Psalm 65
This Psalm calls us to praise God – or does it? The Psalm begins “Praise is due you, O God in Zion…” (v. 1a ESV) which would call us to praise God, but the Hebrew more literally reads “To Thee silence praise…”[1] The old King James rendering of “Praise waiteth for you…” It can refer to silence in worship as we consider what may be uttered or our silence as worship, or that we are so overjoyed in worship we can’t put it into words, or simply a call to worship. Why does it matter? I am sure this is just the Bible nerd coming out here, but it matters.
Here are a few clues to what kind of Psalm this might be and why it matters. Most people would consider this a poem about nature or a Harvest Psalm of thanksgiving.[2] The emphasis on nature, the harvest, and God’s mighty hand is clearly seen in verses 5-13 – the majority of the Psalm. This Psalm may have been sung or recited at Israel’s Feast of Tabernacles – thanking God for the abundant harvest and remembering the Day of Atonement that took place just days before.[3] In this day and age many believers have trouble remembering God’s role in the harvest and it is a good reminder of how God “visits the earth and water[s] it” (v. 9a). However, we have to ask why there is such a seemingly big jump between focusing on God’s atonement for our iniquities (vv. 3-4) and praising God for the harvest. There doesn’t seem to be a clear unifying subject in this Psalm.
To me the one unifying theme in this Psalm is Jesus – thus making this a messianic Psalm. Here is where I see Jesus in this Psalm. First, who is it that atones for our iniquities? There are only three Psalms that use the word atone[4] making this a unique focus of this Psalm. The Hebrew word atone means “to cover.” Once a year on the Day of Atonement the High Priest would make atonement for his sins, cast lots over two goats – one would be set free and the other offered as a sin offering (Leviticus 16). Then the High Priest would enter the Holy of Holies and sprinkle the blood on the mercy seat. The mercy seat was on the top of the ark – in the ark contained the broken tablets that symbolize the ways we have broken the law - on the Day of Atonement the mercy seat would be covered with the substitutionary blood. Covering our sins or atoning for the sins of Israel. What an incredible picture! The writer of Hebrews reminds us that these OT practices where a picture of something greater to come (10:1). The writer of Hebrews concludes that Jesus is the offering that is made once and for all for each one of us (10:10). Jesus is the one who covers our transgressions.
Second, Jesus is the one that restores our relationship (His presences) with the Father. The Psalmist asserts, “Blessed is the one you choose and bring near...” (v. 4) Nearness to God is the foundation of our happiness and one of the overarching themes of Scripture – this nearness is only restored after God, in the person of Jesus, atones for our sins. Jesus atones for our sins so that we may enjoy a restored relationship with the Father.
Third, it is by Jesus’ “awesome deeds” that God answers us “with righteousness” (v. 5). Here are some of the awesome deeds that this Psalm focuses on. Jesus brings hope to the ends of the earth (v. 5b). Jesus is the one that established the mountains (v. 6 see Col. 1:16). Jesus stills the roaring seas (v. 7). This verse perfectly describes what the disciples experienced when Jesus calmed the sea (see Matt. 8). Many of the awesome deeds mentioned in this Psalm can be directly attributed to Jesus.
Finally it is Jesus that causes our “wagon tracks [to] overflow with abundance” (v. 11b.). This is a poetic picture missed by the modern reader. Picture an old dirt path, upon which over the years, ruts have formed where the wagon has worn its way. When the rain comes - those ruts fill up making a river flow down those old traveled roads. Those tracks might represent years of hurt that have worn you down, or the many times life has taken from you good and given it to another (the wagon hauling it off), or simply the ruts of the mundane that makes you feel like you are going nowhere. However, when Jesus comes, those ruts are filled with “fatness” (KJV) or as Jesus said, “I came that they may have life and have it abundantly” (John 10:10).
When we read this Psalm as a Messianic Psalm – we stop and thank Jesus for His atoning work, God’s choice in election (v. 4), our restored relationship with God, Jesus awesome deeds, and His life abundantly. No doubt we can rejoice in God’s provisions for the harvest, but as James Montgomery Boice said, “You will never know the God of the abundant blessing of nature (or any other blessing) until you first know him as the one who has made atonement for your sin.”[5] Consider taking a moment to praise Jesus for His work or simply worship in a moment of silence for all he has done.
[1] https://ref.ly/logosres/jfbcomm?ref=Bible.Ps65
[2] Boice, James Montgomery “Psalms Vol. 2 An Expositional Commentary”
[3] IBID
[4] IBID
[5] Boice, p. 533