CreatorWorship

Psalm 65 is a tremendous call to worship. It highlights the marvelous abundance of God toward people and the earth. It emphasizes both His spiritual and physical abundance.

Having been asked to read Psalm 65 as the call to worship this morning, I read through it several times. Then I read it in several different translations. It was with difficulty that I got past the first phrase of verse 1. It reads variously as follows: “There will be silence before You, and praise in Zion, O God” (NASB), “Praise is due to you, O God, in Zion” (ESV), “Praise awaits you, our God, in Zion” (NIV), “Praise waiteth for thee, O God, in Sion” (KV), “Praise is rightfully Yours, God, in Zion” (HCSB), “God, you will be praised in Jerusalem.” (NCV). To my reading, there are three interpretations of whatever is going on in Hebrew concerning praise of God: Praise of God 1) comes through silence, 2) is due Him, or 3) awaits or will be coming.

Seeing that these three translation routes are significantly different, I was somewhat confused. Then I found a commentary online (1) that shed light on the source of the confusion. The literal Hebrew translation of the phrase reads, “to you silence praise Oh God in Zion.” (2) Unlike English wherein adjectives precede nouns, Hebrew adjectives and articles follow nouns (3) So, in English, I understand the phrase to read “praise silence”. In my everyday way of thinking, that sounds like “calm before the storm”. In other words, waiting to praise, anticipating praise, praise that should momentarily happen (is due), and praising by silence (meditating, considering) do all make sense.

Verse one concludes with praise acted upon through performing vows made. Given what follows, it occurs to me that contemplative silence is praise intended and thought, vows performed is praise acted out, and the rest of psalm is praise pronounced.

Then David pours out praise. In verses 2-5a, he praises God for the following spiritual blessings to believers: 1) hearing prayer, 2) forgiving sin, 3) choosing His own, 4) bringing them near, 5) satisfying them (4), and 6) answering prayer by awesome works.

Verses 5b through 8 praise God for His sovereign control of earth and its peoples, a great blessing in what otherwise would be chaos. David uses some illuminating and endearing word pictures throughout the rest of the psalm. Consider the ones related to His sovereignty. How far do people trust God? Answer: to the “ends of the earth and the farthest sea”. That pretty much covers everywhere. God controls the roaring seas and waves is an apt word picture for the “tumult of the peoples”. What is the full extent of where people are who are in awe of His signs? Answer: “the dawn and sunset”. And these “shout for joy”, meaning the peoples are overjoyed at His wonders.

The description of God’s provisioning through the earth’s abundance in verses 9-13 is not hyperbole. Water, grain, pastures with their flocks “overflow”, “greatly enrich”, “full”, “abundantly”, “bounty”, “drip with fatness”, “drip”, “gird themselves”, “clothed”, “covered”, “rejoicing”, and “shout for joy, yes, they sing”. David had been a shepherd, but he knew of farming. I enjoy his word picture of the furrows watered abundantly, settling and softening its ridges, so that its growth is blessed (v. 10). For a plowed field hardened by sunlight and lack of rain this is a reality, but the word picture conveys a sense of how the plants (grains, vegetables, or grass) are watered without ever mentioning them.

We are not an agrarian society, so that our praise may go in other directions, and yet, no one may prosper if the agricultural pursuits do not prosper. They are primary to all other life pursuits. We can all understand how God blesses us through His benevolent provision of food. Certainly, His kind providence extends to all of our needs and many of our desires. Life is good, because God is good.

Being largely concrete and tactile when it comes to our desires and feelings, I pray that God would enable us to gain a deeper conceptual understanding and trust of His attributes, yes, of His person through His works on our behalf. His great name which represents all that He is and does is to be praised.

1. I did and you should read the statement of faith for any commentary online before you start accepting any significant counsel from online sources. It was solid.
2. https://www.bibleref.com/Psalms/65/Psalm-65-11.html
3. https://www.hebrewpod101.com/blog/2020/08/07/hebrew-word-order/#4 Any comments that I make about translation in Hebrew or Greek do not come from study of those languages, but rather from references I seek out for understanding.
4. 4) and 5) are accomplished through His temple, symbolizing God’s presence with His people and their worship of Him.