Psalm 66 comments

 

Psalm 66:1 ¶  «To the chief Musician, A Song or Psalm.» Make a joyful noise unto God, all ye lands: 2  Sing forth the honour of his name: make his praise glorious. 3  Say unto God, How terrible art thou in thy works! through the greatness of thy power shall thine enemies submit themselves unto thee. 4  All the earth shall worship thee, and shall sing unto thee; they shall sing to thy name. Selah. 5  Come and see the works of God: he is terrible in his doing toward the children of men. 6  He turned the sea into dry land: they went through the flood on foot: there did we rejoice in him. 7  He ruleth by his power for ever; his eyes behold the nations: let not the rebellious exalt themselves. Selah.

The first verse of this Psalm is repeated later.

 

Psalm 100:1 ¶  «A Psalm of praise.» Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands.

 

Certainly we can see how this would be realized in the Millennial Reign of Christ with the Lord present and ruling physically over the earth, most likely from Jerusalem. In different contexts notice the joy which doesn’t take much to see as having a meaning of the time in which they were written but also applying to Christ’s reign on earth.

 

Zechariah 8:23  Thus saith the LORD of hosts; In those days it shall come to pass, that ten men shall take hold out of all languages of the nations, even shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying, We will go with you: for we have heard that God is with you.

 

Deuteronomy 32:43  Rejoice, O ye nations, with his people: for he will avenge the blood of his servants, and will render vengeance to his adversaries, and will be merciful unto his land, and to his people.

 

1Chronicles 16:31  Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice: and let men say among the nations, The LORD reigneth.

 

A glorious praise of God is what David calls for. This sentiment is present all through the Psalms. It is a joyful expression of worship. Here are examples.

 

Psalm 47:6  Sing praises to God, sing praises: sing praises unto our King, sing praises. 7  For God is the King of all the earth: sing ye praises with understanding.

 

Psalm 96:3  Declare his glory among the heathen, his wonders among all people. 4  For the LORD is great, and greatly to be praised: he is to be feared above all gods. 5  For all the gods of the nations are idols: but the LORD made the heavens. 6  Honour and majesty are before him: strength and beauty are in his sanctuary. 7  Give unto the LORD, O ye kindreds of the people, give unto the LORD glory and strength. 8  Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name: bring an offering, and come into his courts. 9  O worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness: fear before him, all the earth. 10 ¶  Say among the heathen that the LORD reigneth: the world also shall be established that it shall not be moved: he shall judge the people righteously.

 

In verse 3, the word terrible once also meant awe-inspiring, leaving one speechless in amazement, worthy to be feared.

 

Deuteronomy 10:21  He is thy praise, and he is thy God, that hath done for thee these great and terrible things, which thine eyes have seen.

 

Verse 4 has, of course, its application in David’s praise but also we can look forward with the verse to God’s fulfillment in our lives and in the future history of Revelation.

 

Psalm 22:27  All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the LORD: and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee.

There seems to be a reference here to the Red Sea Crossing in verses 5and 6. I am reminded of Exodus 15.

 

Exodus 15:1 ¶  Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song unto the LORD, and spake, saying, I will sing unto the LORD, for he hath triumphed gloriously: the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea. 2  The LORD is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation: he is my God, and I will prepare him an habitation; my father’s God, and I will exalt him. 3  The LORD is a man of war: the LORD is his name. 4  Pharaoh’s chariots and his host hath he cast into the sea: his chosen captains also are drowned in the Red sea. 5  The depths have covered them: they sank into the bottom as a stone. 6  Thy right hand, O LORD, is become glorious in

power: thy right hand, O LORD, hath dashed in pieces the enemy. 7  And in the greatness of thine excellency thou hast overthrown them that rose up against thee: thou sentest forth thy wrath, which consumed them as stubble. 8  And with the blast of thy nostrils the waters were gathered together, the floods stood upright as an heap, and the depths were congealed in the heart of the sea. 9  The enemy said, I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil; my lust shall be satisfied upon them; I will draw my sword, my hand shall destroy them. 10  Thou didst blow with thy wind, the sea covered them: they sank as lead in the mighty waters. 11  Who is

like unto thee, O LORD, among the gods? who is like thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders? 12  Thou stretchedst out thy right hand, the earth swallowed them. 13  Thou in thy mercy hast led forth the people which thou hast redeemed: thou hast guided them in thy strength unto thy holy habitation. 14  The people shall hear, and be afraid: sorrow shall take hold on the inhabitants of Palestina. 15  Then the dukes of Edom shall be amazed; the mighty men of Moab, trembling shall take hold upon them; all the inhabitants of Canaan shall melt away. 16  Fear and dread shall fall upon them; by the greatness of thine arm they shall

be as still as a stone; till thy people pass over, O LORD, till the people pass over, which thou hast purchased. 17  Thou shalt bring them in, and plant them in the mountain of thine inheritance, in the place, O LORD, which thou hast made for thee to dwell in, in the Sanctuary, O Lord, which thy hands have established. 18  The LORD shall reign for ever and ever. 19  For the horse of Pharaoh went in with his chariots and with his horsemen into the sea, and the LORD brought again the waters of the sea upon them; but the children of Israel went on dry land in the midst of the sea. 20  And Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a timbrel in

her hand; and all the women went out after her with timbrels and with dances. 21  And Miriam answered them, Sing ye to the LORD, for he hath triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea.

 

Verse 7 is a praise and a warning.

 

Daniel 4:35  And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou?

 

Psalm 66:8 ¶  O bless our God, ye people, and make the voice of his praise to be heard: 9  Which holdeth our soul in life, and suffereth not our feet to be moved. 10  For thou, O God, hast proved us: thou hast tried us, as silver is tried. 11  Thou broughtest us into the net; thou laidst affliction upon our loins. 12  Thou hast caused men to ride over our heads; we went through fire and through water: but thou broughtest us out into a wealthy place.

This praise of God continues as the people are expected to praise Him who keeps them alive and makes them stand strong. God has tested them and heated them like silver that is being refined, allowing their enemies to have their way with them for awhile but eventually bringing them through it.

 

Can you see how this speaks to our own lives? Can you imagine how this speaks to those who survive the depredations of the Beast of Revelation? For a time, God allows the enemies of God to have power over His faithful, to afflict them, but in the end He will bring them to eternal life with Him. It is our guarantee.

 

Psalm 66:13 ¶  I will go into thy house with burnt offerings: I will pay thee my vows, 14  Which my lips have uttered, and my mouth hath spoken, when I was in trouble. 15  I will offer unto thee burnt sacrifices of fatlings, with the incense of rams; I will offer bullocks with goats. Selah. 16  Come and hear, all ye that fear God, and I will declare what he hath done for my soul. 17  I cried unto him with my mouth, and he was extolled with my tongue. 18  If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me: 19  But verily God hath heard me; he hath attended to the voice of my prayer. 20  Blessed be God, which hath not turned away my prayer, nor his mercy from me.

 

In an abundance of praise for God’s mercy and deliverance David promises to offer up his sacrifices and pay his vows. God has greatly blessed David and David has lifted God up in praise and thanksgiving. God has heard David and has not turned His back on him or denied David God’s great mercy.

 

Our sacrifices are of a different nature than the Israelite under the Old Testament Law.

 

Romans 12:1  I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

 

1Peter 2:5  Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.

 

We don’t go to a Tabernacle or a Temple because our body is the Temple of God.

 

1Corinthians 3:16  Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?

 

1Corinthians 6:19  What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?

 

Would it were so that we were as grateful each and every day as King David was and that we shouted God’s praises throughout the day, offering up our prayers of praise and thanksgiving as a living sacrifice to the God who saved us from an eternity of loss and agony and very often delivered us from the dangers we face each and every day.