PSALM LXV _God is praised for the fulfilment of his promises, and for his_ _mercy in forgiving sins_, 1-,3. _He is praised for the wonders that he works in nature, which_ _all mankind must acknowledge_, 4-8; _for the fertilizing showers which he sends upon the earth, and_ _the abundance thereb... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse Psalms 65:2. _UNTO THEE SHALL ALL FLESH COME._] All _human beings_ should pray to God; and from him alone the sufficient portion of human spirits is to be derived. It is supposed to be a prediction of the calling of the Gentiles to the faith of the Gospel of Christ. A minister, immensely _cor... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse Psalms 65:3. _INIQUITIES PREVAIL AGAINST ME_] This is no just rendering of the original, דברי עונת גברו מני _dibrey avonoth_ _gaberu menni_; "iniquitous words have prevailed against me," or, "The words of iniquity are strong against me." All kinds of calumnies, lies, and slanders have been pro... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse Psalms 65:4. _BLESSED_ IS THE MAN WHOM _THOU CHOOSEST_] This is spoken in reference to the _priests_ who were _chosen of God_ to minister at the tabernacle; and who were permitted to _approach, draw nigh_, to the Divine Majesty by the various offerings and sacrifices which they presented. _WE... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse Psalms 65:5. By _TERRIBLE THINGS IN RIGHTEOUSNESS_] The _Vulgate_ joins this clause to the preceding verse: "Thy holy temple is wonderful in righteousness: thou wilt hear us, O God of our salvation." But the psalmist may refer to those wonderful displays of God's providence in the change of se... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse Psalms 65:6. _SETTETH FAST THE MOUNTAINS_] It is by thy strength they have been raised, and by thy power they are girded about or preserved. He represents the mountains as being formed and pitched into their proper places by the mighty hand of God; and shows that they are preserved from splitt... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse Psalms 65:7. _STILLETH THE NOISE OF THE SEAS_] Thou art Sovereign over all the operation of sea and land. Earthquakes are under thy control: so are the flux and reflux of the sea; and all storms and tempests by which the great deep is agitated. Even the _headstrong_ _multitude_ is under thy co... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse Psalms 65:8. _ARE AFRAID AT THY TOKENS_] Thunder and lightning, storms and tempests, eclipses and meteors, tornadoes and earthquakes, are proofs to all who dwell even in the remotest parts of the earth, that there is a Supreme Being who is wonderful and terrible in his acts. By these things an... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse Psalms 65:9. _THOU VISITEST THE EARTH_] God is represented as going through the whole globe, and examining the wants of every part, and directing the _clouds_ how and where to deposit their fertilizing showers, and the _rivers_ where to direct their beneficial courses. _THE RIVER OF GOD_] Som... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse Psalms 65:10. _THOU WATEREST THE RIDGES_] In seedtime thou sendest that measure of rain that is necessary, in order to prepare the earth for the plough; and then, when the _ridges_ are thrown into _furrows_, thou makest them _soft_ with showers, so as to prepare them for the expansion of the s... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse Psalms 65:11. _THOU CROWNEST THE YEAR_] A full and _plentiful harvest_ is the _crown_ of the year; and this springs from the unmerited _goodness_ of God. This is the _diadem_ of the earth; עטרת _ittarta,_ _Thou encirclest_, as with a _diadem_. A most elegant expression, to show the progress of... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse Psalms 65:12. _THE PASTURES OF THE WILDERNESS_] Even the places which are not cultivated have their _sufficiency of moisture_, so as to render them proper places of pasturage for cattle. The terms _wilderness_ and _desert_, in the Sacred Writings, mean, in general, places _not inhabited_ and _... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse Psalms 65:13. _THE PASTURES ARE CLOTHED WITH FLOCKS_] Cattle are seen in every plain, avenue, and vista, feeding abundantly; and the _valleys_ are _clothed_, and wave with the richest _harvests_; and transports of joy are heard every where in the cheerful songs of the peasantry, the singing of... [ Continue Reading ]