NOTES for Psa 66
1 Make a joyful noise unto God, all ye lands: |
2 Sing forth the honour of his name: make his praise glorious. |
3 Say unto God, How terrible art thou in thy works! through the greatness of thy power shall thine enemies submit themselves unto thee. |
4 All the earth shall worship thee, and shall sing unto thee; they shall sing to thy name. Selah. |
5 Come and see the works of God: he is terrible in his doing toward the children of men. |
6 He turned the sea into dry land: they went through the flood on foot: there did we rejoice in him. |
7 He ruleth by his power for ever; his eyes behold the nations: let not the rebellious exalt themselves. Selah. |
8 O bless our God, ye people, and make the voice of his praise to be heard: |
9 Which holdeth our soul in life, and suffereth not our feet to be moved. |
10 For thou, O God, hast proved us: thou hast tried us, as silver is tried. |
11 Thou broughtest us into the net; thou laidst affliction upon our loins. |
12 Thou hast caused men to ride over our heads; we went through fire and through water: but thou broughtest us out into a wealthy place. |
13 I will go into thy house with burnt offerings: I will pay thee my vows, |
14 Which my lips have uttered, and my mouth hath spoken, when I was in trouble. |
15 I will offer unto thee burnt sacrifices of fatlings, with the incense of rams; I will offer bullocks with goats. Selah. |
16 Come and hear, all ye that fear God, and I will declare what he hath done for my soul. |
17 I cried unto him with my mouth, and he was extolled with my tongue. |
18 If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me: |
19 But verily God hath heard me; he hath attended to the voice of my prayer. |
20 Blessed be God, which hath not turned away my prayer, nor his mercy from me. |
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The praise of the Lord begins by acknowledging both Him and His works, which make an overwhelming impression, as fearsome. We are already accustomed to the thought that nothing of value can be built on fear alone and that the fear of God is fundamentally unlike any fright experienced by human beings. Yes, this is true, and there is no need to dispute it. Even so, it is difficult to escape the sense that, at first, human fear too was mingled with reverent awe before the Incomprehensible.
There is no reason to be ashamed of this, just as it is pointless to pretend to be stronger and more perfect than one is. We are human so that we may stand before Him as we truly are, not playing the role of the well-behaved model student or the “tough guy” before the gaze of the One who cannot be deceived. Yet He leads us from weakness to the strength He gives, from sin to holiness, and from human fear to the fear of God, which is inseparable from the perfect love that casts out every fear.
Other notes
For Psa 66:1-7
1 Make a joyful noise unto God, all ye lands: |
2 Sing forth the honour of his name: make his praise glorious. |
3 Say unto God, How terrible art thou in thy works! through the greatness of thy power shall thine enemies submit themselves unto thee. |
4 All the earth shall worship thee, and shall sing unto thee; they shall sing to thy name. Selah. |
5 Come and see the works of God: he is terrible in his doing toward the children of men. |
6 He turned the sea into dry land: they went through the flood on foot: there did we rejoice in him. |
7 He ruleth by his power for ever; his eyes behold the nations: let not the rebellious exalt themselves. Selah. |
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Readings for 12 March 2019
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