Psalms 66:20

_BLESSED BE GOD, WHICH HATH NOT TURNED AWAY MY PRAYER, NOR HIS MERCY FROM ME._ Blessed be God, which hath not turned away my prayer - namely, from Himself. NOR HIS MERCY FROM ME. The hearing of our prayers is due, not to our merits, but to God's "mercy" (Muis). NOR HIS MERCY FROM ME. The hearing of our prayers is due, not to our merits, but to God's "mercy" (Muis)....

20_Blessed be God! who hath not turned away my prayer _He concludes the psalm, as he began it, with thanksgiving, and gives the reason of his not having met with a repulse; or, to take the figurative expression which he employs, of God’s not having _turned away his prayer. _This was, that he had not withdrawn his mercy. For it is entirely of his free grace that he is propitious, and that our prayers are not wholly ineffectual....

13-20 We should declare unto those that fear God, what he has done for our souls, and how he has heard and answered our prayers, inviting them to join us in prayer and praise; this will turn to our mutual comfort, and to the glory of God. We cannot share these spiritual privileges, if we retain the love of sin in our hearts, though we refrain from the gross practice, Sin, regarded in the heart, will spoil the comfort and success of prayer; for the sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination of the Lord. But if the feeling of sin in the heart causes desires to be rid of it; if it be the presence of one urging a demand we know we must not, cannot comply with, this is an argument of sincerity. And when we pray in simplicity and godly sincerity, our prayers will be answered. This will excite gratitude to Him who hath not turned away our prayer nor his mercy from us. It was not prayer that fet...

Verse Psalms 66:20. _BLESSED_ BE _GOD_] I therefore praise God, who has not turned aside my prayer, and who has not withheld his mercy from me. Thus he told them what God had done for his soul. ANALYSIS OF THE SIXTY-SIXTH PSALM There are _five parts_ in this Psalm: - I. An _invitation_. 1. To praise God, Psalms 66:1. 2. To consider his works, Psalms 66:5. II. A _repetition_ of the _invitation_, Psalms 66:8, for the benefit and deliverance lately received,...

BLESSED BE GOD, WHICH HATH NOT TURNED AWAY MY PRAYER - That is, It is fit that I should praise and adore God for the fact that he has graciously condescended to listen to the voice of my supplications. NOR HIS MERCY FROM ME - There is no more proper ground of praise than the fact that God hears prayer - the prayer of poor, ignorant, sinful, dying men. When we consider how great is his condescension in doing this; when we think of his greatness and immensity; when we reflect that the whole universe is dependent on him, and that the farthest worlds need his care and attention; when we bear in mind that we are creatures of a day and “know nothing;” and especially when we remember how we have violated his laws, how sensual, corrupt, and vile our lives have been, how low and grovelling have been our aims and purposes, how we have provoked him by our unbelief, our ingratitude, and our hardness...

EXPOSITION THIS is another song of thanksgiving, and is connected with a special deliverance (Psalms 66:10). The composer is about to offer a sacrifice to God in his holy place, in performance of a vow which he had made when he was in trouble (Psalms 66:13), and has prepared the psalm as a liturgical formula to be used on the occasion. It is an ode in four strophes: an opening one of four verses—a simple rendering of praise (Psalms 66:1); then a short strophe of three verses, celebrating God's might against his enemies (Psalms 66:5); next a statement in general terms of the deliverance experienced, a

BLESSED [BE] GOD, WHICH HATH NOT TURNED AWAY MY PRAYER,.... Has not been angry against it, shut it out, or covered himself with a cloud that it might not pass through, which sometimes saints have complained of, Psalms 80:4; but graciously heard and received it; NOR HIS MERCY FROM ME; for that endures for ever, and is from everlasting to everlasting on them that fear the Lord, Psalms 103:17; all which require thankfulness and praise, which is here given....

Psalms 66:1. _Make a joyful noise unto God all ye lands: sing forth the honour of his name: make his praise glorious._ In a company of advanced saints, silence may be sometimes profitable. The first verse of the previous Psalm should read, according to the Hebrew, «Praise is silent for thee, O God, in Zion.» Full-grown saints may have their times of waiting in silence before the Lord, but when the heathen are to be brought in, and when new hearts are to be taught new songs, then there must be a noise, and not merely a noise, but a noise that is full of joy: «Make a joyful noise unto God, all ye lands.» This should be the chief point about it, that it should be a joyful noise. Many of the newly invented tunes, which have put the good old tunes out of favor, appear to have been made to rattle through the hymn as quickly as possible, as though the composer had written, «Let us praise

Psalms 66 The Praise and Worship of the Millennium _ 1. What God hath wrought! (Psalms 66:1)_ 2. Israel's praise and worship (Psalms 66:8) “Shout aloud unto God, all the earth! Sing the glory of His Name, ascribe to Him glory, in His praise.” This will be done in the coming kingdom age. And Israel will be the leader of that praise, calling upon the nations to join into the glory song. “All the earth shall worship Thee, and shall sing unto Thee, they shall sing Thy Name, Israel will worship in the beauty of holiness, and this people, now a holy nation and kingdom of priests, become His witnesses.” “Come and hear all ye that fear God, and I will declare what He has done for my soul.”...

LXVI. A AND LXVI. B. Here again we have two Pss., rather unskilfully joined together, for the former ends, the latter begins abruptly. In Psalms 66 A (Psalms 66:1) the speaker always uses the first person plural in speaking of himself. He represents the people, or at least a section of the people. He deals with matters of public concern. In Psalms 66 B (Psalms 66:13) the poet uses the singular number and thanks God for grace bestowed upon himself personally. LXVI. A. The author invites the Jews, and indeed the whole world, to praise God's wondrous deeds. God had guided the Hebrews in their trials, as He had led them long ago through the Red Sea and across the Jordan dry-shod. The most notable thing in the Ps. is its universalism. The heathen, though no doubt in a subordinate position, are t