Miles de Libros Cristianos Gratis. Accede a nuestra Biblioteca Virtual

Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Psalms 65:1

Para un estudio avanzado de: “Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Psalms 65:1” utilice nuestra app.

To the chief Musician, A Psalm [and] Song of David. Praise waiteth for thee, O God, in Zion: and unto thee shall the vow be performed.

1. Praise waiteth for thee ] The phrase beautifully suggests the idea of a grateful people, assembled to render thanks to God, and only waiting for the festival to begin. But this can hardly be the meaning of the original. The renderings, For thee praise is silent, or, silence is praise, give no appropriate meaning, for though prayer may be silent (Psa 62:1), praise calls for vocal expression. The R.V. marg., There shall be silence before thee and praise, O God, involves a harsh asyndeton. It remains to follow the LXX ( , Vulg. te decet hymnus), which preserves a slightly different tradition as to the vocalisation of the Hebrew, and to render, Praise beseemeth thee, O God, in Zion.

the vow ] Or, collectively, vows. Cp. Psa 66:13; and for vows and praises coupled together see Psa 22:25; Psa 61:8. At the end of the verse P.B.V. adds in Jerusalem, from the LXX (most MSS. though not the Vatican) and Vulg., completing the parallelism, as in Psa 102:21; Psa 147:12.

Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

1 4. It is the duty of a grateful people to render thanks to God in the Temple, assembling to pay its vows to the universal Hearer of prayer. The consciousness of manifold sins might deter them from approaching a holy God, were not He Himself graciously ready to purge their guilt away. In the blessings, of which the welcome to His house is the pledge, is to be found man’s truest happiness.

Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

Praise waiteth for thee, O God, in Sion – That is, all the arrangements are made; the people are assembled; their hearts are prepared to praise thee. The fact that Zion is mentioned here as the seat of praise would seem to imply that this psalm was composed before the building of the temple, contrary to the opinion of DeWette and others, as noticed in the Introduction to the psalm, for after the building of the temple the seat of worship was transferred from Mount Zion, where David had placed the ark and prepared a tent for it 1Ch 15:1; 1Ch 16:1; 2Ch 1:4, to Mount Moriah. It is true that the general name Zion was given familiarly to Jerusalem as a city, but it is also true that the particular place for the worship of God in the time of David was Mount Zion strictly so called. See the notes at Psa 2:6. The margin in this place is, Praise is silent. The Hebrew is, To thee is silence-praise, – a kind of compound phrase, not meaning silent praise, but referring to a condition where everything is ready; where the preparations have been entirely made; where the noise usually attendant on preparation has ceased, and all is in readiness as if waiting for that for which the arrangements had been carried forward. The noise of building – of preparation – was now hushed, and all was calm. The language here would also denote the state of feeling in an individual or an assembly, when the heart was prepared for praise; when it was filled with a deep sense of the majesty and goodness of God; when all feelings of anxiety were calmed down, or were in a state of rest; when the soul was ready to burst forth in expressions of thanksgiving, and nothing would meet its needs but praise.

And unto thee shall the vow be performed – See Psa 22:25, note; Psa 50:14, note; Psa 56:12, note. The reference here is to the vows or promises which the people had made in view of the manifested judgments of God and the proofs of his goodness. Those vows they were now ready to carry out in expressions of praise.

Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible

Psa 65:1-13

Praise waiteth for Thee, O God, in Zion: and unto Thee shall the vow be performed.

A harvest hymn

This is a psalm of thanksgiving for plentiful rain, falling at the critical time in a year of drought and ensuring a plentiful harvest. To an agricultural people this was a memorable mercy.

I. The attitude of the worshippers (Psa 65:1-4). The opening words, Praise is silent for Thee, O God, in Zion, describe the hush of a multitude just ready to burst forth in song. The air is full of an intention which has not yet expressed itself, but it will utter its thought immediately, because the nation has assembled to perform the vows made during the drought, when dearth was feared. The worshippers acknowledge their dependence on the Hearer of prayer: they are part of frail humanity (all flesh), which can never be equal to its own requirements, but must ever be dependent on a higher Power. But there is a still deeper cause for humility, which ought always to be kept in mind when an approach is made to God: Iniquities, says the psalmist, prevail against me. What mortal has ever existed who did not require to say so? Iniquities press in from without and they press outwards from within; and man is not able to withstand their force. Yet the psalmist has discovered the secret: As for our transgressions, Thou shalt purge them away. God can overcome this terrible force, by blotting out the guilt of past sin and breaking the power of present sin. And the next verse supplies a description of the blessedness of those who, thus liberated, have free access to the throne of the Divine grace and full enjoyment of its privileges.

II. The object of worship (Psa 65:5-8). He is not a God unknown, but in all the centuries of the history of Israel has shown Himself mighty on behalf of His people, by acts of salvation which have struck terror into their enemies. And not only in the events of history has His power from time to time been shown; it is exhibited continually in the great aspects of nature.

III. A picture of plenty (Psa 65:9-13). After weeks of rainless weather, when the hearts of the husbandmen were quaking with fear, the showers, earnestly prayed for, had come at last. In the clouds sweeping over the landscape the happy inhabitants saw the footsteps of the passing Deity dropping fatness as He went. Hill and dale and wilderness had all partaken of the benefit. The flocks were full of life on the mountain sides and the fields and the valleys stood in all the bravery of healthy and abundant crops; till it seemed to the poet as if a great shout of joy were going up from all the revived objects in the landscape to the heaven from which the blessing had come. (J. Stalker, D. D.)

God as He appears in human history

I. God as He appears in human history.

1. As a prayer-answering God (Psa 65:2). That this title belongs to Him as He appears in human life is–

(1) Suggested by universal consciousness.

(2) Proved by the universal experience of the good.

(3) Declared by the mouth of God Himself. Call upon Me, etc. Ask, and ye shall receive, etc.

2. As a man-needed God. Sooner shall the Mississippi keep away from the ocean or the earth from circling round the sun, than your soul keep away from your Maker.

3. As a sin-removing God (Psa 65:8).

4. As a world-trusted God (Psa 65:5).

(1) All men require some object to trust in. They must lean on something.

(2) Their condition, whether happy or otherwise, depends on the object they trust. The great misery of man is, that he rests on the unworthy, the changeable, and the insecure.

(3) The only safe object of trust is God.

II. God as He appears in human history, worshipped.

1. The kind of worship. Praise waiteth for Thee, O God, in Zion. Are we to understand waiteth, in the sense of silence? Then the essence of worship is silent–it is in the profoundest thoughts, the deepest feelings, the strongest aspirations, which are independent of language or sound. The deepest things of the soul are unutterable.

2. The blessedness of worship (Psa 65:4). The idea is, fellowship with God, going into His courts, dwelling in His temple.

(1) The fellowship is chosen. Blessed is the man whom Thou choosest. What a distinction is thus put on man! No other creature in the world can hold fellowship with the Infinite.

(2) The fellowship is permanent. Dwell in Thy house. Not a mere visitant for a terminable period. But a resident so long as existence endures.

(3) The fellowship is satisfying. We shall be satisfied with the goodness of Thy house. This is, and nothing else, the satisfaction of the soul. In Thy presence is fulness of joy. (Homilist.)

Praises and vows accepted in Zion

Upon Zion there was erected an altar for the offering of sacrifices. Burnt offering was only to be offered there. In fulfilment of this type, we have an altar whereof they have no right to eat that serve the tabernacle. There is but one altar, Jesus Christ our Lord.

I. The holy offering of worship which we desire to present to God. There is–

1. Praise. It is the chief part of the worship of heaven, and therefore should be much regarded upon earth. It is to be rendered only to God. For Thee, O God. For Thee only, and for Thee all. Not to virgins, or saints. And our praise is not to be formal, of lips and sound, but of the soul. And let it be continual–waiteth for Thee. And humble; let it wait as the servants wait in the kings palace. And let it be expectant: on the look-out for more of Gods blessings. What abundant reason we have for praise. Mercies temporal and spiritual.

2. The vow. Unto Thee shall the vow be performed. We are not given to vow-making in these days. But there have been some we have made. At our conversion, at our uniting ourselves to the Church of God; when we entered on our work as Christian ministers; and, perhaps, in times of affliction. Let us keep them.

II. The blessed encouragement.

1. God hears prayer. O Thou that hearest prayer.

2. And all prayer, if it be true. Unto Thee shall all flesh come.

3. Let none of us exclude ourselves. (C. H. Spurgeon.)

Zions praise ready for her Lord

If not always soaring we may be as birds ready for an instant flight, always with wings, if not always on the wing. Our hearts should be like the beacons made ready to be fired. When invasion was expected in the days of Queen Elizabeth, piles of wood and combustible material were laid ready on the tops of certain hills, and watchmen stood prepared to kindle the piles should there be notice given that the ships of the enemy were in the offing. Everything was in waiting. The heap was not made of damp wood, neither had they to go and seek kindling; but the fuel waited for the match. The watch-fire was not always blazing, but it was always ready to shoot forth its flame. Have ye never read, Praise waiteth for Thee, O God, in Zion? So let our hearts be prepared to be fired with adoring praise by one glimpse of the Redeemers eyes. (C. H. Spurgeon.)

Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell

PSALM LXV

God is praised for the fulfilment of his promises, and for his

mercy in forgiving sins, 1-,3.

He is praised for the wonders that he works in nature, which

all mankind must acknowledge, 4-8;

for the fertilizing showers which he sends upon the earth, and

the abundance thereby produced both for men and cattle, 9-13.

NOTES ON PSALM LXV

The title, “To the chief Musician or conqueror, a Psalm and Song of David.” So the Hebrew; and, in effect, the Chaldee, AEthiopic, and best copies of the Septuagint. The Arabic has, “A Psalm of David concerning the transmigration of the people.”

The Vulgate is singular: “A Psalm of David. A hymn of Jeremiah and Ezekiel for the people of the transmigration, when they began to go out,” from Babylon, understood. This title is of no authority; it neither accords with the subject of the Psalm, nor with the truth of history. Calmet has very properly remarked that Jeremiah and Ezekiel were never found together, to compose this Psalm, neither before, at, nor after the captivity. It should therefore be utterly rejected. In the Complutensian edition Haggai is added to Jeremiah and Ezekiel, all with equal propriety.

It is supposed to have been written after a great drought, when God had sent a plentiful rain on the land. I rather think that there was no direct drought or rain in the prophet’s view, but a celebration of the praises of God for his giving rain and fruitful seasons, and filling men’s mouths with food, and their hearts with gladness. There is a particular providence manifested in the quantity of rain that falls upon the earth, which can neither be too much admired nor praised.

Verse 1. Praise waiteth for thee] Praise is silent or dumb for thee. Thou alone art worthy of praise; all other perfections are lost in thine; and he who considers thee aright can have no other subject of adoration.

Unto thee shall the vow be performed.] All offerings and sacrifices should be made to thee. All human spirits are under obligation to live to and serve thee. All Jews and Christians, by circumcision and baptism, belong to thee; and they are all bound to pay the vow of their respective covenants to thee alone; and the spirit of this vow is, to love thee with all their powers and to serve thee with a perfect heart and willing mind, all the days of their life.

Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible

Waiteth, Heb. is silent, or silence, i.e. quietly waits, as this phrase is used also Psa 62:1. And praise may be here put for the person or persons who use to praise God upon all occasions, and who are now prepared and ready to do so; as deceit is put for a deceitful man, as Pro 12:24, and sin for the sinner, Pro 13:6, and dreams for dreamers, Jer 27:9. So the meaning may seem to be this, Gods people patiently and believingly wait for an opportunity to offer their praises to God; for at present they seem to be in some straits, as divers passages of this Psalm do intimate. In Zion: though all the people of the world have great cause to praise thee, yet none pay thee this tribute, but thy people in Zion; and they indeed have really peculiar and eminent obligations and occasions to perform this duty.

Unto thee shall the vow be performed; all the thank-offerings which thy people vowed unto thee in the time of their danger shall be faithfully paid, to wit,

in Zion; which is to be repeated out of the first clause of the verse.

Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole

1. Praise waiteth fortheeliterally, “To Thee silence praise,” or (comparePs 62:1), To Thee silence ispraisethat is, Praise is waiting as a servant; it is due to Thee.So the last clause expresses the duty of paying vows. These two partsof acceptable worship, mentioned in Ps50:14, are rendered in Zion, where God chiefly displays His mercyand receives homage.

Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

Praise waiteth for thee, O God, in Sion,…. Who dwells in Sion, as Jarchi interprets it; and so the Targum; whose Shechinah, or glorious Majesty, is in Sion; see Ps 76:2; or else Sion, which designs no other than the church of God, and which is so called under the Gospel dispensation, Heb 12:22; is the place where “praise” waits for God, that being the city of our solemnities, as well as the city of the great King; and not only a house of prayer, but of praise, where the sacrifices, both of prayer and praise, are offered to God through Christ with acceptance: and praise may be said to “wait” for him here, because it is “due” to him here, as some render it, on account of many blessings and privileges of grace here enjoyed, through the word and ordinances; and because the people of God wait upon him here with their tribute of praise, which is comely in them to bring, and is “agreeable” and acceptable to him; and because it “remains”, abides, and continues here; or, in other words, the saints are continually praising the Lord here, giving thanks to him always for all things, Ps 84:4; some render the words “praise [is] silent for thee” e; because there is no end of it, as Jarchi observes; or, because of the greatness of the works of the Lord, praise cannot reach him, as Ben Melech expresses it. The greatest shouts, and loudest acclamations of praise, are but silence in comparison of what ought, if it could be expressed, on account of the nature, perfections, and works of God. The Targum is,

“before thee praise is reputed as silence.”

In the king of Spain’s Bible it is,

“the praise of angels is reputed before thee as silence;”

perhaps it may be best rendered, “[to] thee [belong]”, or “[are due], silence [and] praise” f: there ought to be first a silent and quiet waiting upon God for mercies wanted, and which he has promised to give; and, when they are bestowed, praise should be rendered unto him. Gussetius g gives the sense of the words, and renders them,

“praise, which is thine image, which bears a likeness to thee shall be paid in Sion;”

and unto thee shall the vow be performed: that is, of praise and thankfulness for deliverance and salvation, made in a time of trouble and distress; see Ps 66:13.

e “tibi silet laus”, Pagninus, Vatablus. f “Tibi silentium est et laus”, Piscator, Gejerus. g Ebr. Comment. p. 193.

Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible

The praise of God on account of the mercy with which He rules out of Zion. The lxx renders , but , tibi par est, h. e. convenit laus (Ewald), is not a usage of the language (cf. Psa 33:1; Jer 10:7). signifies, according to Psa 22:3, silence, and as an ethical notion, resignation, Psa 62:2. According to the position of the words it looks like the subject, and like the predicate. The accents at least ( Illuj, Shalsheleth) assume the relationship of the one word to the other to be that of predicate and subject; consequently it is not: To Thee belongeth resignation, praise (Hengstenberg), but: To Thee is resignation praise, i.e., resignation is (given or presented) to Thee as praise. Hitzig obtains the same meaning by an alteration of the text: ; but opposed to this is the fact that is not found anywhere in the Psalter, but only in the writings of the chronicler. And since it is clear that the words belong together (Psa 40:4), the poet had no need to fear any ambiguity when he inserted dmyh between them as that which is given to God as praise in Zion. What is intended is that submission or resignation to God which gives up its cause to God and allows Him to act on its behalf, renouncing all impatient meddling and interference (Exo 14:14). The second member of the sentence affirms that this praise of pious resignation does not remain unanswered. Just as God in Zion is praised by prayer which resigns our own will silently to His, so also to Him are vows paid when He fulfils such prayer. That the answers to prayer are evidently thought of in connection with this, we see from Psa 65:3, where God is addressed as the “Hearer or Answerer of prayer.” To Him as being the Hearer and Answerer of prayer all flesh comes, and in fact, as implies (cf. Isa 45:24), without finding help anywhere else, it clear a way for itself until it gets to Him; i.e., men, absolutely dependent, impotent in themselves and helpless, both collectively and individually (those only excepted who are determined to perish or despair), flee to Him as their final refuge and help. Before all else it is the prayer for the forgiveness of sin which He graciously answers. The perfect in Psa 65:4 is followed by the future in Psa 65:4. The former, in accordance with the sense, forms a hypothetical protasis: granted that the instances of faults have been too powerful for me, i.e., (cf. Gen 4:13) an intolerable burden to me, our transgressions are expiated by Thee (who alone canst and also art willing to do it). is not less significant than in Psa 35:20; Psa 105:27; Psa 145:5, cf. 1Sa 10:2; 2Sa 11:18.: it separates the general fact into its separate instances and circumstances. How blessed therefore is the lot of that man whom (supply ) God chooses and brings near, i.e., removes into His vicinity, that he may inhabit His courts (future with the force of a clause expressing a purpose, as e.g., in Job 30:28, which see), i.e., that there, where He sits enthroned and reveals Himself, he may have his true home and be as if at home (vid., Psa 15:1)! The congregation gathered around Zion is esteemed worthy of this distinction among the nations of the earth; it therefore encourages itself in the blessed consciousness of this its privilege flowing from free grace ( ), to enjoy in full draughts ( with as in Psa 103:5) the abundant goodness or blessing ( ) of God’s house, of the holy ( ) of His temple, i.e., of His holy temple ( as in Psa 46:5, cf. Isa 57:15). For for all that God’s grace offers us we can give Him no better thanks than to hunger and thirst after it, and satisfy our poor soul therewith.

Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament

The Praises of Zion; Motives for Devout.

To the chief musician. A psalm and song of David.

1 Praise waiteth for thee, O God, in Sion: and unto thee shall the vow be performed. 2 O thou that hearest prayer, unto thee shall all flesh come. 3 Iniquities prevail against me: as for our transgressions, thou shalt purge them away. 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. 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:

The psalmist here has no particular concern of his own at the throne of grace, but begins with an address to God, as the master of an assembly and the mouth of a congregation; and observe,

I. How he gives glory to God, v. 1. 1. By humble thankfulness: Praise waiteth for thee, O God! in Zion, waits till it arrives, that it may be received with thankfulness at its first approach. When God is coming towards us with his favours we must go forth to meet him with our praises, and wait till the day dawn. “Praise waits, with an entire satisfaction in thy holy will and dependence on thy mercy.” When we stand ready in every thing to give thanks, then praise waits for God. “Praise waits thy acceptance” the Levites by night stood in the house of the Lord, ready to sing their songs of praise at the hour appointed (Psa 134:1; Psa 134:2), and thus their praise waited for him. Praise is silent unto thee (so the word is), as wanting words to express the great goodness of God, and being struck with a silent admiration at it. As there are holy groanings which cannot be uttered, so there are holy adorings which cannot be uttered, and yet shall be accepted by him that searches the heart and knows what is the mind of the spirit. Our praise is silent, that the praises of the blessed angels, who excel in strength, may be heard. Let it not be told him that I speak, for if a man offer to speak forth all God’s praise surely he shall be swallowed up, Job xxxvii. 20. Before thee praise is reputed as silence (so the Chaldee), so far exalted is God above all our blessing and praise. Praise is due to God from all the world, but it waits for him in Zion only, in his church, among his people. All his works praise him (they minister matter for praise), but only his saints bless him by actual adorations. The redeemed church sing their new song upon Mount Zion, Rev 14:1; Rev 14:3. In Zion was God’s dwelling-place, Ps. lxxvi. 2. Happy are those who dwell with him there, for they will be still praising him. 2. By sincere faithfulness: Unto thee shall the vow be performed, that is, the sacrifice shall be offered up which was vowed. We shall not be accepted in our thanksgivings to God for the mercies we have received unless we make conscience of paying the vows which we made when we were in pursuit of the mercy; for better it is not to vow than to vow and not to pay.

II. What he gives him glory for.

1. For hearing prayer (v. 2): Praise waits for thee; and why is it so ready? (1.) “Because thou art ready to grant our petitions. O thou that hearest prayer! thou canst answer every prayer, for thou art able to do for us more than we are able to ask or think (Eph. iii. 20), and thou wilt answer every prayer of faith, either in kind or kindness.” It is much for the glory of God’s goodness, and the encouragement of ours, that he is a God hearing prayer, and has taken it among the titles of his honour to be so; and we are much wanting to ourselves if we do not take all occasions to give him his title. (2.) Because, for that reason, we are ready to run to him when we are in our straits. “Therefore, because thou art a God hearing prayer, unto thee shall all flesh come; justly does every man’s praise wait for thee, because every man’s prayer waits on thee when he is in want or distress, whatever he does at other times. Now only the seed of Israel come to thee, and the proselytes to their religion; but, when thy house shall be called a house of prayer to all people, then unto thee shall all flesh come, and be welcome,” Rom 10:12; Rom 10:13. To him let us come, and come boldly, because he is a God that hears prayer.

2. For pardoning sin. In this who is a God like unto him? Micah vii. 18. By this he proclaims his name (Exod. xxxiv. 7), and therefore, upon this account, praise waits for him, v. 3. “Our sins reach to the heavens, iniquities prevail against us, and appear so numerous, so heinous, that when they are set in order before us we are full of confusion and ready to fall into despair. They prevail so against us that we cannot pretend to balance them with any righteousness of our own, so that when we appear before God our own consciences accuse us and we have no reply to make; and yet, as for our transgressions, thou shalt, of thy own free mercy and for the sake of a righteousness of thy own providing, purge them away, so that we shall not come into condemnation for them.” Note, The greater our danger is by reason of sin the more cause we have to admire the power and riches of God’s pardoning mercy, which can invalidate the threatening force of our manifold transgressions and our mighty sins.

3. For the kind entertainment he gives to those that attend upon him and the comfort they have in communion with him. Iniquity must first be purged away (v. 3) and then we are welcome to compass God’s altars, v. 4. Those that come into communion with God shall certainly find true happiness and full satisfaction in that communion.

(1.) They are blessed. Not only blessed is the nation (Ps. xxxiii. 12), but blessed is the man, the particular person, how mean soever, whom thou choosest, and causest to approach unto thee, that he may dwell in thy courts; he is a happy man, for he has the surest token of the divine favour and the surest pledge and earnest of everlasting bliss. Observe here, [1.] What it is to come into communion with God, in order to this blessedness. First, It is to approach to him by laying hold on his covenant, setting our best affections upon him, and letting out our desires towards him; it is to converse with him as one we love and value. Secondly, It is to dwell in his courts, as the priests and Levites did, that were at home in God’s house; it is to be constant in the exercises of religion, and apply ourselves closely to them as we do to that which is the business of our dwelling-place. [2.] How we come into communion with God, not recommended by any merit of our own, nor brought in by any management of our own, but by God’s free choice: “Blessed is the man whom thou choosest, and so distinguishest from others who are left to themselves;” and it is by his effectual special grace pursuant to that choice; whom he chooses he causes to approach, not only invites them, but inclines and enables them, to draw nigh to him. He draws them, John vi. 44.

(2.) They shall be satisfied. Here the psalmist changes the person, not, He shall be satisfied (the man whom thou choosest), but, We shall, which teaches us to apply the promises to ourselves and by an active faith to put our own names into them: We shall be satisfied with the goodness of thy house, even of thy holy temple. Note, [1.] God’s holy temple is his house; there he dwells, where his ordinances are administered. [2.] God keeps a good house. There is abundance of goodness in his house, righteousness, grace, and all the comforts of the everlasting covenant; there is enough for all, enough for each; it is ready, always ready; and all on free cost, without money and without price. [3.] In those things there is that which is satisfying to a soul, and with which all gracious souls will be satisfied. Let them have the pleasure of communion with God, and that suffices them; they have enough, they desire no more.

4. For the glorious operations of his power on their behalf (v. 5): By terrible things in righteousness wilt thou answer us, O God of our salvation! This may be understood of the rebukes which God in his providence sometimes gives to his own people; he often answers them by terrible things, for the awakening and quickening of them, but always in righteousness; he neither does them any wrong nor means them any hurt, for even then he is the God of their salvation. See Isa. xlv. 15. But it is rather to be understood of his judgments upon their enemies; God answers his people’s prayers by the destructions made, for their sakes, among the heathen, and the recompence he renders to their proud oppressors, as a righteous God, the God to whom vengeance belongs, and as the God that protects and saves his people. By wonderful things (so some read it), things which are very surprising, and which we looked not for, Isa. lxiv. 3. Or, “By things which strike an awe upon us thou wilt answer us.” The holy freedom that we are admitted to in God’s courts, and the nearness of our approach to him, must not at all abate our reverence and godly fear of him; for he is terrible in his holy places.

5. For the care he takes of all his people, however distressed, and whithersoever dispersed. He is the confidence of all the ends of the earth that is, of all the saints all the world over and not theirs only that were of the seed of Israel; for he is the God of the Gentiles as well as of the Jews, the confidence of those that are afar off from his holy temple and its courts, that dwell in the islands of the Gentiles, or that are in distress upon the sea. They trust in thee, and cry to thee, when they are at their wits’ end, Psa 107:27; Psa 107:28. By faith and prayer we may keep up our communion with God, and fetch in comfort from him, wherever we are, not only in the solemn assemblies of his people, but also afar off upon the sea.

Fuente: Matthew Henry’s Whole Bible Commentary

Psalms 65

An Harvest Time Psalm

This psalm of three Strophes was written after a violent rebellion had been quelled against David.

Scripture v. 1-13:

Verse 1 declares that praise waited (was silent) for God in Zion, the city of God, under dominion of His enemies. He added however, that unto God the vow (of praise) would be performed there one glorious day. For it was then the only lawful place to worship, Psa 132:14. Just as, in the church, is now the ordained Scriptural place for worship, Eph 3:21; Heb 10:24-25.

Verse 2 pleads “O thou (living God) that continually hears prayer, unto thee shall all flesh come,” all who are weak in the flesh, come, to find strength and help, Psa 56:4; Psa 104:27; Job 38:41. Tho all do not come to Him for help, the offer is open, Mat 11:28; Rev 22:17; All shall one day come and behold His glory, Isa 66:18; Isa 62:10. See also 1Ki 18:29; Isa 45:11; Isa 65:24; Jer 29:12-13; Luk 11:9-10; Act 10:31; Joh 12:32.

Verse 3 states “matters of iniquity prevail,” stand out, “against me,” Psa 105:27. His attitude was that he was sinful and unworthy to approach God in prayer, Psa 38:4; Psa 40:12; Psa 130:3-4. But God came forward, took the initiative, to save us, Rom 5:8. David rejoiced that “as for our transgressions,” ‘thou shalt purge them away,” or cover them with atonement blood, Rom 5:20; 2Co 5:21.

Verse 4 declares “blessed (spiritually prosperous) is the man whom thou choosest, and causest to approach unto thee, that he may dwell in thy courts;” That man, king of Israel, was David tho now away from his court, Psa 33:12; Psa 4:3; Psa 78:70-71; Psa 106:4-5; Psa 135:4; Eph 1:4; 2Th 2:12. He added that He and his people would be satisfied with the goodness of God’s house, the holy. temple, Psa 63:5; Psa 46:4; See also Eph 2:19; Eph 3:21.

Verse 5 adds that by terrible things in righteousness, shown in judgment, God would answer David, as the God of his salvation, liberation, the object of confidence and trust of men to the ends of the earth, even upon the sea, Deu 32:4; 2Sa 7:23; Isa 66:16; Isa 66:18; Isa 66:23; Psa 22:27-28; Mat 12:42.

Verses 6, 7 declare that by His strength He, girded with power, sets or fixed fast the mountains in their places; By the same power of omnipotent nature, He stills the noise of the sea, the waves, and the tumult of the people, Joh 1:4; Mat 8:26; Psa 46:3; Jer 51:25; Psa 46:2; Psa 89:9; Dan 7:2; Jer 5:22-24. Even as He did Pharaoh and Sennacherib.

Verse 8 states that the dwellers in all parts of the earth were fearful of God’s tokens, that caused morning and evening to rejoice, or sing, Exo 15:11; Jos 2:9; Jos 2:11; Hab 3:3; Act 5:38-39.

Verses 9, 10 describe God’s visiting the earth with water to cause corn to grow and food to be provided for men, watering the ridges of the earth abundantly, settling the plowed furrows, making them soft with showers, to provide food for men, Joe 2:14; Deu 11:11-12; Psa 36:8; Jer 2:13; Jas 1:17.

Verses 11-13 ascribe the Lord shepherd-care in crowning the year with goodness, his benefits, Psa 104:3, dropping fatness or prosperity in his paths. The pastures of the wilderness and the “little hills,” were said to rejoice on every side, with moisture for their shoots and growth. It is added “the pastures are clothed with flocks,” Isa 30:23. The valleys were covered with growing grain, causing occasion for singing and shouts of joy on every hand. Abundance and riches came on God’s land and God’s people, when they returned to His house and His ways, Job 38:26-27; Psa 63:5.

Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary

1 Praise waiteth for thee, O God! in Zion Literally it runs, Praise is silent to thee, but the verb דמיה, dumiyah, has been metaphorically rendered first, to be at rest, then to wait. The meaning of the expression is, that God’s goodness to his people is such as to afford constantly new matter of praise. It is diffused over the whole world, but specially shown to the Church. Besides, others who do not belong to the Church of God, however abundantly benefits may be showered upon them, see not whence they come, and riot in the blessings which they have received without any acknowledgement of them. But the main thing meant to be conveyed by the Psalmist is, that thanksgiving is due to the Lord for his goodness shown to his Church and people. The second clause of the verse is to the same effect, where he says, unto thee shall the vow be performed; for while he engages on the part of the people to render due acknowledgement, his language implies that there would be ever remaining and new grounds of praise.

With the verse which we have been now considering, that which follows stands closely connected, asserting that God hears the prayers of his people. This forms a reason why the vow should be paid to him, since God never disappoints his worshippers, but crowns their prayers with a favorable answer. Thus, what is stated last, is first in the natural order of consideration. The title here given to God carries with it a truth of great importance, That the answer of our prayers is secured by the fact, that in rejecting them he would in a certain sense deny his own nature. The Psalmist does not say, that God has heard prayer in this or that instance, but gives him the name of the hearer of prayer, as what constitutes an abiding part of his glory, so that he might as soon deny himself as shut his ear to our petitions. Could we only impress this upon our minds, that it is something peculiar to God, and inseparable from him, to hear prayer, it would inspire us with unfailing confidence. The power of helping us he can never want, so that nothing can stand in the way of a successful issue of our supplications. What follows in the verse is also well worthy of our attention, that all flesh shall come unto God. None could venture into his presence without a persuasion of his being open to entreaty; but when he anticipates our fears, and comes forward declaring that prayer is never offered to him in vain, the door is thrown wide for the admission of all. The hypocrite and the ungodly, who pray under the constraint of present necessity, are not heard; for they cannot be said to come to God, when they have no faith founded upon his word, but a mere vague expectation of a chance issue. Before we can approach God acceptably in prayer, it is necessary that his promises should be made known to us, without which we can have no access to him, as is evident from the words of the apostle Paul, (Eph 3:12,) where he tells us, that all who would come to God must first be endued with such a faith in Christ as may animate them wig confidence. From this we may infer, that no right rule of prayer is observed in the Papacy, when they pray to God in a state of suspense and doubt. Invaluable is the privilege which we enjoy by the Gospel, of free access unto God. When the Psalmist uses the expression, all flesh, he intimates by these few words that the privilege which was now peculiar to the Jews, would be extended to all nations. It is a prediction of Christ’s future kingdom.

Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary

INTRODUCTION

Superscription.To the Chief Musician. See Introduction to Psalms 57. A Psalm and song of David. Or, A Psalm of David, a song. See Introduction to Psalms 48. In the Psalm itself there are evidences, which Hengstenberg points out, that it is the production of David. The Psalm was probably composed as a psalm of thanksgiving for the blessings of the harvest; in anticipation of an approaching harvest, at Hengstenberg suggests, or on the completion of harvest, as Hitzig suggests.

Homiletically the Psalmist sets forth, Aspects of Divine worship (Psa. 65:1-4); Manifestations of Divine power (Psa. 65:5-8); and The Beneficent activity of God in Nature (Psa. 65:9-13).

ASPECTS OF DIVINE WORSHIP

(Psa. 65:1-4.)

We see here

I. Worship in its source. Blessed is the man whom Thou choosest, and causest to approach, &c. God is the Author of all true worship.

1 He grants the opportunity of worship. The revelation of Himself in Jesus Christ, the institution of religious ordinances and of Christian ministries, the fixing our lot in a land and age of Christian privilegesthese are all from Him.

2. He inspires the disposition to worship. All reverent feeling, holy desire, and devout aspiration in us, are the result of the gracious influences of his Holy Spirit. The causethe efficient reasonwhy any man worships his Maker at all, is to be found in God Himself. Whatever there is of good in us, and whatever of good belongs to us, proceeds from Him. All my springs are in Thee. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, &c. The source of all true worship is God Himself.

II. Worship in its object. Praise waiteth for Thee, O God, &C. As God is the Author of all true worship, so He is also its End. Worship is offered to Him here

1. As the Hearer of prayer. O Thou that hearest prayer. How sublime and beautiful and true is this appellation as addressed to God! His ear is ever open to the cries of the sinful, the suffering, the sorrowful, the dying. (See an outline on Psa. 65:2, below.)

2. As the Pardoner of sin. Iniquities prevail against me; our transgressions, Thou shalt purge them away. God is praised here because of His goodness in the forgiveness of sin. There are two points here.

(1) The greatness of human sin. The iniquities of the Psalmist are represented as overpowering him with a superior hostile force. Man cannot contend with his sins. He cannot answer for them, or atone for them. Enter not into judgment with Thy servant; for in Thy sight shall no man living be justified.

(2) The greatness of Divine forgiveness. Thou shalt purge them away. God pardons the most heinous transgressions (Isa. 1:18);the most numerous transgressions (Psa. 103:3; Psa. 130:7; Isa. 55:7); and He pardons them completely Psa. 103:12; Isa. 38:17; Mic. 7:19).

3. As the Satisfier of the soul. We shall be satisfied with the goodness of Thy house, even of Thy holy temple. Man has great needs. In addition to forgiveness he requires cleansing, support, guidance, love, hope, &c. God alone can supply these needs. The goodness of His house all flows from Him. Religious ministries and ordinances are worthless apart from His blessing. With Thee is the fountain of life, &c. In God the soul finds complete satisfaction and blessedness. To God as the Hearer of prayer, the Forgiver of sins, the Satisfier of souls, human worship should be addressed.

III. Worship in its nature. It is here represented as consisting in

1. Submission to the will of God. Praise waiteth for Thee, O God, is not a correct rendering. Conant translates: To Thee belong submission, praise, O God. Hengstenberg: Thou art praised in the silence, O God. Margin: Praise is silent for Thee, O God. Moll: To Thee is silence (resignation), praise, O God. Resignation to the Divine will, the silence of the heart before God, is a duty which we owe to Him, and is worship of the very highest character. To trust Him in darkness and mystery, to bow loyally to His will when its dispensations to us are painful, to exclaim in the supreme agony of life, Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him,surely this is the very highest worship that we can render to Him.

2. Celebration of the praise of God. The Poet represents praise as belonging to God; and it constitutes one of the chief elements of worship. God is praised by His people because of what He has done and is ever doing for them, because of what He is to them, and because of what He is in Himself.

3. The fulfilment of our vows to God. Unto Thee shall the vow be performed. There seems to be two ideas here:

(1) Gratitude for benefits received. God had blessed His people by gracious doings for them and generous gifts to them, and they thankfully remember these things, and recognise their own obligation by reason of them.
(2) Faithfulness in keeping promises which they had made. Formerly they had uttered their vows, and now they resolve to perform them. These, then, are some of the elements of worshiphearty submission to Gods will, celebration of His praise, and performance of our vows to Him.

IV. Worship in its locality. In Zion, in Thy courts, Thy house, Thy holy temple. Zion was the scene of special Divine manifestation. It was authoritatively appointed the chief place for the worship of Jehovah. The Lord hath chosen Zion, He hath desired it for His habitation. Our Lord Jesus Christ is now the true Zion. Every one who worships God, believing in Christ as the Divine Mediator, will find acceptance and blessing in so doing. Through Him the devout heart may worship God anywhere (Joh. 4:21-24).

V. Worship in its extent. Unto Thee shall all flesh come. Here is a declaration that

1. The needy shall worship the All-sufficient. The use of the word flesh here to denote man, indicates his weakness and need. Man is an entirely dependent creaturefrail, feeble, and needy. God is the inexhaustible Fountain of life, strength, and blessing: to Him needy man shall come for supply.

2. All the needy shall worship the All-sufficient. Unto Thee shall all flesh come. Hengstenberg: God is rich not only for a few, but for all: all to whom the name of man belongs come to Him, in order to draw from His inexhaustible fountain. (See the Outline on Psa. 65:2, below.)

VI. Worship in its influence. Blessed is the man whom Thou choosest, &c. They are blessed inasmuch as their prayers are heard, their sins are pardoned, and their souls are satisfied in God. All the spiritual joys and blessings of Divine grace are theirs. They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of Thy house; and Thou shalt make them drink of the river of Thy pleasures. The worship of God spiritualises and ennobles the worshippertransforms him into the Divine image. Worship is heaven.

A GREAT FACT, PRIVILEGE, AND PROSPECT

(Psa. 65:2.)

We have in this versa

I. A glorious fact. God hears prayer. This fact may be proved

1. From the nature of God. A Being of infinite intelligence must hear every request that is made to Him. A Being of infinite kindness must hear with regardwith consideration and favour. A Being, in whom infinite resources are joined to infinite kindness, must answer.

2. From the teachings of Scripture. Call upon Me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, &c. Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you; for, &c. Men ought always to pray and not to faint. Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in My name, He will give you. Ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full. The effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

3. From the experiences of believers, Moses (Exo. 32:11-14; Exo. 32:31-35; Num. 11:1-3); Elijah (1Ki. 17:17-24; 1Ki. 18:42-45); Elisha (2Ki. 4:28-36); the Psalmists (Psa. 116:1-2; et al.); Hezekiah (Isa. 38:1-8); Daniel (Dan. 9:20-23); the early Christians praying for Peter (Act. 12:1-17); innumcrable instances since; and thousands of persons to-day.

II. A precious privilege. We may come unto God in prayer.

1. It is a great privilege to be permitted to unburden our heart to a Being of perfect wisdom and goodness and sympathy. The hearts highest, holiest joy, and its most secret and sacred sorrow, we may tell with confidence to Him. And the mere telling of such experiences to such a Being will afford relief.

2. How much greater is the privilege when that Being has power to aid and bless. Such power has God. In perplexity, in want, in sorrow, in affliction, in spiritual distress, &c., we may come to the all-kind and all-sufficient Friend. In everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God.

III. An inspiring prospect. Unto Thee shall all flesh come.

1. The weak and needy shall approach unto the infinite Source of strength and blessing. Mans frailty and need are indicated by the word flesh. Man is weak and poor; God is almighty and unsearchable in riches; to Him shall man come, and be strengthened, blessed, &c.

2. All the weak and needy shall come unto the infinite Source of strength and blessing. Unto Thee shall all flesh come. All the helpless and poor shall come to God with prayers and thanksgivings. He is the confidence of all the ends of the earth, and of them that are afar off upon the sea. Our faith in the approach of all men to God in prayer rests upon considerations such as these:

(1) There is a correlation between Gods resources and mans needs; between mans dependence and Gods all-sufficiency.
(2) Divinely-appointed means are in operation for bringing needy men to the wealthy God. The ministries of nature, providence, and the Gospel are all designed and fitted to lead men to the all-sufficiency of God.

(3) The Word of God announces the approach of all men to the Hearer of prayer (Psa. 72:8-17; Isa. 45:23-24; Rom. 14:11).

CONCLUSION.

1. Appreciate this privilege.

2. Seek to extend it to others. Announce it to others. Persuade them to avail themselves of it.

THE BLESSEDNESS OF COMMUNION WITH GOD

(Psa. 65:4.)

I. Make a few explanatory remarks on the several particulars implied and expressed in the text.

1. The words imply that the public means of grace ought to be viewed as a distinguished privilege. Blessed is the man whom Thou choosest, &c.

2. In the public means of grace communion with God may be enjoyed. And causest to approach unto Thee, &c. To approach unto God is to enjoy communion with Him. We may approach unto God:

(1) by prayer through the mediation of Jesus Christ;
(2) with sentiments of thanksgiving and praise;
(3) in receiving instruction from His Word; and
(4) under the most endearing and interesting relations in the ordinances which He has appointedas Father, &c. Do we know by experience the blessedness of thus approaching unto God?
3. The house of God is here represented as the habitation of His people. That he may dwell in Thy courts. The good man is not an occasional visitor of the house of God, but a resident. The godly are diligent in their attendance there; they embrace every opportunity, &c.

4. Special advantages which afford rich pleasure and solid satisfaction are experienced by those who dwell in the house of the Lord and enjoy communion with Him. We shall be satisfied with the goodness of Thy house, even of Thy holy temple. The satisfaction and pleasure arise

(1) from its being the dwelling-place of God. He dwells there as a king in his courtsas God in His temple.
(2) From the communications of the Divine favour. They are satisfied with His goodness in the pardon of sins, in the bestowment of eternal life, &c.

II. Improve the subject with a few reflections.

1. How great is the value of religious privileges.

2. How important is it to improve our privileges.

3. How great are the advantages which attend the improvement of the means of grace.

4. How great is the sin of those who slight the means of grace.

5. How important it is that those who have slighted the means of grace should repent and reform.Abridged from an unpublished MS.

MANIFESTATIONS OF DIVINE POWER

(Psa. 65:5-8.)

Notice

I. The sphere of the manifestations of the Divine power. It is represented by the Psalmist as manifested

1. In nature (Psa. 65:6-7). We have it here

(1) Establishing the most stable things. Who by His strength setteth fast the mountains, girded with power. The mountains are the most secure, abiding, and unchangeable things in nature. Generations come and go, but the mountains remain. Cities arise and flourish, decay, and pass away; but the mountains continue, and apparently change not. Empires are founded and fortified, assaulted and overthrown; but the ancient and firm-set mountains move not and change not. The Almighty, as a master workman girded with power, firmly founded and securely keeps them. Their stability is an abiding and impressive witness to His omnipotence.

(2) Controlling the most restless and tumultuous things. Who stilleth the noise of the seas, the noise of their waves. How restless is the seal How fierce and furious and terrible when it is agitated by storm! But His voice can curb it even in its wildest moods, can reduce its mountainous billows to gentle undulations, can hush its roaring thunders into soft rippling cadences. (Comp. Psa. 107:29; Mat. 8:26.) Thus nature is ever witnessing to the almighty power of God.

2. In human society. Who stilleth the tumult of the peoples. Perowne: The sea and nations are mentioned together, the one being so often used as an image of the other. Luther: Like as He stilled Pharaoh with all his people, when he stormed and raged against Israel, as if he would have devoured them. In like manner as He stilled the king of Assyria, when he roared and raged against Jerusalem. Barnes: This is perhaps a more striking and wonderful exhibition of the power of God than that of calming down the waves of the ocean. In the one case, it is the exertion of mere power on nature, acting through its established laws, and where there is no resistance of will; in the other, it is power exerted over the will; power over agents, conscious that they are free, and where the worst passions meet and mingle and rage.

The Psalmist indicates the continuousness of these manifestations of the Divine power. Who setteth, Who stilleth. God is ever present and active both in nature and in human society. He is the Author and Superintendent of all laws of nature, the Force of all forces, &c.

II. The significance of the manifestations of the Divine power. Thy tokens. These manifestations of the power of God are regarded as indications of His presence and activity. They are signs and pledges of something more than and beyond themselves; they are indications of the character and ability of the mighty Worker. Thus the doings of God in nature are significant of His existence and presence, His power and unchangeableness. His control of tumultuous peoples witnesses to His might and majesty, His righteous sovereignty, &c. Both nature and history, to the thoughtful and reverent observer, are most fruitful of wise suggestion as to the works and ways of God.

III. The influence of the manifestations of the Divine power.

1. They inspire awe. They are afraid at Thy tokens. The exhibitions of the power and glory of God are fitted to impress the mind and heart of men, to awaken reverence and fear of One who is so great in power, &c.

2. They inspire confidence. (Psa. 65:5.) We have here,

(1) Confidence for a great blessing. By terrible things in righteousness wilt Thou answer us. The word translated terrible contains the idea of the wonderful and the sublime. Reference is made in it to such events as took place in Egypt previous to the emancipation of Israel from bondageevents fitted to impress men with a deep sense of the power and greatness and majesty of God. The Psalmist is confident that by such events God would answer the prayers of His people. To be assured of sufficient answers to our prayers is confidence for a great blessing. Such assurance would not be possible except in a being of great power. Thus Gods might is a basis of trust for man.
(2) Confidence in the highest Being. Trust is here reposed in God as a Being whose power is always exercised righteously, and for the salvation of those who trust in Him. In righteousness Thou wilt answer us, O God of our salvation. Mere power, however great, is inadequate to inspire confidence. It may excite alarm. But the power of God is ever righteous in aim, and beneficent in operation.
(3) Confidence in the widest extent. The confidence of all the ends of the earth and of the sea afar off, denotes the dwellers on the most distant coasts and islands, and the navigators of the most distant seas. The blessings of God are coextensive with the wants of man. There is no other being in the whole universe in whom man may safely confide. The true and only ground of trust for man is the great and gracious God.
3. They inspire joy. Thou makest the outgoings of the morning and evening to rejoice. Moll: The outgoings of the morning and evening mean the east and west as practical parallels of the ends of the earth. The manifestations of the righteous and beneficent power of God are calculated to inspire joy amongst all peoples everywhere.

CONCLUSION.We are living amid the manifestations of the Divine power. Do we heed their significance? Do we hear and ponder their message? Are the phenomena of the material world revealing to us the realities of the spiritual universe? Are they aiding us to know God? to reverence, trust, and rejoice in Him?

THE BENEFICENT ACTIVITY OF GOD IN NATURE

(Psa. 65:9-13.)

The Psalmists view of nature is not that of the Atheist. He regards nature as having been created, and as being constantly sustained by God. Nor that of the Positivist. He discovered in nature not only law, and order, and force, but the presence and activity of a Divine PersonGod. Nor that of the Pantheist. He offers praise to God as a Person having an existence distinct from and independent of nature. He saw in the world around him the personal presence and the beneficent activity of the Supreme. And the beneficent activity of God in nature he represents as being

I. Incessant. (Psa. 65:9-11.) The activity of God in His works is ceaseless. This is manifest

1. From the operations which are ascribed to Him. He is said to prepare the earth for the corn, and the corn for man; to bless the springing of the corn, and to carry it onward in its progress to maturity, until, in the abundance and ripeness of autumn, the year is crowned with His goodness.

2. From the forms of the verbs which are used to describe those operations. Thou visitest, waterest, enrichest, preparest, blessest, crownest, &c. The present tenses are employed here to express that this God does not in one year only, but every year. His operations in nature are characterised by continuity. In all ages and in all seasons He is at work amidst His creations. He is ever active. This is well expressed by Thomson in his Hymn on the Seasons

These, as they change, Almighty Father, these
Are but the varied God. The rolling year
Is full of Thee. Forth in the pleasing Spring
Thy beauty walks, Thy tenderness and love.
Wide flush the fields; the softening air is balm;
Echo the mountains round; the forest smiles,
And every sense and every heart is joy.
Then comes Thy glory in the Summer mouths.
With light and heat refulgent. Then Thy sun
Shoots full perfection through the swelling year:
And oft Thy voice in dreadful thunder speaks;
And oft at dawn, deep noon, or falling eve,
By brooks and groves, in hollow-whispering gales.
Thy bounty shines in Autumn unconfined,
And spreads a common feast for all that lives.
In Winter awful Thou! with clouds and storms
Around Thee thrown, tempest oer tempest rolled,
Majestic darkness! On the whirlwinds wing
Riding sublime, Thou bidst the world adore,
And humblest nature with Thy northern blast.

II. Omnipresent. The furrows and the ridges of the earth He waters abundantly. He gives fertility and beauty to the pastures of the wilderness; He girds the little hills with joy, and He enrobes the fruitful valleys with corn or covers them with flocks. There is no part of His universe in which He is not present in His beneficent activities. On mountain summits, which are accessible to the gaze only of the strong-winged eagles and the sublime stars, He causes beauty to spring forth. And in dense forests, into which even the most adventurous of men have not penetrated, He is at work producing luxuriant and beautiful forms of vegetation and life. The omnipresence of His beneficent activities may be used

1. As a restraint from sin.

2. As an encouragement to constant trust in Him.

3. As an incentive to reverence Him at all times and in all places.

III. Abundant. Thou visitest the earth and waterest it; Thou greatly enrichest it with the river of God, which is full of water; Thou waterest the ridges thereof abundantly; Thy paths drop fatness. Thus with fulness of expression the Psalmist represents the abundance of the Divine beneficence in nature. The psalm was probably written upon the occasion of a bounteous harvest, or after a copious and much-needed rain. But it is true at all times that the beneficent activities of God are on the largest and most generous scale. We may see this in the great fertility of the earth when wisely and diligently cultivated. How rich is the reward of such cultivation! Scenes of fertility, plenty, and beauty, like that sketched by the Poet, are to be found in vast numbers in our own land to-day. Both in nature and in grace God bestows His gifts with infinite munificence.

IV. Joy-inspiring. The little hills rejoice on every side. The pastures are clothed with flocks; the valleys also are covered over with corn; they shout for joy, they also sing. Nature is here represented as singing for joy in its prosperity. The idea is both natural and poetical. And to man the beneficent activities of God in the material creation should ever be a source of grateful and reverent joy. The abundant provision which He thus makes for our needs should awaken our gratitude. The wide-spread diffusion of beauty should enkindle our admiration. And in all we should see and praise Him.

CONCLUSION.Let us learn

1. To recognise the presence and power of God in nature.

2. To praise the goodness of God in nature.

3. To worship God as seen in nature. Let us tread the earth as a temple alive with the presence and radiant with the glory of God.

4. To trust God as the God of nature. We have His promiseWhile the earth remaineth, seed time and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night, shall not cease. He will not fail to fulfil His promise.

5. To regard His beneficence in nature as an illustration of the more precious blessings of salvation.

A MAY HOMILY

(Psa. 65:10. Thou blessest the springing thereof.)

Nature in all her moods and phases is always ministerial, if we will have it. One may speak, for instance, of the opening of the spring, as a kind of annual Divine Sacrament, by attending upon which with wise and meek surrender, the better man in us may be awakened and stimulated. As Christ Instituted the bread and wine, to be a means of aiding His followers in their remembrance of Him and their communion with Him; so does the holy Father give us every year the marvels and minstrelsies of spring, to aid us in growing fine and rising higher. He blesses the general flushing and budding. It is consecrated for us, to be an advantage to us spiritually, if we will allow it. We speak of our Sundays, our religious services, our daily tasks and difficulties as means of grace; and the vernal advent and encompassment is no less really a means of grace, to be utilised to profit, or neglected to loss and condemnation.

I. Who is there who has not felt and acknowledged the softening, expanding, genialising influence of the spring; its sweetening effect upon the mental mood and temper?. Only look at the peoples faces, as they meet one another by the way, some fine morning in the first burst of spring! How full of good-humour they are, how warmly they salute, how disposed they seem to be more generous and charitable than usual!. You may explain it physiologically, I am quite aware; but then, it is not less God coming to you, in and through physiological laws and processes, with an opportunity of improvement, with a tide to bear and lift you, if taken at the flood, toward a permanently better, a permanently sweeter and more gracious spirit. It is a Divine means of grace. What you have to do is, just to seize the vernal feeling that has risen in you, and cherish and go forth with it: namely, by starting from the height of it, under the impulse of it, with new resolves and endeavours to cultivate the genial and generous temper; and by seeking to put it at once, before it fades, into some corresponding deed. Now, while it is upon you, go and give something to somebodys need; go and do something for somebodys good.

II. Does not the present season tend to excite in us, at times, strange, vague, mysteriousyeanringsyearnings amounting often to pain?. I recall vividly a sketch I once sawa slight but very striking sketcha lone evening shore, with the sun slowly sinking into the sea, and a woman sitting gazing at it from the beach, her hands clasped round her knees, a far-off, weary, wistful look in her eyes, her face as the face of one who listens for something that is unheard, and longs for more than is seen. It was as though the dying sun were drawing her to himself; as though presently she must arise and seek him through the waves, aching to find with himshe knew not whatbut the larger, the brighter, the happier that seemed to be calling her. Now that is an illustration of what I mean; when nature lays her hand upon us, and sets us dreamily yearning, as she is especially apt to do in her annual springing. You feel pensive. There are strange stirrings and pinings in your breast that you hardly understand. The life in which hitherto you have been content and happy, seems poor and insipid and unsatisfying. The money you have made, the secular successes you have won, seem less worth than they were; and you reach home rather low-spirited, oppressed with a vague sense of want, a vague longing. What does it mean? The grace of the season has somehow swept the diviner depths in you, and caused a sudden blind motion and flutter there. Turn the feeling before it dies into a prayera prayer to be filled and satisfied from the Lord; a prayer to be made willing to seek and do in harmony with His will. It is an accepted time, a day of salvation; do not lose it.

III. Has not the loveliness of spring, and the beautiful order which it expresses and reveals, brought home to us now and again, by the force of contrast, the uglinesses and disorders that abound in mans world, and constrained us to ponder and bewail them afresh?. Whenever the spring leads you to lament thus, what is it but a fresh Divine call to you to philanthropic labour and effort; a fresh Divine impression upon you of humanitys sore needs and woes; that you may be awakened to increased sympathy with them, and urged to attempt more towards their relief? Seek, then, to waken and urge yourselves with it. Do not allow the feeling to evaporate in mere melancholy musings or pensive poetry; but let it bear you forth to heartier and more earnest ministry; make it a means of stimulating your benevolent activity. Go, with the tears for the miseries and evils of mans world which the musical groves and the fine order of nature may have started in your eyes, to weep helpfully with them that weep, and to stream with renewed endeavour against the works of the devil. So shall the springing which the Lord blesses be blessed indeed.S. A. Tipple. Abridged from The Day of Rest.

THE FIRST SABBATH IN THE NEW-YEAR

(Psa. 65:11. Thou crownest the year with Thy goodness.)

Let us, though it be generally and rapidly, mark that goodness which has crowned the year

I. As to our country. I love the pious patriotism of the ancient Jews, whose hearts hovered over Zion even in her desolations and pronounced their blessing upon all the lovers of Jerusalem. Nor does justice, less than piety, demand this recognition of our national mercies, since there is not one of them which is not, in some of its results, a blessing to ourselves. Ours is a country to which God has given one of the mightiest empires ever swayed by man;a country where, amidst much of darkness, a brighter light of evangelical truth is shining; where, in the midst of awful vice, there is a higher degree of public and private virtue than in any other; a country whose civil and religious institutions are, at once, the light and admiration of a great part of the world, &c.

That such a state of things has been continued, by the good providence of God, through another year, is matter of devout thanksgiving, &c.

II. As to our families. I love to mark the blessed effects of Christianity upon families connected by blood, and, as it were, identified in the same joys, and sorrows, and interests of life. Such was the family at Bethany which Jesus loved; and many such are found, I trust, among you. Remember your family mercies. As to most of you, how exempt have you been from any but those ordinary cares and transient visitations to which all are subject! The circle of your family hearth is unbroken, &c.

III. As to our personal experience. I lose sight of your preservations from bodily danger and death, &c. Subjects these not to be forgotten by you, and never to be remembered without grateful devotion. But I merge them now in the higher considerations suggested by the spiritual blessings which have been granted to you. When considering spiritual blessings as the portion of any man, we cannot but mount up to that boundless, that mysterious goodness which humbled the eternal Word to humanity, and spared Him not from the sorrows of the cross, in order, so to speak, to free itself from the restraints of Divine justice, that it might recover and bless mankind. What affecting instances of goodness spring from this! &c.

Some during the past year have been, for the first time, made the subjects of the renewing grace of God; on you I call this day for special acknowledgment. From what a depth of misery and danger have you been plucked! &c.
I address others of you who have longer known this grace in truth, and to whom the experience of the past year has been comforting and advancing. And this you owe to the special goodness of God. Your light is light from Him; your strength, strength from Him. By the grace of God I am what I am. Thou crownest the year with Thy goodness.
But do I awaken in any heart the painful remembrance of religious barrenness and declension? God has not dealt with you according to your unfaithful dealings with Him, &c. Let this recollection of the goodness of God come to you, giving greater tenderness to your sorrows, strength to your desires, and new life to your hopes. Return, ye backsliding children, &c.

IV. As to the universal Church. True piety identifies us with the universal Church. How gladdened should be our hearts if she has been, through the grace of God, faithful to her high calling, and has prospered in her work!

CONCLUDE

1. By addressing those to whom it has been a year of special affliction. You have had afflictions, but you have likewise had mercies. Nor has God visited you with all the suffering that you have deserved, and which, therefore, He might have inflicted. And what have been many of your troubles but blessings in disguise?. The chastening was not joyous, but grievous; nevertheless, it has yielded to you the peaceable fruits of righteousness. Can you number no mercies among the wants of the past year? Thank God, then, and take courage.

2. I beseech you, brethren, by all these mercies, that you present yourselves a living sacrifice unto God. Renounce every other authority, and submit to Him (Psa. 118:27; Psa. 116:8-9). Every renewed mercy increases our obligations to love and serve Him; and happy is that man, who, under the full power of joyous and grateful feeling, so surrenders himself to God, as to live for no other purpose than that of glorifying Him.Richard Watson. Abridged.

Fuente: The Preacher’s Complete Homiletical Commentary Edited by Joseph S. Exell

Psalms 65

DESCRIPTIVE TITLE

Israels Temple-Song of Praise, on behalf of Herself and all Nations, chiefly in Grateful Acknowledgment of Seedtime and Harvest.

ANALYSIS

Stanza I., Psa. 65:1-4, Preparations for Worship. Stanza II., Psa. 65:5-8, The God of Israel is the God of All the Earth. Stanza III., Psa. 65:9-10, Praise for Seedtime. Stanza IV., Psa. 65:11-13, Praise for Harvest.

(Lm.) PsalmBy DavidSong.

To thee is recited a song of praise[694] O God in Zion,

[694] So Br. For thee praise waitethPer. Praise beseemeth theeKp.

and to thee in Jerusalem[695] shall be rendered the vow:

[695] So in some MSS. of Sep. and P.B.V.

Thou hearer of prayer! unto thee all flesh shall come.

Reports[696] of iniquities have been too strong for me.

[696] InstancesDel. ManifoldDr.

As for our transgressions thou thyself shalt[697] put a propitiatory cover over them.[698]

[697] For consenting petitions, cp. 5:17, 8 note.
[698] Thou wilt cancel themDel. Is always used in a fig, sense of covering morally. . In the Levitical law the priest is usually the subject; and then the meaning is that he covers up sin by means of a propitiatory rite upon ground of which God consents to overlook it; in this sense, it is the word which is often reduced to make atonement (Lev. 1:1; Lev. 4:20; Lev. 4:26; Lev. 4:31, &c.)Dr., Glossary, I.

How happy the man thou dost choose and bring near,

he shall inhabit thy courts:
We would be satisfied with the blessedness of thy house,
the holiness[699] of thy temple.

[699] Or: holy place.

By fearful things in righteousness shaft[700] thou answer us

[700] Or: dost, w. Del. and Dr.

O God of our Salvation,
who art the trust of all the ends of the land and of the sea far away,[701]

[701] The most distant seaDel. Read perhaps, and of isles (or coasts) afar off (Isa. 66:19)Dr.

who settest fast the mountains by thy[702] strength being girded with might,

[702] So Sep.

who stillest the noise of the seas the noise of their billows and the tumult of populations;

Thus are moved to reverence the dwellers in the uttermost parts by thy signs:

The goings forth of morning and evening thou makest ring out their joy.

Thou hast visited the earth and given it abundance

full oft[703] dost thou enrich it,

[703] Cp. Psa. 129:1; Psa. 129:3.

The channel of God is full of water;
Thou preparest their grain when thus thou preparest the land:[704]

[704] MI.: her=the land. Cp. O.G. 466, 2a.

The furrows thereof drenching settling the ridges thereof,

with myriad drops dost thou soften it

the sprouting thereof dost thou bless.

Thou hast set a crown on thy year of bounty,

and thy tracks drop fatness;

They drop on the pasture of the wilderness,

and with exultation the hills do gird themselves;

Clothed are the mountains[705] with the flock,[706]

[705] So, conj., w. Br.; and in antithesis to the valleys (harim for karim).

[706] =small cattle, sheep and goats.

the valleys also cover themselves with corn:
they shout to each other for joy, yea they sing.

(Lm.) To the Chief Musician.

Psalms 65

PARAPHRASE

Psalms 65

O God of Zion, we wait before You in silent praise, and thus fulfill our vow. And because You answer prayer, all mankind will come to You with their requests.
3

Though sins fill our hearts, You forgive them all.

How greatly to be envied are those You have chosen to come and live with You within the holy tabernacle courts! What joys await us among all the good things there.

With dread deeds and awesome power You will defend us from our enemies,[707] O God who saves us. You are the only hope of all mankind throughout the world and far away upon the sea.

[707] Literally, will answer us in righteousness.

He formed the mountains by His mighty strength.

He quiets the raging oceans and all the worlds clamor.

In the farthest corners of the earth the glorious acts of God shall startle everyone. The dawn and sunset shout for joy!

He waters the earth to make it fertile. The rivers of God will not run dry! He prepares the earth for His people and sends them rich harvests of grain.

He waters the furrows with abundant rain. Showers soften the earth, melting the clods and causing seeds to sprout across the land.

11, 12 Then He crowns it all with green, lush pastures in the wilderness; hillsides blossom with joy.
13 The pastures are filled with flocks of sheep, and the valleys are carpeted with grain. All the world shouts with joy, and sings.

EXPOSITION

It is difficult to say which feature of this psalm is most worthy of admiration: whether the beauty of its twin-pictures of seed-time and harvest; or the broad and sympathetic setting which turns these in combination into a song for all nations; or the quiet presuppositions which place Israel at the head of the nations in rendering this tribute of praise. When we have satisfied our powers of discriminations in tracing these features of the psalm, we have still to congratulate the joint-author that he had such gems at his disposal as the two snatches of song for the ever recurring seasons to which he here gives such an appropriate setting; and still more that, having them in his repertoire, he had so signal an occasion as we assume he had for weaving his materials into such a complete and beautiful whole.

To begin at the end of these points of observation, we can assume, with the general concurrence of commentators so far as our observation extends, that the occasion for which this psalm was prepared for temple-service was a no less remarkable occasion than the first full harvest reaped in Palestine after the Assyrians had been either destroyed in the land or driven from it as it was foretold by Isaiah that they should be (Isa. 37:30). Surely never was a harvest-song composed with so many grateful hearts bursting with eager joy to waft to heaven its strains. Assuming this as the occasion, we instinctively think of King Hezekiah as the poet-musician who acted as co-author in constructing this psalm and adapting it for actual use in the temple at Jerusalem. Just as naturally do we think of David as the composer of the seed-time and harvest gems, here so happily brought together; and we do so for the two good reasons,first, that Davids name is at the head of the psalm; and, second, that he, rather than Hezekiah, was a son of the soil, born on the land, familiar from boyhood with its hills and glens, its pastures and its prairies, its wagon-tracks and its sheep-walks, its sowing-seasons and its harvest-times, its want of water and its bountiful supplies; he, rather than his descendant of princely birth, had enjoyed many a quiet opportunity of admiring the mountain and hills as enrobed in the flocks which were spread over them, and of hearing valley answering to valley with voices calling forth and answering his own songs; he, moreover, having elsewhere given his night-view (8) and his day-view (19) of the heavens, and glimpses of flocks peacefully resting beside still waters (23); and being, as we know, skilled with his harp, and therefore fond of it, and therefore oft sweeping its strings, what more likely in the nature of things than that he should have left behind him these hitherto unused fragments, which we are the more entitled to call fragments, if, according to Dr. Briggs, the one consists of five tetrameters, and the other is a trimeter heptastichjust the polished gems that Hezekiah knew how to appreciate and on fitting occasion to employ, The setting is not Davids, Other times, other manners. The temple has now been reared; and by the best minds (Isa. 56:7) has come to be regarded as a house of prayer for all nations. And so, while Zion and Jerusalem are placed in the forefront of this psalm, there is an immediate reference to Jehovah as a hearer of prayer to whom all flesh shall come. But Hezekiah had been born in a decadent reign, and had known what it was to be slighted as prince (35), to be thwarted as king (Isaiah 22); and therefore no wonder that, before his enthusiastic gratitude (Isaiah 38) for recovery from sickness and deliverance from Sennacherib could find full and fitting public expression, he should feel his praise a little belated and should complain that reports of iniquity from all parts of the land (14, 53) had been too strong for him; and that, in fact, his own transgressions and those of his people only God himself could effectually remove. Thinking thus of propitiation, he thinks of the priestschosen, brought near, inhabiting the temple-chambers; and prays that he and his people may be satisfied with the blessedness of Gods house, the holiness of his temple. By characteristic features judged, this first Stanza is certainly from the pen or by the suggestion of King Hezekiah.

And now see how again the psalm widens out. It can take in, as familiar, the thought of chastisements to be revered, because hard to bear, like his own and his peoples, yet administered in righteousness; and there are more such answers to come (Isa. 39:6-7). Nevertheless, the God of Israels salvation is exalted; and the more, in humble submission to him, King and people realise their national calling as a kingdom of priests (Exo. 19:6) the more are they qualified to fear and to rejoice with the nations of the earthin common alarms and common reliefs. And so the psalmistthis co-author, as he plainly islooks out on nature and up to natures God with a feeling of real fellowship with the peoples dwelling in the ends of the land, and of the sea far away; he looks on the same strong mountains, and hearkens to the same surging and thundering seas as they do. Just like Hezekiah to have added, and the tumult of populations. Moreover, on this common ground, their signs are ours, and ours are theirs; and they, in their measure and way, revere the same great manifestations of Divine power as do we. And so we help them to express the reverence we all feel. But, besides the common signs, inspiring fear,the storm, the flood, the earthquake, the popular tumults,there are the common blessings of life, the sweet and gentle ministries of nature, which with us they share. They rise with the lark, refreshed; and sing as do we; they return to their homes after their toil is, done and sing in their homes like ourselves. It is the good God who gladdens all. Wars make terrible upheaving and pour out an awful roar; but the music of morning and evening is more constant as well as more sweet. Therefore praise we thee, in thy temple, O Jehovah;for ourselves, for the nations who, with less clear vision, behold thy glory and thy love.

That the first stanza of this psalm distinctively celebrates seed-time rather than harvest, though still of course with a view to harvest, becomes evident as soon as candidly examined with this idea in mind. It begins with the early rains that prepare for the seed, and culminates with the sprouting of the seed when sown. There it stops; which it scarcely could have done had not seed-time been, so far, its one dominant topic. That seed-time has harvest in view, is a matter of course; but very beautifully does the main thought turn back on the preparing of the land; and this is pictured in a few graphic touches as the detailed way in which the grain itself is prepared. You see the plough at work, scooping out furrows and turning up ridges by one and the same process: and the Divine Co-operator dealing with both according to need and capacity. The furrows are naturally receptive of the streams which flow in abundance from those upper and invisible channels of God which are full of water; and what they thus receive, they hold and convey to the roots of the young plants. The turned-up ridges need to be settled down and closed well in upon the precious seed which they have received. The same rain that does the one does the other: fills the furrows, settles the ridges. Divine agriculture is economic of means, various in adaptations. But soon the surface becomes encrusted, and might imprison the tender blade, did not the gentler after-showers with their myriad drops come to soften the soil and make it easily permeable. And so, as eyes of wonder look on, and discreet judgment calculates how many dangers have been passed as the green crop carpets the earth, Devotion exclaims, The sprouting thereof thou dost bless.

It is harvest, however, that is set as a crown on the head of the year of bounty: harvest largely viewed as presenting in perfection the result of earlier processes. The very thought of a crown gives a glimpse of the golden grain. As if in special recognition of the latter rains, securing a full harvest, the laden clouds are conceived as the chariot of God leaving in its tracks fruits of fatness and plenty. The refreshed pastures of the open landsthe wilderness or prairie landwill shew the tracks of the chariot of God. The hills made vocal with the tuneful voices of harvesters seem to lift up a loud voice of exultation. The mountains, nearly to their summits, are well-nigh hidden by their robe of goats, sheep and lambs: the vales, running between the hills are clad with a rich mantle of corn; and happy voices, shouting and echoing and ringing and singing, celebrate the Divine Coronation of the year.

QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION

There seems to be two writers for this psalmdiscuss who they are and the portion written by each.

Scroggie suggests that this psalm could be divided into three divisions: (1) Gods Grace, Psa. 65:1-4; (2) Gods Greatness, Psa. 65:5-8; (3) Gods Goodness, Psa. 65:9-13. Please read these verses and see if you agree on this division.

What are the indications of Gods grace or favor as seen in Psa. 65:1-4?

Gods greatness is seen in His concern and in His works as observed in verses five through eight. Mark these out for yourself from these verses.

The Harvest Song of Psa. 65:9 through 13 contains an expression of Gods goodness. This does not say that mother nature did all these things. Mark the use of the pronoun Thou.

Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series

(1) Praise waiteth . . .Literally, To thee silence praise, which recalls Psa. 62:1 (see Note), but must be differently explained. To say, Praise is silence to thee, is hardly intelligible. The LXX. and Vulg. read differently, praise is comely. Better supply a conjunction, To thee are quiet and praise, i.e., submissive expectation till the deliverance come (Psa. 62:1), and then exulting praise.

Shall the vow.Better, Is the vow paid, i.e., by the praise just mentioned.

Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)

1. Praise waiteth Or, Praise is silent; or, To thee silence is praise: see on Psa 62:1, and Rev 8:1. Submitting all things to the will of God, and quietly resting there, is as praise; and this only could make praise or prayer acceptable.

Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

Heading.

‘For the Chief Musician. A Psalm. A Song of David.’

The heading is brief noting the regular dedication to the Chief Musician. It is described both as a Psalm, and as a song of David. ‘Song’ is the more ancient term and refers to a song intended to be sung at public worship. This double ascription occurs also in the three Psalms which follow. (The two following Psalms have no ascription to David confirming that the words ‘of David’ were not included casually, otherwise they would have been added to those Psalms. This supports the idea that where Psalms are ascribed to David this should be taken seriously, indicating Davidic connection, even if not Davidic authorship).

The Psalm does not appear to have arisen out of any particular situation in life, but rather appears to be a Psalm celebrating the fruitfulness of the expected harvest (Psa 65:9-13). This may suggest that it was written to celebrate the gathering of the firstfruits at the Passover (Lev 18:10-14). That it is a Festal Psalm (Psalm to be sung at one of the great feasts) is suggested by Psa 65:4.

However, some see in it an indication that God has recently given His people a great deliverance so that they are now at peace (Psa 65:5-8) and anticipating an abundant harvest (Psa 65:9-13). If so, this could have been celebrating any one of David’s great victories, through which he brought Israel into a settled peace. Continuing peace would then introduce good harvests as men were able to give their whole time to the land.

The Psalm divides naturally into three parts:

1) The Psalmist Informs God That His People Have Gathered to Bring Him Praise And Perform Their Vows, And, Admitting Their Sinfulness, He Expresses Their Confidence In God’s Forgiveness, A Forgiveness Which Will Enable Them To Approach God And Spend Time Before Him In His Courts (Psa 65:1-4).

2) Having Approached God In A Personal Way David Now Gives A Description Of His Mighty Power Exercised Over All Creation, And Over All Peoples. He Emphasises The Fact That God’s People Are Safe Under God’s Protection Whether The Threat Comes From Land Or Sea (Psa 65:5-8).

3) As Well As Exercising Iron Control The Almighty Creator Also Makes Full Provision For The Needs Of His Creation Making The Fields And Pasturelands Blossom And Flourish (Psa 65:9-13).

1). The Psalmist Informs God That His People Have Gathered to Bring Him Praise And Perform Their Vows, And, Admitting Their Sinfulness, He Expresses Their Confidence In God’s Forgiveness, A Forgiveness Which Will Enable Them To Approach God And Spend Time Before Him In His Courts ( Psa 65:1-4 ).

Psa 65:1

‘Praise waits for you, O God, in Zion,

And to you will the vow be performed.’

On this translation the Psalmist (and the singers) assure God that the people have gathered in Jerusalem to praise Him, and that each will perform his vow to God. The feasts would be a time of great vow making as the people sought to set their hearts, and themselves, right with God.

But the initial words are literally, ‘praise is silent for you’. This may suggest:

o The silence of expectation before their praise begins as they gather in His house, which is then seen as resulting, having performed their vows (Psa 65:1), which would include offerings and sacrifices, and consequently the receiving of forgiveness where their hearts were true (Psa 65:2), in all the people coming to Him in praise

o Praising in the silence of their hearts as they wait reverently before Him.

o The congregation approaching in silence because of their awareness of their sinfulness, resulting in the fulfilling of their vows, and their consequent forgiveness, which then results in praise as they all come to Him.

It is a reminder that worship should not be taken lightly. We do not just sweep into His presence and commence worship. We need first of all to reverently consider the state of our hearts before Him, setting right in our hearts any wrong done. It is then that we can obtain forgiveness and enter His presence in praise with the assurance that our praise is acceptable.

Some would revocalise the consonants and translate as ‘praise is seemly for you, O God, in Zion’ (as LXX). It is certainly true that it is seemly for us to praise Him, and that He is worthy of such praise.

Psa 65:2

‘O you who hear prayer,

To you will all flesh come.’

He addresses God as ‘the hearer of prayer’. This is why they have such confidence in their approach, and such a certainty that He will listen to them. And it is as such that to Him will the whole of His people come, as they gather for the feast. The mention of ‘all flesh’ may well have in mind the coming expected Davidic kingdom (Psa 2:8) when all nations would be called on to worship the God of David (compare Isa 2:2-4; Mic 4:1-4.

Psa 65:3

‘Matters of iniquities prevail against me,

As for our transgressions, you will forgive (atone for) them.’

He does not see himself and God’s people as approaching God lightly. He is deeply aware of his own sin and failures, and how they have control over his life, and the same applies to the people. He recognises that sin regularly overcomes him in its various forms. But he declares to God his confidence, and the confidence of His people, that He will forgive their transgressions. The YOU is emphatic. It recognises that YHWH is basically a forgiving God. The whole sentence imbues the certainty of God’s forgiveness.

Thus the people come with dedication in anticipation of forgiveness, sure that God will welcome them as they come to worship Him in His place of worship.

It is an open question as to whether the ‘me’ refers to the Psalmist himself, or to Israel as a whole speaking as one. Such changes from the singular to the plural when the people as a whole are speaking occur regularly elsewhere. See, for example, Num 21:21-22.

The word translated forgive regularly means ‘to make atonement for’. God cannot just overlook sin. Atonement has to be made. This would be accomplished in those days by the offering of God-provided offerings and sacrifices. Today we can come through the One Who made full atonement for us at the cross. That is why forgiveness is so freely available, and so certain if we come in true repentance.

Psa 65:4

‘Blessed is the man whom you choose,

And cause to approach to you,

That he may dwell in your courts.’

We will be satisfied with the goodness of your house,

The holy place of your temple.’

In consequence the state of those who seek Him truly are ‘blessed’ (comparePsa 1:1). They are happy and content as God acts in goodness towards them. For it is God Who has chosen them (see Exo 19:5-6), and caused them to approach Him so that they can dwell in His courts and be content in His presence. And as a result they will be fully satisfied with what they enjoy in His house, in the holy place of His Temple which exudes goodness.

So David makes clear that men come to God because God chooses them and works in their hearts, which is why they can be sure of a welcome. He had no illusions about the sinfulness of men, nor doubts about God’s willingness to forgive, and to pour blessing on, those who sought Him.

The mention of ‘the Temple’ may be an updating, but in fact the Tabernacle was also spoken of as ‘the Temple’ (e.g. 1Sa 1:9; 1Sa 3:3; 2Sa 22:7), so that David may well have spoken of it as God’s ‘holy temple’.

Whilst Israel were well aware that “even the heaven of heavens cannot contain you” (1Ki 8:27), they were also aware that God had chosen His Tabernacle/Temple to be the place where He dwelt invisibly on the Mercy Seat in the Holy of Holies. That is why they could lift up their voices to God anywhere on earth, but regularly assembled to worship at the Tabernacle/Temple. But notice in 1 Kings 8 that whilst the people ‘prayed towards this place’ (1Ki 8:29), God ‘heard in heaven’ (1Ki 8:30; 1Ki 8:32, etc). They did not see God as limited to His Temple.

Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett

Thanksgiving for the Blessings of the Lord.

To the chief musician, for performance in public worship, a psalm and song of David, composed for the purpose of praising God for His spiritual blessings upon His people and His kind providence over all the earth.

v. 1. Praise waiteth for Thee, O God, in Sion, literally, “To Thee is silent resignation as praise,” that is, the calm submission of the believer’s heart is its tribute to the Lord, by which He is praised and exalted; and unto Thee shall the vow be performed, paid in recognition of His hearing prayer; for thereby the fellowship between God and the faithful was further established and strengthened.

v. 2. O Thou that hearest prayer, this being the special attribute of God, unto Thee shall all flesh come, all creatures, but especially the believers, taking their refuge with Him, with a firm trust in His ability and in His willingness to help.

v. 3. Iniquities prevail against me, cases or varieties of iniquity have overcome him as with a superior hostile power. As for our transgressions, the great burden of which belongs to the crosses of the believers, Thou shalt purge them away, freeing them from their burden and atoning for their guilt. It is here once more clearly stated that man cannot answer or atone for his sins; he must, in himself, perish under their burden; the forgiveness of God alone can lift the burden.

v. 4. Blessed is the man whom Thou choosest and causest to approach unto Thee that he may dwell in Thy courts. It is a wonderful distinction to be chosen by God, to have one’s true home and to be at home where He is enthroned and reveals Himself in His Word. We shall be satisfied with the goodness of Thy house, even of Thy holy Temple, having the unequaled, inestimable advantage of constant fellowship with God in the place of His worship. If that was true in the Old Testament, at the time of prophecy and type, how much more is it true now that we have the glory of the fulfillment before our eyes!

v. 5. By terrible things in righteousness wilt Thou answer us, O God of our salvation, the awe-inspiring things being chiefly the mighty deeds and miracles of God in leading His people out of the bondage of Egypt, thereby answering the prayer of those who cried to Him; who art the Confidence of all the ends of the earth and of them that are afar off upon the sea, all the dwellers even in the most distant coasts and islands looking to Him for the benefits pertaining to this earthly life;

v. 6. which by His strength setteth fast the mountains, being girded with power, He, as the true Master Workman, laying their foundation secure, for He brought them forth by His almighty power;

v. 7. which stilleth the noise of the seas, its roaring when lashed by mighty storms, Cf Mat 8:26, the noise of their waves, and the tumult of the people, the passions of men, like the unbridled powers of nature also yielding to His almighty word.

v. 8. They also that dwell in the uttermost parts are afraid of Thy tokens, the exhibitions of God’s power, His mighty miracles, causing the dwellers of the distant coasts to tremble before Him. Thou makest the outgoings of the morning and evening to rejoice, the very ends of the earth with their inhabitants being filled with exuberant joy when the Lord stills the noise of wars.

v. 9. Thou visitest the earth and waterest it; God’s providential care is so obvious that He clearly attends to the wants of the land, arranges for its welfare, and moistens it with rain; Thou greatly enrichest it with the river of God, His rain being the brook of blessings referred to, which is full of water, richly supplied by the bounty of the Creator; Thou preparest them corn, the grain of all dwellers on the earth, when Thou hast so provided for it, so He prepares it, taking care of the crops and supplying plentiful harvests, God’s provident care being evident throughout.

v. 10. Thou waterest the ridges thereof abundantly, drenching the furrows of the land, as they have been prepared by the plow; Thou settlest the furrows thereof, packing down the ground around the seed; Thou makest it soft with showers, loosening the soil with copious rains; Thou blessest the springing thereof, the increase of the ground, the maturing crops.

v. 11. Thou crownest the year with Thy goodness, the favor of His kind providence resting upon the year like a diadem or crown; and Thy paths drop fatness, that is, fruitfulness in overabundance follows the footsteps of the Lord or the track of His chariot.

v. 12. They drop upon the pastures of the wilderness, that is, the very pastures of the steppe, the untilled meadow-lands, show rich fruitfulness; and the little hills rejoice on every side, girding themselves with joyfulness as with a garment.

v. 13. The pastures, naked and sad without the providential care of God, are clothed with flocks, due to His goodness; the valleys also are covered over with corn, a rich stand of grain being in evidence everywhere; they shout for joy, they also sing, all men who realize the miracles of God’s providence are constrained to shout with the exuberance of joy, to fill the earth with their songs of praise. Such are the blessings of peace and prosperity under the providence of the Lord.

Fuente: The Popular Commentary on the Bible by Kretzmann

EXPOSITION

THIS is a Song of unmixed praise and thankfulness. God is first praised for his moral qualities:

(1) as Hearer of prayer (Psa 65:2);

(2) as Pardoner of sin (Psa 65:3);

(3) as Giver of blessings in his courts (Psa 65:4); and

(4) as Deliverer of his people from their enemies (Psa 65:5).

Next, God is praised for his might and majesty in nature (Psa 65:6-8). Lastly, he is praised for his goodness and bounty in connection with the harvest (Psa 65:9-13). Metrically, the psalm seems to consist of three strophes, the first and second of four verses each, the third of five.

The Davidical authorship, though asserted in the “title,” is somewhat doubtful. The mention of the temple, and especially of the “courts” of the temple, seems to imply a later date than David’s. And the psalm cannot be said to be in his manner, since it is too easy, flowing, and equable. The conjecture which places the date soon after Sennacherib’s invasion (Delitzsch) is plausible, but still quite uncertain.

Psa 65:1

Praise waiteth for thee, O God, in Zion; literally, there is silence praise (equivalent to “silent praise”) for thee, O God, in Zion. There was, for the most part, a hushed silence in the tabernacle and temple, amid which silent prayer and praise were offered to God by the priests and Levites, and any lay persons who might be present. And unto thee shall the vow be performed. When there was any special outpouring of praise in the temple, there would almost always be a performance of vows. Both depended on some deliverance or favour having been granted.

Psa 65:2

O thou that hearest prayer. A necessary and inalienable attribute of God. Calvin rightly observes on the passage: “God can no more divest himself of his attribute of hearing prayer than of being.” Unto thee shall all flesh come. “All flesh” might certainly, in a psalmist’s mouth, mean no more than “all Israel” (so Ewald and Hitzig). But the context (especially in Psa 65:5 and Psa 65:8) shows that in this psalm the writer is universalist in his ideas, and embraces all mankind in his hopes and aspirations (comp. Psa 22:27, Psa 22:28; Psa 86:9; Isa 66:23; Jer 16:19; Joe 2:28).

Psa 65:3

Iniquities prevail against me. Not so much, perhaps, his own iniquities, as these of his nation. Compare the expression, “our transgressions,” in the next clause. As for our trangressions, thou shalt purge them away; or, cover them.

Psa 65:4

Blessed is the man whom thou choosest. The “choosing” intended is certainly not that of the seed of Aaron (Le Psa 8:1), or of the seed of Levi (Num 18:21-23), but that act by which God “chose” Israel out of all the nations of the earth to be “a special people unto himself” (Deu 7:6), and gave them a distinct position, and peculiar privileges. And causest to approach unto thee, that he may dwell in thy courts. Among the peculiar privileges, one of the greatest was that of approaching God’s presence in his holy temple, and entering his “courts” and worshipping there. This all Israelites were not only permitted, but commanded to do, at least three times in the year, while the dwellers in Jerusalem, privileged above the rest, had constant opportunities of attending, and using to the full the means of grace provided for them in the sanctuary. We shall be satisfied with the goodness of thy house, even of thy holy temple. In “the goodness of God’s house” the psalmist includes, not only the delights there experienced, but also all the blessings which God gives to those who devoutly worship him there”from the forgiveness of sins to outward, temporal mercies” (Hengstenberg).

Psa 65:5

By terrible things in righteousness (i.e. “by terrible acts of righteous judgment upon our enemies”) wilt thou answer us. This is a sequel to Psa 65:2. As God hears prayer and answers it, so when his people cry to him for protection and deliverance from their foes, the result can only be righteous judgments of a fearful character upon the persecutors. O God of our salvation; i.e. God through whom we obtain salvation. Who art the confidence of all the ends of the earth (see the comment on Psa 65:2, and comp. Psa 65:8). And of them that are afar off upon the sea; literally, and of the sea of those afar off. The reading is, perhaps, corrupt.

Psa 65:6-8

God having been praised for his moral qualities, is now further eulogized in respect of his doings in nature. The mountains set forth his majesty and permanence (Psa 65:6); the seas and waves, his power to control and subdue (Psa 65:7); the outgoings of the morning and eveningsunrise and sunsethis gracious loving kindness (Psa 65:8).

Psa 65:6

Which by his strength setteth fast the mountains (comp. Psa 36:6; Psa 95:4; Amo 4:13). The mountains are an emblem of God’s strength and firmness and fixedness. They stand up in still and silent majesty; they seem as if they could never be moved. He who created them must be girded with power (camp. Psa 93:1).

Psa 65:7

Which stllleth the noise of the seas. The power of God, as set forth in his control of the sea, is a favourite topic with the sacred writers (see Job 38:8; Pro 8:29; Isa 1:2; Isa 51:10; Jer 5:22, etc.). Being so entirely beyond his own control, it seems to man one of the greatest of marvels that there should be any force capable of subduing and taming it, Hence the admiration excited by our Lord’s miracle (Mat 8:26, Mat 8:27). The noise of their waves (comp. Isa 17:12). And the tumult of the people. This clause may seem a little out of place in a passage which treats of God’s power over nature. But, after all, humanity is a constituent part of nature.

Psa 65:8

They also that dwell in the uttermost parts are afraid of thy tokens; i.e. they see thy tokensindications of thy mighty powerand are filled with awe. Thou makest the outgoings of the morning and evening (or, the portals of morn and evethe gateways through which the sun comes forth each morning and retires each evening) to rejoice; i.e. to gladden mankind, to spread joy and gladness over the earth. The splendour of sunrise and sunset are in the poet’s mind.

Psa 65:9-13

In conclusion, the psalmist praises God for his bountiful providence with respect to the harvest. According to some, the whole poem is essentially a harvest thanksgiving, and the poet now “comes at last to the point aimed at from the first.” He traces the whole process by which the glorious termination is arrived at. First, the “early rain” descending from “the river of God,” or the reservoir for rain which God guards in the heavens (Job 38:37), moistening the furrows, softening the ridges, and preparing the land for the seed-corn. Then the sowing, which, being man’s work, is but just touched on (Psa 65:9, ad fin.). After that, the “latter rain”the gentle showers of March and Aprilwhich cause the grain to burst and the blade to spring, and the ear to form itself, and turn the dull fallow into a mass of greenery (Psa 65:10, Psa 65:12). At last, the full resultpastures clothed with flocks; valleys, the “long broad sweeps between parallel ranges of hills,” covered over with corn; all nature laughing and shouting for joy (Psa 65:13).

Psa 65:9

Thou visitest the earth, and waterest it (comp. Job 36:27, Job 36:28; Job 37:6; Job 38:26-28; Psa 147:1-20 :28; Jer 5:24; Mat 5:45). Thou greatly enrichest it with the river of God. There is no “with” in the original; and the two clauses are better taken separately. Translate, Thou greatly enrichest it; the river of God is full of water. By “the river of God” is to be understood God’s store of water in the clouds and atmosphere, which he can at any time retain or let loose. Thou preparest them corn, when thou hast so provided for it; rather, when thou hast so prepared her (the earth). By thus preparing the earth for the sowing. God prepares for men the corn which they ultimately obtain at the harvest.

Psa 65:10

Thou waterest the ridges thereof abundantly; rather, the furrows (Hengstenberg, Kay, Cheyne, Revised Version). Thou settlest the furrows thereof; rather, thou smoothest down its ridges. So covering up the grain, and bringing the rough ploughed land to a comparatively smooth surface. Thou makest it soft with showers: thou blessest the springing thereof. The whole ground being softened with warm showers, the springing of the blade begins under God’s blessing.

Psa 65:11

Thou crownest the year with thy goodness. As God had begun, so he goes on to the “crowning” of the whole. And thy paths drop fatness. As he moves about, visiting the earth (Psa 65:9), there drop from him fertility and abundance.

Psa 65:12

They drop upon the pastures of the wilderness; rather, the pastures of the wilderness drip with it; i.e. with the “fatness” which is shed from God’s presence. And the little hills rejoice on every side; literally, are girded with joy.

Psa 65:13

The pastures are clothed with flocks; or, with their flocks; i.e. the flocks befitting them. The valleys also are covered over with corn. The great open sweeps between the ranges of hills are completely covered over with grain crops, wheat, barley, millet; and the result is that they seem to shout for joy, they also sing. This is better than the rendering of Ewald and Delitzsch, “Man shouts for joy; he sings.” All the poets personify Nature, and make her sympathize with human kind (comp. Isa 14:8; Isa 35:1; Isa 55:12; Virg; ‘ Eclog.,’ 5.62; ‘ Georg.,’ 4.461).

HOMILETICS

Psa 65:2

The privilege and duty of prayer.

“Thou that hearest prayer” All practical religion rests on this factthat God hears prayer. A God who could not or would not hear prayer, an almighty Creator with whom we could hold no converse, would not be God to us. We could not say, “O God, thou art my God!” There would be no impiety in the question, “What profit shall we have if we pray unto him?’ The Epicureans, who taught that there are gods, but that they do not concern themselves with human affairs, were practically atheists. Prayer is the one conscious link (there are many unconscious) between the seen and the unseen worlds. A prayerless life is a godless lifeshut up, imprisoned in the narrow sphere of “things seen” and temporal A prayerful life transcends these barriers, takes hold on “things unseen” and eternal; walks with God; endures as seeing him who is invisible.

I. THE GLORIOUS CERTAINTY OF THE FACT THAT GOD HEARS PRAYER. By hearing prayer is meant in Scripture taking account of our requests and answering them (1Jn 5:14,1Jn 5:15). This involves all that is most glorious in God’s revealed attributes. His infinite knowledge, which not the most timid or rapid desire, or speechless lifting up of any heart, escapes. His wisdom to discern whether, when, how, to grant our requests. Foreknowledgefor long preparation may have been needful, though the prayer be uttered and granted in a moment. Righteousness, to grant no petition, however fervent, which it would not be right to grant. Loveto take fatherly interest in our childish ways, small needs, and often ignorant and impatient desires; and to care for our best welfare. And almighty powerto carry out all that wisdom, righteousness, and love direct, and to make “all things work together,” etc. (Rom 8:28). The certainty that God hears prayer rests on his faithfulness and the promises which fill the Bible; on the commands which lay on us the duty as well as confer the privilege of prayer; on the examples, still more abundant in Scripture than these commands and promises of prayer answered (including our Saviour’s own example); on the daily experience of God’s Church. If any truth in the scope of human knowledge rests on a firm foundation of experience, it is this.

II. THE TRANSCENDENT PRIVILEGE AND BLESSING OF PRAYER. It would be a great thing were we permitted (as the Romish creed teaches) to invoke the aid and counsel of angels and glorified saints. But we pass through their shining ranks and come with boldness to the very throne of God (Hebrew 10:19; 4:16). Whatever help angels can render will be given under orders from their Lord and ours (Hebrew 2:14; I Peter 3:22). We measure blessings often by their loss. Let us imagine this privilege of prayer withdrawn or limited. Suppose a day in each week (a sort of anti-sabbath) on which prayer was forbiddenor hut one in a month or year. Who would choose that day for any enterprise? Who would not fear to die on such a day? When its cheerless dawn broke we should say, “Would God it were evening!” and when midnight chimed we should thank God the lips of prayer were again unsealed. Or a region of earth where prayer was forbidden; if men cried to God, they were warned it would be vain. Let its valleys teem with plenty, its hills with precious ore, climate and scenery he the finest in the world,would you carewould you dareto dwell in that accursed spot? Or if there were one human being to whom God’s voice had said, “Ask not; for thou shalt not receive I ‘ with what horror we should look at this outlaw from Divine mercy I how giddy would be for him heights of prosperity I how cheerless the dark days of trouble! how dreadful the hour of deaththe plunge into an unknown eternity! And yet there are those (perhaps here) for whom every day is a day without prayer; from whose home no voice of prayer ascends; self-exiled from God!

III. THE CORRESPONDING DUTY. “Men ought always to pray” (Luk 18:1). “This is the will of God’ (1Th 5:17, 1Th 5:18). Prayer is one of the great laws of God’s moral government. He has ordained that we should ask in order to receive (Luk 11:9, Luk 11:10). This is the reply to all those plausible objections to prayer drawn from God’s superior and infinite wisdom, the unchangeableness of his laws, the unreasonableness of thinking that our will can bend his, and so forth. Plausible; but nugatory in the face of the fact that God has commanded us to pray. He has given us his only begotten Son as our Intercessor; his Holy Spirit, to teach us how to pray; has pledged his word to hear prayer; and daily and hourly answers the prayers of his children. To regard prayer only as a duty is fatal to life, freedom, joy in prayer. It would lead to mechanical formalism. But duty is, after all, the backbone of life. You do not feel at all times in a right frame of mind for prayer. If you had no guide but feeling, you would say, “Another time will be more suitable.” Or when pressed and hurried, you would say, “I must attend to urgent duties; and leave the enjoyment and refreshment of prayer to a time of leisure.” But duty stands guard at the door (Mat 6:6). And as in other cases, it brings its own reward. Perhaps at the very time when you have set yourself to pray with a cold heart, because you know you ought to pray and must, you have come from your chamber with beaming countenance, ready to say with Jacob, Gen 28:16, Gen 28:17. This applies to public and social, as well as private, prayer.

Psa 65:11

The lessons of harvest.

“Thou crownest the year,” etc. Men see what they have eyes to see. The farmer looks on the field of golden grain, ripe for the sickle, and sees the reward of his toil and return for his capitol. The painter sees a glorious subject for a picture. The economist thinks of prices, averages, national prosperity. The devout Christian sees God’s hand opening to answer the prayer for daily bread. Now, it is one leading characteristic of the Scripture writers that they see God in everything. In this light let us try to read the lessons of harvest.

I. THANKFULNESS. Literal rendering in margin, “Thou crownest the year of thy goodness,” which some take to refer to some special year of remarkably bountiful harvest. Perhaps rather the thought is that God’s unceasing goodness runs through the whole circle of the seasons, though the harvest is the crowning manifestation (Mat 5:45; Act 14:17; 2Co 9:10). Grace at meals should be no dead form, but the welling-up and outpouring of new thankfulness for fresh goodness. God’s hand spreads the daily table for all creatures. As the secret spring of life is in him, so all that nourishes and maintains life is from him. Hence our Saviour makes the gift of daily bread the image of himself”the Bread of Life” (Joh 6:33, Joh 6:35, Joh 6:48-51).

II. OBEDIENCE TO LAW. God works according to those unchanging laws which he has ordainedunchanging as long as the present order of the world continues (Gen 8:22). Human labour is profitable only as it conforms to those laws. He who would reap in harvest-time must sow in seed-time. The natural is the image of the spiritual order (Gal 6:7-9).

III. PATIENCE. (Jas 5:7.) Here also our Lord bids us see the spiritual order (Mar 4:26-29). Do not expect ripe ears in January. Be patient with your children, your scholars, your hearers; yea, let the Christian even be patient with himself.

IV. COOPERATION. The ploughman, sower, reaper, must join their toil; and the ploughman did not make his plough, the sower his basket, the reaper his sickle. Other hands built the garner. Who can reckon how many hands have combined their labour to place on our table a single loaf (Rein. Psa 14:7)?

V. HOPE. Under dark wintry skies, beneath frost and snow, the grain is growing, which summer suns shall ripen. The worst harvest that was ever reaped kept Alive the germs of all the harvests that have since grown or ever will (1Co 15:58). And note, that as long as the grain is stored, it preserves life (even for centuries), but produces none. It must be flung away and buried, and, as grain, must perish, for the hidden life to burst forth. Hence our Lord makes it the image of his life-giving death (Joh 12:24), and St. Paul of resurrection (1Co 15:35-38).

HOMILIES BY W. FORSYTH

Psa 65:1-13

Harvest thanksgiving.

The three great Jewish feasts had reference to the harvest. The Passover was kept early in the year, when the barley harvest was begun, and a sheaf of the firstfruits was offered as a thank offering (Le 23:10). Fifty days later came Pentecost, when the wheat was ripe; and then two loaves of the new corn were presented (Le 23:17). Last of all was the Feast of Tabernacles, when the fruits of the earth had been gathered in, and the people gave thanks and rejoiced before the Lord with “the joy of harvest” (Le 23:40; Deu 16:13-17). This psalm is a song of thanksgiving to God for the harvest.

I. THE RIGHT STANDPOINT. Israel was a people near to God. They had been separated from other nations. They enjoyed special privileges and blessings. “Zion” was to them the great centre of unity. Thither the tribes went up. There the people, with their rulers, assembled to worship God. As with them, so with us. Our worship must be ruled by God’s will as revealed to us. We can only come before him with acceptance when we come through Jesus Christ. Our standpoint also is “Zion” (Mat 18:20; Eph 2:11-18; Hebrew Eph 2:22 -28).

II. THE SPIRIT IN WHICH WE SHOULD DRAW NEAR.

1. With unfeigned faith. “Waiting” expresses quiet confidence. It is both “praise” and “prayer.”

2. With assured hope in God‘s mercy. Sin meets us when we come before God. It fills our hearts with shame and apprehension. But when we look to Christ we are comforted. In him we have redemption and the forgiveness of sins. It is as sinners pardoned that we should praise God. All God’s gifts are enhanced in value when we take them from the hands of the Crucified.

3. With adoring thanksgiving. Relieved of sin, our hearts rise in joy to God (Psa 65:4). God in Christ is the true home of our souls. Here we reach peace. Here we are made glad in the light of our Father’s face, and enriched out of the fulness of his grace and truth. Nay, more. Remembering God’s “great love,” and “the exceeding riches of his grace, in his kindness towards us” (Eph 2:7), and realizing the power of Christ, we can rejoice in hope of the blessedness of the coming time when the “God of our salvation” shall be the Confidence of all the ends of the earth, and the people of every kindred and tongue shall sing his praise.

III. THE SUBJECTS WINCH SHOULD SPECIALLY ENGAGE OUR ATTENTION. The world is not a dead world, a mere piece of mechanism, subject to cold material laws. It is God’s world, and is ruled by God’s laws. Looking back, we should recall the great events of the year. We may consider what is generalnational, social, and religious blessings common to all. Not only mercies, but chastisements; forevery chastisement is, when rightly received, a blessing. How comforting to know that the same God who “by his strength setteth fast the mountains” is the God “who heareth prayer;” that the same God “who stilleth the noise of the seas and the tumult of the people” is the “God of our salvation”! In particular we should consider God’s goodness in the harvest (Psa 65:8-13). How vivid and beautiful is the picture! We see the various stages, from the sowing of the seed onward to the reaping time; from the sweet greenness of spring to the golden glow and manifold glories of harvest. All this is of God. “He worketh hitherto.” During all the ages of the past he has blessed the labours of the husbandman, and every year we see new proofs of his faithfulness, and enjoy richer manifestations of his love and bounty. “While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest shall not cease” (Gen 8:22), and as often as the harvest comes round God’s Name will be praised.W.F.

Psa 65:3

Defeat and victory.

I. Here is A CONFESSION DEFEAT. When we look within we find that, instead of all being right, all is wrong. This alarms us. We rouse ourselves to action. We resolve to live a new life of love and holiness. But the more we try the less we succeed. Our strength is weakness. Our purposes are broken off. Our best endeavours end in defeat. Instead of overcoming evil, we are overcome of evil. Instead of gaining purity and freedom, our case grows worse, and we groan in misery as the bond slaves of sin. Confused and confounded, our cry is, “O wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me?”

II. THANKSGIVING FOR VICTORY. Though we despair of ourselves, we must not despair of God. We know what God is, and what he has done for us, and therefore we turn to him with hope. Casting ourselves simply upon his mercy in Christ, we are able to grasp the gracious promise, “Sin shall not have dominion over you.” God’s love to us is a personal love. God’s work in us is designed to make us pure from sin, and he will perfect it in the day of Christ. While we say, therefore, with grief and pain, “Iniquities prevail against me,” let us with renewed hope proclaim, “As for our transgressions, thu shalt purge them away.“W.F.

Psa 65:9

Thanksgiving for corn.

“Thou preparest them corn.”

I. BECAUSE IT IS THE SPECIAL GIFT OF GOD TO MAN. It came from God at first. It is renewed year by year. Wherever man dwells it may be cultivated in some form or other. “How it stands, that yellow corn, on its fair taper stems, its golden head bent, all rich and waving there! The mute earth at God’s kind bidding has produced it once againman’s bread” (Luther).

II. BECAUSE IT IS INDISPENSABLE TO THE WELFARE OF MAN. Corn is not only valuable, but necessary. Individuals may live without it, but for man, on the broad scale, it is indispensable. The worth is known by the want. When there is a scarcity of corn, all the markets of the world are affected. Bread is the staff of life. It is because of its worth and its suitableness to human needs that corn is constituted the

symbol of the highest blessings. It stands for the Word of God. It figures the great redemption (Joh 12:24). It foreshadows the glory of the resurrection (1Co 15:1-58).

III. BECAUSE IT DEPENDS FOR ITS CONTINUANCE ON THE LABOUR OF MAN. Many gifts come to us irrespective of our own efforts, but corn is not one of them. Its enjoyment is conditional. It is an annual. It has not an independent existence. It does not live and propagate itself by its own seed. It requires the care of man, else it would soon die out and be lost. In order to be preserved it must be sown by man’s own hand in ground which man’s own hand has tilled. The land must be prepared for the corn, as well as the corn for the land. Manifold blessings result from this arrangement. Thrift is good. Labour is a healthful discipline. Providing for the wants of ourselves and others binds us more closely together as brethren. If there be famine in Canaan, there is corn in Egypt; and this leads to commerce and friendly intercourse between nations. Besides, in the fact that year after year we must sow in order to reap; that each season’s supply is but a measured quantity, never much in excess of what is required for food; and that the powers of heaven must work together with the powers of earth to secure a bountiful harvest;we are taught in the most impressive manner our dependence upon God, and our obligations to praise him for his goodness and his wonderful works.W.F.

HOMILIES BY C. SHORT

Psa 65:1-13

Reasons for praising God.

“Can hardly doubt that this psalm was composed on the occasion of an abundant harvest, and was intended to be sung as a hymn of thanksgiving by the whole congregation gathered before God in Zion.” God is praised under three aspects.

I. AS THE GOD OF THE CHURCH. (Psa 65:1-5.) “Whom thou choosest, and causest to approach.”

1. He is the Hearer of all true prayer. (Psa 65:2.) “Unto thee doth all flesh come” in dependence and prayer.

2. He pardons iniquity and transgression. (Psa 65:3.) Pardons those who become conscious of their sins, and are persistent.

3. Satisfies the desires of those whom he draws to himself. (Psa 65:4.) God inspires the worship he rewards with such satisfying blessings.

4. Manifests his righteousness in the salvation of his people.

II. AS THE GOD WHO REVEALS HIMSELF IN NATURE. (Psa 65:6-8.)

1. His work in nature manifests omnipotence. (Psa 65:6.) “Setteth fast the mountains,” etc.

2. He overrules the greatest disturbances of nature and the nations. (Psa 65:7.)

3. Man and nature both ultimately subject to him.

3. Man is afraid, but nature sings of God in the morning and in the evening. (Psa 65:8.) The ignorant heathen are afraid, not those who know God.

III. AS THE GOD OF THE HARVEST. (Psa 65:9-13.)

1. God is the great Husbandman. (Psa 65:9, Psa 65:10.) He prepares and enriches the soil to receive the corn.

2. He makes the wilderness and the hills to rejoice with their abundance. (Psa 65:11, Psa 65:12.)

3. God is the great Shepherd of the earth. (Psa 65:13.) The pastures are clothed with flocks.S.

Fuente: The Complete Pulpit Commentary

Psalms 65.

David praiseth God for his grace. The blessedness of God’s chosen, by reason of benefits.

To the chief musician. A Psalm and Song of David.

Title. lamnatseach mizmor ledavid shiir. This psalm is attributed to David, and, by the contents of it, appears to have been made after some great drought; and therefore some suppose it to relate to the famine mentioned 2 Samuel 21. Dr. Delaney says, it is on all hands agreed to have been composed upon the ceasing of that calamity. See on Psa 65:9. It is further said, by some, to have a spiritual sense; significative of the preaching of the apostles, who converted the heathen by the promulgation of the Gospel.

Psa 65:1. Praise waiteth for thee Or, as the words may be rendered, Silence to thee is praise. This, according to Mr. Martin, refers to the religious silence of the whole congregation in the tabernacle, while the priest offered incense in the sanctuary. Thus St. Luke tells us, that the whole multitude of the people were praying without, or offering up their silent devotions in that part of the temple which was appointed for them, while Zacharias was within the sanctuary at the time of incense, Luk 1:10.

Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke

Psalms 65

To the chief Musician, A Psalm and Song of David

Praise waiteth for thee, O God, in Zion:
And unto thee shall the vow be performed.

2O thou that hearest prayer,

Unto thee shall all flesh come.

3Iniquities prevail against me:

As for our transgressions, thou shalt purge them away.

4Blessed 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.

5By 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:

6Which by his strength setteth fast the mountains;

Being girded with power:

7Which stilleth the noise of the seas, the noise of their waves,

And the tumult of the people.

8They also that dwell in the uttermost parts are afraid at thy tokens:

Thou makest the outgoings of the morning and evening to rejoice.

9Thou 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.

10Thou waterest the ridges thereof abundantly: thou settlest the furrows thereof:

Thou makest it soft with showers:
Thou blessest the springing thereof.

11Thou crownest the year with thy goodness;

And thy paths drop fatness.

12They drop upon the pastures of the wilderness:

And the little hills rejoice on every side.

13The pastures are clothed with flocks;

The valleys also are covered over with corn;
They shout for joy, they also sing.

EXEGETICAL AND CRITICAL

Its Contents and Composition.The Psalm begins with the solemn declaration, that thanksgiving is due in Zion to the God who heareth prayer, and that all flesh draweth near Him in prayer (Psa 65:1-2), that it is true misdeeds had gained power over the congregation, which is now engaged in prayer, but God covered them, (Psa 65:3), so that they now taste the salvation of those who can draw near to God in His temple, (Psa 65:4), the God of strength, who rules in nature and in history, exciting fear and confidence (Psa 65:5-8), and who now again has blessed the land with fructifying rains (Psa 65:9-10) and has adorned it with the signs of a good year, so that all may shout for joy (Psa 65:11-13). The reference to the blessings of the harvest is so manifest that the Psalm may be regarded as a prayer of thanksgiving for them, whether with reference to the approaching harvest (Hengst.) or one just finished (Hitzig). But there is no evidence of a previous scarcity such as that famine caused by the bloodguiltness of Saul, 1 Samuel 21 (Venema, J. D. Mich.), or a great drought (Aben Ezra, Ewald, and most interpreters), in which sense a Greek scholiast has read = a dry land, instead of Zion (Psa 65:1). No more does the mention of the palace of God (Psa 65:4), refer to a period, subsequent to David; nor does the confession of grievous misdeeds on the part of the entire congregation (Psa 65:3) refer to the guilt of the nation which brought on the Exile (De Wette). There is likewise no occasion to explain the fearful exhibitions of the righteousness of God (Psa 65:5), which are directly parallel with His mighty deeds, of the overthrow of the Assyrians (Ewald), or to put these words, which are manifestly introductory, as a thanksgiving for the victory which had been granted them, alongside of the thanksgiving for the blessing of the field, and thus to think of the spring of the third year after the overthrow of the Assyrians, Isa 37:30 (Delitzsch). After the return from the exile this Psalm certainly afforded many useful adaptations to the worship of the congregation, as these might be found in it for the spiritual explanation of the blessings of harvest. There is very little to justify the idea that this Psalm is a prophecy during the exile of the conversion of the heathens after the return of the people to Jerusalem (Flamin.) or thanksgiving of the Church of Christ for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, and the blessings flowing therefrom (most of the older interpreters). The title found in the Arabic translation, de transmigratione populi, and that remark attached to some MSS. of the Sept. and Vulg: Song of Jeremiah and Ezekiel for the people of the Diaspora as they were about to return home, have not the value of historical statements.

Str. I. Psa 65:1. To Thee is silence (resignation) praise.The word does not mean the solemn silence at the holy places (Grotius), or the silence of the mouth=in silence (Luther after the Rabbins), or in the sense that silence is the best praise (Chald., Isaki, Stier), but the silence of unrest in the heart=resignation, as Psa 62:1, yet not as the consequence of praise (Hengst., who previously translated silence praise), but either as an expression of pious duty parallel with the praise (and the actual fulfilment of the vow) (Geier, Rosenm., De Wette, Hupf., Hengst.), or more in accordance with the accents as the tribute due, which is brought as praise to the God enthroned in Zion (Delitzsch). A similar sense is given by the translation: silent resignation praises Thee (Hitzig), without making it necessary to change the reading of the noun praise into the corresponding verb, which would certainly, however, be preferable to the change of dumijjah=silentium into domijjah=similis, par., since the explanation of tibi par est laus by tibi convenit laus (Sept., Vulg.) is contrary to usage. If the word is regarded as an adverb, the sense would not be: constantly, incessantly (Venema, Muntinghe), but: in resignation.

Psa 65:2. The coming of all flesh to God does not refer to the conversion of the heathen, Isa 45:24 (Aben Ezra and the older interpreters), but to the coming of all needy creatures partly in prayer and partly in thanksgiving.

[Psa 65:3. Cases of iniquity have overcome me.There is a reference here to the variety of iniquities rather than their unity. Hupfeld: They have overpowered me as with a superior hostile power. (Comp. Psa 40:12 : they have overtaken me, parallel, surrounded me). They are usually compared to a burden (Psa 38:5 : they are too heavy for me, parallel, they have gone over my head, Gen 4:13 : too great to be borne). This is the usual figure even in legal language (comp. Psa 7:16). Both figures are with the sense that man cannot answer or make good (atone for), without succumbing and perishing, thus he needs forgiveness (comp. Psa 130:3; Psa 143:2).

Psa 65:4. Delitzsch: How good it is for those whom God chooses and brings near, that is, removes into His presence that they may dwell in His courts, that is, may have their true home and be at home where He is enthroned and reveals Himself (see Psa 15:1). This advantage is afforded to the congregation gathered about Zion in the midst of the nations, which, in the happy consciousness of this preference given it out of Gods free grace, encourages itself to enjoy in full draughts ( with as Psa 103:5) the abundance of the gracious good things () of the house of God, the holiness, , of His temple, that is, His holy temple (, as Psa 46:4, comp. Isa 57:15), for, for all that Gods grace offers us, we can offer no better thanks than by hungering and thirsting after it and satisfying the poor soul therewith.C. A. B.]

Str. II. Psa 65:5. Terrible things, or things exciting fear are frequently mentioned, (Deu 10:21; 2Sa 7:23; Isa 64:2; Psa 106:22 sq.; Psa 145:4 sq.), together with the mighty deeds and miracles of God in the leading of His people out of Egypt; it thus includes the idea of the sublime and wonderful, Psa 139:14. This reference is more suitable here than that of fearful, since the answer here manifestly means the actual answer to prayer.[The confidence of all the ends of the earth and of the sea afar off.Perowne: The word is properly an adj., and may, as Hupf. takes it, belong to the noun ends, the construction being the distant ends of the earth and sea. He refers to Psa 64:7; Isa 66:19, as compared with Isa 5:26; Psa 8:9; Psa 34:17.But according to the accent the construction is sea of the distant ones, i.e. the dwellers on distant coasts and islands.

Psa 65:6. Girded with power.This refers to God, who, girded with power as a masterworkman, places the mountains in their firm foundations.

Psa 65:7. Stilleth the roar of seas, &c. Perowne: The sea and nations are mentioned together, the one being so often used as an image of the other. See Psalms 46.

Psa 65:8. Signs or miracles, the mighty deeds of God, cause the nations to fear and tremble.C. A. B.] The outgoings of the morning and evening do not mean the rising of the morning and evening stars which cause men to rejoice (Kimchi, et al.), or the creatures which come forth at such times of the morning and evening (Luther, Geier, J. H. Mich., et al.), but the east and west as poetical parallels of the ends of the earth (Hupf.)

Str. III. Psa 65:9. [Thou hast visited the land and made it overflow.Barnes: God seems to come down that He may attend to the wants of the earth; survey the condition of things; arrange for the welfare of the world He has made, and supply the wants of those whom He has created to dwell upon it.Hupfeld: here as Hiphil, Joel 2:24; 4:13, make overflow, that is, moisten, rigare (with rain, com. Psa 65:10 in a similar form) as already the ancient versions (apparently interchanging it with ). Aben Ezra, Kimchi, [margin of A. V.] interpret it in accordance with the meaning which is found in and , make desire (namely, rain, owing to the previous lack of rain). But this does not suit the context.C. A. B.]Gods brook is full of water.Gods brook is not a brook or stream in the Holy Land (the Fathers), or a figure of Divine blessings in general (Geier, J. H. Mich., et al.), but the rain (Chald.) or the clouds (J. D. Mich.) in contrast to earthly waters (Calvin, et al.).Thou preparest their grain, for so dost Thou prepare it (i.e. the land).We must notice the alliteration of =so, that is, right so (Delitzsch), with =adjust, prepare. [Perowne: The repetition of the verb prepare seems designed to mark that all is Gods doing. He prepares the earth and so prepares the corn. The present tenses are employed here to express that this God does not in one year only, but every year.

Psa 65:10. Drenching its furrows, pressing down its clods, Thou makest it dissolve by copious showers, Thou blessest its increase. and are, according to the existing punctuation, imperatives. Few interpreters (Hitzig, Alexander, et al.) render in this way, for it does not suit the context and the general tone of the Psalm. Hupfeld would alter the punctuation and read ,, 3 pers. pret. Thus there would be a most unusual transition from the 2d person to the 3d. It is better, with most interpreters, to take them as infinitive absolutes, denoting the manner in which this preparation of the earth took place, and then render them as participles depending on the verb of the previous verse (Ewald, De Wette, Delitzsch, Moll, et al.). Perowne considers that they stand instead of the finite verb.C. A. B.]

Str. 4 Psa 65:11. [Thou hast crowned the | year of Thy goodness.This is the rendering of all of the older interpreters and most recent ones. Comp. Isa 61:2, the year of grace, as the year of Divine goodness and favor which was crowned with fruitful harvests. Others (Hupfeld, Bttcher, Perowne, A. V.] prefer to render: with Thy goodness. The former interpretation is favored by the construction and gives an excellent sense, and is to be preferred (Delitzsch, Moll, Alexander, et al.)C. A. B.]Thy tracks drop fatness.The tracks or wagon ruts are perhaps mentioned with reference to the clouds on which God rides as on a chariot (the older interps. after the Rabbins), hardly, however, in allusion to the wagons of thunder in storms (J. D. Mich., Olsh.), but they have rather here the meaning of tracks in general, or footsteps=fruitfulness follows in his footsteps (Geier, et al.).

[Psa 65:12. The pastures of the steppes drip, and the hills gird themselves with rejoicing.Delitzsch: The tracks of the chariots (Deu 33:26) drip with luxuriant fruitfulness, even the pastures of the uncultivated, rainless and unfruitful pasture land, Job 38:26 sq. The hills are personified in the favorite manner of Isaiah (Isa 44:23; Isa 49:13) and the Psalms of this character (Psa 96:11 sq; Psa 98:7 sq; comp. Psa 89:12). Their appearance with the freshness of plantlife is compared with a garment of rejoicing, girding the hills which previously appeared naked and sad, and the grain with a shawl in which the valleys wrapped themselves all over.C. A. B.]

[Psa 65:13. The meadows are clothed with flocks.Some translate instead of meadows or pasturage, rams (J. D. Mich.) or lambs (Hengst.) as Psa 37:20, after the ancient versions, which the language does not require, and it would give a singular expression to a plain thought.They shout for joy, yea, they sing.We can hardly regard men and beasts, the inhabitants of the creation (Hengst.), as the subject of the Psalm and singing in this clause, but must either take the abovementioned meadows and valleys (Calvin, et al.), the inanimate creation in general in accordance with poetical usage (Hupfeld), or resolve the third person plural into the general and comprehensive they (man, Luther, Ewald, Delitzsch), which is more correct than to put at once the people (Hitzig), and thus limit it.

DOCTRINAL AND ETHICAL

1. God has revealed Himself in history and nature in such a character that we cannot do better than resign ourselves to Him as well as give thanks, and thus pay our vows in fact.

2. In the historical life of the people God obligates them to give such thanks as this by atoning for their sins, by providing them in His house with the enjoyment of His presence and satisfaction in the good things of His house which correspond with their needs, and by giving them protection, assistance and victory in their relations with other nations.

3. With respect to the relations of nature, this happens by a government of the world created by Him in such a manner that all needy creatures turn to Him in trust, and His own people, who are well cared for, praise Him with the more thankfulness as the praise of the Creator and Preserver sounds in all places and quarters, and every good thing with which God adorns the earth every new year of goodness reminds them of the highest good, the communion of salvation which God has established and preserves with and among His favored ones.

HOMILETICAL AND PRACTICAL

If all creatures praise God, man must not be backward and least of all those who have received forgiveness of sins.Submission to Gods advice, Gods will and hand, is true thankfulness for all the spiritual and bodily bounties of the Most High.God fits not only the earth, but also man, so that they can bring forth the desired fruits.Follow the tracks of God, and you will meet everywhere abundant blessings. We can find the tracks of God all over the world; but all depends upon our drawing near to God Himself.The year that God has blessed has its bounties for which we should praise God; but a still richer and more enduring favor is in the sanctuary dedicated to Him.

Luther: Run all over the worldyet Thou art the only one, O God, upon whom mans comfort of heart can stand and remain.

Starke: Since all men are in manifold weakness and needs, is it not a great thing that we have a Lord with whom we can all take refuge?The true worship of God is no burden to the believing, but the greatest benefit and refreshment.No one can escape from Gods sight; this must terrify the ungodly; but it strengthens the confidence of the pious.Every place on earth has received its special favors from the Creator, so that no place has nothing, and no place has all.The kingdom of nature points everywhere to the riches of the Divine blessing and grace; how full then must the kingdom of grace be.

Frisch. The world so forgets the benefits it has received; Zion and its children take them to heart much better.To be a true member of the Church of God, is mans greatest happiness.Franke: It becomes those who are called Gods people to show by their words and walk, that they are His people in deed and in truth.Tholuck: As often as the spring comes, God reveals Himself to us again as the Almighty who yet uses His power to bestow blessings.Stier: Praise of the prayerhearing God; a, for forgiveness of sins; b, admission to His sanctuary; c, satisfaction with its blessings.Umbreit: Faith in the hearing of prayer and the help of God is based on the miracles of Omnipotence spread out before the eyes of men.Taube: Gods name is majesty; but it is a majesty full of grace and goodness.

[Matt. Henry: As there are holy groanings which cannot be uttered, so there are holy adorings which cannot be uttered, and yet shall be accepted by Him that searcheth the heart and knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit.The holy freedom that we are admitted to in Gods courts and the nearness of our approach to Him must not at all abate our reverence and godly fear of Him; for He is terrible in His holy places.Wherever God goes, He leaves the tokens of His mercy behind Him.Barnes: God, in the advancing seasons, passes along through the earth, and rich abundance springs up wherever He goes.Spurgeon: He who is once admitted to Gods courts shall inhabit them forever. Permanence gives preciousness. Terminated blessings are but half blessings.Terrible things will turn out to be blessed things after all, when they come in answer to prayer.How truly rich are those who are enriched with grace!Nature has no discords. Her airs are melodious. Her chorus is full of harmony. All, all is for the Lord; the world is a hymn to the Eternal. Blessed is he who, hearing, joins in it and makes one singer in the mighty chorus.C. A. B.]

Fuente: A Commentary on the Holy Scriptures, Critical, Doctrinal, and Homiletical by Lange

CONTENTS

This is a lovely Psalm: the sacred writer celebrates God’s praise; points out the blessedness of God’s chosen; and shows both their temporal and spiritual mercies.

To the chief musician, A Psalm and Song of David.

Psa 65:1

This Psalm opens with a peculiarity of expression, which merits our attention in a more than ordinary degree, because we do not find any phrase so strong to the great point the Psalmist had in view, in any other part of scripture. Praise waiteth for thee; or as the Chaldee renders it, All praise is silent before thee; meaning that the highest exaltation men or angels can put forth is so low beneath the subject, that it is as if nothing were said. The waiting for God means, no doubt, waiting the Lord’s time, the Lord’s acceptance, the Lord’s mercy, to look graciously upon it. And where is it that this praise waits? In Zion, at Jerusalem. For there alone, in Christ, can either the person, or the offerings of the people be accepted. Sweet and, precious thought! It is only in Jesus, who is the way, and the truth, and the life, that we can come to God. He hath made us accepted in the beloved; Joh 14:6 ; Eph 1:6 . And what an encouraging scripture is that of the prophet, to bring our praises to our God and Father in Christ Jesus, in which the Holy Ghost hath said The people shall dwell in Zion, at Jerusalem: thou shalt weep no more: he will be very gracious unto thee, at the voice of thy cry; when he shall hear it, he will answer thee. Isa 30:19 . Reader, do not fail to remark from this sweet verse, how suitable it is in the Lord’s people to wait upon him without distraction of thought, and in silence to be prepared for the visits of God’s Holy Spirit, before we offer the Lord either our prayers or our praises. How striking is the Lord’s direction to this amount! Keep silence before me, O islands, and let the people renew their strength; let them come near – then let them speak. Isa 41:1 ; Hab 2:20 .

Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)

The Mystery of Prayer

Psa 65:2

Instructive as we feel our prayers to be, when we try to think quietly what they mean, what they involve, we are often haunted by misgivings and difficulties.

I. Problems of Prayer. Prayer in the sense of communion between the Divine and the human Spirit we can understand, but prayer in the sense of definite petitions can I seriously hope that God will change the vast complicated order of things in answer to a momentary request from a single one of His creatures? And so the native hue of our resolution, of our instinct to pray is ‘sicklied o’er by the pale cast of thought’. Now our sense of the worth of validity of prayer will depend upon our conception of God. We have had a wrong conception before our minds which we have seen to be responsible for much unsettlement of thought and indifference of life a conception, I mean, of God as the Almighty dwelling in some vast and distant region, and beholding from afar this universe which He has called into being and over which He has inexorable laws. Now if belief in prayer means that we are to suppose that in response to our petitions this Being descends upon His universe and arbitrarily interferes with its course and breaks its laws on our behalf, then in our minds, filled as they must be with the truth of the unity of nature, there is no possible place for such a belief in prayer. But let us turn from this wrong conception to the true conception, and have God before our minds as One who is ever present, not only in the whole of His universe but in each single part of it, so that its ceaseless energy is His will, its law the expression of His thought; in all its myriad movements it is held together by the unity of His infinite Mind and Will. Then we shall find that within His unity of Nature there is a place, a real and necessary place, for prayer.

II. Unity of Nature. ( a ) What do we mean by this unity of Nature? The Unity of Nature is, let us remember, the rational order in which the universe and each part of it is held together by one indwelling Spirit. ( b ) Now secondly, what do we mean by ‘the laws of Nature’? They are simply the expression to us of the ways in which this indwelling Spirit of God works; whenever we see the same effects following from the same causes, we say we discern a law of Nature, that is, a method by which God chooses to work in His world. ( c ) Thirdly, what do we mean by the power of Nature? We can only mean by the power of Nature the energy by which the Will of this Infinite Spirit works itself out in the universe; and power acts, and must act in a rational universe according to purpose. We may then, without difficulty, believe that the indwelling Spirit of God is everywhere so arranging, so adapting the forces of Nature in which He dwells that it shall minister to the spirit of man, by working upon his prayer and giving an answer to it as He sees best. Prayer therefore finds its place, its rightful place, we may even say its necessary place, in the unity of Nature. This does not mean that the answer to prayer can ever interfere with the course or break the laws of Nature. We merely mean that God can so arrange and order the laws of Nature as seems to Him best for a sufficient purpose.

Archbishop Lang, The Church Family Newspaper, 1907, p. 512.

A Sermon to Seamen

Psa 65:5

I. What is the Lord to us? He is the God of our salvation. And this implies that we all need salvation. You have not attained to right ideas of yourself and right ideas of God unless when you think of God you think also of your need of being saved from sin and of Him as the Lord and giver of that salvation. Salvation is of the Lord alone. It begins in His everlasting purpose, in His sacred covenant, in His Divine choice of His people, and is carried out by the gift of His dear Son, by His life and by His death. Now it is a curious thing that in this salvation there is a curious mixture of the terrible and the gracious. We see in salvation a God so terrible, so angry against sin, that even to save the man he loves He will not put up the sword of His justice. And how terrible a thing it is to view Jesus Christ coming into the sinner’s place and bearing the wrath of God on account of sin!

II. I have set forth what God is to us The God of our salvation. Now what will God do for us? He will answer us. This shows that we must all pray, There is not a believing man in the world but what must pray, and we shall never get into such a state of grace that we have not need to pray. What do we pray for? Well, according to the Psalm, one of the most important things is to pray against sin. Do your sins hold you captive? can you not keep away from them? Are they too many for you? Cry to the Lord to drive them all away. A word from Him can chase those demons from you and leave you at perfect peace. But remember, if we pray to be delivered from sin and to be brought nearer to God, He may answer us by terrible things in righteousness. God often sends us ingots of gold in rumbling wagons drawn by black horses. Our trials and troubles and crosses are among the best things we have. The more tender the love of God, the more likely are we to get chastening.

III. The third point is this. What the Lord is to the ends of the earth. He is the confidence of all the ends of the earth. I am going to spiritualize that who are the ends of the earth? All that live at the extremes of heat or cold, we may liken them to the ends of the earth. And God is worthy to be the confidence of those who are farthest off from His Church, from Himself, from the Gospel, from hope, from anything that is good. The ends of the earth might mean also those that are least known. There are some that are the ends of the earth, of whom nobody thinks. Do I speak to one who has been thinking ‘No one cares for my soul’? Do they quite pass you by? Well, come and put your trust in the Lord for He is the confidence of all the ends of the earth, and you resting in Him shall find a helper in Him.

IV. The last point is this. What is God to seafaring men, what should He be to them? He is ‘the confidence of all them that are afar off upon the sea’. I have often likened the life of a seafaring man to what the life of a Christian should be. We take our bearings by the heavenly bodies. We are guided by the Word of God which is our chart, by the movements of the blessed Spirit within which is our compass. Trusting in Him we shall come to our desired haven without fear of shipwreck, for He that taught us to sail the spiritual sea will guide us safely over every inch of it.

C. H. Spurgeon, The British Weekly Pulpit, vol. II. p. 69.

The River of God

Psa 65:9

There is no scarcity in God. The whole testimony of the Bible runs immediately and urgently in this direction: If we are straitened we are straitened in ourselves, we are not straitened in God; if we have not, it is because we ask not, or because we ask amiss; if any man lack wisdom, let him ask of God which giveth unto all men liberally wisdom upon wisdom and upbraideth not; giving does not impoverish Him, withholding does not enrich Him; the river of God is full of water always full. If we die of thirst the responsibility is our own.

I. Here is a wonderful river, rolling past our very dwelling-places, rolling through the whole area of our life and our experience. The whole Psalm is a kind of festival song. God is so abundant, so hospitable, so gracious, so plentiful; the whole tone of His sanctuary is plenteousness, abundance, more and more, to infinity. This Psalmist has a wondrous gift of utterance. I do not see how he can end this Psalm but with dancing and tumult and uproar of joy; and I cannot see how a man can be so thrilled with joy himself without making the valleys sing, and the thick standing corn lift up its voice in praise, and all the fields clap their hands, and all the mountains shout for joy. He has committed himself to a great task, and nothing but a special doxology can be the proper climax of a Psalm so exultant, so buoyant, so infinite in its desire to express its sense of the Divine bounty.

Here is a river unlike all other rivers. It is ‘the river of God’. It is not a common stream; the Ganges and the Tiber thrown together could but poorly typify or symbolize this greater river that flows from the fount of the Divine heart. It is the river of God: it is not man-made, it is not man-directed, it is not man-owned, it is not man-patronized; it is God’s, and we have only a freehold in it as God may grant us a lot and an inheritance in this ever-rolling and infinite river of life.

II. What of the responsibility of having such a river rolling through our whole life? God’s abundance is greater than our necessity, God’s answer makes our prayer look small; when we have said all we have to say, and think we have piled our supplications and desires heaven-high, and that we shall tax the resources of the Eternal to meet our demands, lo, one whispered breath of answer from God’s heart dissolves the mountain we have piled, and we forget the littleness of our prayer in the infinitude of God’s answer. Why will we build up ourselves against God? Who shall carry his own little manufactured vessel and catch the whole cloud of heaven within its small and contemptible capacity? Who can number the drops of rain? who can count the multitudes that dance upon the ridges of the earth and make them green with verdures and glad with joy?

III. What a wonderful revelation this is of the estimate which God puts upon human capacity! He has prepared for every man as if every man were a multitude of guests. Where does God pinch and scrape? Where does He so economize that He has barely leaves enough to cover the nakedness of the plantation? If God had made a little place for us at a little table, and if He had ever said to us, Dear little one, I give you welcome, but you will observe that the whole economy of this house is administered upon principles of bareness and stint and almost grudging, and I want you to respect the spirit of poverty by which my house is governed there is no such passage, there is no justification for such a suspicion; the whole idea is plenteousness, abundance, fatness, multitudes, millions, the ends of the earth, and all flesh.

IV. ‘The river of God is full of water.’ You can satisfy your thirst there. All nations can satisfy their thirst there. All the passions, holy and beautiful and Divine, which constitute the charter of human nature, can be refreshed and satisfied at the river of God. There is a river the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God. There is a river of which it is said, Whithersoever the river cometh there shall be life; everything lived when the river came.

Joseph Parker, City Temple Pulpit, vol. I. p. 30.

Psa 65

This beautiful Psalm, first of grace, then of nature, inverting the order of Psalm XIX., seems to have taken early possession of the heart of the Christian Church. There is a prayer which has come down to us from the Church of Alexandria, alluded to by Origen, first half of the third century, in which its language is largely used, and applied to the land of Egypt: ‘Send rain out of Thy treasures upon those places which stand in need of it. Renew and make glad the face of the earth by its descent that it may bring forth and rejoice in the rain-drops. Raise the waters of the river to their just height; renew and make glad the face of the earth by its ascent; water the furrows and increase their produce. Bless, O Lord, and crown the year with the riches of Thy goodness, for the sake of the poor, the widow, the fatherless, and the stranger.’

John Ker.

References. LXV. 9. H. Macmillan, Bible Teachings in Nature, p. 90. J. Clarke, Christian World Pulpit, 1891, p. 201. LXV. 10. J. M. Neale, Sermons on Passages of the Psalms, p. 180. LXV. 11. Spurgeon, Morning by Morning, p. 292. A. Tucker, Preacher’s Magazine, vol. xix. p. 460. LXV. International Critical Commentary, vol. ii. p. 80.

Fuente: Expositor’s Dictionary of Text by Robertson

XVI

THE MESSIANIC PSALMS AND OTHERS

We commence this chapter by giving a classified list of the Messianic Psalms, as follows:

The Royal Psalms are:

Psa 110 ; Psa 2 ; Psa 72 ; Psa 45 ; Psa 89 ;

The Passion Psalms are:

Psa 22 ; Psa 41 ; Psa 69 ;

The Psalms of the Ideal Man are Psa 8 ; Psa 16 ; Psa 40 ;

The Missionary Psalms are:

Psa 47 ; Psa 65 ; Psa 68 ; Psa 96 ; Psa 100 ; Psa 117 .

The predictions before David of the coming Messiah are, (1) the seed of the woman; (2) the seed of Abraham; (3) the seed of Judah; (4) the seed of David.

The prophecies of history concerning the Messiah are, (1) a prophet like unto Moses; (2) a priest after the order of Melchizedek; (3) a sacrifice which embraces all the sacrificial offerings of the Old Testament; (4) direct references to him as King, as in 2Sa 7:8 ff.

The messianic offices as taught in the psalms are four, viz: (1) The Messiah is presented as Prophet, or Teacher (Psa 40:8 ); (2) as Sacrifice, or an Offering for sin (Psa 40:6 ff.; Heb 10:5 ff.) ; (3) he is presented as Priest (Psa 110:4 ); (4) he is presented as King (Psa 45 ).

The psalms most clearly presenting the Messiah in his various phases and functions are as follows: (1) as the ideal man, or Second Adam (8); (2) as Prophet (Psa 40 ); (3) as Sacrifice (Psa 22 ) ; (4) as King (Psa 45 ) ; (5) as Priest (Psa 110 ) ; (6) in his universal reign (Psa 72 ).

It will be noted that other psalms teach these facts also, but these most clearly set forth the offices as they relate to the Messiah.

The Messiah as a sacrifice is presented in general in Psa 40:6 . His sufferings as such are given in a specific and general way in Psa 22 ; Psa 41 ; Psa 69 . The events of his sufferings in particular are described, beginning with the betrayal of Judas, as follows:

1. Judas betrayed him (Mat 26:14 ) in fulfilment of Psa 41:9 .

2. At the Supper (Mat 26:24 ) Christ said, “The Son of man goeth as it is written of him,” referring to Psa 22 .

3. They sang after the Supper in fulfilment of Psa 22:22 .

4. Piercing his hands and feet, Psa 22:16 .

5. They cast lots for his vesture in fulfilment of Psa 22:18 .

6. Just before the ninth hour the chief priests reviled him (Mat 27:43 ) in fulfilment of Psa 22:8 .

7. At the ninth hour (Mat 27:46 ) he quoted Psa 22:1 .

8. Near his death (Joh 19:28 ) he said, in fulfilment of Psa 69:21 , “I thirst.”

9. At that time they gave him vinegar (Mat 27:48 ) in fulfilment of Psa 69:21 .

10. When he was found dead they did not break his bones (Joh 19:36 ) in fulfilment of Psa 34:20 .

11. He is represented as dead, buried, and raised in Psa 16:10 .

12. His suffering as a substitute is described in Psa 69:9 .

13. The result of his crucifixion to them who crucified him is given in Psa 69:22-23 . Compare Rom 11:9-10 .

The Penitential Psalms are Psa 6 ; Psa 32 ; Psa 38 ; Psa 51 ; Psa 102 ; Psa 130 ; Psa 143 . The occasion of Psa 6 was the grief and penitence of David over Absalom; of Psa 32 was the blessedness of forgiveness after his sin with Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah; Psa 38 , David’s reference to his sin with Bathsheba; Psa 51 , David’s penitence and prayer for forgiveness for this sin; Psa 102 , the penitence of the children of Israel on the eve of their return from captivity; Psalm 130, a general penitential psalm; Psa 143 , David’s penitence and prayer when pursued by Absalom.

The Pilgrim Psalms are Psalms 120-134. This section of the psalter is called the “Little Psalter.” These Psalms were collected in the days of Ezra and Nehemiah, in troublous times. The author of the central psalm of this collection is Solomon, and he wrote it when he built his Temple. The Davidic Psalms in this collection are Psa 120 ; Psa 122 ; Psa 124 ; Psa 131 ; Psa 132 ; Psa 133 . The others were written during the building of the second Temple. They are called in the Septuagint “Songs of the Steps.”

There are four theories as to the meaning of the titles, “Songs of the Steps,” “Songs of Degrees,” or “Songs of Ascents,” viz:

1. The first theory is that the “Songs of the Steps” means the songs of the fifteen steps from the court of the women to the court of Israel, there being a song for each step.

2. The second theory is that advanced by Luther, which says that they were songs of a higher choir, elevated above, or in an elevated voice.

3. The third theory is that the thought in these psalms advances by degrees.

4. The fourth theory is that they are Pilgrim Psalms, or the songs that they sang while going up to the great feasts.

Certain scriptures give the true idea of these titles, viz: Exo 23:14-17 ; Exo 34:23-24 ; 1Sa 1:3 ; 1Ki 12:27-28 : Psa 122:1-4 ; and the proof of their singing as they went is found in Psa_42:4; 100; and Isa 30:29 . They went, singing these psalms, to the Feasts of the Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles. Psa 121 was sung when just in sight of Jerusalem and Psa 122 was sung at the gate. Psa 128 is the description of a good man’s home and a parallel to this psalm in modern literature is Burns’s “Cotter’s Saturday Night.” The pious home makes the nation great.

Psa 133 is a psalm of fellowship. It is one of the finest expressions of the blessings that issue when God’s people dwell together in unity. The reference here is to the anointing of Aaron as high priest and the fragrance of the anointing oil which was used in these anointings. The dew of Hermon represents the blessing of God upon his people when they dwell together in such unity.

Now let us look at the Alphabetical Psalms. An alphabetical psalm is one in which the letters of the Hebrew alphabet are used alphabetically to commence each division. In Psalms 111-112, each clause so begins; in Psa 25 ; Psa 34 ; Psa 145 ; each verse so begins; in Psa 37 each stanza of two verses so begins; in 119 each stanza of eight verses so begins, and each of the eight lines begins with the same letter. In Psa 25 ; 34 37 the order is not so strict; in Psa 9 and Psa 10 there are some traces of this alphabetical order.

David originated these alphabetical psalms and the most complete specimen is Psa 119 , which is an expansion of the latter part of Psa 19 .

A certain group of psalms is called the Hallelujah Psalms. They are so called because the word “Hallelujah” is used at the beginning, or at the ending, and sometimes at both the beginning and the ending. The Hallelujah Psalms are Psalm 111-113; 115-117; 146-150. Psa 117 is a doxology; and Psalms 146-150 were used as anthems. Psa 148 calls on all creation to praise God. Francis of Assisi wrote a hymn based on this psalm in which he called the sun his honorable brother and the cricket his sister. Psa 150 calls for all varieties of instruments. Psalms 113-118 are called the Egyptian Hallel. They were used at the Passover (Psalm 113-114), before the Supper and Psalm 115-118 were sung after the Supper. According to this, Jesus and his disciples sang Psalms 115-118 at the last Passover Supper. These psalms were sung also at the Feasts of Pentecost, Tabernacles, Dedication, and New Moon.

The name of God is delayed long in Psa 114 . Addison said, “That the surprise might be complete.” Then there are some special characteristics of Psa 115 , viz: (1) It was written against idols. Cf. Isa 44:9-20 ; (2) It is antiphonal, the congregation singing Psa 115:1-8 , the choir Psa 115:9-12 , the priests Psa 115:13-15 and the congregation again Psa 115:16-18 . The theme of Psa 116 is love, based on gratitude for a great deliverance, expressed in service. It is appropriate to read at the celebration of the Lord’s Supper and Psa 116:15 is especially appropriate for funeral services.

On some special historical occasions certain psalms were sung. Psa 46 was sung by the army of Gustavus Adolphus before the decisive battle of Leipzig, on September 17, 1631.Psa 68 was sung by Cromwell’s army on the occasion of the battle of Dunbar in Scotland.

Certain passages in the Psalms show that the psalm writers approved the offering of Mosaic animal sacrifices. For instance, Psa 118:27 ; Psa 141:2 seem to teach very clearly that they approved the Mosaic sacrifice. But other passages show that these inspired writers estimated spiritual sacrifices as more important and foresaw the abolition of the animal sacrifices. Such passages are Psa 50:7-15 ; Psa 4:5 ; Psa 27:6 ; Psa 40:6 ; Psa 51:16-17 . These scriptures show conclusively that the writers estimated spiritual sacrifices as more important than the Mosaic sacrifices.

QUESTIONS

1. What are the Royal Psalms?

2. What are the Passion Psalms?

3. What are the Psalms of the Ideal Man?

4. What are the Missionary Psalms?

5. What are the predictions before David of the coming Messiah?

6. What are the prophecies of history concerning the Messiah?

7. Give a regular order of thought concerning the messianic offices as taught in the psalms.

8. Which psalms most clearly present the Messiah as (1) the ideal man, or Second Adam, (2) which as Prophet, or Teacher, (3) which as the Sacrifice, (4) which as King, (5) which as Priest, (6) which his universal reign?

9. Concerning the suffering Messiah, or the Messiah as a sacrifice, state the words or facts, verified in the New Testament as fulfilment of prophecy in the psalms. Let the order of the citations follow the order of facts in Christ’s life.

10. Name the Penitential Psalms and show their occasion.

11. What are the Pilgrim Psalms?

12. What is this section of the Psalter called?

13. When and under what conditions were these psalms collected?

14. Who is the author of the central psalm of this collection?

15. What Davidic Psalms are in this collection?

16. When were the others written?

17. What are they called in the Septuagint?

18. What four theories as to the meaning of the titles, “Songs of the Steps,” “Songs of Degrees,” or “Songs of Ascents”?

19. What scriptures give the true idea of these titles?

20. Give proof of their singing as they went.

21. To what feasts did they go singing these Psalms?

22. What was the special use made of Psa 121 and Psa 122 ?

23. Which of these psalms is the description of a good man’s home and what parallel in modern literature?

24. Expound Psa 133 .

25. What is an alphabetical psalm, and what are the several kinds?

26. Who originated these Alphabetical Psalms?

27. What are the most complete specimen?

28. Of what is it an expansion?

29. Why is a certain group of psalms called the Hallelujah Psalms?

30. What are the Hallelujah Psalms?

31. Which of the Hallelujah Psalms was a doxology?

32. Which of these were used as anthems?

33. Which psalm calls on all creation to praise God?

34. Who wrote a hymn based on Psa 148 in which he called the sun his honorable brother and the cricket his sister?

35. Which of these psalms calls for all varieties of instruments?

36. What is the Egyptian Hallel?

37. What is their special use and how were they sung?

38. Then what hymns did Jesus and his disciples sing?

39. At what other feasts was this sung?

40. Why was the name of God delayed so long in Psa 114 ?

41. What are the characteristics of Psa 115 ?

42. What is the theme and special use of Psa 116 ?

43. State some special historical occasions on which certain psalms were sung. Give the psalm for each occasion.

44. Cite passages in the psalms showing that the psalm writers approved the offering of Mosaic animal sacrifices.

45. Cite other passages showing that these inspired writers estimated spiritual sacrifices as more important than the Mosaic sacrifices.

Fuente: B.H. Carroll’s An Interpretation of the English Bible

PSALMS

AN INTRODUCTION TO THE BOOK OF PSALMS

According to my usual custom, when taking up the study of a book of the Bible I give at the beginning a list of books as helps to the study of that book. The following books I heartily commend on the Psalms:

1. Sampey’s Syllabus for Old Testament Study . This is especially good on the grouping and outlining of some selected psalms. There are also some valuable suggestions on other features of the book.

2. Kirkpatrick’g commentary, in “Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges,” is an excellent aid in the study of the Psalter.

3. Perowne’s Book of Psalms is a good, scholarly treatise on the Psalms. A special feature of this commentary is the author’s “New Translation” and his notes are very helpful.

4. Spurgeon’s Treasury of David. This is just what the title implies. It is a voluminous, devotional interpretation of the Psalms and helpful to those who have the time for such extensive study of the Psalter.

5. Hengstenburg on the Psalms. This is a fine, scholarly work by one of the greatest of the conservative German scholars.

6. Maclaren on the Psalms, in “The Expositor’s Bible,” is the work of the world’s safest, sanest, and best of all works that have ever been written on the Psalms.

7. Thirtle on the Titles of the Psalms. This is the best on the subject and well worth a careful study.

At this point some definitions are in order. The Hebrew word for psalm means praise. The word in English comes from psalmos , a song of lyrical character, or a song to be sung and accompanied with a lyre. The Psalter is a collection of sacred and inspired songs, composed at different times and by different authors.

The range of time in composition was more than 1,000 years, or from the time of Moses to the time of Ezra. The collection in its present form was arranged probably by Ezra in the fifth century, B.C.

The Jewish classification of Old Testament books was The Law, the Prophets, and the Holy Writings. The Psalms was given the first place in the last group.

They had several names, or titles, of the Psalms. In Hebrew they are called “The Book of Prayers,” or “The Book of Praises.” The Hebrew word thus used means praises. The title of the first two books is found in Psa 72:20 : “The prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended.” The title of the whole collection of Psalms in the Septuagint is Biblos Psalman which means the “Book of Psalms.” The title in the Alexandrian Codex is Psalterion which is the name of a stringed instrument, and means “The Psalter.”

The derivation of our English words, “psalms,” “psalter,” and “psaltery,” respectively, is as follows:

1. “Psalms” comes from the Greek word, psalmoi, which is also from psallein , which means to play upon a stringed instrument. Therefore the Psalms are songs played upon stringed instruments, and the word here is used to apply to the whole collection.

2. “Psalter” is of the same origin and means the Book of Psalms and refers also to the whole collection.

3. “Psaltery” is from the word psalterion, which means “a harp,” an instrument, supposed to be in the shape of a triangle or like the delta of the Greek alphabet. See Psa 33:2 ; Psa 71:22 ; Psa 81:2 ; Psa 144:9 .

In our collection there are 150 psalms. In the Septuagint there is one extra. It is regarded as being outside the sacred collection and not inspired. The subject of this extra psalm is “David’s victory over Goliath.” The following is a copy of it: I was small among my brethren, And youngest in my father’s house, I used to feed my father’s sheep. My hands made a harp, My fingers fashioned a Psaltery. And who will declare unto my Lord? He is Lord, he it is who heareth. He it was who sent his angel And took me from my father’s sheep, And anointed me with the oil of his anointing. My brethren were goodly and tall, But the Lord took no pleasure in them. I went forth to meet the Philistine. And he cursed me by his idols But I drew the sword from beside him; I beheaded him and removed reproach from the children of Israel.

It will be noted that this psalm does not have the earmarks of an inspired production. There is not found in it the modesty so characteristic of David, but there is here an evident spirit of boasting and self-praise which is foreign to the Spirit of inspiration.

There is a difference in the numbering of the psalms in our version which follows the Hebrew, and the numbering in the Septuagint. Omitting the extra one in the Septuagint, there is no difference as to the total number. Both have 150 and the same subject matter, but they are not divided alike.

The following scheme shows the division according to our version and also the Septuagint: Psalms 1-8 in the Hebrew equal 1-8 in the Septuagint; 9-10 in the Hebrew combine into 9 in the Septuagint; 11-113 in the Hebrew equal 10-112 in the Septuagint; 114-115 in the Hebrew combine into 113 in the Septuagint; 116 in the Hebrew divides into 114-115 in the Septuagint; 117-146 in the Hebrew equal 116-145 in the Septuagint; 147 in the Hebrew divides into 146-147 in the Septuagint; 148-150 in the Hebrew equal 148-150 in the Septuagint.

The arrangement in the Vulgate is the same as the Septuagint. Also some of the older English versions have this arangement. Another difficulty in numbering perplexes an inexperienced student in turning from one version to another, viz: In the Hebrew often the title is verse I, and sometimes the title embraces verses 1-2.

The book divisions of the Psalter are five books, as follows:

Book I, Psalms 1-41 (41 chapters)

Book II, Psalms 42-72 (31 chapters)

Book III, Psalms 73-89 (17 chapters)

Book IV, Psalms 90-106 (17 chapters)

Book V, Psalms 107-150 (44 chapters)

They are marked by an introduction and a doxology. Psalm I forms an introduction to the whole book; Psa 150 is the doxology for the whole book. The introduction and doxology of each book are the first and last psalms of each division, respectively.

There were smaller collections before the final one, as follows:

Books I and II were by David; Book III, by Hezekiah, and Books IV and V, by Ezra.

Certain principles determined the arrangement of the several psalms in the present collection:

1. David is honored with first place, Book I and II, including Psalms 1-72.

2. They are grouped according to the use of the name of God:

(1) Psalms 1-41 are Jehovah psalms;

(2) Psalms 42-83 are Elohim-psalms;

(3) Psalms 84-150 are Jehovah psalms.

3. Book IV is introduced by the psalm of Moses, which is the first psalm written.

4. Some are arranged as companion psalms, for instance, sometimes two, sometimes three, and sometimes more. Examples: Psa 2 and 3; 22, 23, and 24; 113-118.

5. They were arranged for liturgical purposes, which furnished the psalms for special occasions, such as feasts, etc. We may be sure this arrangement was not accidental. An intelligent study of each case is convincing that it was determined upon rational grounds.

All the psalms have titles but thirty-three, as follows:

In Book I, Psa 1 ; Psa 2 ; Psa 10 ; Psa 33 , (4 are without titles).

In Book II, Psa 43 ; Psa 71 , (2 are without titles).

In Book IV, Psa 91 ; Psa 93 ; Psa 94 ; Psa 95 ; Psa 96 ; Psa 97 ; Psa 104 ; Psa 105 ; Psa 106 , (9 are without titles).

In Book V, Psa 107 ; III; 112; 113; 114; 115; 116; 117; 118; 119; 135; 136; 137; 146; 147; 148; 149; 150, (18 are without titles).

The Talmud calls these psalms that have no title, “Orphan Psalms.” The later Jews supply these titles by taking the nearest preceding author. The lack of titles in Psa 1 ; Psa 2 ; and 10 may be accounted for as follows: Psa 1 is a general introduction to the whole collection and Psa 2 was, perhaps, a part of Psa 1 . Psalms 9-10 were formerly combined into one, therefore Psa 10 has the same title as Psa 9 .

QUESTIONS

1. What books are commended on the Psalms?

2. What is a psalm?

3. What is the Psalter?

4. What is the range of time in composition?

5. When and by whom was the collection in its present form arranged?

6. What the Jewish classification of Old Testament books, and what the position of the Psalter in this classification?

7. What is the Hebrew title of the Psalms?

8. Find the title of the first two books from the books themselves.

9. What is the title of the whole collection of psalms in the Septuagint?

10. What is the title in the Alexandrian Codex?

11. What is the derivation of our English word, “Psalms”, “Psalter”, and “Psaltery,” respectively?

12. How many psalms in our collection?

13. How many psalms in the Septuagint?

14. What about the extra one in the Septuagint?

15. What is the subject of this extra psalm?

16. How does it compare with the Canonical Psalms?

17. What is the difference in the numbering of the psalms in our version which follows the Hebrew, and the numbering in the Septuagint?

18. What is the arrangement in the Vulgate?

19. What other difficulty in numbering which perplexes an inexperienced student in turning from one version to another?

20. What are the book divisions of the Psalter and how are these divisions marked?

21. Were there smaller collections before the final one? If so, what were they?

22. What principles determined the arrangement of the several psalms in the present collection?

23. In what conclusion may we rest concerning this arrangement?

24. How many of the psalms have no titles?

25. What does the Talmud call these psalms that have no titles?

26. How do later Jews supply these titles?

27. How do you account for the lack of titles in Psa 1 ; Psa 2 ; Psa 10 ?

XII

AN INTRODUCTION TO THE BOOK OF PSALMS (CONTINUED)

The following is a list of the items of information gathered from the titles of the psalms:

1. The author: “A Psalm of David” (Psa 37 ).

2. The occasion: “When he fled from Absalom, his son” (Psa 3 ).

3. The nature, or character, of the poem:

(1) Maschil, meaning “instruction,” a didactic poem (Psa 42 ).

(2) Michtam, meaning “gold,” “A Golden Psalm”; this means excellence or mystery (Psa 16 ; 56-60).

4. The occasion of its use: “A Psalm of David for the dedication of the house” (Psa 30 ).

5. Its purpose: “A Psalm of David to bring remembrance” (Psa 38 ; Psa 70 ).

6. Direction for its use: “A Psalm of David for the chief musician” (Psa 4 ).

7. The kind of musical instrument:

(1) Neginoth, meaning to strike a chord, as on stringed instruments (Psa 4 ; Psa 61 ).

(2) Nehiloth, meaning to perforate, as a pipe or flute (Psa 5 ).

(3) Shoshannim, Lilies, which refers probably to cymbals (Psa 45 ; Psa 69 ).

8. A special choir:

(1) Sheminith, the “eighth,” or octave below, as a male choir (Psa 6 ; Psa 12 ).

(2) Alamoth, female choir (Psa 46 ).

(3) Muth-labben, music with virgin voice, to be sung by a choir of boys in the treble (Psa 9 ).

9. The keynote, or tune:

(1) Aijeleth-sharar, “Hind of the morning,” a song to the melody of which this is sung (Psa 22 ).

(2) Al-tashheth, “Destroy thou not,” the beginning of a song the tune of which is sung (Psa 57 ; Psa 58 ; Psa 59 ; Psa 75 ).

(3) Gittith, set to the tune of Gath, perhaps a tune which David brought from Gath (Psa 8 ; Psa 81 ; Psa 84 ).

(4) Jonath-elim-rehokim, “The dove of the distant terebinths,” the commencement of an ode to the air of which this song was to be sung (Psa 56 ).

(5) Leannoth, the name of a tune (Psa 88 ).

(6) Mahalath, an instrument (Psa 53 ); Leonnoth-Mahaloth, to chant to a tune called Mahaloth.

(7) Shiggaion, a song or a hymn.

(8) Shushan-Eduth, “Lily of testimony,” a tune (Psa 60 ). Note some examples: (1) “America,” “Shiloh,” “Auld Lang Syne.” These are the names of songs such as we are familiar with; (2) “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing” and “There Is a Fountain Filled with Blood,” are examples of sacred hymns.

10. The liturgical use, those noted for the feasts, e.g., the Hallels and Hallelujah Psalms (Psalms 146-150).

11. The destination, as “Song of Ascents” (Psalms 120-134)

12. The direction for the music, such as Selah, which means “Singers, pause”; Higgaion-Selah, to strike a symphony with selah, which means an instrumental interlude (Psa 9:16 ).

The longest and fullest title to any of the psalms is the title to Psa 60 . The items of information from this title are as follows: (1) the author; (2) the chief musician; (3) the historical occasion; (4) the use, or design; (5) the style of poetry; (6) the instrument or style of music.

The parts of these superscriptions which most concern us now are those indicating author, occasion, and date. As to the historic value or trustworthiness of these titles most modern scholars deny that they are a part of the Hebrew text, but the oldest Hebrew text of which we know anything had all of them. This is the text from which the Septuagint was translated. It is much more probable that the author affixed them than later writers. There is no internal evidence in any of the psalms that disproves the correctness of them, but much to confirm. The critics disagree among themselves altogether as to these titles. Hence their testimony cannot consistently be received. Nor can it ever be received until they have at least agreed upon a common ground of opposition.

David is the author of more than half the entire collection, the arrangement of which is as follows:

1. Seventy-three are ascribed to him in the superscriptions.

2. Some of these are but continuations of the preceding ones of a pair, trio, or larger group.

3. Some of the Korahite Psalms are manifestly Davidic.

4. Some not ascribed to him in the titles are attributed to him expressly by New Testament writers.

5. It is not possible to account for some parts of the Psalter without David. The history of his early life as found in Samuel, 1 and 2 Kings, and 1and 2 Chronicles, not only shows his remarkable genius for patriotic and sacred songs and music, but also shows his cultivation of that gift in the schools of the prophets. Some of these psalms of the history appear in the Psalter itself. It is plain to all who read these that they are founded on experience, and the experience of no other Hebrew fits the case. These experiences are found in Samuel, 1 and 2 Kings, and 1 and 2 Chronicles.

As to the attempt of the destructive critics to rob David of his glory in relation to the Psalter by assigning the Maccabean era as the date of composition, I have this to say:

1. This theory has no historical support whatever, and therefore is not to be accepted at all.

2. It has no support in tradition, which weakens the contention of the critics greatly.

3. It has no support from finding any one with the necessary experience for their basis.

4. They can give no reasonable account as to how the titles ever got there.

5. It is psychologically impossible for anyone to have written these 150 psalms in the Maccabean times.

6. Their position is expressly contrary to the testimony of Christ and the apostles. Some of the psalms which they ascribe to the Maccabean Age are attributed to David by Christ himself, who said that David wrote them in the Spirit.

The obvious aim of this criticism and the necessary result if it be Just, is a positive denial of the inspiration of both Testaments.

Other authors are named in the titles, as follows: (1) Asaph, to whom twelve psalms have been assigned: (2) Mosee, Psa 90 ; (3) Solomon, Psa 72 ; Psa 127 ; (4) Heman, Psa 80 ; (5) Ethem, Psa 89 ; (6) A number of the psalms are ascribed to the sons of Korah.

Not all the psalms ascribed to Asaph were composed by one person. History indicates that Asaph’s family presided over the song service for several generations. Some of them were composed by his descendants by the game name. The five general outlines of the whole collection are as follows:

I. By books

1. Psalms 1-41 (41)

2. Psalms 42-72 (31)

3. Psalms 73-89 (17)

4. Psalms 90-106 (17)

5. Psalms 107-150 (44)

II. According to date and authorship

1. The psalm of Moses (Psa 90 )

2. Psalms of David:

(1) The shepherd boy (Psa 8 ; Psa 19 ; Psa 29 ; Psa 23 ).

(2) David when persecuted by Saul (Psa 59 ; Psa 56 ; Psa 34 ; Psa 52 ; Psa 54 ; Psa 57 ; Psa 142 ).

(3) David the King (Psa 101 ; Psa 18 ; Psa 24 ; Psa 2 ; Psa 110 ; Psa 20 ; Psa 20 ; Psa 21 ; Psa 60 ; Psa 51 ; Psa 32 ; Psa 41 ; Psa 55 ; Psa 3:4 ; Psa 64 ; Psa 62 ; Psa 61 ; Psa 27 ).

3. The Asaph Psalms (Psa 50 ; Psa 73 ; Psa 83 ).

4. The Korahite Psalms (Psa 42 ; Psa 43 ; Psa 84 ).

5. The psalms of Solomon (Psa 72 ; Psa 127 ).

6. The psalms of the era of Hezekiah and Isaiah (Psa 46 ; Psa 47 ; Psa 48 )

7. The psalms of the Exile (Psa 74 ; Psa 79 ; Psa 137 ; Psa 102 )

8. The psalms of the Restoration (Psa 85 ; Psa 126 ; Psa 118 ; 146-150)

III. By groups

1. The Jehovistic and Elohistic Psalms:

(1) Psalms 1-41 are Jehovistic;

(2) Psalms 42-83 are Elohistic Psalms;

(3) Psalms 84-150 are Jehovistic.

2. The Penitential Psalms (Psa 6 ; Psa 32 ; Psa 38 ; Psa 51 ; Psa 102 ; Psa 130 ; Psa 143 )

3. The Pilgrim Psalms (Psalms 120-134)

4. The Alphabetical Psalms (Psa 9 ; Psa 10 ; Psa 25 ; Psa 34 ; Psa 37 ; 111:112; Psa 119 ; Psa 145 )

5. The Hallelujah Psalms (Psalms 11-113; 115-117; 146-150; to which may be added Psa 135 ) Psalms 113-118 are called “the Egyptian Hallel”

IV. Doctrines of the Psalms

1. The throne of grace and how to approach it by sacrifice, prayer, and praise.

2. The covenant, the basis of worship.

3. The paradoxical assertions of both innocence & guilt.

4. The pardon of sin and justification.

5. The Messiah.

6. The future life, pro and con.

7. The imprecations.

8. Other doctrines.

V. The New Testament use of the Psalms

1. Direct references and quotations in the New Testament.

2. The allusions to the psalms in the New Testament. Certain experiences of David’s life made very deep impressions on his heart, such as: (1) his peaceful early life; (2) his persecution by Saul; (3) his being crowned king of the people; (4) the bringing up of the ark; (5) his first great sin; (6) Absalom’s rebellion; (7) his second great sin; (8) the great promise made to him in 2Sa 7 ; (9) the feelings of his old age.

We may classify the Davidic Psalms according to these experiences following the order of time, thus:

1. His peaceful early life (Psa 8 ; Psa 19 ; Psa 29 ; Psa 23 )

2. His persecution by Saul (Psa 59 ; Psa 56 ; Psa 34 ; Psa 7 ; Psa 52 ; Psa 120 ; Psa 140 ; Psa 54 ; Psa 57 ; Psa 142 ; Psa 17 ; Psa 18 )

3. Making David King (Psa 27 ; Psa 133 ; Psa 101 )

4. Bringing up the ark (Psa 68 ; Psa 24 ; Psa 132 ; Psa 15 ; Psa 78 ; Psa 96 )

5. His first great sin (Psa 51 ; Psa 32 )

6. Absalom’s rebellion (Psa 41 ; Psa 6 ; Psa 55 ; Psa 109 ; Psa 38 ; Psa 39 ; Psa 3 ; Psa 4 ; Psa 63 ; Psa 42 ; Psa 43 ; Psa 5 ; Psa 62 ; Psa 61 ; Psa 27 )

7. His second great sin (Psa 69 ; Psa 71 ; Psa 102 ; Psa 103 )

8. The great promise made to him in 2Sa 7 (Psa 2 )

9. Feelings of old age (Psa 37 )

The great doctrines of the psalms may be noted as follows: (1) the being and attributes of God; (3) sin, both original and individual; (3) both covenants; (4) the doctrine of justification; (5) concerning the Messiah.

There is a striking analogy between the Pentateuch and the Psalms. The Pentateuch contains five books of law; the Psalms contain five books of heart responses to the law.

It is interesting to note the historic controversies concerning the singing of psalms. These were controversies about singing uninspired songs, in the Middle Ages. The church would not allow anything to be used but psalms.

The history in Samuel, 1 and 2 Kings, and 1 and 2 Chronicles, and in Ezra and Nehemiah is very valuable toward a proper interpretation of the psalms. These books furnish the historical setting for a great many of the psalms which is very indispensable to their proper interpretation.

Professor James Robertson, in the Poetry and Religion of the Psalms constructs a broad and strong argument in favor of the Davidic Psalms, as follows:

1. The age of David furnished promising soil for the growth of poetry.

2. David’s qualifications for composing the psalms make it highly probable that David is the author of the psalms ascribed to him.

3. The arguments against the possibility of ascribing to David any of the hymns in the Hebrew Psalter rests upon assumptions that are thoroughly antibiblical.

The New Testament makes large use of the psalms and we learn much as to their importance in teaching. There are seventy direct quotations in the New Testament from this book, from which we learn that the Scriptures were used extensively in accord with 2Ti 3:16-17 . There are also eleven references to the psalms in the New Testament from which we learn that the New Testament writers were thoroughly imbued with the spirit and teaching of the psalms. Then there are eight allusions ‘to this book in the New Testament from which we gather that the Psalms was one of the divisions of the Old Testament and that they were used in the early church.

QUESTIONS

1. Give a list of the items of information gathered from the titles of the psalms.

2. What is the longest title to any of the psalms and what the items of this title?

3. What parts of these superscriptions most concern us now?

4. What is the historic value, or trustworthiness of these titles?

5. State the argument showing David’s relation to the psalms.

6. What have you to say of the attempt of the destructive critics to rob David of his glory in relation to the Psalter by assigning the Maccabean era as the date of composition?

7. What the obvious aim of this criticism and the necessary result, if it be just?

8. What other authors are named in the titles?

9. Were all the psalms ascribed to Asaph composed by one person?

10. Give the five general outlines of the whole collection, as follows: I. The outline by books II. The outline according to date and authorship III. The outline by groups IV. The outline of doctrines V. The outline by New Testament quotations or allusions.

11. What experiences of David’s life made very deep impressions on his heart?

12. Classify the Davidic Psalms according to these experiences following the order of time.

13. What the great doctrines of the psalms?

14. What analogy between the Pentateuch and the Psalms?

15. What historic controversies concerning the singing of psalms?

16. Of what value is the history in Samuel, 1 Kings and 2 Chronicles, and in Ezra and Nehemiah toward a proper interpretation of the psalms?

17. Give Professor James Robertson’s argument in favor of the Davidic authorship of the psalms.

18. What can you say of the New Testament use of the psalms and what do we learn as to their importance in teaching?

19. What can you say of the New Testament references to the psalms, and from the New Testament references what the impression on the New Testament writers?

20. What can you say of the allusions to the psalms in the New Testament?

XVII

THE MESSIAH IN THE PSALMS

A fine text for this chapter is as follows: “All things must be fulfilled which were written in the Psalms concerning me,” Luk 24:44 . I know of no better way to close my brief treatise on the Psalms than to discuss the subject of the Messiah as revealed in this book.

Attention has been called to the threefold division of the Old Testament cited by our Lord, namely, the Law, the Prophets, and the Psalms (Luk 24:44 ), in all of which were the prophecies relating to himself that “must be fulfilled.” It has been shown just what Old Testament books belong to each of these several divisions. The division called the Psalms included many books, styled Holy Writings, and because the Psalms proper was the first book of the division it gave the name to the whole division.

The object of this discussion is to sketch the psalmist’s outline of the Messiah, or rather, to show how nearly a complete picture of our Lord is foredrawn in this one book. Let us understand however with Paul, that all prophecy is but in part (1Co 13:9 ), and that when we fill in on one canvas all the prophecies concerning the Messiah of all the Old Testament divisions, we are far from having a perfect portrait of our Lord. The present purpose is limited to three things:

1. What the book of the Psalms teaches concerning the Messiah.

2. That the New Testament shall authoritatively specify and expound this teaching.

3. That the many messianic predictions scattered over the book and the specifications thereof over the New Testament may be grouped into an orderly analysis, so that by the adjustment of the scattered parts we may have before us a picture of our Lord as foreseen by the psalmists.

In allowing the New Testament to authoritatively specify and expound the predictive features of the book, I am not unmindful of what the so-called “higher critics” urge against the New Testament quotations from the Old Testament and the use made of them. In this discussion, however, these objections are not considered, for sufficient reasons. There is not space for it. Even at the risk of being misjudged I must just now summarily pass all these objections, dismissing them with a single statement upon which the reader may place his own estimate of value. That statement is that in the days of my own infidelity, before this old method of criticism had its new name, I was quite familiar with the most and certainly the strongest of the objections now classified as higher criticism, and have since patiently re-examined them in their widely conflicting restatements under their modern name, and find my faith in the New Testament method of dealing with the Old Testament in no way shattered, but in every way confirmed. God is his own interpreter. The Old Testament as we now have it was in the hands of our Lord. I understand his apostle to declare, substantially, that “every one of these sacred scriptures is God-inspired and is profitable for teaching us what is right to believe and to do, for convincing us what is wrong in faith or practice, for rectifying the wrong when done, that we may be ready at every point, furnished completely, to do every good work, at the right time, in the right manner, and from the proper motive” (2Ti 3:16-17 ).

This New Testament declares that David was a prophet (Act 2:30 ), that he spake by the Holy Spirit (Act 1:16 ), that when the book speaks the Holy Spirit speaks (Heb 3:7 ), and that all its predictive utterances, as sacred Scripture, “must be fulfilled” (Joh 13:18 ; Act 1:16 ). It is not claimed that David wrote all the psalms, but that all are inspired, and that as he was the chief author, the book goes by his name.

It would be a fine thing to make out two lists, as follows:

1. All of the 150 psalms in order from which the New Testament quotes with messianic application.

2. The New Testament quotations, book by book, i.e., Matthew so many, and then the other books in their order.

We would find in neither of these any order as to time, that is, Psa 1 which forecasts an incident in the coming Messiah’s life does not forecast the first incident of his life. And even the New Testament citations are not in exact order as to time and incident of his life. To get the messianic picture before us, therefore, we must put the scattered parts together in their due relation and order, and so construct our own analysis. That is the prime object of this discussion. It is not claimed that the analysis now presented is perfect. It is too much the result of hasty, offhand work by an exceedingly busy man. It will serve, however, as a temporary working model, which any one may subsequently improve. We come at once to the psalmist’s outline of the Messiah.

1. The necessity for a Saviour. This foreseen necessity is a background of the psalmists’ portrait of the Messiah. The necessity consists in (1) man’s sinfulness; (2) his sin; (3) his inability of wisdom and power to recover himself; (4) the insufficiency of legal, typical sacrifices in securing atonement.

The predicate of Paul’s great argument on justification by faith is the universal depravity and guilt of man. He is everywhere corrupt in nature; everywhere an actual transgressor; everywhere under condemnation. But the scriptural proofs of this depravity and sin the apostle draws mainly from the book of the Psalms. In one paragraph of the letter to the Romans (Rom 3:4-18 ), he cites and groups six passages from six divisions of the Psalms (Psa 5:9 ; Psa 10:7 ; Psa 14:1-3 ; Psa 36:1 ; Psa 51:4-6 ; Psa 140:3 ). These passages abundantly prove man’s sinfulness, or natural depravity, and his universal practice of sin.

The predicate also of the same apostle’s great argument for revelation and salvation by a Redeemer is man’s inability of wisdom and power to re-establish communion with God. In one of his letters to the Corinthians he thus commences his argument: “For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this world? Hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? -For after that in the wisdom of God, the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preach-ing to save them that believe.” He closes this discussion with the broad proposition: “The wisdom of this world is foolishness with God,” and proves it by a citation from Psa 94:11 : “The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain.”

In like manner our Lord himself pours scorn on human wisdom and strength by twice citing Psa 8 : “At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent and hast revealed them unto babes. Even so, Father: for so it seemed good in thy sight” (Mat 11:25-26 ). “And when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children that were crying in the temple and saying, Hosanna to the Son of David; they were sore displeased, and said unto him, Hearest thou what these say? And Jesus saith unto them, Yea; have ye never read, Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise?” (Mat 21:15-16 ).

But the necessity for a Saviour as foreseen by the psalmist did not stop at man’s depravity, sin, and helplessness. The Jews were trusting in the sacrifices of their law offered on the smoking altar. The inherent weakness of these offerings, their lack of intrinsic merit, their ultimate abolition, their complete fulfilment and supercession by a glorious antitype were foreseen and foreshown in this wonderful prophetic book: I will not reprove thee for thy sacrifices; And thy burnt offerings are continually before me. I will take no bullock out of thy house, Nor he-goat out of thy folds. For every beast of the forest is mine, And the cattle upon a thousand hills. I know all of the birds of the mountains; And the wild beasts of the field are mine. If I were hungry, I would not tell thee; For the world is mine, and the fulness thereof. Will I eat the flesh of bulls, Or drink the blood of goats? Psa 50:8-13 .

Yet again it speaks in that more striking passage cited in the letter to the Hebrews: “For the law having a shadow of good things to come, not the very image of the things, can never with the same sacrifices year by year, which they offer continually, make the comers thereunto perfect. For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshipers, once purged should have no more consciousness of sins. But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance made of sins year by year. For it is impossible that the blood of bulls and goats should take away sins. Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldst not, But a body didst thou prepare for me; In whole burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hadst no pleasure: Then said I, Lo, I am come (In the roll of the book it is written of me) To do thy will, O God. Saying above, Sacrifice and offering and whole burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou wouldst not, neither hadst pleasure therein, (the which are offered according to the law), then hath he said, Lo, I am come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second” (Heb 10:1-9 ).

This keen foresight of the temporary character and intrinsic worthlessness of animal sacrifices anticipated similar utterances by the later prophets (Isa 1:10-17 ; Jer 6:20 ; Jer 7:21-23 ; Hos 6:6 ; Amo 5:21 ; Mic 6:6-8 ). Indeed, I may as well state in passing that when the apostle declares, “It is impossible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins,” he lays down a broad principle, just as applicable to baptism and the Lord’s Supper. With reverence I state the principle: Not even God himself by mere appointment can vest in any ordinance, itself lacking intrinsic merit, the power to take away sin. There can be, therefore, in the nature of the case, no sacramental salvation. This would destroy the justice of God in order to exalt his mercy. Clearly the psalmist foresaw that “truth and mercy must meet together” before “righteousness and peace could kiss each other” (Psa 85:10 ). Thus we find as the dark background of the psalmists’ luminous portrait of the Messiah, the necessity for a Saviour.

2. The nature, extent, and blessedness of the salvation to be wrought by the coming Messiah. In no other prophetic book are the nature, fullness, and blessedness of salvation so clearly seen and so vividly portrayed. Besides others not now enumerated, certainly the psalmists clearly forecast four great elements of salvation:

(1) An atoning sacrifice of intrinsic merit offered once for all (Psa 40:6-8 ; Heb 10:4-10 ).

(2) Regeneration itself consisting of cleansing, renewal, and justification. We hear his impassioned statement of the necessity of regeneration: “Behold, I was shapen in iniquity and in sin did my mother conceive me. Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts,” followed by his earnest prayer: “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me,” and his equally fervent petition: “Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. Purge me with hyssop and I shall be clean; wash me and I shall be whiter than snow” (Psa 51 ). And we hear him again as Paul describes the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputes righteousness without works, saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, And whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not reckon sin Psa 32:1 ; Rom 4:6-8 .

(3) Introduction into the heavenly rest (Psa 95:7-11 ; Heb 3:7-19 ; Heb 4:1-11 ). Here is the antitypical Joshua leading spiritual Israel across the Jordan of death into the heavenly Canaan, the eternal rest that remaineth for the people of God. Here we find creation’s original sabbath eclipsed by redemption’s greater sabbath when the Redeemer “entered his rest, ceasing from his own works as God did from his.”

(4) The recovery of all the universal dominion lost by the first Adam and the securement of all possible dominion which the first Adam never attained (Psa 8:5-6 ; Eph 1:20-22 ; Heb 2:7-9 ; 1Co 15:24-28 ).

What vast extent then and what blessedness in the salvation foreseen by the psalmists, and to be wrought by the Messiah. Atoning sacrifice of intrinsic merit; regeneration by the Holy Spirit; heavenly rest as an eternal inheritance; and universal dominion shared with Christ!

3. The wondrous person of the Messiah in his dual nature, divine and human.

(1) His divinity,

(a) as God: “Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever” (Psa 45:6 and Heb 1:8 ) ;

(b) as creator of the heavens and earth, immutable and eternal: Of old didst thou lay the foundation of the earth; And the heavens are the work of thy hands. They shall perish, but thou shalt endure; Yea, all of them shall wax old like a garment; As a vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed. But thou art the same, And thy years shall have no end Psa 102:25-27 quoted with slight changes in Heb 1:10-12 .

(c) As owner of the earth: The earth is the Lord’s and the fulness thereof; The world, and they that dwell therein, Psa 24:1 quoted in 1Co 10:26 .

(d) As the Son of God: “Thou art my Son; This day have I begotten thee” Psa 2:7 ; Heb 1:5 .

(e) As David’s Lord: The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, Until I make thine enemies thy footstool, Psa 110:1 ; Mat 22:41-46 .

(f) As the object of angelic worship: “And let all the angels of God worship him” Psa 97:7 ; Heb 1:6 .

(g) As the Bread of life: And he rained down manna upon them to eat, And gave them food from heaven Psa 78:24 ; interpreted in Joh 6:31-58 . These are but samples which ascribe deity to the Messiah of the psalmists.

(2) His humanity, (a) As the Son of man, or Son of Adam: Psa 8:4-6 , cited in 1Co 15:24-28 ; Eph 1:20-22 ; Heb 2:7-9 . Compare Luke’s genealogy, Luk 3:23-38 . This is the ideal man, or Second Adam, who regains Paradise Lost, who recovers race dominion, in whose image all his spiritual lineage is begotten. 1Co 15:45-49 . (b) As the Son of David: Psa 18:50 ; Psa 89:4 ; Psa 89:29 ; Psa 89:36 ; Psa 132:11 , cited in Luk 1:32 ; Act 13:22-23 ; Rom 1:3 ; 2Ti 2:8 . Perhaps a better statement of the psalmists’ vision of the wonderful person of the Messiah would be: He saw the uncreated Son, the second person of the trinity, in counsel and compact with the Father, arranging in eternity for the salvation of men: Psa 40:6-8 ; Heb 10:5-7 . Then he saw this Holy One stoop to be the Son of man: Psa 8:4-6 ; Heb 2:7-9 . Then he was the son of David, and then he saw him rise again to be the Son of God: Psa 2:7 ; Rom 1:3-4 .

4. His offices.

(1) As the one atoning sacrifice (Psa 40:6-8 ; Heb 10:5-7 ).

(2) As the great Prophet, or Preacher (Psa 40:9-10 ; Psa 22:22 ; Heb 2:12 ). Even the method of his teaching by parable was foreseen (Psa 78:2 ; Mat 13:35 ). Equally also the grace, wisdom, and power of his teaching. When the psalmist declares that “Grace is poured into thy lips” (Psa 45:2 ), we need not be startled when we read that all the doctors in the Temple who heard him when only a boy “were astonished at his understanding and answers” (Luk 2:47 ); nor that his home people at Nazareth “all bear him witness, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth” (Luk 4:22 ); nor that those of his own country were astonished, and said, “Whence hath this man this wisdom?” (Mat 13:54 ); nor that the Jews in the Temple marveled, saying, “How knoweth this man letters, having never learned?” (Joh 7:15 ) ; nor that the stern officers of the law found their justification in failure to arrest him in the declaration, “Never man spake like this man” (Joh 7:46 ).

(3) As the king (Psa 2:6 ; Psa 24:7-10 ; Psa 45:1-17 ; Psa 110:1 ; Mat 22:42-46 ; Act 2:33-36 ; 1Co 15:25 ; Eph 1:20 ; Heb 1:13 ).

(4) As the priest (Psa 110:4 ; Heb 5:5-10 ; Heb 7:1-21 ; Heb 10:12-14 ).

(5) As the final judge. The very sentence of expulsion pronounced upon the finally impenitent by the great judge (Mat 25:41 ) is borrowed from the psalmist’s prophetic words (Psa 6:8 ).

5. Incidents of life. The psalmists not only foresaw the necessity for a Saviour; the nature, extent, and blessedness of the salvation; the wonderful human-divine person of the Saviour; the offices to be filled by him in the work of salvation, but also many thrilling details of his work in life, death, resurrection, and exaltation. It is not assumed to cite all these details, but some of the most important are enumerated in order, thus:

(1) The visit, adoration, and gifts of the Magi recorded in Mat 2 are but partial fulfilment of Psa 72:9-10 .

(2) The scripture employed by Satan in the temptation of our Lord (Luk 4:10-11 ) was cited from Psa 91:11-12 and its pertinency not denied.

(3) In accounting for his intense earnestness and the apparently extreme measures adopted by our Lord in his first purification of the Temple (Joh 2:17 ), he cites the messianic zeal predicted in Psa 69:9 .

(4) Alienation from his own family was one of the saddest trials of our Lord’s earthly life. They are slow to understand his mission and to enter into sympathy with him. His self-abnegation and exhaustive toil were regarded by them as evidences of mental aberration, and it seems at one time they were ready to resort to forcible restraint of his freedom) virtually what in our time would be called arrest under a writ of lunacy. While at the last his half-brothers became distinguished preachers of his gospel, for a long while they do not believe on him. And the evidence forces us to the conclusion that his own mother shared with her other sons, in kind though not in degree, the misunderstanding of the supremacy of his mission over family relations. The New Testament record speaks for itself:

Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us? behold, thy father and I sought thee sorrowing. And he said unto them. How is it that ye sought me? Knew ye not that I must be in my Father’s house? And they understood not the saying which he spake unto them Luk 2:48-51 (R.V.).

And when the wine failed, the mother of Jesus saith unto him, They have no wine. And Jesus saith unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee? Mine hour is not yet come. Joh 2:3-5 (R.V.).

And there come his mother and his brethren; and standing without; they sent unto him, calling him. And a multitude was sitting about him; and they say unto him. Behold, thy mother and thy brethren without seek for thee. And he answereth them, and saith, Who is my mother and my brethren? And looking round on them that sat round about him, he saith, Behold, my mother and my brethren) For whosoever shall do the will of God, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother Mar 3:31-35 (R.V.).

Now the feast of the Jews, the feast of tabernacles, was at hand. His brethren therefore said unto him, Depart hence, and go into Judea, that thy disciples also may behold thy works which thou doest. For no man doeth anything in secret, and himself seeketh to be known openly. If thou doest these things, manifest thyself to the world. For even his brethren did not believe on him. Jesus therefore saith unto them, My time is not yet come; but your time is always ready. The world cannot hate you; but me it hateth, because I testify of it, that its works are evil. Go ye up unto the feast: I go not up yet unto this feast; because my time is not fulfilled. Joh 7:2-9 (R.V.).

These citations from the Revised Version tell their own story. But all that sad story is foreshown in the prophetic psalms. For example: I am become a stranger unto my brethren, And an alien unto my mother’s children. Psa 69:8 .

(5) The triumphal entry into Jerusalem was welcomed by a joyous people shouting a benediction from Psa 118:26 : “Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord” (Mat 21:9 ); and the Lord’s lamentation over Jerusalem predicts continued desolation and banishment from his sight until the Jews are ready to repeat that benediction (Mat 23:39 ).

(6) The children’s hosanna in the Temple after its second purgation is declared by our Lord to be a fulfilment of that perfect praise forecast in Psa 8:2 .

(7) The final rejection of our Lord by his own people was also clear in the psalmist’s vision (Psa 118:22 ; Mat 21:42-44 ).

(8) Gethsemane’s baptism of suffering, with its strong crying and tears and prayers was as clear to the psalmist’s prophetic vision as to the evangelist and apostle after it became history (Psa 69:1-4 ; Psa 69:13-20 ; and Mat 26:36-44 ; Heb 5:7 ).

(9) In life-size also before the psalmist was the betrayer of Christ and his doom (Psa 41:9 ; Psa 69:25 ; Psa 109:6-8 ; Joh 13:18 ; Act 1:20 ).

(10) The rage of the people, Jew and Gentile, and the conspiracy of Pilate and Herod are clearly outlined (Psa 2:1-3 ; Act 4:25-27 ).

(11) All the farce of his trial the false accusation, his own marvelous silence; and the inhuman maltreatment to which he was subjected, is foreshown in the prophecy as dramatically as in the history (Mat 26:57-68 ; Mat 27:26-31 ; Psa 27:12 ; Psa 35:15-16 ; Psa 38:3 ; Psa 69:19 ).

The circumstances of his death, many and clear, are distinctly foreseen. He died in the prime of life (Psa 89:45 ; Psa 102:23-24 ). He died by crucifixion (Psa 22:14-17 ; Luk 23 ; 33; Joh 19:23-37 ; Joh 20:27 ). But yet not a bone of his body was broken (Psa 34:20 ; Joh 19:36 ).

The persecution, hatred without a cause, the mockery and insults, are all vividly and dramatically foretold (Psa 22:6-13 ; Psa 35:7 ; Psa 35:12 ; Psa 35:15 ; Psa 35:21 ; Psa 109:25 ).

The parting of his garments and the gambling for his vesture (Psa 22:18 ; Mat 27:35 ).

His intense thirst and the gall and vinegar offered for his drink (Psa 69:21 ; Mat 27:34 ).

In the psalms, too, we hear his prayers for his enemies so remarkably fulfilled in fact (Psa 109:4 ; Luk 23:34 ).

His spiritual death was also before the eye of the psalmist, and the very words which expressed it the psalmist heard. Separation from the Father is spiritual death. The sinner’s substitute must die the sinner’s death, death physical, i.e., separation of soul from body; death spiritual, i.e., separation of the soul from God. The latter is the real death and must precede the former. This death the substitute died when he cried out: “My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me.” (Psa 22:1 ; Mat 27:46 ).

Emerging from the darkness of that death, which was the hour of the prince of darkness, the psalmist heard him commend his spirit to the Father (Psa_31:35; Luk 23:46 ) showing that while he died the spiritual death, his soul was not permanently abandoned unto hell (Psa 16:8-10 ; Act 2:25 ) so that while he “tasted death” for every man it was not permanent death (Heb 2:9 ).

With equal clearness the psalmist foresaw his resurrection, his triumph over death and hell, his glorious ascension into heaven, and his exaltation at the right hand of God as King of kings and Lord of lords, as a high Driest forever, as invested with universal sovereignty (Psa 16:8-11 ; Psa 24:7-10 ; Psa 68:18 ; Psa 2:6 ; Psa 111:1-4 ; Psa 8:4-6 ; Act 2:25-36 ; Eph 1:19-23 ; Eph 4:8-10 ).

We see, therefore, brethren, when the scattered parts are put together and adjusted, how nearly complete a portrait of our Lord is put upon the prophetic canvas by this inspired limner, the sweet singer of Israel.

QUESTIONS

1. What is a good text for this chapter?

2. What is the threefold division of the Old Testament as cited by our Lord?

3. What is the last division called and why?

4. What is the object of the discussion in this chapter?

5. To what three things is the purpose limited?

6. What especially qualifies the author to meet the objections of the higher critics to allowing the New Testament usage of the Old Testament to determine its meaning and application?

7. What is the author’s conviction relative to the Scriptures?

8. What is the New Testament testimony on the question of inspiration?

9. What is the author’s suggested plan of approach to the study of the Messiah in the Psalms?

10. What the background of the Psalmist’s portrait of the Messiah and of what does it consist?

11. Give the substance of Paul’s discussion of man’s sinfulness.

12. What is the teaching of Jesus on this point?

13. What is the teaching relative to sacrifices?

14. What the nature, extent, and blessedness of the salvation to be wrought by the coming Messiah and what the four great elements of it as forecast by the psalmist?

15. What is the teaching of the psalms relative to the wondrous person of the Messiah? Discuss.

16. What are the offices of the Messiah according to psalms? Discuss each.

17. Cite the more important events of the Messiah’s life according to the vision of the psalmist.

18. What the circumstances of the Messiah’s death and resurrection as foreseen by the psalmist?

Fuente: B.H. Carroll’s An Interpretation of the English Bible

Psa 65:1 To the chief Musician, A Psalm [and] Song of David. Praise waiteth for thee, O God, in Sion: and unto thee shall the vow be performed.

A Psalm and Song of David ] Made by him, as it is thought, when the people were delivered from that three years’ famine for the slaughter of the Gibeonites, 2Sa 21:1 , and that three days’ pestilence for David’s sin, in numbering the people, 2Sa 24:13-15

Ver. 1. Praise waiteth for thee, O God, in Sion ] Tibi silentinm, laus tibi, Deus, in Zion; so Beza rendereth it. There is first a deep silence in Sion, and then due praise; a silence of admiration, a silence of religious awe and devotion, such as was afterwards that in the Christian Church, Rev 8:1 , or a silence of expectation to receive mercies; and a praise, by way of retribution, for mercies received. Or, silence in all other places (not sensible of God’s favours), but praise in the Church, where God is magnified: first, for blessings proper and peculiar to his own people; secondly, for preserving commonwealths, and thereby providing graciously for human society; and, thirdly, for giving men all things richly to enjoy, as in the end of this psalm.

And unto thee shall the vow be performed ] That is, solemn thanks shall be rendered. Thy people stand ready pressed with their praises and memories, as Joseph’s brethren once did with their presents, against the time that he showed himself.

Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)

So is this “To the chief musician, a psalm of David, a song.” Here the positive side of blessing is before the heart; for to Jewish thought the people and the land (and indeed all the earth) are blended in their expectations of goodness at length triumphant. And terrible things in righteousness are not absent, even if the joyous change be more prominent. Not such is our proper but heavenly hope in the coming of our Lord Jesus; it is to be with Himself in the Father’s house, though we surely love His appearing and expect to be manifested with Him when He is manifested in glory. Our joy is to “be translated to heaven, as Christ ascended, apart from all judgment of the world; in which the Jew shall be involved but delivered out of it, when the creation itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the liberty of the glory of the children of God.

Fuente: William Kelly Major Works (New Testament)

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Psa 65:1-4

1There will be silence before You, and praise in Zion, O God,

And to You the vow will be performed.

2O You who hear prayer,

To You all men come.

3Iniquities prevail against me;

As for our transgressions, You forgive them.

4How blessed is the one whom You choose and bring near to You

To dwell in Your courts.

We will be satisfied with the goodness of Your house,

Your holy temple.

Psa 65:1 There is only one verb (BDB 1022, KB 1532, Pual imperfect) in Psa 65:1. It seems to link to several items.

1. silence before You (cf. Psa 62:1; Psa 62:5)

2. praise in Zion

3. vows performed (Thank Offering)

This is obviously a worship setting in the temple (cf. Psa 65:4).

Note below #1 and #2 may be one item. If so, it is mankind’s responsibility to praise God and fulfill his vows.

NASBsilence before You

NKJVpraise awaiting You

NRSVpraise is due you

NJBpraise is rightfully yours

JPSOApraise befits You

REBit is fitting to praise you

LXXto you a hymn is due

The MT has silence (BDB 189, ) but the UBS Text Project gives the same consonants with different vowels (i.e., befitting) a B rating (some doubt). Most English translations agree with this. This follows the LXX, Peshitta, and Vulgate translations. However, silence can denote a sense of guilt before God (cf. Psa 39:2) and an expectant waiting before Him (cf. Psa 62:1).

Zion See notes at Psa 2:6; Psa 9:11; Psa 20:2. See Special To pic: Moriah, Salem, Jebus, Jerusalem, Zion.

Psa 65:2 The God of creation is characterized as

1. the One who hears BDB 1033, KB 1570, Qal active participle. The idols cannot see, hear, or act.

2. the One to whom all flesh (BDB 142) come (BDB 97, KB 112, Qal imperfect). There is a tension/contrast between

a. all flesh Psa 65:2; Psa 65:5; Psa 65:8; Psa 64:9; Psa 66:1; Psa 66:4; Psa 66:8; Psa 67:3-5; Psa 86:9; Psa 145:21; Isa 66:23; Joe 2:28; Zec 14:17

b. the covenant people Psa 65:3-4 (see SPECIAL TOPIC: YHWH’s ETERNAL REDEMPTIVE PLAN ); the OT people of God have become all who believe (cf. Rom 2:28-29; Eph 2:11 to Eph 3:13)

One wonders if the all flesh come refers to

1. being included in the people of God (i.e., salvation by forgiveness)

2. being addressed by the God of judgment and held accountable

Psa 65:3 The God of creation forgives (i.e., covers, BDB 497, KB 493, Piel imperfect, cf. Psa 78:38; Psa 79:9; AB sees this as an imperfect used as an imperative [p. 110]).

1. iniquities (BDB 730)

2. transgressions (BDB 833)

The preposition our in the NASB implies Israel (cf. Psa 65:4). Notice how forgiveness is related to the fulfillment of covenant promises. Obedience is crucial (cf. Leviticus 26; Deu 11:13-17; chapters 28-30). When obedience fails, the only hope is the mercy of God!

SPECIAL TOPIC: WORDS FOR FORGIVENESS

Psa 65:4 How blessed See note at Psa 1:1. See Special Topic: Blessing (OT).

the one who You choose This refers to the call of God to the Patriarchs and their descendants (i.e., Israel, cf. Deu 4:37; Psa 33:12). The amazing thing is that apparently the election moves from Israel alone to all humans (cf. Psa 65:2; Psa 65:5; Psa 65:8). This reflects Gen 3:15, which is a divine promise of victory for all humans who believe and receive (see SPECIAL TOPIC: YHWH’s ETERNAL REDEMPTIVE PLAN ).

We will be satisfied with the goodness of Your house The verb (BDB 959, KB 1302, Qal cohortative) denotes one who is completely with filled goodness (BDB 375). This verse refers not just to physical abundance (cf. Psa 65:9-13) but to intimacy with God! He fills us with Himself!

Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley

Title. A Psalm. Hebrew. mizmor. App-65.

Song. Hebrew. shir. App-65.

of David = by, or relating to David and the true David.

waiteth. As in Psa 62:1. Israel’s silent waiting is now passed on to Zion. All is silent there as yet.

God. Hebrew. Elohim. App-4.

Sion. See App-68. David’s tabernacle was there. This spelling with “S” comes through the Septuagint and Vulgate Hebrew is always “Z”.

Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics

Psa 65:1-13

Psa 65:1-13 is another psalm of David and this psalm looks forward to the glorious Kingdom Age when Jesus is reigning upon the earth. And so this is a prophetic psalm, going on in to the next age that is fast approaching.

Praise waiteth for thee, O God, in Zion: and unto thee shall the vow be performed. O thou that hearest prayer, unto thee shall all flesh come ( Psa 65:1-2 ).

“Every knee shall bow, every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is the Lord, to the glory of God the Father” ( Php 2:10-11 ). “Unto thee all flesh shall come.”

Iniquities prevail against me: as for our transgressions, thou shalt purge them away. Blessed is the man whom thou choosest, and causes 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. By terrible things ( Psa 65:3-5 )

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. So, because we think of terrible of something that is horrible and all, it doesn’t give us the true idea of the Hebrew word. So wherever you read terrible, “His terrible acts,” if you would translate that, “His awesome,” it’ll give you a much better indication of the Hebrew.

By awesome things in righteousness will you answer us, O God of our salvation; who art the confidence of all of the ends of the earth, and of them that are afar off upon the sea: Which by his strength setteth fast the mountains: being girded with power: Which stilleth the noise of the seas, and the noise of their waves, and the tumult of the people. They also that dwell in the uttermost parts are afraid at thy tokens: thou makest the outgoings of the morning and evening to rejoice. Thou visitest the earth, and waterest it: thou greatly enrichest it with a river of God, which is full of water: thou preparest them corn, when thou hast so provided for it. When thou waterest the ridges thereof abundantly: thou settlest the furrows thereof: thou makest it soft with showers: thou blessed the springing thereof. You crowned the year with thy goodness; and thy paths dropped fatness. They drop upon the pastures of the wilderness: and the little hills rejoice on every side. The pastures are clothed with flocks; and the valleys also are covered over with corn; they shall shout for joy, they also sing ( Psa 65:5-13 ).

So the glorious Kingdom Age when the earth again is bringing forth abundantly to the glory of God. When Christ is reigning there in Zion and praise is being offered unto Him in the courts of His holy temple there in Jerusalem. How God, by His awesome work, has brought righteousness upon the earth, and now is filling the earth with fruit. The kingdom has come. “

Fuente: Through the Bible Commentary

Psa 65:1-5

THE EARTH AS EVIDENCE OF GOD’S LOVE FOR MAN

MAN DOES NOT LIVE ALONE

SUPERSCRIPTION: FOR THE CHIEF MUSICIAN.

A PSALM. A SONG OF DAVID.

The title which we have assigned to this psalm is inspired by a little book entitled, “Man Does not Live Alone,” by A. Cresy Morrison (Fleming H. Revell Company), in which he enumerated many of the almost innumerable features of the earth itself which make it suitable for the home of God’s human creation, many of which features appear to defy the very laws of nature, the entire result of which speaks eloquently of the providence of God.

One of those God-arranged features of our planet, without which life, as we know it, would be impossible is the expansion of water when it freezes, that quality being unique among all liquids. Others are the exact distance of the moon from our planet, the exact angle of the earth’s tilted inclination upon its axis, etc. All such marvelous providential arrangements of the earth are dramatically stated in this psalm, “Thou hast so prepared the earth” (Psa 65:9).

The assignment of the psalm to David in the superscription is denied by many scholars who admit at the same time that they have no idea who wrote it; and we continue to remain unimpressed with that kind of `information.’

The grounds upon which the Davidic authorship is denied include:

(a) the mention of the temple and its courts (Psa 65:4). However, we have repeatedly noted that this terminology is scripturally applied to the “tabernacle” as well as to the temple. Besides that, as Leupold observed, “Spiritual fellowship is intended here rather than physical presence in some public sanctuary.

(b) Another ground of denying David as the author is in the allegation that “the style” here is not that of David, to which the reply should be made that there are no “experts” on the alleged “style” of David’s writings, whose testimony is any more dependable than the affirmations of the superscription.

(c) A third basis of denying Davidic authorship was stated by Delitzsch. “It is uncritical to assign to David all the Psalms ascribed to him in the superscriptions. This statement is nothing more than an admission that it is very popular among critics to deny Davidic authorship of psalms ascribed to him, whenever it is possible to do so. This also, in our opinion, constitutes no valid grounds whatever for such denials.

In this light, “We are content to let the heading stand as it is.” No, of course, we cannot prove it, but what difference does that make? “On the basis of material in the Psalm itself, David’s authorship can be neither proved nor disproved.”

There are three natural divisions of the psalm.

(1) God is praised for his moral qualities (Psa 65:1-5).

(2) God is praised for his preparation of the earth as a dwelling place for mankind (Psa 65:6-9).

(3) God is praised for an abundant harvest (Psa 65:10-13).

PRAISING GOD FOR WHAT HE DOES FOR HIS PEOPLE

Psa 65:1-5

“Praise waiteth for thee, O God, in Zion;

And unto thee shall the vow be performed.

O thou that hearest prayer,

Unto thee shall all flesh come.

Iniquities prevail against me:

As for our transgressions, thou wilt forgive them.

Blessed is the man whom thou choosest, and causeth to approach unto thee,

That he may dwell in thy courts:

We shall be satisfied with the goodness of thy house,

Thy holy temple.

By terrible things wilt thou answer us in righteousness,

O God of our salvation,

Thou that art the confidence of the ends of the earth,

And of them that are afar off upon the sea.”

God is here praised:

(a) because He hears prayers (Psa 65:2)

(b) because He forgives sins (Psa 65:3)

(c) because He provides fellowship with Himself for His people “in His courts,” that is, in His presence in heaven, (Psa 65:4), and

(d), because He delivers His people from their enemies (Psa 65:5).

“Praise waiteth for God … vows shall be performed” (Psa 65:1). It may seem strange that “praise” and “vows” should thus be mentioned together, but McCaw’s explanation is excellent.

“The vows of Old Testament religion were not techniques of putting pressure on God or driving a bargain with him. They were a recognition that prayer for God’s blessing must go hand in hand with consecration, and that thanksgiving can never be merely verbal, but must receive concrete expression in lives and goods. Thus, both `praise’ and `vows’ are abundantly due to a bountiful God.

“O thou that hearest prayer” (Psa 65:2). There is nothing more wonderful that can be known about God than this very fact that he answers our prayers. The Scriptures strongly emphasize the Christian’s duty to pray. “Ask and it shall be given you; seek and ye shall find, knock and it shall be opened unto you”: “Men ought always to pray and not to faint”; “Whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he will give you”; “Ask and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full”; “The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” All of these commandments are the precious words of the New Testament.

“Unto thee shall all flesh come” (Psa 65:2). Some would restrict this mention of “all flesh” to mean “all Israel,” but it appears to us that, coupled with, “the ends of the earth” (Psa 65:5) and the “uttermost parts” (Psa 65:8), there is an echo here of the promise to Abraham that “all the families of the earth” were to be blessed in the Seed Singular of that patriarch, even in Jesus Christ.

Leupold cited these words, “As an obvious protest against an unwholesome exclusivism into which Israel of old might have been in danger of falling. Indeed it was such an exclusivism that led to the Jewish hatred of Paul and his mission to the Gentiles, and which was also the key element in their violent rejection of Christianity.

“Iniquities … thou wilt forgive them” (Psa 65:3). These words also are a prophecy of a time yet future when the psalmist wrote; because the forgiveness of sins was given by Jeremiah as one of the distinctive elements of the New Covenant (Jer 31:31-35).

“Iniquities prevail against me … our transgressions” (Psa 65:3). Note the “me” and “our” pronouns here, also that forgiveness was not given to the psalmist until it was simultaneously bestowed upon him and the nation. The truth behind this is that the actual expiation for sins did not occur in the Old Testament at all but at the Cross of Jesus Christ. Whatever “forgiveness” was available to God’s saints under the Old Covenant, it was tentative and not final. “There was a remembrance made of sins year by year” (Heb 10:3). All sins, both those of the Old Covenant and the New Covenant, were removed by the Atonement of Christ on Calvary, where he died, “for the sins of the whole world” (1Jn 2:2).

It was in the spirit of prophecy alone that the psalmist could have written these words.

“Blessed is the man whom thou choosest” (Psa 65:4). The psalmist here was probably thinking of the choice of Israel to be the Chosen People and to bring in the Messiah for the salvation all men, but the words are unlimited in their application. “Not only, `blessed is the nation’ (Psa 33:12), but `blessed is the man,’ the particular man, how mean soever, whom God chooses, and causes him to approach God. Such a man is the happiest of mortals; he shall dwell in the courts of God, for he has been assured of divine favor and has received the pledge and the earnest of everlasting bliss.

“By terrible things in righteousness” (Psa 65:5). This verse is a sequel to Psa 65:2; and what is referred to is, “The terrible acts of God’s righteous judgments upon the enemies of Israel. In God’s dealings with Israel, there were many occasions which fit this description. The destruction of Pharaoh’s army in the Red Sea and the death of Sennacherib’s army of 185,000 men in a single night are two examples.

“Thou that art the confidence of all the ends of the earth” (Psa 65:5). There is no way to avoid the application of these words to the entire human race. The God of Israel is indeed the God of all men, the only hope of salvation that our poor world has ever had, or ever shall have.

The inspired author of these words might have been trying in such words as these to awaken Israel to their God-given mission of enlightening all the world with the knowledge of the One God, a mission which, it seems, was never any big concern of the Chosen People, who stubbornly held to the conceit that they alone were the object of God’s love and concern.

The words of Psa 65:5 here flatly declare that the only hope and confidence of the remotest man on earth is only in the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

E.M. Zerr:

Psa 65:1. Praise waiteth has the idea of being held in waiting or reserve for God. The vow refers to the obligations that faithful servants of God had agreed to perform. A man will gladly discharge his duties to One whom he considers to be worthy of praise.

Psa 65:2. All flesh is used to include mankind In general. That would mean the high and low, the rich and poor, the learned and unlearned.

Psa 65:3. The iniquities were those of David’s enemies. They were making his life miserable with their persecutions. David looked upon his afflictions as a means of keeping him humble, and in that way purge or cleanse him from his transgressions.

Psa 65:4. It was to be understood that God chooses only those who are righteous. That explains why David pronounced a blessing on the man that was God’s choice. Dwell in thy courts is a figurative reference to the intimate privileges of those whom the Lord loves. The goodness or advantages of that intimacy would be fully satisfactory to all who love the Lord.

Psa 65:5. Terrible things means the acts of the Lord that should be feared or reverenced. The reason they should be so considered is their righteousness. Art the confidence means God is the one in whom all people of the earth should have confidence.

Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary

This is a great song of worship. The occasion would seem to be that of a harvest festival. The people are assembled for praise (verses Psa 65:1-4). God’s particular goodness in the harvest is celebrated (verses Psa 65:5-8). With reference to the assembling of the people the marginal reading is full of beauty:

There shall be silence before Thee and praise.

The same thought is present, though obscure, in the text: Praise waiteth for Thee.

It is the true attitude of worship. Reverent silence preparing for, and issuing in, adoring praise.

There is always a difficulty in the way of worship. “Iniquities prevail.” Yet these are not final hindrances, for God purges away transgressions. The way into the silence of praise is described. God chooses, and causes to approach. The man so conducted dwells in the courts of God, and is satisfied with the goodness of His house. That is a fine description of worship in its expression, its method, its experience. The greatness of the power of God is the subject of the worshiper’s song, and that power is at the disposal of those who worship. Then, finally, is sung the song of harvest. This is beautiful as a description of God’s part therein. Man’s toil is not described. It is taken for granted, and is his prayer. God’s answer is co-operation by which harvest comes in joy and singing.

Fuente: An Exposition on the Whole Bible

Abundant Favor from Our Gracious God

Psa 65:1-13

This joyous hymn was probably composed for use in the sanctuary at one of the great annual festivals. It deals expressly with Gods bounty in the fertility of the earth.

The Temple courts, Psa 65:1-4

God hears our prayer, purges away our transgressions, chooses us, and causes us to approach. Let us ask Him to cause us to approach and to make us dwell in the consciousness of His presence. If iniquities prevail and transgressions shame us, there is provision for these also. God shall purge them away. For such condescending love all flesh shall ultimately come to His footstool.

Terrible things, Psa 65:5-7

Thunder tones and lightning flashes, inaccessible mountains and roaring seas-such are the darker aspects of nature. But beneath all, like a sweet refrain, we hear Him praised as the God of salvation. Make Him your confidence, by land and sea.

The beauty and order of the world, Psa 65:8-13

Brimming rivers, soft spring showers, golden harvests, the hum of the bees in mountain pastures, the call of the ewes to their lambs-all bespeak Gods goodness. Let us ask Him to visit our hearts with the throb of springtime.

Fuente: F.B. Meyer’s Through the Bible Commentary

Psa 65:2

(with Php 4:6)

Taking for granted the existence of a personal God, the question arises, Does this involve, by necessary consequence, that, to use the language of the Bible, this God will be “a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him” by prayer and otherwise, that He will attend to prayer and answer it?

I. It is obvious that every man of science in the pursuit of abstract knowledge, or in the examination of nature, acts, whether he is aware of it or no, upon the maxim that God is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him. It is a part of the scheme of the universe that discovery shall reward research. Nature deals with men precisely as God is said to do; with the froward she shows herself perverse. Now this, which is mere matter of scientific ascertainment, appears to bear directly and very strongly on the character of God as involved in the question of the reasonableness of prayer. Prayer has throughout all known ages recommended itself to the human mind so powerfully that even in religions, such as Buddhism, which deny the existence of a personal God distinct from nature, and in which therefore prayer can have no proper place, it has nevertheless forced its way.

II. Besides the argument based on almost universal practice, the idea that intercourse can be carried on between the soul and God seems reasonable. If there be a God distinct from nature, He that gave man a moral nature of a certain kind, shall He not treat man accordingly? Does not the very analogy of science and religion require that as God rewards them that diligently seek Him in the one domain, so He will reward them that diligently seek Him in the other?

III. Another argument for the reasonableness of prayer is based on the unchangeable character of God. It is precisely because God’s character is unchangeable that His purposes are flexible. It is because He is a just God that He is a Saviour; i.e., that He adapts His providence to the changing characters with which it has to deal. He treats differently those who treat Him differently, and this precisely because He is in Himself the same and changes not.

IV. If God does not grant every prayer, it is because He knows what is good for us far too well to do so. We must offer all our prayers for temporal blessings with due submission to God’s better wisdom. “Not my will, but Thine, be done.” Only one prayer needs no such qualification: the prayer for that Holy Spirit which, in the Christian doctrine, is the direct influence of the Deity on the spirits He has created, bestowing on them the highest wisdom, purifying them even as He, the fountain of purity, is pure.

C. P. Reichel, Family Churchman, Oct. 13th, 1886.

References: Psa 65:2.-C. Kingsley, Westminster Sermons, p. 33; G. Brooks, Outlines of Sermons, p. 209.

Psa 65:9

I. Where is the fountain of the river of God? Every river has a spring or fountain-some pool or rocky cavern where it first springs up out of the deep, dark earth. The fountain of the rain is the great ocean.

II. Where does this river flow? Other rivers flow along in channels of rock or earth; but the river of the rain flows through the air, confined by no banks. It flows above the mountains, north, south, east, or west, wherever the wind may carry it.

III. What does this river do? (1) It feeds all the other rivers. The rain which soaks deep down into the earth goes to fill the wells and fountains. There is not a drop of water you drink but once came down from the sky, in rain, or hail, or snow. (2) The river of God feeds all living things, both plants and animals. All our food as well as every draught we drink comes to us from this wonderful river of the rain.

Conder, Drops and Rocks, and Other Talks with the Children, p. 144.

Reference: Psa 65:9.-H. Macmillan, Bible Teachings in Nature, p. 90.

Psa 65:9-10

I. Spring follows winter, and ushers in summer, according to an appointed order. This fact teaches the continuous control and government of God. God seems to come with the coming in of each of the seasons. As Maker, and Life-giver, and Father, “Thou visitest the earth, and waterest it.”

II. The spring season is a time of resurrection to life throughout the vegetable kingdom. This suggests the continued life-inspiring power of God.

III. The great and various changes which the spring season involves show forth the unchangeableness of God. These changes were established at the beginning, and were confirmed when Noah came forth from the ark. The return of spring declares that there is no change in the Divine purpose.

IV. The loveliness of the spring season is a reflection of the beauty of God. Every living thing is a thought of God expressed, an original thought.

V. The joyousness of spring speaks to us of the happiness of God. Beauty and joy are not always combined, but they exist together in God.

VI. The combination and co-operation of influences in the spring season are illustrations of the wisdom and power of God.

VII. The provision made in spring for a present and future supply of food exhibits the benevolence of God.

VIII. The abundant life and beauty and the rich increase of the earth in the spring season reveal the fulness of God.

From the spring we may learn these lessons: (1) Praise God for the spring season. (2) Let the spring teach you the folly of anxiety. (3) Let the spring encourage you in broad and unrestrained prayer. (4) Make all the sights and sounds of spring occasions of communion and intercourse with God. (5) God is renewing the face of the earth; let us seek the renewing of the Holy Ghost. (6) Let us learn from the spring season the firm foundation we have for hope.

S. Martin, Rain upon the Mown Grass, p. 16.

References: Psa 65:9-13.-P. Thomson, Expositor, 2nd series, vol. i., p. 241; J. J. S. Perowne, Sermons, p. 151. Psa 65:10.-E. W. Shalders, Christian World Pulpit, vol. ix., p. 308; J. G. Rogers, Ibid., vol. iii., p. 305; S. Holmes, Ibid., p. 264; Spurgeon, vol. xii., No. 675; J. M. Neale, Sermons on Passages of the Psalms, p. 180. Psa 65:11.-Spurgeon, vol. ix., No. 532; and vol. xxv., No. 1475; Ibid., Morning by Morning, p. 292; J. Scott James, Christian World Pulpit, vol. xiv., p. 209.

Psalm 65

This Psalm was evidently composed on the occasion of an abundant harvest, and was doubtless intended to be sung at the feast of harvest, the joyous feast of tabernacles.

I. The abundant harvest is regarded as an answer to vows and prayers, and a token of pardoning mercy. (1) The people had appealed to God and addressed to Him their vows and supplications. (2) To vows and prayers they had joined humble and penitent confession of their sins. When the evil passed away from them, they felt themselves warranted to regard this as a sign that the contrite confession which they had honestly made would be graciously accepted, and the forgiveness which they had earnestly sought obtained.

II. The blessing of a good harvest is regarded in the Psalm as subordinate to spiritual privileges, and chiefly valuable because it is a sign of their continuance.

III. The abundant harvest is regarded as the type and pledge of a great national, or rather worldwide, deliverance or salvation. (1) That harvest-home sees the universal Church delivered from the anxieties and fears of her present work and warfare. (2) In that harvest-home the Church is admitted to nearer fellowship with God and fuller enjoyment of God. (3) In that harvest-home the Church obtains an explanation of all that has been dark and distressing in the Lord’s dealings with her. (4) That harvest-home is the time of an abundant outpouring of the Spirit.

R. S. Candlish, The Gospel of Forgiveness, p. 197.

References: Psalm 65-R. S. Candlish, The Gospel of Forgiveness, p. 197. Psa 66:2.-J. O. Davies, Christian World Pulpit, vol. xxv., p. 101; Spurgeon, Morning by Morning, p. 274.

Fuente: The Sermon Bible

Psalm 65

The Times of Restitution and Refreshing

1. Spiritual blessings (Psa 65:1-5)

2. Earthly glories and blessing (Psa 65:6-13)

The four next Psalms unfold prophetically the times of restitution of all things as spoken by the mouth of His holy prophets since the world began. Here we get the visions of Israels restoration, her spiritual blessings and her praise unto the Lord, and what will be the result for the nations and for all creation. We recommend a careful study in details by comparing Scripture with Scripture. In this Psalm Zion is mentioned first. It will be the joy of the whole earth and His praises will sound forth from the glorious place of His rest. Then He who answereth prayer unto Him, who is the desire of all nations, all flesh will come. The nations will be gathered into the kingdom. Israels transgression will be purged away and they will be fitted to draw near and be satisfied with the blessings of His house, that future holy temple which will be filled with His glory (Eze 43:1-27). The terrible things in righteousness with which the Lord has answered the pleadings of His suffering people, are His judgments, the vengeance of God. The results will be peace on earth, Who stilleth the roaring of the seas, the roaring of their waves, and the tumult of nations. Psa 65:9-13 show that the curse which rests now upon creation will then be removed and even creation itself will shout for joy and sing.

Fuente: Gaebelein’s Annotated Bible (Commentary)

Praise: Psa 21:13, Psa 115:1, Psa 115:2

waiteth: Heb. is silent, Psa 62:1

in Sion: Psa 76:2, Psa 78:68, Psa 78:69, 1Ch 11:7, 1Ch 15:29, 1Ch 16:41, 1Ch 16:42, 1Ch 25:1-31, Rev 14:1-3

unto: Psa 56:12, Psa 76:11, Psa 116:17

Reciprocal: Gen 13:4 – called Lev 22:18 – vows Psa 18:3 – who Psa 22:3 – that Psa 22:25 – I will Psa 48:1 – city Psa 61:5 – hast heard Psa 61:8 – that I Psa 100:4 – Enter Psa 132:2 – he sware Psa 137:3 – the songs of Zion

Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

Israel’s Coming Day

Psa 65:1-13

INTRODUCTORY WORDS

The Book of the Psalms must remain for a great part a closed Book unless we remember that David was a Prophet, and that being a Prophet he wrote much of the things to come.

It is well also for us to consider that a Prophet did not write dreams of his own brain. He wrote as he was moved by the Holy Ghost. David did not know the future any more than any of us know it. David could not, of himself, possibly foretell what was going to happen to his own people Israel, in the far distant centuries. He was a man, even as we are.

The sixty-fifth Psalm has a far-flung vision. The Spirit of God is carrying us into the days when Christ shall reign on earth.

To those of us living in the closing days of Grace, and to those of us upon whom the “age to come” is about to break; the prophecies of Millennial glory should be exceedingly interesting.

We remember how Christ began with the Prophets; and how, in the Psalms, He opened up the things concerning Himself. We remember how Peter, preceding Pentecost, spoke of the Scripture which the Holy Ghost had spoken by David. We remember how frequently the Psalms are quoted in the Book of Hebrews, as the Spirit revealed the glories of our Christ. With these things before us, let us enter into our study today with enlarged vision.

To David God revealed much of Israel’s coming glory. David was plainly told that God would settle His Kingdom forever, under David’s greater Son. David knew assuredly that this promise included the Lord Jesus, for with Christ’s reign upon His throne in view, David spoke of the resurrection of Christ. David knew that Christ dead, and detained by the grave, could not sit on an earthly throne.

Oh, that the Spirit may anoint our eyes with eyesalve that we may grasp what He, through David, so freely wrote concerning the things to come!

The more we study the Psalms, the more will its Messianic message illumine our minds: the more will its story of Christ born, crucified, buried, risen, exalted and coming again, grip our hearts.

May God bless us in the study of the Psalm set before us today.

I. CHRIST’S COMING PRAISE (Psa 65:1)

The “songs of Zion” as sung, under the leadership of Asaph, by the great Israelitish chorus, reached unto great renown. The nations heard of the praises which echoed throughout the courts of the chosen people.

Many of the Psalms were sung accompanied by stringed instruments. When Israel was finally carried into Babylon, their captors said, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion.” The people, however, hung their harps on the willow trees and said, “How shall we sing the Lord’s songs in a strange land?”

In the Psalm now before us, the Spirit of God is giving prophecy of Israel’s restoration and final glory. These are the words that first grip our attention: “Praise waiteth for Thee, O God, in Sion.”

The praise of the ten thousand times ten thousand which will reverberate throughout the Heavens when the thrones are set in Heaven, will hardly surpass the praise that awaits the Lord Jesus Christ, when, enthroned as Israel’s King He sits on David’s throne.

The whole earth will be filled in those days with the glory of the Lord. It is in Israel, however, that His praise will center.

If, when the Temple of Solomon was dedicated, the people broke forth with praise; and if, as the singers were as one in praising the Lord, the whole building was filled with His glory, what will it be when Christ Returns! The Man, whose name is “The Branch,” will yet arise and build the Temple. Then the Lord will dwell in the midst of His people, as He rejoices over them in love.

Who can measure the volume of praise that will be heard as the people rejoice in their deliverance and restitution?

Then His people will come into His presence with rejoicing; then they will make a joyful noise unto Him with psalms, for He will be their God, and they will be the people of His pasture.

Can you visualize the hour when the Lord reigneth; when the Lord is great in Zion? Can you anticipate the day when the set time of Zion has come; when the Lord shall appear in His glory; when He shall build up Zion; when the nations of the earth shall come to Jerusalem to worship the Lord on the throne of His Kingdom?

In that day, the people will sing a new song unto the Lord; they will sing with the harp, with trumpets, and with the sound of the cornet. All the earth shall praise the Lord. Here is the way the Psalmist puts it: “Let the sea roar * *. Let the floods clap their hands: let the hills be joyful together before the Lord; for He cometh to judge the earth: with righteousness shall He judge the world, and the people with equity.”

II. CHRIST’S WORLD-WIDE WORSHIP (Psa 65:2)

When Christ came the first time, made of a woman, made under the Law; He came into “the world, and the * * world knew Him not.”

When Christ comes the second time the whole earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.

He who came to be despised and rejected of men, will come again to be admired in all who believe.

It will be a marvelous vision to behold the nations sending up their representatives unto Jerusalem to worship the Lord. From afar shall they come, bringing their gifts of fealty. The few wise men who came from the East to worship the Lord in the days of yore, will be augmented by great multitudes.

Zechariah, in Spirit, said, “And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of Hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles. And it shall be, that whoso will not come up of all the families of the earth unto Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord of Hosts, even upon them shall be no rain” (Zec 14:16-17).

Jesus Christ will be King of the whole earth, and the earth will acknowledge His Kingship.

III. ISRAEL’S FUTURE PURGING (Psa 65:3)

God’s chosen people have grievously sinned against their Lord. They have scattered their ways under every green tree; they have dealt treacherously against their God. They defiled their land with their doings. Their tongues have run throughout the whole land whither they have defamed the Lord their God.

For this very cause God hath scattered them among all nations, even as corn is scattered in a sieve, God’s wrath has been heavy upon them. They have become a prey to every beast of the field. Their city, which once was the pride of the whole earth, has been despoiled; their land has been trodden down by strangers.

Today Israel weepeth sore; her friends have become her enemies. She has been carried captive, and “hath dwelt among the nations,” where she has found no rest. Her ways mourn; her gates are desolate; her priests sigh; her enemies prosper; her adversaries are her chiefs; and she is in bitterness, With what joy, therefore, do we read the words of our key verse, “As for our transgressions. Thou shalt purge them away!”

Blessed be the God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob; He shall arise and take away the reproach of His people.

God hath spoken, and He will perform. He hath said: “I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land. Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you.”

Thank God! Israel shall yet be saved from all of her uncleannesses. She shall yet stand before the Lord clothed in filthy garments, and the Lord will cause her iniquity to pass away from her; then He will clothe her with a change of raiment; and place a fair miter upon her head. A nation shall be born in a day.

IV. ISRAEL’S FUTURE SATISFACTION (Psa 65:4)

When Israel was obedient God blessed her with peace and prosperity. She dwelt in security and safety. She ate the finest of the wheat, and the honey out of the rock. Her ways were ways of pleasantness, and all her paths were peace.

When Israel forsook the Lord, Jehovah delivered her to sorrow and sighing. Misery were in her paths, and bitterness was her drink.

During all of the years and centuries of her anguish, God has never forgotten His people. He has kept them in the hollow of His hand. In all of their afflictions, He has been afflicted. Great has been His faithfulness. What Israel could never have obtained, God’s election hath obtained for her.

The one fact that the chosen people are still a people, is sufficient proof that God has not cast her off forever, She has, like Jonah, been swallowed by the nations, but never digested; burned like Moses’ bush, but never consumed; in the furnace, like the three Hebrew Children, but never destroyed.

The miracle of miracles is the “preserved people”-a people without a king, without a prince, without a sacrifice, without an image, without an ephod, without a teraphim; and yet, a people kept through the centuries without being amalgamated by the nations.

What meaneth all of this? It means that Israel shall yet be blessed of God. She shall yet be restored to her land, forgiven and renewed, under one King.

Then shall Israel say, “We shall be satisfied with the goodness of Thy House, even of Thy holy Temple.”

That wonderful Millennial Psalm, the one hundred and third, says, “Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things.” God has said through Jeremiah, “My people shall be satisfied with My goodness.”

V. THE NATIONS SHALL REJOICE IN GOD (Psa 65:5-7)

When Israel is restored and God has become her salvation, then will all the ends of the earth, and them that are afar off upon the sea, have confidence in God.

Verse seven says that the Lord will still the noise of the sea, the noise of their waves, and the tumult of the people.

We are reminded of the time when the winds and the waves beat against the ship in which Christ lay fast asleep. The disciples were afraid, but the Master arose, saying, “Peace, be still,” and suddenly there was a great calm.

We are reminded of Christ walking upon the water as the disciples, in the fourth watch of the night, faced the storm, pulling at the oars. We read that when Christ came into the boat the wind ceased. Then they that were in the ship came and worshiped Him, saying, “Of a truth Thou art the Son of God.”

When Christ comes to the Mount of Olives the earth will be in the throes of the greatest battle it has ever known. The Lord Jesus will speak unto them in His wrath, and vex them in His sore displeasure. Then will He speak peace, and there will be a great calm.

This is the way it is put in Psa 46:1-11 : “The heathen raged, the kingdoms were moved: He uttered His voice, the earth melted.”

Again the Psalmist wrote, “He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth; He breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder; He burneth the chariot in the fire.”

What is it that follows? “Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”

Thus we have seen that the ends of the earth will turn to the Lord, and that Christ will reign as Prince of Peace.

VI. THE PHYSICAL EARTH WILL BE MADE FRUITFUL (Psa 65:9-13)

We come now to words which are frequently used in our annual Thanksgiving services. Verse eleven is a favorite text on such occasions; “Thou crownest the year with Thy goodness; and Thy paths drop fatness.”

The Spirit, in truth, is telling us of that day when God will once more visit the earth and water it. The River of God will enrich the land. Even the ridges will be watered abundantly, and the furrows thereof shall be made soft with showers. The very wilderness will be turned into pastures, and the little hills will rejoice. Flocks of sheep will fill the pastures; and corn will cover the valleys. In fact, the earth will shout for joy and singing.

The day is coming when the hills will melt with new wine. The wilderness will bloom and blossom as a rose. Instead of the thorn will come up the fir tree, and instead of the briar will come up the myrtle tree.

In those days the plowman will overtake the reaper, and the sower of seed will follow hard upon him who reapeth the grain. The parched ground shall become a pool, and the thirsty land springs of water; in the habitation of dragons, the reeds and the rushes and the grass will grow.

In that day, and at that time, “the wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.”

In that day, and at that time, “the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on a cockatrice’ den.”

The whole physical creation has been made subject to vanity for man’s sake. This same creation shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.

AN ILLUSTRATION

PALESTINE JEWS NOW EXPECTING A MESSIAH

“He will come and destroy the husbandmen, and will give the vineyard unto others.”

“According to Samuel J. Williams of Columbus, Ohio, who has been pursuing special studies in Palestine in preparation for a master’s degree, a new Messiah who will become King of the Jews and whose appearance will put an end to the next world war is predicted by the orthodox Jews in the Holy Land. They declare that He will be “a superman,” and that His Kingdom will be a great center from which will radiate peace and brotherhood extending throughout the entire world. ‘Of the 150,000 Jews in Palestine,’ says Mr. Williams, ‘most of whom have returned from the four corners of the earth since the war, at least 50,000 are expecting developments to transpire rapidly until, at an unexpected moment, the Messiah will be revealed.”

Fuente: Neighbour’s Wells of Living Water

Immanu-El.

To the chief musician: a psalm of David, -a song.

As to the general scope of this psalm, I quote from another, to whom I am constantly and largely indebted.*

{*The writer of the “Synopsis,” so often referred to, in which, however, though more recent, he does not develop it after the same manner, the reference to Christ in it being omitted. There would seem, therefore, to have been some doubt in his mind as to it, after all, in later years; and in the paper from which this is taken, there is a tendency to apply many psalms directly to the Lord, in a way contrary to his after judgment. The present one, however, belongs to a series in large part Messianic; and I cannot but agree with the older interpretation. (“Heads of Psalms,” in Collected Writings of J. N. Darby, Critical, Vol. 1.)}

“That this psalm,” he says, “is the restoration of the Jews. or, more properly speaking, the replacing of the remnant (now a nation) in their old place with God, on the mediation of Immanuel, as introducing millennial blessedness, is, I think, evident. The Jewish portion of this is stated in verse 1, as expected and appointed, and that in the most beautiful manner possible, in the union, if one may so speak, of God’s interest and man’s in it, according to the promises. In verse 2 it is the Gentiles. In order to this, Christ must take it up; accordingly that which has prevented is stated in verse 3, but in Christ’s Person, as for the Jews, (as in Isa 53:1-12) -the latter part being the expression of this by the Jewish remnant. This leads them to celebrate their acceptance in the Beloved, the Man whom God chose. Then comes the manner of their deliverance as in answer to their faith; the extent of this (‘over all the earth ‘) and the fruition of blessedness by the removal of the curse from the earth. Such is the scope of this beautiful psalm. The Psalms here open out more into the glorious results of the union of Immanuel with men.”

If this be true, then “God with us” -Immanuel -may well be the title of the psalm: and this is in fullest accord with the place, numerically and otherwise, that it has in this series. Let us notice that, to the end of this now, the psalms are also “songs.” Thank God, this for us will soon be the end also, that all the psalms shall be songs.

1. The first section is a very simple one. The praise of God from the whole earth, as the second verse shows it is, waits for Him in Zion. Millennial blessing has, as we well know. its beginning and its centre there. While Jerusalem is down-trodden and desolate, the earth cannot come into its rest. Zion is God’s rest forever (Psa 132:14), and there can be no rest, except as He rests: the principle is always true, whatever the apostle’s application of it in the passage in question, that we enter into His rest (Heb 4:5; Heb 4:11).

Zion is the place which, as we see from another psalm (Psa 78:68), illustrates God’s sovereignty in grace, when man has done all he could to produce utter ruin; and the apostle, in his comprehensive view (Heb 12:22) of the things which (by faith) we are “come to,” places it thus, as the earthly centre opposite to the New Jerusalem; the heavenly one. Zion itself means “fixed,” and the first place in which it is mentioned (2Sa 5:7) is when David takes it out of the hand of the Gentile “treader down” -the Jebusite (see notes). It becomes then “the city of David,” which, we rejoice to remember, means “Beloved,” and it will be yet the city of the infinitely glorious One, when the time of Jerusalem’s “treading-down” is over.

“Fixed” empire in the hands of the Beloved may well awaken praise to the ends of the earth. Man, alas, rejecting Him at His first coming, in behalf of Caesar has had proof of all kinds of Caesarism ever since. And though it put on, as indeed at Rome itself it did, the forms of democracy, the character of rule is none the less apparent. HOW blessed now the fulfillment of the Oracle which the first David received, just as the sceptre was falling out of his well-proved to be in competent hands! and which seems so fully to answer to the present psalm:

“A righteous Ruler over men,

A ruler in the fear of God;

Even as the morning-light when the sun ariseth,

A morning without clouds:

From the brightness after rain

The herb springeth from earth.”

This is the inspired picture, and the psalm brings us manifestly to Him whose picture it is, in the latter part of the first verse, which would seem to make the whole utterance here His own. The first psalm of the series opened with the King’s “vows,” which we long before heard of in the twenty-second also, where there is but One possible to whom they could be ascribed. Vows they are on the part of One competent to utter, because competent to fulfill them; and whose lips could say, like His, “Unto Thee shall the vow be performed”? They are the lips of Him by whom God has found a dwelling-place among men such as He desires, a habitation amid the praises of a redeemed people, and a throne of grace upon earth, -the Mercy-seat sprinkled with His own precious blood. How intimately is this “vow” of His, then, connected with the praise which is to awaken on Zion and to the ends of the earth!

“The Desire of all nations” comes, the Answer to the unspoken wants of myriads that have never known the provision for them. Is HE not the heard prayer of the next verse, which brings “all flesh” to the sanctuary to worship? “I, if I be lifted up from the earth,” He says, “will draw all men unto Me” (Joh 12:32). Thus shall the vow be indeed fulfilled, and God in Christ be the joy of every one who has had divinely awakened in him the knowledge of his need. “O Thou that hearest prayer! unto Thee shall all flesh come.”

2. But the second section comes now to confirm the first, by carrying us back from the glory now near to come, to show us the hindrance that stood in the way of the blessing, and how it has been removed. The structure of the next verse must not be hastily passed over, nor the changes which it exhibits be confounded with the varying speech of mere poetry. It is by slight notice, and confounding divine inspiration with mere human composition, that much of Scripture becomes necessarily closed to us, as the righteous penalty of unbelief. Notice, then, the change from singular to plural, and the emphatic “Thou” of the second part:

“Iniquities have prevailed against Me!” cries the single Voice.

And many voices take up what may well be the answer: “Our revoltings, Thou purgest them away.” Yes, this is surely the lesson of the Cross learnt at last: that which every sacrifice of the countless sacrifices in Israel pointed to and declared. “Purgation” is by blood-shedding “without shedding of blood is no remission.” And these “iniquities” which “prevail against” the innocent Sufferer are “our revoltings.” That seeming disaster and defeat, the prevailing of our iniquities over Him; is but their purgation: “Thou purgest them away.” How these two lines, then, show us at once in a divine way the hindrance and its removal, the faith also being manifest in them that works with repentance, in the acknowledgment of the sins and of the glorious Substitute! When Israel do this, then indeed the fountain will be opened to them for sin and for uncleanness, as Zechariah shows them (12, 13). And now, therefore, their mouths are opened to declare the effect for them of Christ being their propitiation:

“Happy is He whom Thou choosest and makest to draw near, to dwell in Thy courts! We shall be satisfied with the goodness of Thy house, -of Thy holy temple.”

Here we have the same singular and plural as in the previous verse; the same partial disguise which we must be prepared for always in these mysteries of faith as they are given us, especially in the Psalms: a veil easily to be penetrated, if we only have our eyes open, and look carefully, that is, reverently, at what is before us. Put all that has gone before along with this, -let it speak as a whole; let the psalm find its place with the other psalms of the series; observe how the deeper meaning brings out a lustre, a glory, where otherwise there is what is comparatively commonplace; and you will realize that the Spirit that has inspired it all is the Spirit of Christ, and that you must get the point of view which is always His, to realize aright the inspiration.

“He whom Thou choosest” might by itself, of course, be that election of which every saved sinner is an example; and so, naturally, most take inhere. But who is it of whom God in Israel says: “Behold My Servant, whom I uphold, Mine Elect, in whom my soul delighteth: I have put My Spirit upon Him; He shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles”? (Isa 42:1.) God’s “choice” is no less, although far differently, manifested, when Christ is spoken of as the Object of it, than when a poor sinner is taken up in divine sovereignty. In Christ it is all the fullness of His delight in that which is completely according to His mind and nature, -His Beloved, in whom He is well pleased. And thus the acceptance of any poor sinner is, as we are given to know, “in the Beloved.”

“And makest to draw near” would thus imply His priestly access, which is the result of the acceptance of His work in behalf of others; and thus immediately the voice of His people is heard, the third person exchanged for the first, and the singular once more for the plural. “We shall be satisfied with the goodness of Thy house, -of Thy holy temple.” This house will be Israel’s grand distinction and privilege in millennial days.

There follows the intimation of how their acceptance is shown, the answer to their prayer in the day of their distress. “By terrible things in righteousness Thou answerest us, O God of our salvation.” But then, for the earth also, the sun glints through the storm: “the confidence of all the ends of the earth, and of the distances of the sea.” Thus the effect of righteousness is quietness and assurance forever” (Isa 32:17); and we go on to see, in the earth delivered from the curse, the full blessedness of this.

3. The next three verses, therefore, go on to show us, not simply a sanctuary in restored Israel, but the earth, so long disfigured with the marks of sin and distance from Him, now pervaded with this glorious Presence. It is not, as we might at first think, the common testimony of nature to Him. It is the time of peace after conflict, when “His tokens” are seen in the very “ends of the earth,” and acknowledged with reverent fear on the part of men. The condition of the earth is but the index of its new peace and reconciliation; as we see in the second verse here, where the stilling of the roar of the seas is connected with the stilling of the “tumult of the races.” And so the Lord manifestly connects things in looking at the tumult itself which is here referred to: “And there shall be signs in the sun and in the moon and in the stars, and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring” (Luk 21:25). Now they are stilled: the earth is brought into a stability as yet unknown; the mountains are set fast, human governments now being established by the power of God. He, coming out of the silence and stillness in which the things of earth so often have seemed as if matters strange to Him; girds Himself now with power in which He is manifestly active. Faith may so see Him now, but can little justify itself to men at large. They talk of “laws” as if they were an iron fence around Him; and nature merciless. Now He comes forth from this obscurity, hushing the fury of men’s passions, and quieting the earth that these have vexed. And men fear, in the uttermost parts of the earth, at His tokens: for a strange new gladness pervades all the changes of the day: morning and evening sing alike with joy!

4. The fourth section speaks more distinctly of the earth itself; the curse removed, its paradisaic beauty coming back to it; and all plainly at the touch of His hand to whom nature is still and ever perfectly obedient. It is God’s visitation: Egypt’s fertilizing flood, the type of that bountifulness by which its exhaustion is continually met and its strength renewed, is outdone by the ever full “river of God,” which knows no failure, no stint at any time, and which awakens everything to life and activity. The “living” -not stagnant -water is always in nature truly the “water of life.” It is what is needful for the activity of every organism, in every part. It is therefore the type of the Spirit in its cleansing, renewing energy, and that which does its transforming work in the land of Israel in the days to which we are looking forward (Eze 47:1-23), and answers thus (though not in full measure) to that which laves with its glorious stream the New Jerusalem and the paradise of God (Rev 22:1-21). From the sanctuary-throne they both flow, not like Egypt’s river, from a distant, perhaps unknown, source. God, enthroned among an obedient people, is the spring of this blessing, deep, wide, perpetual: His necessary, bounteous ministry to creatures who “live and move and have their being in Himself.”

Fully it is traced here to Him, the power working everywhere, first preparing the land, then preparing the corn. This is traced more minutely in the following verses: first, the influence upon the land itself (ver. 10); then the seasons of the year arranged with bountiful care (11); then the wilderness receives its bounty (12); and then we have the result everywhere in flocks and crops in which nature with its lavish beauty sings and rejoices (13). Ah, how we, with our sinful independence of God, have stopped this song in nature, and then proclaimed it lifeless, joyless, godless! It is never this; and the day is coming in which such divorce of God from His works shall be no more permitted, -shall be no more possible.

Fuente: Grant’s Numerical Bible Notes and Commentary

Psa 65:1. Praise waiteth for thee, O God, in Zion Waits in expectation of the mercy desired; waits till it arrives, that it may be received with thankfulness at its first approach. For, when God is coming toward us with his favours, we must go forth to meet him with our praises. Praise waits with an entire satisfaction in thy holy will, and in dependance on thy mercy. When we stand ready in every thing to give thanks, then praise waits for God. Hebrew, , lecha dumijah tehillah, praise is silent unto thee, as wanting words to express thy great goodness, and being struck with silent admiration of it. As there are holy groanings in prayer, which cannot be uttered, so there are holy adorations in praise which cannot be expressed, and yet shall be accepted by Him who searcheth the heart, and knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit. Our praise is silent, that the praises of the blessed angels, that excel in strength, may be heard. Before thee (thus the Chaldee) praise is reputed as silence. So far is God exalted above all our blessing and praise. Praise is due to God from all the world; but it waits for him in Sion only, in his church among his people; all his works praise him, that is, they minister matter for praise, but only his saints bless him by actual adorations. Unto thee shall the vow be performed The sacrifices and thank-offerings, which thy people vowed unto thee, in the time of their danger, when they were supplicating deliverance, and other blessings, at thy hands, shall be faithfully paid. We shall not be accepted in our thanksgivings to God for the mercies we have received, unless we make conscience of paying the vows which we made when we were in pursuit of these mercies; for better is it not to vow than to vow and not to pay.

Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

Psa 65:2. To thee shall all flesh come. The gentile nations, in the uttermost parts of the earth, as in Psa 65:5; Psa 65:8. Psa 22:27; Psa 66:1-4.

Psa 65:3. Iniquities prevail against me. Hebrews the words [and devices] of iniquity are strong against me; that is, the lies and slanders of wicked men.As for our transgressions, the sins we have really committed, thou shalt purge them away by the blood of atonement. Heb 9:14.

Psa 65:9. Thou visitest the earth and waterest it. In this climate, we have western gales and frequent rains; but in Syria they had little more than the former and the latter rain, which suggested the idea of a welcome and refreshing visit from God.The river of God. The river of thy pleasure: Psa 36:8. The river that makes glad the city of God: Psa 46:4. The Gihon which watered Jerusalem, or the brook Kidron which washed the east of the city, or Jordan in the midst of the land. These, abounding with water from numerous springs, irrigated the country, and made it abundantly fruitful.

Psa 65:11. Thou crownest the year with thy goodness. In luxuriant and golden harvests, and with the rich clusters of the mantling vine; yea, with all the plenteous stores of food for man and beast.Thy paths. Hebrews thy orbits, all the circling seasons of the year, as ruled by the courses of the heavenly bodies.

REFLECTIONS.

Leaving the troubles which afflicted the prophet in the three preseding psalms, we now enter into a region of smiling aspect and grateful piety. God is here addressed as the father and king of the whole humankind, who though filling the highest circles of the heavens, yet fixes the special tokens of his presence with man in his sanctuary. Hence all flesh, the whole gentile world, shall come to him, and be converted by the power of the gospel. Psa 22:27. The church, full of gratitude for the past, and confidence for the future, waited upon God with anthems of praise, and the payment of every vow.

This confidence David farther expressed by admitting the wicked situation of the country, when he came to the throne: but he was assured that God would purge the iniquity of the land, and reform the people. So it was; and so the Lord also wrought among the believing gentiles.

We have the blessedness of the man whom the Lord calls and chooses to approach him, whether he be a prince, a prophet, a priest, or a humble cottager. His soul shall be satisfied with goodness, with the fatness of Gods house. His mind shall delight itself in contemplating the divine perfections, and his heart shall burn like the altar with all the fragrance of love. Pleasures ineffable, pleasures of paradise shall open on his soul. He is blessed above all that the earth can boast, for God alone is the object of all his praise, and of all his love. He is blessed, for the God he adores will come and dwell with him, will defend him by his power, and sustain him by his grace. He is blessed; for approaching God in the beauty of his holiness, he is made to resemble him in holiness and in purity. Beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, we are changed into the same image: approaching him constitutes the highest happiness of angels, and they are not able to utter all the blessedness of his presence.

David was farther confident that God would answer prayer, because he poured all the temporal blessings of the covenant upon the country. He fixed the mountains, limited the tides, calmed the seas, and silenced the noisy tumults of the nations against his church. He sent them fruitful seasons. The Jordan enriched the valleys by annual inundations. The clouds kissed the hills, and made them verdant; the latter rain watered the ridges of the corn. Now, our Saviour says, if God so clothe the grass, how much more will he clothe you! Truly then, praise waiteth on Israels God: as the husbandman shouteth home his copious harvest, so the church exults in expectation of seeing accomplished all the glory of which the holy prophets spake since the world began.

Fuente: Sutcliffe’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

LXV. A Psalm of Thanksgiving.

Psa 65:1-4. For pardon and the joy of Temple worship.

Psa 65:1. waiteth for: read beseemeth (LXX).

Psa 65:2. all flesh may mean no more than all Jews (cf. Isa 66:23 and Joe 2:28), but is better taken in a wider sense.

Psa 65:3. Read, against us (LXX).

Psa 65:5-8. For Gods sovereignty in nature. In Psa 65:5 read afar off on the sea-coasts, and observe in Psa 65:5 and Psa 65:8 the approach to a universal religion, the religion of humanity, as distinct from a merely national religion. They imply much more distinctly than Psa 65:2 some feeling after God on the part of the heathen.

Psa 65:8. The evening, like the day, is personified and goes forth from its house to cover the earth.

Psa 65:9-13. For an abundant harvest, which probably furnished the immediate occasion of the hymn.

Psa 65:9. waterest it: substitute givest it abundance.The river of God is the ocean above the firmament (Gen 1:6 f.*, Gen 7:11), which descends in rain from time to timefor so preparest thou the earth (mg.): i.e. as described in Psa 65:10, viz. by watering the furrows, etc.

Psa 65:11. Wherever God passes over the earth, fruitfulness attends His steps.

Fuente: Peake’s Commentary on the Bible

PSALM 65

The godly remnant look on with joyful confidence to God’s intervention in answer to their prayers, when Zion will become a centre of praise and prayer for the whole earth; when government will be established, war will cease, and the earth brought into blessing.

(vv. 1-2) The psalmist, in his meditation before God, looking beyond his present circumstances, recognizes that Zion will be the centre of praise for the whole earth. Not only Israel, but all flesh will come to Zion for praise and prayer. Nevertheless the time for universal praise is not yet come; Praise waiteth for thee in silence, O God, in Zion (JND).

(vv. 3-4) The godly confess the cause of the silence in Zion. Their iniquities have prevailed against them. Nevertheless there is the confidence that God will purge them away, in the consciousness that the godly are the objects of sovereign grace. This leads the psalmist to describe the blessedness of the man whom God has chosen. Such He causes to approach Himself; and the one who draws near to God will be satisfied with the goodness of God’s house.

(vv. 5-8) The godly anticipate the judgment of the wicked, and their own deliverance, in answer to their prayers. The intervention of God will involve terrible things in righteousness for the nations, but salvation for His earthly people. Government will be established by the power of God; His strength setteth fast the mountains; and peace will result, the turmoil of the nations will be stilled. The tokens, or signs, of God’s intervention will be universally acknowledged with fear.

No longer will men fear the future, dreading what each day may bring forth; the outgoings of the morning and the evening will rejoice.

(vv. 9-13) The closing verses present a beautiful picture of the millennial blessing of the earth, when all evil has been dealt with in judgment. The curse removed, or held in check, God will visit the earth in blessing. He will give the corn, and prepare the land to yield its increase, and command the seasons to pursue their course. The wilderness will become pastures for the flocks; the valleys covered with fields of corn; and over all will rise the song of praise and joy.

Fuente: Smith’s Writings on 24 Books of the Bible

65:1 [To the chief Musician, A Psalm [and] Song of David.] {a} Praise waiteth for thee, O God, in Sion: and unto thee shall the vow be performed.

(a) You daily give new opportunities to your Church to praise you.

Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes

Psalms 65

This communal song of thanksgiving celebrates God blessing His people with a bountiful land (cf. Psalms 66-68). Other communal or community psalms of thanksgiving are 66, 107, 118, 124, and 129. The element that distinguishes a communal psalm of thanksgiving from an individual psalm of thanksgiving is "the use of plural pronouns or some other clear indicator that the congregation of Israel, rather than the individual, has gone through the crisis." [Note: Bullock, p. 163.] David explained that God hears prayer and atones for sin. This results in bounty for His people. God also helps them by His supernatural power.

Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)

1. God’s forgiveness 65:1-4

Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)

David began this song by declaring that people will pray to the Lord because He hears their prayers. They will be silent before Him out of respect. Sometimes the height of worship is to fall silent before God. His people will praise Him publicly and will fulfill their promised vows because He responds to His people’s petitions.

Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)

Psa 65:1-13

THIS and the two following psalms form a little group, with one great thought dominant in each, namely, that Gods manifestations of grace and providence to Israel are witnesses to the world. They all reach out to “the ends of the earth” in yearning and confidence that Gods name will be adored there, and they all regard His dealings with His people as His appeals to mankind, which will not always be vain. Psa 65:1-13 begins with that privilege of approach to God with which Psa 66:1-20 ends. In both, iniquity in heart is regarded as hindering access to God; and, in both, the psalmists experience of answered prayer is treated as testimony for the world of the blessedness of worshipping Israels God. This psalm falls into three parts, which set forth a threefold revelation of God in His acts. The first (Psa 65:1-4) deals with the most intimate privileges of the men who dwell in His house. The second (Psa 65:5-8) points to His rule in nature, the tokens of Gods power in the mighty things of creation-mountains, ocean, day and night, the radiant east, the solemn sunset west. The third (Psa 65:9-13) gives a lovely picture of the annual miracle which brings harvest joys. The underlying thought binding these three parts into unity seems to be the witness to Gods name which each set of His acts bears-a witness which “they that dwell in the uttermost parts” hear sounded in their ears. If this is the true view of the psalm, we may hear a reminiscence of it in Pauls remonstrance with the rude Lycaonian peasants: “He left not Himself without witness, in that He did good, and gave you rain from heaven and fruitful seasons, filling your hearts with food and gladness.”

The first strophe is wholly concerned with the glory of God as answering prayer. It begins with enigmatical words, which, if the existing text is adhered to, carry a deep truth. There are two kinds of prayer-wordless submission of will and spoken vows. The former is truly praise. The same thought is found in Psa 62:1-12. It goes down to the root of the matter. The true notion of prayer is not that of swaying Gods will to gratify ours, but that of bringing ours into unremonstrating acceptance of His. When the accents of eager desire or of impatient murmuring and vain sobs and weeping are hushed, the still soul enters into closeness of communion, else unattainable. Beautiful and profoundly true as this is, it is not indubitably the psalmists meaning; and there is much to be said for the rendering which is adopted from the LXX by many commentators, and which only requires a slight change in the vocalisation-namely, “Praise is meet for Thee.” But that idea is expressed in Psa 33:1 by a different word, and the meaning of the one used here is not to be suitable for, but to be like. So that we have to choose between altering the text and then imposing a somewhat unusual meaning on the word gained, and adhering to the present reading and gaining a meaning which is admitted to be “fine” but alleged to be “unbiblical.” On the whole, that meaning seems preferable. The convictions that God accepts silent devotion and answers vows, so that the thank offering promised in trouble will be called for by deliverance, “fill the psalmist with a longing that all mankind may have recourse to the same Divine Friend” (Cheyne, in loc.). His experience of accepted prayers has taught him that it is Gods nature and property to be “the hearer of prayer” (the word is a participle, expressive of a permanent characteristic), and therefore he is sure that “all flesh,” in its weariness and need of an ear into which to pour necessities and sorrows, will come to Him. His eye travels far beyond Israel, and contemplates mankind as coming to worship. But one black barrier rises between men and God, the separating power of which the singer has painfully felt. Sin chokes the stream that would flow from seeking hearts into the ocean of God. The very act of gathering himself up to pray and praise quickens the sense of sinfulness in the psalmist. Therefore his look turns swiftly inwards, for the only time in the psalm. The consciousness of transgression wakes the sense of personality and isolation as nothing else will, and for one bitter moment the singer is, as it were, prisoned in the awful solitude of individual responsibility. His words reflect his vivid sight of his sins in their manifoldness, for he says that “matters of iniquities” have overcome him. The exuberant expression is not tautological, but emotional. And then he passes into sunshine again, and finds that, though he had to be alone in guilt, he is one of a company in the experience of forgiveness. Emphatically he reduplicates “Thou” in his burst of confidence in Gods covering of sins; for none but God can cope with the evil things that are too strong for man. I can neither keep them out, nor drive them out when they have come in, nor cleanse the stains that their hoofs have made; but Thou, Thou canst and dost cover them. Is not that an additional reason for “all flesh” coming to God, and almost a guarantee that they will?

The strophe ends with an exclamation celebrating the blessedness of dwelling with God. That refers, no doubt, to Israels prerogative of access to the Temple; but the inward and outward are blended, as in many places in the Psalter where dwelling in the house of the Lord is yearned for or rejoiced in. The universalism of the psalm does not forget the special place held by the nation whom God “has chosen and brought near.” But the reality beneath the symbol is too familiar and sweet to this singer for him to suppose that mere outward access exhausts the possibilities of blessed communion. It is no violent forcing more into his words than they contain, if we read in them deeply spiritual truths. It is noteworthy that they follow the reference to forgiveness, and, when taken in conjunction therewith, may be called an itinerary of the road to God. First comes forgiveness by expiation, for such is the meaning of “covering.” Then the cleansed soul has “access with confidence”; then approaching, it happily dwells a guest in the house and is supplied with that which satisfies all desires. The guests security in the house of his host, his right to protection, help, and food, are, as usual, implied in the imagery. The prerogative of his nation, which the psalmist had in mind, is itself imagery, and the reality which it shadowed is that close abiding in God which is possible by faith, love, communion of spirit, and obedience of life, and which, wherever realised, keeps a soul in a great calm, whatever tempests rave, and satisfies its truest needs and deepest longings, whatever famine may afflict the outward life. Forgiven men may dwell with God. They who do are blessed.

The second strophe (Psa 65:5-8) celebrates another aspect of Gods manifestation by deeds, which has, in like manner, a message for the ends of the earth. Israel is again the immediate recipient of Gods acts, but they reverberate through the world. Therefore in Psa 65:5 the two clauses are not merely adjacent, but connected. It is because God is ever revealing Himself to the nation (for the tense of the verb “answer” expresses continuous action) that He is revealed as the trust of the whole earth. Gods grace fructifies through Israel to all. How clearly the psalmist had grasped the truth that God has limited the knowledge of Himself to one spot of earth in order to its universal diffusion!

The light is focused and set in a tower that it may shine out over sea and storm. The fire is gathered into a brasier that it may warm all the house. Some commentators take that strong expression “the trust of all the ends of the earth” as asserting that even the confidences of idolaters in their gods are at bottom trust in Jehovah and find their way to Him. But such a view of idolatry is foreign to the Old Testament, and is not needed to explain the psalmists words. God is the only worthy object of trust, and remains so whether men do in fact trust Him or not. And one day, thinks the psalmist, Gods patient manifestation of His grace to Israel will tell, and all men will come to know Him for what He is. “The remotest sea” is not translation, but paraphrase. The psalmist speaks in vague terms, as one who knew not what lay beyond the horizon of that little-traversed western ocean. Literally his words are “the sea of the remote [peoples]”; but a possible emendation has been suggested, reading instead of sea “regions” or “nations.” The change is slight, and smooths an awkward expression, but destroys the antithesis of earth and sea, and makes the second clause a somewhat weak repetition of the first.

From the self-revelation of God in history the psalm passes to His mighty deeds in nature (Psa 65:6-7 a), and from these it returns to His providential guidance of human affairs (Psa 65:7 b). The two specimens of Divine power celebrated in Psa 65:6-7, are suggested by the closing words of Psa 65:5. “The ends of the earth” were, according to ancient cosmography, girdled by mountains; and God has set these fast. The dash of “the remotest seas” is hushed by Him. Two mighty things are selected to witness to the Mightier who made and manages them. The firm bulk of the mountains is firm because He is strong. The tossing waves are still because He bids them be silent. How transcendently great then is He, and how blind those who, seeing hill and ocean, do not see God! The mention of the sea, the standing emblem of unrest and rebellious power suggests the “tumult of the peoples,” on which similar repressive power is exercised. The great deeds of God, putting down tyranny and opposition to Israel, which is rebellion against Himself, strike terror, which is wholesome and is purified into reverence, into the distant lands; and so, from the place where the sun rises to the “sad-coloured end of evening” where it sinks in the west, i.e., through all the earth; there rings out a shout of joy. Such glowing anticipations of universal results from the deeds of God, especially for Israel, are the products of diseased national vanity, unless they are God-taught apprehension of the Divine purpose of Israels history, which shall one day be fulfilled, when the knowledge of the yet more wondrous deeds which culminated in the Cross is spread to the ends of the earth and the remotest seas.

God reveals Himself not only in the sanctities of His house, nor in His dread “signs” in nature and history, but in the yearly recurring harvest, which was waving as yet unreaped, while the poet sang. The local colouring which regards rain as the chief factor in fertility and the special gift of God is noticeable. In such a land as Palestine, irrigation seems the one thing needful to turn desert into fruitful field. To “water” the soil is there emphatically to “enrich” it. The psalmist uses for “river” the technical word for an irrigation cutting, as if he would represent God in the guise of the cultivator, who digs his ditches that the sparkling blessing may reach all his field. But what a difference between men-made watercourses and Gods! The former are sometimes flooded, but often dry; His are full of water. The prose of the figure is, of course, abundant rain. It prepares the earth for the seed, and “so” in effect prepares the corn. The one is the immediate, the other the ultimate issue and purpose. Spring showers prepare autumn fruits. It is so in all regions of mans endeavour and of Gods work; and it is practical wisdom to train ourselves to see the assurance of the end in His means, and to be confident that whatever His doings have a manifest tendency to effect shall one day be ripened and harvested. How lovingly and patiently the psalm represents the Divine Husbandman as attending to all the steps of the process needed for the great ingathering! He guides the showers, he fills the little valleys of the furrows, and smooths down the tiny hills of the intervening ridges. He takes charge of the germinating seed, and His sunshine smiles a benediction on the tender green blade, as it pricks through the earth which has been made soft enough for it to pierce from beneath. This unhesitating recognition of the direct action of God in all “natural” processes is the true point of view from which to regard them. God is the only force; and His immediate action is present in all material changes. The Bible knows nothing of self-moving powers in nature, and the deepest conception of Gods relations to things sensible knows as little. “There is no power but of God” is the last word of religion and of true philosophy.

The poet stands in the joyous time when all the beauty of summer flushes the earth, and the harvest is yet a hope, not a possibly disappointing reality. It is near enough to fill his song with exultation. It is far enough off to let him look on the whitened fields, and not on the bristly stubble. So he regards the “crown” as already set on a year of goodness. He sees Gods chariot passing in triumph and blessing over the land, and leaving abundance wherever its wheel tracks go. Out in the uncultivated prairie, where sweet grass unsown by man grows, is the flush of greenery, where, before the rain, was baked and gaping earth. The hills, that wear a girdle of forest trees halfway up towards their barren summits, wave their foliage, as if glad. The white fleeces of flocks are dotted over the vivid verdure of every meadow, and one cannot see the ground for the tall corn that stands waiting for the sickle, in each fertile plain. The psalmist hears a hymn of glad praise rising from all these happy and sunny things; and for its melody he hushes his own, that he and we may listen to

“The fair music that all creatures make

To their great Lord.”

Fuente: Expositors Bible Commentary

Disfruta de miles de canciones cristianas en exclusiva sólo en Bibles