient skies above, who thunders with mighty voice. Proclaim the power of God, whose majesty is over Israel, whose power is in the skies. You are awesome, O God, in your sanctuary; the God of Israel gives power and strength to his people. Praise be to God!
Psalm 68: 32-35 (NIV)
Tucked in the middle of this song of victory and praise is verse 19 that says, “Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens” (Ps. 68:19 NIV). This verse, easy to remember and recite, is a frequent encouragement to me. However, the New International Version quoted here reads very differently than the King James version I read through my childhood: “Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation.” These two versions do not say the same thing. The English translations and paraphrases of the Bible that we read today also are divided on the correct wording. Is it God who bears our burdens, or Him who is burdening us with benefits?
After a little digging my question was answered by Rabbi Abbraham Ibn Ezra in his Commentary on the Second Book of Psalms. According to Rabbi Ezra, the answer is both. It is God who bears our burdens, and His act of carrying the burden of our salvation on Himself is a continual benefit and blessing that is heaped upon us day after day.
Of course the answer is both! It perfectly fits the character of God that the very load of benefits that He heaps upon us every single day is given because He is carrying our load of sin, inadequacy, fallibility, and frailness. He is carrying the heavy and impossible so we can carry loads of His blessings – salvation being His chief blessing to us. “Our God is a God who saves!” (Ps. 68:20a NIV). Saving is what God does and it is integral to who He is, and is the load He carries. There is no way we can carry the load of our own sin and failures, and at the same time carry the load of blessings He desires to heap upon His children.
Friend, this is truly good news! You do not have to be a Bible geek like me to be awestruck by the power, goodness, and salvation of God. I pray that today you are inspired to praise the God of your salvation. He is the one with all power to command the armies of heaven and earth, to command the mountains and skies, and He is acutely aware of each of us. We only have the capacity to receive the daily load of His benefits if we accept His offer to carry the load of our sin. The salvation He provided and extends to every person is a daily reason for our hearts to sing out praise to the Lord. Praise the Lord!
