Praise waits for you, God, in Zion. Vows shall be performed to you.
You who hear prayer, all men will come to you.
Sins overwhelmed me, but you atoned for our transgressions.
Blessed is the one whom you choose and cause to come near, that he may live in your courts. We will be filled with the goodness of your house, your holy temple.
By awesome deeds of righteousness, you answer us, God of our salvation. You who are the hope of all the ends of the earth, of those who are far away on the sea.
By your power, you form the mountains, having armed yourself with strength.
You still the roaring of the seas, the roaring of their waves, and the turmoil of the nations.
They also who dwell in faraway places are afraid at your wonders. You call the morning’s dawn and the evening with songs of joy.
You visit the earth, and water it. You greatly enrich it. The river of God is full of water. You provide them grain, for so you have ordained it.
You drench its furrows. You level its ridges. You soften it with showers. You bless it with a crop.
You crown the year with your bounty. Your carts overflow with abundance.
The wilderness grasslands overflow. The hills are clothed with gladness.
The pastures are covered with flocks. The valleys also are clothed with grain. They shout for joy! They also sing.
John Calvin 1540 · Public Domain On vv1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11 1 Praise waiteth for thee, O God! in Zion…
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, (Ephesians 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.
John Calvin's Commentaries (1540-1563) — public domain. Text from the Calvin Translation Society English edition (1840s-50s) via the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (ccel.org). Calvin's coverage is partial (roughly two-thirds of the Bible); uncommented books and verses are honest gaps, never fabricated. The 19th-century editor's footnotes and remarks are omitted so the notes are faithfully Calvin's own voice.
Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain On vv1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 13 Thou givest daily new occasion to thy Church to…
Thou givest daily new occasion to thy Church to praise thee.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain On vv1–13 Psa 65:1 « To the chief Musician, A Psalm…
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
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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.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain On vv1–13 Waiteth, Heb. is silent, or silence, i.e. quietly waits,…
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, God’s 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,
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in Zion; which is to be repeated out of the first clause of the verse.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Matthew Henry 1710 · Public Domain On vv1, 6 The psalmist here has no particular concern of his…
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, Psa 65:1. 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 37:20. 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, Psa 76:2. 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.
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II. What he gives him glory for.
1. For hearing prayer (Psa 65:2): 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 3:20), 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? Mic 7:18. By this he proclaims his name (Exo 34:7), and therefore, upon this account, praise waits for him, Psa 65:3. "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 (Psa 65:3) and then we are welcome to compass God's altars, Psa 65:4. 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 (Psa 33:12), 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, Joh 6:44.
(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 (Psa 65:5): 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 45:15. 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 64:3. 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.
Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible (1708–1710) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain On vv1–13 Praise waiteth for thee, O God, in Sion,.... Who…
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 Psa 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, Psa 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.''
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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 Psa 66:13.
(e) "tibi silet laus", Pagninus, Vatablus. (f) "Tibi silentium est et laus", Piscator, Gejerus. (g) Ebr. Comment. p. 193.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain On vv1, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, 13 David praises God for hearing prayer, pardoning sin, satisfying…
David praises God for hearing prayer, pardoning sin, satisfying and protecting his people, ver. 1-5. For fixing the mountains, calming the sea, preserving the succession of day and night, and making the earth fruitful, ver. 6-13. To the chief musician, A psalm and song of David.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain On vv1–13 God is praised for the fulfilment of his promises,…
PSALM LXV
God is praised for the fulfilment of his promises, and for his
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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.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain On vv1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 11, 13 Psa 65:1. Praise waiteth for thee, O God, in…
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, לךְ דמיה תהלה, 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.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain On vv1–13 Praise waiteth for thee, O God, in Sion -…
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.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Lange's Commentary on the Holy Scriptures 1864 · Public Domain On v1 Psalms 65
Psalms 65
To the chief Musician, A Psalm and Song of David
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Praise waiteth for thee, O God, in Zion:
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:
6 Which by his strength setteth fast the mountains;
Being girded with power:
7 Which stilleth the noise of the seas, the noise of their waves,
And the tumult of the people.
8 They also that dwell in the uttermost parts are afraid at thy tokens:
Thou makest the outgoings of the morning and evening to rejoice.
9 Thou visitest the earth, and waterest it:
Thou greatly enrichest it
With the river of God which is full of water:
Thou preparest them corn, when thou hast so provided for it.
10 Thou waterest the ridges thereof abundantly: thou settlest the furrows thereof:
Thou makest it soft with showers:
Thou blessest the springing thereof.
11 Thou crownest the year with thy goodness;
And thy paths drop fatness.
12 They drop upon the pastures of the wilderness:
And the little hills rejoice on every side.
13 The 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 blood—guiltness 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 צָיוֹן = 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 דֻמִיָּה 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 God’s free grace, encourages itself to enjoy in full draughts (שָׁבַע with בְּ as Psa_103:5) the abundance of the gracious good things (טוּב) of the house of God, the holiness, ἄγιον, of His temple, that is, His holy temple (קְרשׁ, as Psa_46:4, comp. Isa_57:15), for, for all that God’s 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 master—workman, 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: “תְשֹׁקְקֶהָ here as Hiphil, Joel 2:24; 4:13, make overflow, that is, moisten, rigare (with rain, com. Psa_65:10תְמוֹגְגֶנָּה in a similar form) as already the ancient versions (apparently interchanging it with שׁקּה). Aben Ezra, Kimchi, [margin of A. V.] interpret it in accordance with the meaning which is found in תשׁוקה and שׁקק, make desire (namely, rain, owing to the previous lack of rain). But this does not suit the context.”—C. A. B.]—God’s brook is full of water.—God’s 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 כֵּן=so, that is, right so (Delitzsch), with הֵכִין=adjust, prepare. [Perowne: “The repetition of the verb prepare seems designed to mark that all is God’s 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.—רַוֵּח and נַחֵת 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 רִוָּה,נָחֵת, 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, Böttcher, 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 plant—life 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 above—mentioned 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 God’s advice, God’s 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 world—yet Thou art the only one, O God, upon whom man’s 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 God’s 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 man’s greatest happiness.—Franke: It becomes those who are called God’s 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 prayer—hearing 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: God’s 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 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.—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 God’s 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.]
Lange's Commentary on the Holy Scriptures (Critical, Doctrinal, and Homiletical), ed. John Peter Lange, English translation edited by Philip Schaff (1864–1880) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain On vv2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 11, 12 All are encouraged to pray by God's readiness to…
All are encouraged to pray by God's readiness to hear.
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain On vv1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 13 1. Praise waiteth—Or, Praise is silent; or, To thee…
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.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain On vv1–13 1. Praise waiteth for thee] The phrase beautifully suggests…
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 (πρέπει, 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.
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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.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain On vv1–12 (1) Praise waiteth . . .—Literally, To thee silence…
(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.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain On vv1–13 THIS is a Song of unmixed praise and thankfulness.…
THIS is a Song of unmixed praise and thankfulness. God is first praised for his moral qualities:
(1) as Hearer of prayer (ver. 2);
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(2) as Pardoner of sin (ver. 3);
(3) as Giver of blessings in his courts (ver. 4); and
(4) as Deliverer of his people from their enemies (ver. 5).
Next, God is praised for his might and majesty in nature (vers. 6-8). Lastly, he is praised for his goodness and bounty in connection with the harvest (vers. 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.
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. (comp. 1Sa_1:13) 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.
HOMILIES BY W. FORSYTH Vers. 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. (Lev_23:10) Fifty days later came Pentecost, when the wheat was ripe; and then two loaves of the new corn were presented. (Lev_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". (Lev_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 Heb 2)
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 (ver. 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 general national, social, and religious blessings common to all. Not only mercies, but chastisements; for every 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 (vers. 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.
HOMILIES BY C. SHORT Vers. 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. (Vers. 1-5) "Whom thou choosest, and causest to approach.
1. He is the Hearer of all true prayer. (Ver. 2) "Unto thee doth all flesh come" in dependence and prayer.
2. He pardons iniquity and transgression. (Ver. 3) Pardons those who become conscious of their sins, and are persistent.
3. Satisfies the desires of those whom he draws to himself. (Ver. 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. (Vers. 6-8)
1. His work in nature manifests omnipotence. (Ver. 6) "Setteth fast the mountains," etc.
2. He overrules the greatest disturbances of nature and the nations. (Ver. 7)
3. Man and nature both ultimately subject to him.
4. Man is afraid, but nature sings of God in the morning and in the evening. (Ver. 8) The ignorant heathen are afraid, not those who know God.
III AS THE GOD OF THE HARVEST. (Vers. 9-13)
1. God is the great Husbandman. (Vers. 9, 10) He prepares and enriches the soil to receive the corn.
2. He makes the wilderness and the hills to rejoice with their abundance. (Vers. 11, 12)
3. God is the great Shepherd of the earth. (Ver. 13) The pastures are clothed with flocks. S.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Charles H. Spurgeon 1885 · Public Domain On vv1–13 This title is very similar to many we have…
This title is very similar to many we have before studied. To the Chief Musician. It is consigned to the care of the usual overseer of song. When a man does his work well, there is no use in calling in others for novelty's sake. A Psalm and song of David. The Hebrew calls it a Shur and Mizmor, a combination of psalm and song, which may be best described by the term, "A Lyrical Poem." In this case the Psalm may be said or sung, and be equally suitable. We have had two such Psalms before, Psalms 30 and 48, and we have now the first of a little series of four following each other. It was meant that Psalms of pleading and longing should be followed by hymns of praise.
. David sings of the glory of God in his church, and in the fields of nature: here is the song both of grace and providence. It may be that he intended hereby to commemorate a remarkably plentiful harvest, or to compose a harvest hymn for all ages. It appears to have been written after a violent rebellion had been quelled, Ps 65:7, and foreign enemies had been subdued by signal victory, Ps 65:8. It is one of the most delightful hymns in any language. We shall view in Ps 65:1-4 the way of approach to God, then from Ps 65:5-8 we shall see the Lord in answer to prayer performing wonders for which he is praised, and then from Ps 65:9-13 we shall sing the special harvest song.
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Ver. 1. Praise waiteth for thee, O God, in Sion. Though Babylon adores Antichrist, Zion remains faithful to her King; to him, and to him only, she brings her perpetual oblation of worship. Those who have seen in Zion the blood of sprinkling, and know themselves to belong to the church of the firstborn, can never think of her without presenting humble praise to Zion's God; his mercies are too numerous and precious to be forgotten. The praises of the saints wait for a signal from the divine Lord, and when he shows his face they burst forth at once. Like a company of musicians gathered to welcome and honour a prince, who wait till he makes his appearance, so do we reserve our best praises till the Lord reveals himself in the assembly of his saints; and, indeed, till he shall descend from heaven in the day of his appearing. Praise also waits like a servant or courtier in the royal halls--gratitude is humble and obedient. Praise attends the Lord's pleasure, and continues to bless him, whether he shows tokens of present favour or no; she is not soon wearied, but all through the night she sings on in sure hope that the morning cometh. We shall continue to wait on, tuning our harps, amid the tears of earth; but O what harmonies will those be which we will pour forth, when the home bringing is come, and the King shall appear in his glory. The passage may be rendered "praise is silent for thee; "it is calm, peaceful, and ready to adore thee in quietness. Or, it may mean, our praise is but silence compared with thy deservings, O God. Or, in solemn silence we worship thee, because our praise cannot be uttered; accept, therefore, our silence as praise. Or, we are so engrossed in thy praise, that to all other things we are dumb; we have no tongue for anything but thee. Perhaps the poet best expressed the thought of the psalmist when he said--
"A sacred reverence checks our songs,
And praise sits silent on our tongues."
Certainly, when the soul is most filled with adoring awe, she is least content with her own expressions, and feels most deeply how inadequate are all mortal songs to proclaim the divine goodness. A church, bowed in silent adoration by a profound sense of divine mercy, would certainly offer more real praise than the sweetest voices aided by pipes and strings; yet, vocal music is not to be neglected, for this sacred hymn was meant to be sung. It is well before singing to have the soul placed in a waiting attitude, and to be humbly conscious that our best praise is but silence compared with Jehovah's glory.
And unto thee shall the vow be performed. Perhaps a special vow made during a season of drought and political danger. Nations and churches must be honest and prompt in redeeming their promises to the Lord, who cannot be mocked with impunity. So, too, must individuals. We are not to forget our vows, or to redeem them to be seen of men-- unto God alone must they be performed, with a single eye to his acceptance. Believers are all under covenant, which they made at conversion, and have renewed upon being baptised, joining the church, and coming to the table, and some of them are under special pledges which they entered into under peculiar circumstances; these are to be piously and punctually fulfilled. We ought to be very deliberate in promising, and very punctilious in performing. A vow unkept will burn the conscience like a hot iron. Vows of service, of donation, of praise, or whatever the may be, are no trifles; and in the day of grateful praise they should, without fail, be fulfilled to the utmost of our power.
From Psalm 65 onwards we find ourselves in the midst of a series of Psalms which, with a varying arrangement of the words, are inscribed both kwmzm and wyv (65-68.) The two words signify a Psalm song. This series, as is universally the case, is arranged according to the community of prominent watch words. In Ps 65:2 we read: To thee is the vow paid; and in Ps 66:13: I will pay thee my vows; in Ps 66:20: Blessed be Elohim; and in Ps 67:8: Elohim shall bless us. Besides Psalm 66 and 67 have this feature in common, that tugml, which occurs fifty-five times in the Psalter, is accompanied by the name of the poet in every instance, with the exception of these two anonymous Psalms. The frequently occurring Sela of both Psalms also indicates that they were intended to have a musical accompaniment. Franz Delitzsch.
Title. A Psalm of Jeremiah and Ezekiel. The Psalm is assigned to them, not as being its authors, but because it is supposed that it was often rehearsed by them at the beginning of the return from captivity, to teach us that those things ought especially to be sung concerning that happy restoration which these prophets were wont to sing about. But this inscription is not in the Hebrew text, nor in some translations, but only in certain versions. Jeremiah was not carried away to Babylon; see Jer 39:11, etc. Moreover, both he and Ezekiel died before the return. Poole's Synopsis.
Whole Psalm. The author of the Psalm is mentioned, but not the date of its composition; but from an examination of its contents, it would seem to have been intended as a song for the "day of atonement, " and for the "feast of tabernacles, "which followed immediately after. Nu 29:7, 12. The sins of the year were then "covered over, "and a thorough purification of the sanctuary was made by a special service of expiation. The labours of the year were all by that time concluded, and its fruits secured; and Israel could look on the goodness of God towards them, through its entire extent; and this Psalm was penned to serve as a fitting expression of their feelings. It opens with a reference to the "silence" that reigned in the sanctuary; to the profound, unbroken, solemn stillness that reigned within it; while, in deep abasement, the people without waited in hushed expectation the return of their high priest from the immediate presence of God, Le 16:17. It goes on to a statement of the blessedness of those who are accepted of God, and admitted to fellowship with One so unspeakably great; and concludes with a description of the various processes by which the Almighty had fitted the earth to yield a year's supplies for his people. Dalman Hapstone, in "The Ancient Psalms in appropriate Meters... with Notes." 1867.
Whole Psalm. We have here a psalm of thanksgiving to be sung in the Temple during a public festivity, at which the sacrifices were to be offered which had been vowed during a long and protracted drought (Ps 65:1-2). To the thanksgiving, however, for a gracious rain, and the hope of an abundant harvest (Ps 65:9-14), is added gratitude for a signal deliverance during a time of distress and commotion affecting all the nations around (Ps 65:7-8). Thus the Psalm becomes a song of praise to Jehovah as the God of history and the God of nature, alike. From the "Psalms Chronologically Arranged. By Four Friends." 1867.
Whole Psalm. This is a charming psalm. Coming after the previous sad ones, it seems like the morning after the darkness of night. There is a dewy freshness about it, and from the ninth verse to the end there is a sweet succession of landscape pictures that remind one of the loveliness of spring; and truly it is a description, in natural figures, of that happy state of men's minds which will be the result of the "Day spring's visiting us from on high." Lu 1:7-8. O. Prescott Hiller.
Ver. 1. Praise waiteth for thee, O God, in Sion. The believer sometimes seems to want words to exalt God, and stops, as it were, in the middle; his thoughts want words. Thus praise waits, or is silent for God; it is silent to other things, and it waits to be employed about him. The soul is often put to a nonplus in crying up the grace of God, and wants words to express its greatness; yea, to answer the elevation of the thoughts; the heart indites a song of praise, but it cannot tune it. The psalmist is stopped, as it were, through admiration (which is silentium intellectus), for when the mind can rise no higher, it falls admiringly; hence some say, God is most exalted with fewest words. Alexander Carmichael.
Ver. 1. Praise waiteth for thee, O God. Mercy is not yet come, we expect it; whilst thou art preparing the mercy, we are preparing the praise. Edward Leigh in "Annotations on the Five Poetical Books of the Old Testament, "1657.
Ver. 1. Praise waiteth on thee. As a servant, whose duty it is to do what thou commandest; or, for thee; is ready to be offered in thy courts for special favours. I think there is an allusion to the daily service in which God was praised. Benjamin Boothroyd.
Ver. 1. Praise waiteth for thee, O God. Te decet hymnus, so the vulgar edition reads this place. To thee, O Lord, belong our hymns, our psalms, our praises, our cheerful acclamations, and conformable to that, we translate it, Praise waiteth for thee, O God. But if we take it according to the original, it must be tibi, silentium laus est, Thy praise, O Lord, consists in silence. That man praises God best that says least of him; of his mysterious essence, of his unrevealed will and secret purposes. Abraham Wright.
Ver. 1. "To thee is silence and praise." Piscator.
Ver. 1. The Hebrew may be rendered, Praise is silent for thee. As if the holy man had said, "Lord, I quietly wait for a time to praise thee; my soul is not in an uproar because you stay. I am not murmuring, but rather stringing my harp and tuning my instrument with much patience and confidence, that I may be ready to strike up when the joyful news of my deliverance come." William Gurnall.
Ver. 1. To thee belongeth silence praise. Praise without any tumult. (Alexander.) It has been said, "The most intense feeling is the most calm, being condensed by repression." And Hooker says of prayer, "The very silence which our unworthiness putteth us unto doth itself make request for us, and that in the confidence of his grace. Looking inward, we are stricken dumb; looking upward, we speak and prevail." Horsley renders it, "Upon thee is the repose of prayer." Andrew A. Bonar.
Ver. 1. Praise is silent for thee. The Chaldee interpretation is, that our praise is not sufficiently worthy that we should praise God. The very praises of angels are esteemed as nothing before him. For so its rendering is: "Before thee, O God, whose Majesty dwells in Zion, the praise of angels is regarded as silence."... Jerome's version here is, "To thee silence is praise, O God, in Zion." Atheneus says, silence is a divine thing; and Thomas a Kempis calls silence the nutriment of devotion. Thomas Le Blanc.
Ver. 1. To thee belong submission, praise, O God, in Sion. (Version of the American Bible Union.) Thou hast a claim for submission in times of sorrow, for praise in seasons of joy. Thomas J. Conant, in "The Psalms... with occasional notes." 1871.
Ver. 1. Vow. A vow is a voluntary and deliberate promise made unto God in an extraordinary case. "It is a religious promise made unto God in a holy manner:" so a modern writer defines it. (Szegedinus.) It is a "holy and religious promise, advisedly and freely made unto God, concerning something which to do or to omit appeareth to be grateful and well pleasing unto him:" so Bucanus. I forbear Aquinas's definition of a vow. If these which I have given satisfy not, then view it in the words of Peter Martyr, a man of repute, and well known to our own nation in the days of Edward VI., of ever blessed memory: "It is a holy promise, whereby we bind ourselves to offer somewhat unto God." There is one more who defines it, and he is a man whose judgment, learning, and holiness hath perfumed his name; it is learned Perkins, in his "Cases of Conscience." "A vow, " saith he, "is a promise made unto God of things lawful and possible." Henry Hurst(--1690), in "The Morning Exercises."
Ver. 1. (last clause). 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. Albert Barnes.
Ver. 1. The fitness, place, use, and power of silence in worship.
Ver. 1. The limitations, advantages, and obligations of vows.
Psalms 65:2*
Charles H. Spurgeon's The Treasury of David (1869–1885) — public domain. Psalms only. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
The Biblical Illustrator 1887 · Public Domain On vv1–11 Praise waiteth for Thee, O God, in Zion: and…
Psa_65:1-13
Praise waiteth for Thee, O God, in Zion: and unto Thee shall the vow be performed.
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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.)
The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Expositor's Bible 1887 · Public Domain On v1 Psalms 65
Psalms 65
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. Psalms 65 begins with that privilege of approach to God with which Psalms 66 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."
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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 Psalms 62. 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 focussed 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."
William Robertson Nicoll, ed., The Expositor's Bible (London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1887–1910) — public domain. 65 of 66 books (1 Corinthians is not separately keyed, as that volume carries no machine-parseable verse references); section-level commentary keyed to the opening verse. Introductory and overview sections not keyed to a specific passage are excluded.
The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary 1892 · Public Domain On v1 Superscription.—“To the Chief Musician.” See Introduction to Psalms 57.…
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.
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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 privileges—these 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 cause—the efficient reason—why 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 worship—hearty submission to God’s 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 creature—frail, 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 worshipper—transforms 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 regard—with 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 Psalmist’s (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 heart’s 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. Man’s 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 God’s resources and man’s needs; between man’s dependence and God’s 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 appointed—as 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 courts—as 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 bondage—events 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 God’s 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 Psalmist’s 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 Person—God. 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 o’er tempest rolled,
Majestic darkness! On the whirlwind’s wing
Riding sublime, Thou bid’st 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 promise—“While 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 people’s 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 somebody’s need; go and do something for somebody’s good.
II. Does not the present season tend to excite in us, at times, strange, vague, mysteriousyeanrings—yearnings amounting often to pain?.… I recall vividly a sketch I once saw—a slight but very striking sketch—a 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 him—she knew not what—but 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 prayer—a 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 man’s 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 humanity’s 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 man’s 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.
The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary (gen. ed. Joseph S. Exell; Funk & Wagnalls, c. 1892) — public domain (pre-1929). A full-Bible homiletical/sermon-outline anthology covering 65 of 66 books (2 John is absent from the source module). Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Sermon Bible 1900 · Public Domain On v1 (with Php 4:6)
Psa 65:2
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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.
The Sermon Bible, ed. William Robertson Nicoll (1888–1900) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
F. W. Grant 1903 · Public Domain On v1 To the chief musician: a psalm of David, -a…
Immanu-El.
To the chief musician: a psalm of David, -a song.
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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.
F. W. Grant, The Numerical Bible (4th ed., 1903) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Alexander MacLaren 1905 · Public Domain On v3
Psalms
SIN OVERCOMING AND OVERCOME
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Psa 65:3.
There is an intended contrast in these two clauses more pointed and emphatic in the original than in our Bible, between man’s impotence and God’s power in the face of the fact of sin. The words of the first clause might be translated, with perhaps a little increase of vividness, ‘iniquities are too strong for me’; and the ‘Thou’ of the next clause is emphatically expressed in the original, ‘as for our transgressions’ {which we cannot touch}, ‘Thou shalt purge them away.’ Despair of self is the mother of confidence in God; and no man has learned the blessedness and the sweetness of God’s power to cleanse, who has not learned the impotence of his own feeble attempts to overcome his transgression. The very heart of Christianity is redemption. There are a great many ways of looking at Christ’s mission and Christ’s work, but I venture to say that they are all inadequate unless they start with this as the fundamental thought, and that only he who has learned by serious reflection and bitter personal experience the gravity and the hopelessness of the fact of the bondage of sin, rightly understands the meaning and the brightness of the Gospel of Christ. The angel voice that told us His name, and based His name upon His characteristic work, went deeper into the ‘philosophy’ of Christianity than many a modern thinker, when it said, ‘Thou shalt call His name Jesus, because He shall save His people from their sins.’ So here we have the hopelessness and misery of man’s vain struggles, and side by side with these the joyful confidence in the divine victory. We have the problem and the solution, the barrier and the overleaping of it; man’s impotence and the omnipotence of God’s mercy. My iniquities are too strong for me, but Thou art too strong for them. As for our transgressions, of which I cannot purge the stain, with all my tears and with all my work, ‘Thou shalt purge them away.’ Note, then, these two-first, the cry of despair; second, the ringing note of confidence.
I. The cry of despair.
‘Too strong for me,’ and yet they are me. Me, and not me; mine, and yet, somehow or other, my enemies, although my children-too strong for me, yet I give them their strength by my own cowardly and feeble compliance with their temptations; too strong for me and overmastering me, though I pride myself often on my freedom and spirit when I am yielding to them. Mine iniquities are mine, and yet they are not mine; me and yet, blessed be God! they can be separated from me.
The picture suggested by the words is that of some usurping power that has mastered a man, and laid its grip upon him so that all efforts to get away from the grasp are hopeless. Now, I dare say, that some of you are half consciously thinking that this is a piece of ordinary pulpit exaggeration, and has no kind of application to the respectable and decent lives that most of you live, and that you are ready to say, with as much promptitude and as much falsehood as the old Jews did, even whilst the Roman eagles, lifted above the walls of the castle, were giving them the lie: ‘We were never in bondage to any man.’ You do not know or feel that anything has got hold of you which is stronger than you. Well, let us see.
Consider for a moment. You are powerless to master your evil, considered as habits. You do not know the tyranny of the usurper until a rebellion is got up against him. As long as you are gliding with the stream you have no notion of its force. Turn your boat and try to pull against it, and when the sweat-drops come on your brow, and you are sliding backwards, in spite of all your effort, you will begin to find out what a tremendous down-sucking energy there is in that quiet, silent flow. So the ready compliance of the worst part of my nature masks for me the tremendous force with which my evil tyrannises over me, and it is only when I face round and try to go the other way, that I find out what a power there is in its invisible grasp.
Did you ever try to cure some trivial bad habit, some trick of your fingers, for instance? You know what infinite pains and patience and time it took you to do that, and do you think that you would find it easier if you once set yourself to cure that lust, say, or that petulance, pride, passion, dishonesty, or whatsoever form of selfish living in forgetfulness of God may be your besetting sin? If you will try to pull the poison fang up, you will find how deep its roots are. It is like the yellow charlock in a field, which seems only to spread in consequence of attempts to get rid of it-as the rough rhyme says; ‘One year’s seeding, seven years’ weeding’-and more at the end of the time than at the beginning. Any honest attempt at mending character drives a man to this-’My iniquities are too strong for me.’
I do not for a moment deny that there may be, and occasionally is, a magnificent force of will and persistency of purpose in efforts at self-improvement on the part of perfectly irreligious men. But, if by the occasional success of such effort, a man conquers one form of evil, that does not deliver him from evil. You have the usurping dominion deep in your nature, and what does it matter in essence which part of your being is most conspicuously under its control? It may be some animal passion, and you may conquer that. A man, for instance, when he is young, lives in the sphere of sensuous excitement; and when he gets old he turns a miser, and laughs at the pleasures that he used to get from the flesh, and thinks himself ever so much wiser. Is he any better? He has changed, so to speak, the kind of sin. That is all. The devil has put a new viceroy in authority, but it is the old government, though with fresh officials. The house which is cleared of the seven devils without getting into it the all-filling and sanctifying grace of God and love of Jesus Christ will stand empty. Nature abhors a vacuum, and so does Satan, and the empty house invites the seven ill-tenants, and back they come in their diabolical completeness.
So, dear friends! though you may do a great deal-thank God!-in subduing evil habits and inclinations, you cannot touch, so as to master, the central fact of sin unless you get God to help you to do it, and you have to go down on your knees before you can do that work. ‘Iniquities are too strong for me.’
Then, again, consider our utter impotence in dealing with our own evil regarded as guilt. When we do wrong, the judge within, which we call conscience, says to us two things, or perhaps three. It says first, ‘That is wrong’; it says secondly, ‘You have got to answer for it’; and I think it says thirdly, ‘And you will be punished for it.’ That is to say, there is a sense of demerit that goes side by side with our evil, as certainly as the shadow travels with the substance. And though, sometimes, when the sun goes behind a cloud, there is no shadow, and sometimes, when the light within us is darkened, conscience does not cast the black shade of demerit across the mind; yet conscience is there, though silent. When it does speak it says, ‘You have done wrong, and you are answerable.’ Answerable to whom? To it? No! To society? No! To law? No! You can only be answerable to a person, and that is God. Against Him we have sinned. We do wrong; and if wrong were all that we had to charge ourselves with, it would be because there was nothing but law that we were answerable to. We do unkind things, and if unkindness and inhumanity were all that we had to charge ourselves with, it would be because we were only answerable to one another. We do suicidal things, and if self-inflicted injury were all our definition of evil, it would be because we were only answerable to our conscience and ourselves. But we sin, and that means that every wrong thing, big or little, which we do, whether we think about God in the doing of it or no, is, in its deepest essence, an offence against Him.
The judgment of conscience carries with it the solemn looking for of future judgment. It says, ‘I am only a herald: He is coming.’ No man feels the burden of guilt without an anticipation of judgment. What are you going to do with these two feelings? Do you think that you can deal with them? It is no use saying, ‘I am not responsible for what I did; I inherited such-and-such tendencies; circumstances are so-and-so. I could not help it; environment, and evolution, and all the rest of it diminish, if they do not destroy, responsibility.’ Be it so! And yet, after all, this is left-the certainty in my own convictions that I had the power to do or not to do. That is a fundamental part of a man’s consciousness. If it is a delusion, what is to be trusted, and how can we be sure of anything? So that we are responsible for our action, and can no more elude the guilt that follows sin than we can jump off our own shadow. And I want you to consider what you are going to do about your guilt.
One thing you cannot do-you cannot remove it. Men have tried to do so by sacrifices, and false religions. They have swung in the air by means of hooks fastened into their bodies, and I do not know what besides, and they have not managed it. You can no more get rid of your guilt by being sorry for your sin than you could bring a dead man to life again by being sorry for his murder. What is done is done. ‘What I have written I have written!’ Nothing will ever ‘wash that little lily hand white again,’ as the magnificent murderess in Shakespeare’s great creation found out. You can forget your guilt; you can ignore it. You can adopt some of the easily-learned-by-rote and fashionable theories that will enable you to minimise it, and to laugh at us old-fashioned believers in guilt and punishment. You do not take away the rock because you blow out the lamps of the lighthouse, and you do not alter an ugly fact by ignoring it. I beseech you, as reasonable men and women, to open your eyes to these plain facts about yourselves, that you have an element of demerit and of liability to consequent evil and suffering which you are perfectly powerless to touch or to lighten in the slightest degree.
Consider, again, our utter impotence in regard to our evil, looked upon as a barrier between us and God. That is the force of the context here. The Psalmist has just been saying, ‘O Thou that hearest prayer! unto Thee shall all flesh come.’ And then he bethinks himself how flesh compassed with infirmities can come. And he staggers back bewildered. There can be no question but that the plain dictate of common sense is, ‘We know that God heareth not sinners.’ My evil not only lies like a great black weight of guilt and of habit on my consciousness and on my activity, but it actually stands like a frowning cliff, barring my path and making a barrier between me and God. ‘Your hands are full of blood; I hate your vain oblations,’ says the solemn Voice through the prophet. And this stands for ever true-’The prayer of the wicked is an abomination.’ There frowns the barrier. Thank God! mercies come through it, howsoever close-knit and impenetrable it may seem. Thank God! no sin can shut Him out from us, but it can shut us out from Him. And though we cannot separate God from ourselves, and He is nearer us than our consciousness and the very basis of our being, yet by a mysterious power we can separate ourselves from Him. We may build up, of the black blocks of our sins flung up from the inner fires, and cemented with the bituminous mortar of our lusts and passions, a black wall between us and our Father. You and I have done it. We can build it-we cannot throw it down; we can rear it-we cannot tunnel it. Our iniquities are too strong for us.
Now notice that this great cry of despair in my text is the cry of a single soul. This is the only place in the psalm in which the singular person is used. ‘Iniquities are too strong for us,’ is not sufficient. Each man must take guilt to himself. The recognition and confession of evil must be an intensely personal and individual act. My question to you, dear friend! is, Did you ever know it by experience? Going apart by yourself, away from everybody else, with no companions or confederates to lighten the load of your felt evil, forgetting tempters and associates and all other people, did you ever stand, you and God, face to face, with nobody to listen to the conference? And did you ever feel in that awful presence that whether the world was full of men, or deserted and you the only survivor, would make no difference to the personal responsibility and weight and guilt of your individual sin? Have you ever felt, ‘Against Thee, Thee only, have I’-solitary- ‘sinned,’ and confessed that iniquities are ‘too strong for me’?
II. Now, let me say a word or two about the second clause of this great verse, the ringing cry of confident hope.
The confidence is, as I said, the child of despair. You will never go into that large place of assured trust in God’s effacing finger passed over all your evil until you have come through the narrow pass, where the black rocks all but bar the traveller’s foot, of conscious impotence to deal with your sin. You must, first of all, dear friends! go down into the depths, and learn to have no trust in yourselves before you can rise to the heights, and rejoice in the hope of the glory and of the mercy of God. Begin with ‘too strong for me,’ and the impotent ‘me’ leads on to the almighty ‘Thou.’
Then, do not forget that what was confidence on the Psalmist’s part is knowledge on ours. ‘As for our transgressions, Thou wilt purge them away.’ You and I know why, and know how. Jesus Christ in His great work for us has vindicated the Psalmist’s confidence, and has laid bare for the world’s faith the grounds upon which that divine power proceeds in its cleansing mercy. ‘Thou wilt purge them away,’ said he. ‘Christ hath borne our sins in His own body on the tree,’ says the New Testament. I have spoken about our impotence in regard to our own evil, considered under three aspects. I meant to have said more about Christ’s work upon our sins, considered under the same three aspects. But let me just, very briefly, touch upon them.
Jesus Christ, when trusted, will do for sin, as habit, what cannot be done without Him. He will give the motive to resist, which is lacking in the majority of cases. He will give the power to resist, which is lacking in all cases. He will put a new life and spirit into our nature which will strengthen and transform our feeble wills, will elevate and glorify our earthward trailing affections, will make us love that which He loves, and aspire to that which He is, until we become, in the change from glory to glory, reflections of the image of the Lord. As habit and as dominant power within us, nothing will cast out the evil that we have entertained in our hearts except the power of the life of Christ Jesus, in His Spirit dwelling within us and making us clean. When ‘a strong man keeps his house, his goods are in peace, but when a stronger than he cometh he taketh from him all his implements in which he trusteth, and divideth his spoil.’ And so Christ has bound the strong man, in that one great sacrifice on the Cross. And now He comes to each of us, if we will trust Him, and gives motives, power, pattern, hopes, which enable us to cast out the tyrant that has held dominion over us. ‘If the Son make you free, ye shall be free indeed.’
And I tell all of you, especially you young men and women, who presumably have noble aspirations and desires, that the only way to conquer the world, the flesh, and the devil, is to let Christ clothe you with His armour; and let Him lay His hand on your feeble hands whilst you aim the arrows and draw the bow, as the prophet did in the old story, and then you will shoot, and not miss. Christ, and Christ alone, within us will make us powerful to cast out the evil.
In like manner, He, and He only, deals with sin, considered as guilt. Here is the living secret and centre of all Christ’s preciousness and power-that He died on the Cross; and in His spirit, which knew the drear desolation of being forsaken by God, and in His flesh, which bore the outward consequences of sin, in death as a sinful world knows it, ‘bare our sins and carried our sorrows,’ so that ‘by His stripes we are healed.’
If you will trust yourselves to the mighty Sacrifice, and with no reservation, as if you could do anything, will cast your whole weight and burden upon Him, then the guilt will pass away, and the power of sin will be broken. Transgressions will be buried-’covered,’ as the original of my text has it-as with a great mound piled upon them, so that they shall never offend or smell rank to heaven any more, but be lost to sight for ever.
Christ can take away the barrier reared by sin between God and the human spirit. Solid and black as it stands, His blood dropped upon it melts away. Then it disappears like the black bastions of the aerial structures in the clouds before the sunshine. He hath opened for us a new and living way, that we might ‘have access and confidence,’ and, sinners as we are, that we might dwell for ever more at the side of our Lord.
So, dear brother! whilst humanity cries-and I pray that all of us may cry like the Apostle, ‘Oh, wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?’-Faith lifts up, swift and clear, her ringing note of triumph, which I pray God or rather, which I beseech you that you will make your own, ‘I thank God! I through Jesus Christ our Lord.’
Alexander MacLaren, Expositions of Holy Scripture (1904–1910) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
J. R. Dummelow 1909 · Public Domain On v1 The allusions to the Temple worship show that this…
The allusions to the Temple worship show that this Ps. belongs to a later age than David's. As to its occasion we can gather that a national religious festival at Jerusalem was in view (Psa_65:1-4), that a striking national deliverance had produced a wide-spread impression of God's power (Psa_65:5-8), and that a favourable season gave promise of an abundant harvest (Psa_65:9-13). The presentation of the firstfruits at the Passover (Lev_23:10-14) would suit the first and last conditions, and the repulse of the Assyrian invasion in Hezekiah's reign would fulfil the second.
1. Waiteth] 'is silent,' an obscure expression. LXX has' praise beseemeth thee.'
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2. All flesh] God is thought of as the God, not only of Israel, but of all the world: cp. 5b.
3. Me.. our] The Psalmist speaks, now for himself, now in the name of the nation.
4. Even of thy holy temple] RV 'the holy place of thy temple.'
5. By terrible things] by impressive deliverances. In righteousness] connected with 'thou wilt answer us' (RV).
7. People] RV 'peoples.'
8. Thy tokens] the manifestations of Thy power. Outgoings, etc.] the gates of morning and evening, the E. and the W. Rejoice] shout for joy—the inhabitants of E. and W. are meant.
9. With the river, etc.] RV 'the river of God is full of water.' The rain is meant, or its source in the sky. Thou preparest, etc.] RV 'thou providest them corn when thou hast so prepared the earth,' i.e. by the plentiful early rain (Nov.-Feb.).
10. Ridges] RV 'furrows.' Settlest] levellest. Furrows] RV 'ridges.'
11. Read, 'Thou crownest the year of thy goodness' (RM). The prospect of a rich harvest was only the last gift in a year of many blessings and deliverances. Thy paths drop fatness] God is pictured as walking through the land, and causing fertilising showers to fall wherever He treads.
12. The wilderness] not a desert, but open pasture-land—a 'steppe' or 'veldt.' The little hills, etc.] RV 'the hills are girded with joy'—a fine poetic personification of nature which the next v. continues.
J. R. Dummelow, A Commentary on the Holy Bible (Macmillan, 1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Arno C. Gaebelein 1922 · Public Domain On v1 Psalm 65
Psalm 65
The Times of Restitution and Refreshing
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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 Israel’s 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. Israel’s 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.
Arno C. Gaebelein, The Annotated Bible (1913–1922) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Paul E. Kretzmann 1924 · Public Domain On v1 Thanksgiving for the Blessings of the Lord.
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.
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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.
Paul E. Kretzmann, Popular Commentary of the Bible (1921–1924) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On vv1, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, 13 General Information:
General Information:
Parallelism is common in Hebrew poetry. (See: Poetry and Parallelism)
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General Information:
This psalm is a song of praise.
For the chief musician
"This is for the director of music to use in worship"
A psalm. A song of David
"This is a psalm that David wrote"
For you, God in Zion, our praise waits
This speaks of praise as if it were a person who could act on its own. AT: "To you alone, God in Zion, we will offer our praise" (See: Personification)
our vows will be carried out to you
This can be stated in active form. AT: "we will do what we have promised you that we would do" (See: Active or Passive)
Iniquities prevail against us
David speaks about iniquity as if it were a person that is able to defeat or oppress. AT: "It is as if our own sins were defeating us" (See: Personification)
you will forgive them
The word "them" refers to our "iniquities."
translationWords
psalm
David
God
Zion
praise
vow
pray
flesh
iniquity
transgress
forgive
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On vv1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 9, 13 Ps 65 This psalm recounts the reasons why all…
Ps 65 This psalm recounts the reasons why all people should praise and revere God for his almighty power and merciful care for his universe.
65:1-3 Praise is the appropriate response to God’s majestic deeds in redemption (65:3-5) and in nature (65:5-13).
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65:1 God alone deserves praise and is worthy to have vows made to him.
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.