Psalm 66:1–4 ESV
Shout for joy to God, all the earth;
sing the glory of his name;
give to him glorious praise!
Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds!
So great is your power that your enemies come cringing to you.
All the earth worships you
and sings praises to you;
they sing praises to your name.” Selah
Over the next couple of weeks, we’re going to take some time to reflect and meditate on Psalm 66. We’ll look at it in smaller pieces or stanzas in order to grasp some of what’s happening here and how that relates to our lives today.
As we look at these four verses, the main point that I want to present is that:
Because God is great in character and conduct, we should verbalize the praise/thanks that He deserves.
In doing this, we’ll consider this main idea in three ways:
the context for praise
the command to praise
the content of praise
Now, you might think about that main point and the outline we’re going to consider and think “there is a lot of reference to praise, but where does thanks fit in? After all, isn’t this new series called gratitude?”
I’m glad you asked.
First of all, The most common Hebrew noun used for “thanks” (????????, todah) derives from the verb “to praise, confess” (??????, yadah). So there is a sense in which giving thanks is giving praise. Practically speaking, when you and I express our gratitude to someone - we are not only telling them how much we appreciate that person or the gesture, but we in essence praise them for their work.
I may have shared this before, but in our house, we have a monthly menu that we cycle through. In many ways it’s a team effort. Periodically we’ll change things, but over the last several months there have been roughly 25 or so meals that we’ve rotated through. Melody and Danielle worked together to figure out what recipes we would have. Melody consolidated that into a binder that has recipes and shopping lists. Typically, I’ll do the shopping and then each week some mixture of us will make the dinner. These recipes are delicious, so we can praise Danielle and Melody for their selection in our thanks. The shopping list makes my job each week easier, so I can praise Melody by thanking her for pulling the list together - and then give thanks to the people at Walmart who bring it out to my car or Costco as they check my receipts. Then, each night as we sit down to eat, we can thank God for his provision for this food and give praise and thanks to the one who made the delicious meal happen! In essence, every expression of gratitude is a corporate act of praise - at least within our family. We have lot to be thankful for, and that’s just in one meal!
So as we dive into this Psalm - recognize that praise and thanks go hand in hand.
So, let’s begin with...
The Context for Praise
Every Psalm was written in some historical context. There was some reason that the Holy Spirit inspired the writers to pen these words. Sometimes, we’ll get a bit of context at the top of the Psalm in the subtitle. Unfortunately, this Psalm doesn’t help us in that way.
“To the choirmaster. A song. A Psalm.”
Not a lot of help there.
To the choirmaster suggests that this would be sung by the choir or by the worship team or even worship leaders.
So, since the subtitle doesn’t help us a lot, we have to look within - the contextual clues.
As we read this Psalm in it’s entirety a few minutes ago, you may have heard things that point to attributes of God or acts of God.
For instance, in verse 6, he turned the sea in to dry land and they passed through the river on foot” - what does that remind you of? The crossing the Red Sea (Ex. 14:21) and crossing the Jordan (Joshua 3:14-17). So there is a bit more context - God did miraculous things to save his people. Those two events are certainly reasons for praise and thanksgiving. They are also common refrains among Israelite Psalms.
If we look down a little further, we get some more clue. In verses 8-12 we see references to testing and trials and God’s provision. Some of the details there are a bit vague, but it clearly points to a time of difficulty in Israelite history.
Many commentators suggest that this Psalm came as a result of God’s provision and victory over the Assyrians in Isaiah 36-37. If you have an opportunity this afternoon, let me encourage you read those chapters.
In essence:
Sennacherib - King of Assyria came against King Hezekiah and the people of Judah in Jerusalem. He had a great army and came with threats.
Questioned Judah’s allegiance with Egypt.
Questioned their loyalty to God - since Hezekiah had torn down the high places (those were essentially places where previous kings had established altars where people would worship God and other deities. In essence, these were false places of worship.)
Judah was far weaker than the Assyrians.
Let’s consider just a few parts of this. In response to these threats, Hezekiah prayed:
Isaiah 37:16–20 ESV
“O Lord of hosts, God of Israel, enthroned above the cherubim, you are the God, you alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; you have made heaven and earth. Incline your ear, O Lord, and hear; open your eyes, O Lord, and see; and hear all the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to mock the living God. Truly, O Lord, the kings of Assyria have laid waste all the nations and their lands, and have cast their gods into the fire. For they were no gods, but the work of men’s hands, wood and stone. Therefore they were destroyed. So now, O Lord our God, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you alone are the Lord.”
Then Isaiah responded with some reassurances from the Lord about his faithfulness to Judah. The episode concludes in this way.
Isaiah 37:36–38 ESV
And the angel of the Lord went out and struck down 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians. And when people arose early in the morning, behold, these were all dead bodies. Then Sennacherib king of Assyria departed and returned home and lived at Nineveh. And as he was worshiping in the house of Nisroch his god, Adrammelech and Sharezer, his sons, struck him down with the sword. And after they escaped into the land of Ararat, Esarhaddon his son reigned in his place.
There are a variety of reasons that bible scholars use to point to this event in Judah’s history as the reason for this corporate Psalm of thanksgiving. We will get into some of those over the next couple of weeks. God truly did allow them to be tested and tried and then proved his faithfulness to them through this deliverance.
But as we personalize this, how does this relate to us? Here we are several thousand years later. Sure, our faith in God has its roots in Israel’s history, but how can we reflect on this for us?
In everything give thanks
In Phil. 4:6
Philippians 4:6 ESV
do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
Essentially, we can give God praise and thanks for everything. Paul says - “in everything…with thanksgiving.” He’s talking specifically about prayer. Obviously, this trial prompted Hezekiah to pray.
The things in our lives that God allows give us cause to offer praise and thanks to him!
the joy of prosperity
the blessing of friendships
the comfort of peace
answered prayer
but also the challenges
sickness
strife
conflict
financial trials
when the answer to prayer is not what we asked for or is delayed.
These all are means by which we can and should offer praise and thanks to God - not because we are gluttons for punishment or that we like things to be painful, but because God is working something in us, around us, through us for His glory.
2 Corinthians 4:16–18 ESV
So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.
So, for the people of Judah - conflict was the context for their praise and thanksgiving. For us, everything is an opportunity for us to give praise and thanks to God.
Which brings us to the specifics of the verses that we’re considering today. Not only do we have the context for praise, but we see in verses 1 and 2...
The Command to Praise (1-3a)
Psalm 66:1-3 “Shout for joy to God, all the earth; sing the glory of his name; give to him glorious praise! Say to God...”
The Psalmist here gives us four commands or imperatives - shout, sing, give, say. What is common among these explicitly or implicitly? They are all verbal! They all have some form of expression.
Shout for joy to God
Now, I know, shouting is not something we often here in our worship space. But maybe it should. Think about the places where we do shout for joy! This afternoon, some of us will gather around televisions while other people in our country will sit in uncomfortable chairs with 60-100k of their closest friends and they/we will shout for joy when when a leather ball is successfully moved down a manicured lawn. We will shout for joy when our team successfully prevents the other team from moving that ball. We will cheer for scores. There will be a lot of joy happening. Maybe American football is not your thing
But why not in this place?
We have so much more to be joyful for in praise to our God - in thanks for all that he has done. When appropriate - we should shout for joy to God.
But what is shouting? It’s a loud call or cry. In this case, a loud cry of joy to God!
Imagine being the people of Judah. After days of being threatened by the words of the Assyrian leaders - then you hear word that they have been destroyed and that the king has been killed - all by the working of the Lord. Imagine the joy that would have been felt when the messenger came back saying “The Assyrian Army has been defeated, the King of Assyria is dead, praise YHWH!”
And for us, each week as we remind our selves of the goodness and grace of God. We worship on this day because Jesus rose from the grave on the first day of the week. The death that we deserve has been defeated!
1 Cor. 15:54-57 ...“Death is swallowed up in victory.” “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
We can and should shout for joy! Not only that, but we should also...
Sing to the glory of His name
Of course we do this each week as we sing songs, hymns and spiritual songs. We use the lyrics and the melodies to help us express our gratitude and our praise to God!
Are we singing with gusto? Or is our singing anemic?
Illustration: Singing at Pillar Unite and at the Simeon Trust Workshop.
So we should shout and sing. We also are commanded to
Give to Him glorious praise!
This is the one command that seems to be implicitly verbal. How does this giving of praise happen? Praise is not an object that we can hand over. While it can be a sentiment that is thought, it needs expression for impact on the hearer and the giver.
Think about this tangibly - if I only ever give praise or thanks in thoughts or in my journal for something that someone has done - they will never know how I feel about it. But if I give it expression - they hear it, I hear it, others potentially hear it.
As we pray, give verbal praise to God. As we sing, let the air pass over our vocal chords in melodic praise to God. As we shout for joy, let our lungs give glorious praise with all that we have!
The final command is also verbal
Say to God... (3a)
In many ways, this is a lead in to the next part of this stanza. But again, this todah - thanks and yadah - praise is verbalized.
So the context of our praise is everything. The command to praise is verbal. Finally we see...
The Content of Praise (3-4)
Psalm 66:3-4 “Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds! So great is your power that your enemies come cringing to you. All the earth worships you and sings praises to you; they sing praises to your name.” Selah”
This verbal praise seems to contain two primary subjects - God’s attributes and God’s affect.
God’s attributes
For the people of Israel, they could clearly praise God for his “awesome deeds.” Whether in the wilderness, on the way to the promised land, or even as we read in Isaiah 36-37, in the face of their enemies.
Throughout the OT we see the phrase “with a mighty hand and a strong or outstretched arm.” There are clearly miraculous and powerful ways that God works in the world. He is powerful and mighty.
While Israel here has reason to boast in God’s mighty power, we too can praise God for that, but also for his tender mercies, his loving kindness, his grace, compassion.
Think back to all that we have sung about this morning
The Lord almighty reigns -
Indescribable - our words are insufficient to acknowledge all that God is and does -but they are the tools that we have, the tools that we should use, because of that...
How Can I Keep from Singing...
How Great is Our God -
Holy Forever - set apart, unique, glorious.
But not only do we shout, sing, give, say praise and thanks for who he is and how we works, but for...
God’s affect
This Psalm expresses the ways that God affects his enemies, his creation, and his people
on His enemies
Here in this Psalm, the writer notes that the enemies cringe. While Judah was shouting for victory, the families of the Assyrian soldiers were likely crying out at the judgment of God. Future soldiers would cringe knowing that the all powerful God of Israel is unmatched in his righteous judgments.
James 2:19 “You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder!”
Friend, if you’re not yet a follower of Christ, understand that the judgment for our sin is death - eternal death. It is a judgment that is swift and sure - which is why the demons believe and shudder. They shudder because they cannot have a saving faith. They have set themselves in opposition to God. Just as the Assyrian army opposed God and were destroyed, so too all those who oppose his grace and mercy sit under that judgment. But thanks be to God through Jesus Christ, he has made a way of escape from that Judgment. Romans 10:9–10 “because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.”
Acts 4:12 “And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.””
Not only do we see his affects on his enemies, but also…
on His creation
Verse 4 - has the ring of Psalm 148
Psalm 148 ESV
Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord from the heavens;
praise him in the heights!
Praise him, all his angels;
praise him, all his hosts!
Praise him, sun and moon,
praise him, all you shining stars!
Praise him, you highest heavens,
and you waters above the heavens!
Let them praise the name of the Lord!
For he commanded and they were created.
And he established them forever and ever;
he gave a decree, and it shall not pass away.
Praise the Lord from the earth,
you great sea creatures and all deeps,
fire and hail, snow and mist,
stormy wind fulfilling his word!
Mountains and all hills,
fruit trees and all cedars!
Beasts and all livestock,
creeping things and flying birds!
Kings of the earth and all peoples,
princes and all rulers of the earth!
Young men and maidens together,
old men and children!
Let them praise the name of the Lord,
for his name alone is exalted;
his majesty is above earth and heaven.
He has raised up a horn for his people,
praise for all his saints,
for the people of Israel who are near to him.
Praise the Lord!
creation praises God by doing what God created it to do
trees spread their branches and extend their leaves
mountains stand in majestic array testifying to Gods splendor
fish
birds
humans
(consider filling this out a bit)
Closing Thoughts
Beloved, I think this Psalm is calling us to give loud, verbal praise and thanks to God. Our voices may vary in their abilities, but the point is that we let our praise of God be heard.
in our times of worship
in community groups
in personal prayer
in conversations with others
Let the thanksgiving and praise be dripping from our lips and bursting from our lungs.
If you’re not yet a follower of Christ, consider all that he has done for you! He took your punishment and conquered the enemy of death that is otherwise undefeated. Which means, Jesus is the reigning champion for all eternity. No super-bowl ring or world cup trophy can compare to the victory Jesus secured for himself and all who believe in him when he rose from the grave. I pray that you too would repent, believe, be baptized and join in the “endless song” of praise to the Lord Almighty who reigns - Holy Forever!
Let’s pray.
Sources:
Augustine of Hippo. “Expositions on the Book of Psalms.” In Saint Augustin: Expositions on the Book of Psalms, edited by Philip Schaff, translated by A. Cleveland Coxe. Vol. 8. A Select Library of the Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers of the Christian Church, First Series. New York: Christian Literature Company, 1888.
Mallard, Paul. The Grace of Gratitude. Great Britain: 10 of Those, 2021.
McKnight, Chris. “Thanksgiving.” Ed. John D. Barry et al. The Lexham Bible Dictionary 2016.
Platt, David, Matt Mason, and Jim Shaddix. Exalting Jesus in Psalms 51-100. Nashville, TN: Holman Reference, 2020.
Ross, Allen P. “Psalms.” In The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, edited by J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck. Wheaton, IL: Victor
Wiersbe, Warren W. Be Worshipful. 1st ed. “Be” Commentary Series. Colorado Springs, CO: Cook Communications Ministries, 2004. Books, 1985.
Wilcock, Michael. The Message of Psalms 1-72. The Bible Speaks Today. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2001.
