THE CROWNING OF THE YEAR.
Psalm 65:1-13.
1. God in the Place of Sacrifice (Psalm 65:1-4).
PSALM 65:1. “Praise waits for thee, O God.” Praise is not entertainment, but the grateful response of a thankful people to our gracious God. In some church gatherings you can just feel it: an awesome, adoring silence in the sanctuary. This is the prayerful eager anticipation of a people waiting for the solemn announcement: ‘Let us worship God.’
“in Sion” speaks not only of mount Sion, nor only of Jerusalem, but of the tabernacle that was located there in David’s days, and the temple that Solomon later built. It spoke of the place of sacrifice, where God met with man. It speaks today of the places where the ultimate sacrifice of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ is remembered, especially around the communion table, but also in the preaching of the Word, and the praising of His name.
“and unto thee shall the vow be performed.” We may never fully repay our debt of gratitude to God, but God ‘inhabits’ the praises of His people (cf. Psalm 22:3). God looks upon the sacrifice of Jesus, and accepts our praises.
PSALM 65:2. It is in the nature of God that He hears and answers prayer. All other ‘gods’ ultimately fail their devotees. Yet “all flesh” (Psalm 65:2), “all the ends of the earth” (Psalm 65:5), “they also that dwell in the uttermost parts” (Psalm 65:8) are encouraged to bring their prayers to the only true and living God.
PSALM 65:3. Sin, of course, is an obstacle to prayer. Nevertheless, through the sacrifice of Jesus, our “transgressions” are “purged away.” He who was without sin bore our sins and ‘became sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him’ (cf. 2 Corinthians 5:21). God has accepted THIS sacrifice, and hears our prayers.
PSALM 65:4. Blessed are we if we are chosen by God to ‘boldly approach the throne of grace’ (cf. Hebrews 4:16). This is not about places of worship, but dwelling in ‘the secret place of the Most High’ (cf. Psalm 91:1); worshipping God through our Lord Jesus Christ in the here and now, and thereafter possessing our prepared place in the house of many mansions above (cf. John 14:2).
2. God Performing Wonders in the World (Psalm 65:5-8).
PSALM 65:5a. It is in “awesome deeds” that “the God of our salvation” hears and answers our prayers “in righteousness.” Righteousness and salvation are knit together by the One who is both ‘just’ and ‘the justifier of him that believes in Jesus’ (cf. Romans 3:26).
PSALM 65:5b. The Psalmist foresees God as “the confidence” of “all the earth,” including “them that are afar off upon the sea.” Not just those who live in distant isles, but even ‘those that go down to the sea in ships’ (cf. Psalm 107:23).
PSALM 65:6-7. “By His strength” God establishes the mountains, being “girded with power.” The relative stability of the mountain ranges is contrasted with the roaring of the seas – which God “stills.” Picture Jesus in a storm tossed boat with His disciples: He rebuked the wind and commanded the sea, ‘Peace be STILL’ (cf. Mark 4:39) - and the wind and the sea obeyed Him. God stills also “the tumult of the people” - the turmoil of the nations.
PSALM 65:8. “They also that dwell in the uttermost parts” are awestruck at His wonders. The sunrise and the sunset rejoice in His glory. God’s creation brings joy to all and sundry, the whole world from east to west.
3. God in the Harvest. Psalm 65:9-13.
PSALM 65:9. We have a picture here of God as the gardener (cf. John 15:1), watering what He has planted from the abundant “river of God,” preparing “corn” (staple foods) for the consumption of man. This is why we give thanks to God whenever we eat.
PSALM 65:10. He waters the ridges, levels the furrows, and fills them with rain, blessing it to spring forth with a crop. Mr Spurgeon, in his ‘Treasury of David,’ likens this to the operations of the Holy Spirit within us, ‘beating down high thoughts, filling our lowly desires, softening the soul, and causing every holy thing to increase and spread.’
PSALM 65:11-12. The “crowning of the year” is a good harvest. The “paths” of God flow with abundance. The benefits overflow into “the pastures of the wilderness,” and “the little hills” are surrounded with the sound of rejoicing.
PSALM 65:13a. “The pastures are clothed with flocks; the valleys also are covered with corn.” All this from the overflow of God’s blessing of rain.
PSALM 65:13b. “They shout for joy, they also sing.” The whole of creation joins us in our harvest celebration.
