“As smoke is driven away, so drive them away: as wax melteth before the fire, so let the wicked perish at the presence of God.”
My Notes
What Does Psalms 68:2 Mean?
The psalmist uses two vivid similes to describe the fate of the wicked in God's presence: they are driven away like smoke and they melt like wax before fire. Both images emphasize how insubstantial wickedness is when confronted with God's presence. Smoke looks impressive but has no weight. Wax holds its shape until fire arrives, then loses all structure.
The prayer "so drive them away" and "so let the wicked perish" isn't vindictive—it's an appeal for God to be Himself. When God shows up, wickedness naturally dissipates the way smoke dissipates in wind and wax melts in heat. The psalmist isn't asking God to do something unnatural. He's asking God to do what His presence always does: expose and dissolve what can't withstand His holiness.
The pairing of smoke and wax covers two aspects of evil: its apparent power (smoke looks substantial from a distance) and its structural weakness (wax appears solid but can't endure heat). Evil can seem impressive and permanent—until God arrives. Then the smoke clears and the wax puddles on the floor.
Reflection Questions
- 1.What in your life feels as thick and permanent as smoke or as solid as wax—but might not survive God's presence?
- 2.Have you ever watched something that seemed overwhelming simply dissolve when God intervened? What happened?
- 3.Why do you think the psalmist uses such fragile images—smoke and wax—to describe the wicked? What does that reveal about the nature of evil?
- 4.How do you pray for God's presence to 'arrive' in a situation where evil seems entrenched?
Devotional
Smoke and wax. That's what the wicked become in God's presence. Smoke that looks thick and threatening but weighs nothing and disappears at the first breath of wind. Wax that holds its shape nicely in a cool room but melts into nothing when fire arrives.
If the evil in your life—a toxic person, a destructive system, a spiritual darkness that feels impenetrable—seems solid and permanent, this verse reframes it. It only looks permanent because God's fire hasn't been fully applied yet. The moment God's presence arrives in its fullness, what seemed unshakeable starts melting. What seemed thick and suffocating starts dispersing.
This doesn't mean evil isn't real or dangerous. Smoke can obscure your vision. Hot wax can burn. But neither has the substance to survive the presence of God. Their power is borrowed time. Their structure is conditional. They exist as long as God's fire hasn't arrived—and not a moment longer.
If you've been living under the shadow of something that feels overwhelming—something that seems bigger than your prayers, bigger than your faith, bigger than anything you can fight—this verse says: it's smoke. It's wax. It won't survive God's presence. Pray for the fire. Pray for the wind. Ask God to show up, and watch what you thought was permanent dissolve.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
As smoke is driven away, so drive them away,.... This both describes the character of wicked men, Christ's enemies; as…
As smoke is driven away - To wit, by the wind. Smoke - vapor - easily disturbed and moved by the slightest breath of air…
In these verses,
I. David prays that God would appear in his glory,
1. For the confusion of his enemies (Psa 68:1, Psa…
The verbs should be rendered as in Psa 68:68 by futures: As smoke … so shalt thou drive them away: as wax … so shall the…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture