He Did What? (2)
Part Two. The continuation of some not so random thoughts on Ephesians 4:7-8
In our previous post, we demonstrated that Paul weaves references to spiritual warfare and cosmic conflict throughout the epistle to the Ephesians—not once or twice, but constantly. This shouldn’t surprise us, since a close reading of Luke’s account of Paul’s ministry in Ephesus in Acts 19-20 suggests that spiritual warfare was a daily reality for the Ephesian believers, who lived in the shadow of the famous temple of Artemis (Diana).
In Ephesians 4, Paul continues to develop the themes of unity and union. In verses 5 and 6 he celebrates a sevenfold UNITY, (one body/hope/faith/baptism/Spirit/Lord/God and Father of all), and then glides seamlessly into talking about UNION by saying that this one God and Father “is over all and through all and in all.”
Think for a moment about what that means:
- That God is OVER ALL means that He is sovereign. He is ruling from His heavenly throne and His providence knows no bounds.
- That God is THROUGH ALL means that He is the constant that ties together all of the seemingly disparate pieces of life, making sense of everything, giving it all meaning and purpose.
- That God is IN ALL means that He is universally present with His creation—and in His people.
And as the God who is sovereign over creation and present in His people, He gives grace “to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift,” (Ephesians 4:7). Of course Christ’s gift was boundless and free—it can’t be measured—and so these gifts are without limit as well. (For more about these “spiritual gifts,” see Romans 12:6-8 and 1 Corinthians 12:4-11.)
And it’s at this point when Paul starts to write about the grace gifts that God has given to establish and edify the body of Christ, that he reaches back into the Psalter and quotes David in Psalm 68:18—
Therefore it says, “When He ascended on high, He led captive a host of captives, and He gave gifts to men.” Ephesians 4:8, NASB
In its context, Psalm 68 extols God as a mighty warrior:
God shall arise, his enemies shall be scattered; and those who hate him shall flee before him! Psalm 68:1, ESV
O God, when you went out before your people, when you marched through the wilderness . . . the earth quaked, the heavens poured down rain . . . . Psalm 68:7-8, ESV
The chariots of God are twice ten thousand, thousands upon thousands; the Lord is among them . . . . Psalm 68:17, ESV
Remember what Paul says later in Ephesians?
. . . we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Ephesians 6:12, ESV
In other words, every battle is a spiritual battle. Whether it’s Abram’s rescue of Lot, or God’s deliverance of Israel from Egypt, or Joshua’s conquest of the promised land, or David extending the boundaries of his kingdom, every battle is a spiritual battle, and God is a warrior who fights for His people.
So, notice two things quickly:
First, in the middle of a New Testament epistle with a recurring theme of spiritual warfare, Paul connects with a significant Old Testament passage revolving around the idea of God as warrior who fights for His people.
And secondly, when Paul makes that connection, something doesn’t line up. Either our best manuscript traditions are wrong (which is possible), or Paul intentionally flips the script (which seems more likely). Look closely at the verbs. David writes:
You ascended on high, leading a host of captives in your train and receiving gifts among men, even among the rebellious, that the Lord God may dwell there. Psalm 68:18, ESV
And Paul exercises a little liberty by saying:
Therefore it says, “When He ascended on high, He led captive a host of captives, and He gave gifts to men.” Ephesians 4:8, NASB
You may wish to ponder David’s “receiving” versus Paul’s “giving,” and we’ll pick it up there in Part 3.
