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Psalm 66

Praise for God’s Goodness to Israel

To the leader. A Song. A Psalm.

1

Make a joyful noise to God, all the earth;

2

sing the glory of his name;

give to him glorious praise.

3

Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds!

Because of your great power, your enemies cringe before you.

4

All the earth worships you;

they sing praises to you,

sing praises to your name.” Selah

 

5

Come and see what God has done:

he is awesome in his deeds among mortals.

6

He turned the sea into dry land;

they passed through the river on foot.

There we rejoiced in him,

7

who rules by his might forever,

whose eyes keep watch on the nations—

let the rebellious not exalt themselves. Selah

 

8

Bless our God, O peoples,

let the sound of his praise be heard,

9

who has kept us among the living,

and has not let our feet slip.

10

For you, O God, have tested us;

you have tried us as silver is tried.

11

You brought us into the net;

you laid burdens on our backs;

12

you let people ride over our heads;

we went through fire and through water;

yet you have brought us out to a spacious place.

 

13

I will come into your house with burnt offerings;

I will pay you my vows,

14

those that my lips uttered

and my mouth promised when I was in trouble.

15

I will offer to you burnt offerings of fatlings,

with the smoke of the sacrifice of rams;

I will make an offering of bulls and goats. Selah

 

16

Come and hear, all you who fear God,

and I will tell what he has done for me.

17

I cried aloud to him,

and he was extolled with my tongue.

18

If I had cherished iniquity in my heart,

the Lord would not have listened.

19

But truly God has listened;

he has given heed to the words of my prayer.

 

20

Blessed be God,

because he has not rejected my prayer

or removed his steadfast love from me.


13 I will come into thy house with burnt offerings Hitherto the Psalmist has spoken in the name of the people at large. Now he emphatically gives expression to his own private feelings, and calls upon them, by his example, to engage individually in the exercises of religion, it being impossible that there should be any hearty common consent unless each entered seriously upon the service of thanksgiving for himself and apart. We are taught that when God at any time succours us in our adversity, we do an injustice to his name if we forget to celebrate our deliverances with solemn acknowledgements. More is spoken of in this passage than thanksgiving. He speaks of vows having been contracted by him in his affliction, and these evidenced the constancy of his faith. The exhortation of the Apostle James is worthy of our special notice —

“Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry?
let him sing psalms.” (James 5:13)

How many are there who lavish their hypocritical praises upon God in the career of their good fortune, while they are no sooner reduced to straits than the fervor of their love is damped, or gives place to the violence of fretfulness and impatience. The best evidence of true piety is when we sigh to God under the pressure of our afflictions, and show, by our prayers, a holy perseverance in faith and patience; while afterwards we come forward with the expression of our gratitude. The words, which my lips have uttered, are not an unmeaning addition, but imply that he had never allowed himself to be so far overcome by grief as not to throw his desires into the express form of petition, declaring that he cast himself for safety into the hands of God. On the subject of vows, I may just shortly repeat the remarks which have been given at greater length elsewhere. First, the holy fathers never vowed anything to God but what they knew to be sanctioned by his approval. Secondly, their sole end in vowing was to evidence their gratitude. The Papists, therefore, can find no warrant, from their example, for the rash and impious vows which they practice. They obtrude upon God whatever chances to come first into their lips; the end which they propose to themselves is the farthest removed from the right one; and with devilish presumption they engage themselves to things which are not allowed them.


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