Psalms 65:0 ¶ To the chief Musician, A Psalm and Song of David.
Another poetic song of David honoring the God of Israel.
Guzik: “We don’t know the occasion of this Psalm, but because of its thankfulness and praise connected to flocks and grain many think it was composed for a harvest festival, perhaps the Feast of Tabernacles in the Fall.”
Psalms 65:1 ¶ Praise waiteth for thee, O God, in Sion: and unto thee shall the vow be performed.
Psalms 65:2 O thou that hearest prayer, unto thee shall all flesh come.
From the Hebrew for “waiteth,” the word “trust” stands out to me. Our praise for God is a fruit of our trust in God, just as it was in Sion, a reference to the mountain of Jerusalem. David acknowledges that all vows to God should be honored—a truth that is often lightly regarded. He also recognizes that God hears prayer—not just the prayers of those in Israel, but of all people throughout the world.
It is true that we as Christians have the privilege of knowing that our Father in heaven hears and answers our prayers—whether in the positive, the negative or wait a while. The truth is that God hears all prayers, but it is the cry of His children or of one seeking to know Him that spur Him to act on behalf of the suppliant.
Psalms 65:3 Iniquities prevail against me: as for our transgressions, thou shalt purge them away.
The influence of one’s sin nature is a powerful force; however, God is willing and able to purge or forgive our sins in His mercy.
Psalms 65:4 Blessed is the man whom thou choosest, and causest to approach unto thee, that he may dwell in thy courts: we shall be satisfied with the goodness of thy house, even of thy holy temple.
What a beautiful truth; every person that turns to God in faith and repentance is chosen or acceptable (from the Hebrew) to Him. He is not willing to turn anyone away. He is eager to draw us near to Him in relationship as part of His family. His desire is to dwell among us and bless us with the goodness associated with His presence.
James 4:8 “Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you.”
Revelation 21:3 “And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.”
Many would like to take a verse like this and separate it from the rest of scripture; they posit that God has selected certain people to be saved and others to remain lost. That just doesn’t fit with the rest of scripture. He is very clear in declaring that He is not willing that anyone should suffer eternal condemnation.
2 Peter 3:9 “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”
Ezekiel 18:32 “For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord God: wherefore turn yourselves, and live ye.”
John 3:16–17 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.”
Psalms 65:5 By terrible things in righteousness wilt thou answer us, O God of our salvation; who art the confidence of all the ends of the earth, and of them that are afar off upon the sea:
Psalms 65:6 ¶ Which by his strength setteth fast the mountains; being girded with power:
Psalms 65:7 Which stilleth the noise of the seas, the noise of their waves, and the tumult of the people.
David recognizes God as the source of his salvation. He has heard about and witnessed how God answers his prayers and the prayers of the people of Israel in amazing acts of righteous judgment.
Smith: “And the word terrible here is an old English word that has lost or changed its meaning through time, so that now terrible to us has a whole different implications than it had when it was first translated. The word would better be translated now in our English word as awesome.”
He again points out that God is willing to provide for all people on earth that place their trust in Him.
David praises God as the One that holds the mountains in place with His power and can still the waves of the sea or quiet the troubled multitudes. All He has to do is speak a word or will it to be.
Mark 4:39 “And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.”
Isaiah 14:24 “The Lord of hosts hath sworn, saying, Surely as I have thought, so shall it come to pass; and as I have purposed, so shall it stand….”
A very insightful comment from Spurgeon on verse 5: “We do not always know what we are asking for when we pray; when the answer comes, the veritable answer, it is possible that we may be terrified by it. We seek sanctification, and trial will be the reply: we ask for more faith, and more affliction is the result: we pray for the spread of the gospel, and persecution scatters us. Nevertheless, it is good to ask on, for nothing which the Lord grants in his love can do us any harm. Terrible things will turn out to be blessed things after all, where they come in answer to prayer.”
Psalms 65:8 They also that dwell in the uttermost parts are afraid at thy tokens: thou makest the outgoings of the morning and evening to rejoice.
I like the wording of the NLT: “Those who live at the ends of the earth stand in awe of your wonders. From where the sun rises to where it sets, you inspire shouts of joy.”
If you think about it, that describes every place on earth that witnesses the rising and setting of the sun.
I personally am enthralled with the wonderful masterpieces that God paints in the sky at so many sunrises and sunsets—and have countless numbers of pictures that witness to that truth.
Psalms 65:9 Thou visitest the earth, and waterest it: thou greatly enrichest it with the river of God, which is full of water: thou preparest them corn, when thou hast so provided for it.
Psalms 65:10 Thou waterest the ridges thereof abundantly: thou settlest the furrows thereof: thou makest it soft with showers: thou blessest the springing thereof.
Psalms 65:11 Thou crownest the year with thy goodness; and thy paths drop fatness.
Psalms 65:12 They drop upon the pastures of the wilderness: and the little hills rejoice on every side.
Psalms 65:13 The pastures are clothed with flocks; the valleys also are covered over with corn; they shout for joy, they also sing.
David continues to recognize God as the source of all that gives us life. He supplies the water that is used to grow food and sustain life. It is God that blesses when the harvest is bountiful and when livestock are abundant and have plenty to eat. God’s blessings give reason to shout and sing His praise.
Psalms 66:0 ¶ To the chief Musician, A Song or Psalm.
Though not identified as a psalm of David, it certainly sounds as if its author was influenced by David’s psalms.
Psalms 66:1 ¶ Make a joyful noise unto God, all ye lands:
Psalms 66:2 Sing forth the honour of his name: make his praise glorious.
Psalms 66:3 Say unto God, How terrible art thou in thy works! through the greatness of thy power shall thine enemies submit themselves unto thee.
Psalms 66:4 All the earth shall worship thee, and shall sing unto thee; they shall sing to thy name. Selah.
The psalmist opens with a call for people in all lands to praise God. He calls for them to honor God’s name, His great authority and character (from the Hebrew), as demonstrated by the awesome way He had delivered His people (the Israelites) from their enemies. He knows that one day all the enemies of God will be made to submit to His authority. The day is coming when God will be worshipped throughout the earth, and all nations will sing His praise. Scripture affirms this truth.
Isaiah 45:22–23 “Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else. I have sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, That unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear.”
Romans 14:11 “For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.”
Philippians 2:10–11 “That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
Selah – a pause, an opportunity for reflection and meditation.
Psalms 66:5 Come and see the works of God: he is terrible in his doing toward the children of men.
Psalms 66:6 He turned the sea into dry land: they went through the flood on foot: there did we rejoice in him.
Psalms 66:7 He ruleth by his power for ever; his eyes behold the nations: let not the rebellious exalt themselves. Selah.
The psalmist refers to the parting of the Red Sea to allow the Israelites to escape the armies of Pharoah as a prime example of God’s amazing power and authority. The people rejoiced and praised God for His deliverance and have continued to do so throughout their history. Despite evidence to the contrary, the psalmist knows that God is sovereign and in control as He watches over events on planet earth. Those that rebel against Him are warned to take heed of that truth.
God is clear in declaring that He will accomplish all that He has purposed even though we cannot understand His ways.
Isaiah 14:24 “The Lord of hosts hath sworn, saying, Surely as I have thought, so shall it come to pass; and as I have purposed, so shall it stand:”
Isaiah 46:9–10 “Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:”
Isaiah 55:8–11 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.”
Selah – another pause with time to think
Psalms 66:8 ¶ O bless our God, ye people, and make the voice of his praise to be heard:
Psalms 66:9 Which holdeth our soul in life, and suffereth not our feet to be moved.
The psalmist calls for people to praise God because He is the very source and sustainer of their lives.
Though his address has been to all people throughout the earth, I think the context shows that the psalmist is turning his address to the people of Israel. He makes reference to “our” God and goes on to talk about how God has brought them through the refining fires into a place of blessing.
Psalms 66:10 For thou, O God, hast proved us: thou hast tried us, as silver is tried.
Psalms 66:11 Thou broughtest us into the net; thou laidst affliction upon our loins.
Psalms 66:12 Thou hast caused men to ride over our heads; we went through fire and through water: but thou broughtest us out into a wealthy place.
As the psalmist reflects on the history of his people, he testifies that God has tested and refined them, drawing a comparison to the purification of silver by a refining fire. The fires He used were the fires of affliction and distress as well as oppression and cruelty at the hands of their enemies. From his perspective as he wrote this psalm, they had passed through the refining fire and water and were now in a wealthy place, a place of satisfaction and prosperity.
Smith: “God is working in me in order that having worked in me, He may now work through me to touch the needy world around me.”
Application from Spurgeon: “All the saints must go to the proving house; God had one Son without sin, but he never had a son without trial. Why ought we to complain if we are subjected to the rule which is common to all the family, and from which so much benefit has flowed to them? The Lord himself proves us, who then shall raise a question as to the wisdom and the love which are displayed in the operation?”
And another: “God's people and affliction are intimate companions. As in Egypt every Israelite was a burden bearer, so is every believer while he is in this foreign land. As Israel cried to God by reason of their sore bondage, so also do the saints. We too often forget that God lays our afflictions upon us; if we remembered this fact, we should more patiently submit to the pressure which now pains us. The time will come when, for every ounce of present burden, we shall receive a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.”
2 Corinthians 4:17 “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory….”
Psalms 66:13 ¶ I will go into thy house with burnt offerings: I will pay thee my vows,
Psalms 66:14 Which my lips have uttered, and my mouth hath spoken, when I was in trouble.
Psalms 66:15 I will offer unto thee burnt sacrifices of fatlings, with the incense of rams; I will offer bullocks with goats. Selah.
The psalmist now makes his address to God personal. He commits to offer burnt offerings of thanksgiving and pay all the vows he had made to God in his time of trouble. He promises to present the best of his livestock for his offerings to God.
Sad, but true, it seems that it is in hard times that we tend to make vows to the LORD, hoping that will convince Him to answer our prayers. Why are we not more motivated in good times to make vows to the LORD in gratitude for his blessings?
The psalmist also reminds us that anything we offer to God in gratitude and thanksgiving should be of our very best. He is not honored when we offer Him any less than our best.
Selah – another pause and opportunity for reflection and meditation
Psalms 66:16 Come and hear, all ye that fear God, and I will declare what he hath done for my soul.
Psalms 66:17 I cried unto him with my mouth, and he was extolled with my tongue.
The psalmist calls for those that fear God to come and hear his testimony about what God had done for him. He had called out to God in prayer, giving Him praise in the process. I think he is saying that as he prayed, he thanked God in advance for hearing and answering him.
I can relate to the psalmist. I cry out to God, laying before Him the burdens on my heart and thanking Him that I can confidently trust in Him to answer according to what He knows is best. I am confident that He loves those that I love far greater than I do—even though I may not be able to understand His ways.
Psalms 66:18 If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me:
Psalms 66:19 But verily God hath heard me; he hath attended to the voice of my prayer.
Psalms 66:20 Blessed be God, which hath not turned away my prayer, nor his mercy from me.
The psalmist knows that the LORD will not honor his prayer if he is harboring sin in his heart. He can happily testify that God did hear him and answer his prayer and praises God for showing him favor.
Jesus affirms the truth in principle of verse 18.
Matthew 5:23–24 “Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.”