Pre-Introduction

As I sat down this past week to write the sermon for today I had intended to press onward in our study of 1 Timothy. But as I considered the fact that this is the first Sunday of the year 2021, I began to reflect upon the past year. And I think you would agree with me that it was a difficult one. It was a difficult year for the world and our nation. It was filled with challenges for our congregation. And most of us have also experienced hardships of various kinds within our personal lives. The year 2020 will be remembered as a difficult year, and I think it is right for us to acknowledge that. Yet — and here is what I wish to emphasize today —  the Lord has been faithful to preserve us. He has refined us. He has been gracious and kind. And it is only right for us to give him thanks. 

I have chosen Psalm 66 as our scripture text for this morning. In the book of Psalms we find many types of Psalms, or genres. There are hymns of praise, Psalms of lament, confidence, and thanksgiving to name a few. One of the reasons the Psalms are so cherished by the people of God is that they express the whole range of human emotion, from utter despair to jubilant celebration. No matter your situation in life you may open the book of Psalms and find an inspired song there which expresses the condition of your heart.  At the end of a year like 2020 it seems right to fill our hearts and minds with a Psalm like Psalm 66, which is a Psalm of thanksgiving. 

Here are the distinguishing characteristics of thanksgiving Psalms: One, they give thanks to God — two, for his deliverance from trouble. If no deliverance from trouble were mentioned then the Psalm would be called a hymn of praise. And if there were no thanksgiving, or jubilant celebration, then the Psalm would be called a lament. So, thanksgiving Psalms are a combination of lament and praise. In them the Psalmist remembers some difficulty which in times past did cause despair from which the Lord has delivered his people, and he responds with praise.  

As I have said, a meditation upon a thanksgiving Psalm seems fitting as we reflect upon the past year and prepare our hearts for the year to come.

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Sermon Text: Psalm 66

“TO THE CHOIRMASTER. A SONG. A PSALM. Shout for joy to God, all the earth; sing the glory of his name; give to him glorious praise! Say to God, ‘How awesome are your deeds! So great is your power that your enemies come cringing to you. All the earth worships you and sings praises to you; they sing praises to your name.’ Selah Come and see what God has done: he is awesome in his deeds toward the children of man. He turned the sea into dry land; they passed through the river on foot. There did we rejoice in him, who rules by his might forever, whose eyes keep watch on the nations— let not the rebellious exalt themselves. Selah Bless our God, O peoples; let the sound of his praise be heard, who has kept our soul among the living and has not let our feet slip. For you, O God, have tested us; you have tried us as silver is tried. You brought us into the net; you laid a crushing burden on our backs; you let men ride over our heads; we went through fire and through water; yet you have brought us out to a place of abundance. I will come into your house with burnt offerings; I will perform my vows to you, that which my lips uttered and my mouth promised when I was in trouble. I will offer to you burnt offerings of fattened animals, with the smoke of the sacrifice of rams; I will make an offering of bulls and goats. Selah Come and hear, all you who fear God, and I will tell what he has done for my soul. I cried to him with my mouth, and high praise was on my tongue. If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened. But truly God has listened; he has attended to the voice of my prayer. Blessed be God, because he has not rejected my prayer or removed his steadfast love from me!” (Psalm 66, ESV)

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Please excuse any typos and misspellings within this manuscript. It has been published online for the benefit of the saints of Emmaus Reformed Baptist Church but without the benefit of proofreading.

Introduction

As we begin to consider this beautiful Psalm let me make a few general observations. 

One, this is a Psalm of thanksgiving as I have said. In it, the Psalmist gives thanks to God for the salvation from trouble that God has provided. 

Two, we do not know who the author is, for it is not stated. Some believe the author is David given that Psalm 66 is situated in the midst of a group of Psalms that are attributed to him. This grouping of Davidic Psalm runs from Psalm 51 to 70 (and perhaps 71). 

Three, we do not know what exactly the trouble was from which God rescued the Psalmist. Both the title of the Psalm and the description of the trouble found in verses 10-12 are generic. We are left to wonder what exactly the trial was. 

Four, this Psalm is obviously divided into four parts by the three occurrences of the Hebrew word “Selah”. They come at the end of verses 4, 7, and 15. Now, there is some debate as to what the Hebrew term “Selah” means. But the majority opinion is that it means “pause and think”. It may have been a music term that signaled an instrumental interlude to give time for the worshiper to pause and reflect upon what had just been sung. We should not ignore these markers. 

Five, upon closer examination the Psalm is actually divided into five parts. While there is no “Selah” to interrupt verses 8 through 15, this section obviously consists of two parts. In verse 13 the Psalmist transitions from the use of plural pronouns “us” and “our” to the singular pronoun “I”. The Psalm is very personal in verses 13 through 15.

And six, these five parts have a flow to them. In part one, all the peoples of the earth are called to give praise to God. In part two, all people are invited to consider what God has done for Israel to deliver them. In part three, all people are called to consider the Lord’s preservation of Israel. In part four, the Psalmist himself responds with appropriate praise. And lastly, in part five the Psalmist testifies to all who fear God to consider the goodness of the Lord and to respond as he has, with jubilant praise. And so the Psalm moves progressively from a very broad call to the nations to worship the God of Israel down to a very personal call to worship.

This Psalm is indeed a thanksgiving Psalm, but it is also a call to worship. “Shout for joy to God, all the earth…”, verse one says. And in verse 8: “Bless our God, O people…” This worship is to be offered up to God in response to the salvation that he has provided. And so the Psalmist summons us in verse 5 to “come and see what God has done”, and in verse 15 to “come and hear… what he has done.” As I have said, it seems right for us to do this very thing at the conclusion of a difficult year. We must remember what God has done for us and be moved to give him thanks and praise. 

Now that we see the shape of the Psalm, let us consider its parts. 

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Shout For Joy To God, All The Earth

In verses 1-4 the Psalmist calls upon all of the people of the earth to praise God. Verse 1: “Shout for joy to God, all the earth; sing the glory of his name; give to him glorious praise! Say to God, ‘How awesome are your deeds! So great is your power that your enemies come cringing to you. All the earth worships you and sings praises to you; they sing praises to your name.’ Selah” (Psalm 66:1–4, ESV)

There is enough material here in verse 1-4 for a sermon all its own. I will have to be very selective and brief with my comments.  

One, do you see the concern that Old Covenant Israel had for the nations? It is not uncommon to find a call for the nations of the earth to come and to worship the God of Israel in the Psalms. And this is not surprising when we consider that God’s purpose for calling and setting apart Abraham was to bless the nations of the earth through his offspring. Israel came from Abraham. The Christ came from Israel. And Christ came to save, not only the Hebrews, but people from every tongue tribe and nation. The Psalmist understood that this was the plan, and so he, like an evangelist, calls all the earth to “shout for joy to God”. 

Two, the praise that is to be offered up to the God of Israel is to be joyful and glorious, for God is glorious, and the works that he has accomplished on our behalf are marvelous indeed. Brothers and sisters, consider this: The Psalmist is here calling out to you and to me to give glory to the God of Israel. We are the “people of the earth” to whom the Psalmist speaks. Yes, we live thousands of years after him. And yes, we live in a land that he did not know existed. But we are the Gentile peoples to whom he spoke. It is you and me who are being called in this Psalm to shout for joy to the Lord and to offer him glorious praise. Brothers and sisters, God has called us to himself for this purpose — to worship and serve him all the days of our life. When we prepare for worship on the Lord’s Day we must keep this in mind. We must come prepared to sing joyfully to God and to give him the glory that is due to his name.  

Three, it is the awesomeness of God’s deeds and the greatness of his power that is to motivate our praise. When I read the words, “How awesome are your deeds” in verse 3, I think of God’s work in creation and in redemption. When we consider God’s work of creation it should move us to joyful and glorious praise. And when we consider his work of redemption it should move us even more so. For in God’s work of redemption it is not only his power that is shown, but also his mercy and grace. Consider how God provided an ark for Noah in the days of the flood, brothers and sisters. Consider how he rescued Israel from Egypt. And above all consider the death of Christ, his burial, resurrection, and ascension. In all of these acts of deliverance, God’s mercy is displayed. But consider this: so too is his wrath. Noah and his family were saved, but the world was destroyed. The Israelites were set free, but the Egyptians were judged. And in Christ, we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins, but the wrath of God was poured out upon him as he stood in our place. So do you see that when we consider God’s gracious work of redemption, we must also consider his justice and wrath? And this is what the Psalmist calls us to   “give to [God] glorious praise!” And to say to him “How awesome are your deeds! So great is your power that your enemies come cringing to you.” 

And so our Psalm begins with a call to all of the people of the earth to come and worship the God of Israel. And what is to motivate them to come? They are to consider his mercy and grace, the marvelous works he has accomplished for our redemption. And also they are to consider his terrible and awesome judgments — they are to consider how his enemies cringe before him.  And this is to move them to come and partake of his grace, to worship and bow down, for his deeds are awesome, and he is worthy. 

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Consider God’s Redemption

In verses 5 through 7 we find an invitation to all people to come and consider what God has done to accomplish redemption for his people. Verse 5: “Come and see what God has done: he is awesome in his deeds toward the children of man. He turned the sea into dry land; they passed through the river on foot. There did we rejoice in him, who rules by his might forever, whose eyes keep watch on the nations— let not the rebellious exalt themselves. Selah” (Psalm 66:5–7, ESV)

Here in this section, the Psalmist testifies to the glory of God in redemption. He is like an evangelist, imploring all people, Jew and Gentile alike, to come and consider God’s work of redemption. “Come and see what God has done”, he says. “Come and see…” When he says, “He turned the sea into dry land” he speaks of the Exodus event and the parting of the Red Sea at the hand of Moses. And when he says, “they passed through the river on foot” he speaks of the stoping up of the Jordan in the days of Joshua, at the end of the wilderness wanderings, and at the beginning of the conquest of the promised land. And when he says, “There did we rejoice in him, who rules by his might forever, whose eyes keep watch on the nations— let not the rebellious exalt themselves”, he speaks of God’s providential care for Israel. This entire section is an invitation to all mankind to come and consider the great and marvelous work of redemption which God did accomplish for Israel. “Come and see what God has done”, he says.

Living now after the arrival of the Christ and the accomplishment of our redemption from sin and death through his shed blood, it is right that we do what the Psalmist implores us to do: to consider what God did for Israel to deliver them from Egyptian bondage, to lead through the wilderness and bring them safely into the land of promise. It is right for us to consider those things and to give God joyous and glorious praise, saying, “How awesome are your deeds! So great is your power that your enemies come cringing to you” (Psalm 66:3, ESV). But now that the Christ has come to accomplish our redemption, we must not stop there. We must also consider our redemption in Christ — our redemption from the kingdom of darkness, sin, and death. For we have passed from death to life, not by passing through the waters of the  Red Sea, but by being washed in Christ’s shed blood. The words, “come and see what God has done”, have greater significance for us now, not less. 

Brothers and sisters, “Come and see what God has done”! Perhaps this should be our call to worship each and every Lord’s Day. “Come and see what God has done” for us in Christ Jesus. Consider our redemption in him and “Shout for joy to God…. sing the glory of his name; give to him glorious praise!” (Psalm 66:1–2, ESV). This we should do each and every Lord’s Day, and day by day. And how important it is for us to “Come and see what God has done”, especially in times of difficulty when we are plagued with trials and tribulations. When we fix our eyes upon Christ and the work that he has accomplished for us in his life, death, burial, and resurrection, we gain perspective.  

It is only after we consider our redemption in Christ that we are able to confidently say with Paul, “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?… No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:31–39, ESV)

“Come and see what God has done.” That is the invitation that we should extend to one another each and every Lord’s Day, and this is the invitation that we are to extend to the world continuously. “Come and see what God has done.” Consider his work of redemption accomplished in the days of Noah, Abraham, Moses, David and Christ. Come and see. And having considered God’s awesome deeds, “Shout for joy to God… sing the glory of his name; give to him glorious praise!” (Psalm 66:1–2, ESV), through faith in his Christ. 

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Consider God’s Preservation

In verses 8 through 12 the Psalmist calls all people to consider God’s preservation in the midst of tribulation, which does involve testing and refinement for the people of God. God test’s his people. He refines them. But he does also preserve them in the trial. 

Verse 8: “Bless our God, O peoples; let the sound of his praise be heard, who has kept our soul among the living and has not let our feet slip. For you, O God, have tested us; you have tried us as silver is tried. You brought us into the net; you laid a crushing burden on our backs; you let men ride over our heads; we went through fire and through water; yet you have brought us out to a place of abundance” (Psalm 66:8–12, ESV).

It is difficult to know what trial the Psalmist had in mind as he wrote verses 8 through 12. These verses seem to describe Israel’s time in Egyptian bondage followed by the exodus event, but they may also refer to many other trials in the nation’s history. I think the vagueness is deliberate. The reader (or the worshiper) is to be moved by this passage to consider the way that God has preserved his people from generation to generation.

Friends, to belong to God in this world does not mean that you will be free from trials and tribulations. 

Consider the experience of God’s chosen people — Abraham and all of his descendants. They suffered in this world as they sojourned. Consider that Joseph was sold into slavery. Consider Israel in Egyptian bondage. Consider Israel in the wilderness. Consider King David on the run from Saul in those years before the throne was securely his. And consider Jesus the Christ, his disciples, and the church throughout the history of the world. God’s people are not immune to trials and tribulations. God’s people do suffer.

But God is with us in our suffering. 

He keeps us. “Bless our God, O peoples; let the sound of his praise be heard, who has kept our soul among the living and has not let our feet slip.”

He tests us to refine us. “For you, O God, have tested us; you have tried us as silver is tried. You brought us into the net; you laid a crushing burden on our backs; you let men ride over our heads…” This is very strong language. And I want for you to see how unashamed the Psalmist is to confess that it was God who willed the trial. He speaks to God, saying, “For you, O God, have tested us; you have tried us as silver is tried. You brought us into the net; you laid a crushing burden on our backs; you let men ride over our heads…” Now, it was not God who did the evil, but the Egyptians, and other wicked men. But God did permit the trial. He permitted it for a purpose. And Pslamest does not hesitate to confess this. 

Brothers and sisters, that God permits his people to suffer trials and tribulation to refine them and bring about a greater good and glory to his name is not a doctrine to be rejected, but warmly embraced. There is comfort for the people of God in this doctrine. God is with us in our suffering. And more than this, he has willed our suffering for our good and his glory. This means that there is a purpose in it. Can’t you see that the Psalmist is eager to confess this? He does not hide this reality, but invites the nations to “come and see.” “Come and see” how God has permitted our afflictions, has preserved us through them, so that we might be refined as silver. 

God’s people do suffer. That is a fact that cannot be denied. Christ himself suffered in the flesh. So did his apostles, and the prophets before them going all the way back to righteous Able. God’s people suffer in this world. The question is, how do we interpret that fact? I suppose there are a number of possibilities, rationally speaking. Perhaps God is not in control. He lacks the power to protect his people from harm. We know that this cannot be. Or perhaps God does not love his people. Maybe he hates them, and so he afflicts them. This answer is also unacceptable according to the scriptures. 

What then shall we say? If we are God’s people then we must say what the scriptures say: “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28, ESV). And “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” (James 1:2–4, ESV). And “Bless our God, O peoples; let the sound of his praise be heard, who has kept our soul among the living and has not let our feet slip. For you, O God, have tested us; you have tried us as silver is tried. You brought us into the net; you laid a crushing burden on our backs; you let men ride over our heads; we went through fire and through water; yet you have brought us out to a place of abundance” 

This was the experience of Israel in Egypt, in the exodus event, and in the conquest of the land of Cannan. A “crushing burden” was on their back”. They passed “through fire and through water”. Yet God brought them  “out to a place of abundance” 

This was the experience of Christ.  He was tested and tried. Men did ride over his head. And yet the Father brought him “out to a place of abundance”. Through suffering and death, all authority in heaven and earth has been given to him. 

And this was the experience of the Psalmist, all who are in Christ. Yes, even the martyr. God permits trials and tribulations. He refines us through them, and so we “count them all joy.” And he preserves our souls, bringing us out to that place of abundance. Ultimately this place of abundance is the new heavens and new earth.  

I will tell you, brothers and sisters, I do believe this to be a characteristic of one who is mature in Christ — they know that God is with them in the trial and is working good through it, and they are not ashamed to say, Bless our God, O peoples… For you, O God, have tested us; you have tried us as silver is tried. You brought us into the net; you laid a crushing burden on our backs; you let men ride over our heads; we went through fire and through water…” Those strong in faith know for certain that God will bring them “out to a place of abundance”. 

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Consider The Psalmists Praise

There is a significant transition in verse 13. The Psalmist speaks very personally and reveals to us how he will respond, saying, “I will come into your house with burnt offerings; I will perform my vows to you, that which my lips uttered and my mouth promised when I was in trouble. I will offer to you burnt offerings of fattened animals, with the smoke of the sacrifice of rams; I will make an offering of bulls and goats. Selah” (Psalm 66:13–15, ESV)

Clearly, after calling all people to worship, and after inviting all to consider God’s marvelous works of redemption and preservation, the Psalmist puts himself forth as the example. He runs to the temple to worship God extravagantly with burnt offerings of fattened animals — costly rams, bulls, and goats. It’s as if he is calling us to follow him there and to do likewise. He has implored the people to“Shout to joy for God.”  And he has invited them to “come and see what God has done.” And now he runs to worship the Lord extravagantly, hoping that as he does, the nations will follow. 

As I consider the structure of Psalm 66 and the obvious transition that takes place in verse 13 with the personal declaration, “I will”, I began to wonder, why isn’t there a “Selah” at the end of 12? Are you following me? At the end of each section of this Psalm, the worshipper is to pause and reflect (if that is indeed what the word means), but at the end of verse 12 there is no such marker, though we would expect to find one here. I began to wonder why. And then I thought, the lack of the “Selah” (where we might expect to find one) gives the impression that the Psalmist, having considered God’s marvelous work of redemption and his faithful preservation of his people, cannot wait to give God the glory. He rushes to worship. He sprints to the temple in verse 13. He cannot wait to go. And if we were to sing this Psalm, we would feel the same sensation. Perhaps we would experience a musical interlude to leave time for reflection after part 1 and part 2, but after considering part 3 we would, along with the Psalmist, run to the temple to respond to his call to worship to give God the glory that is due his name.

We do not worship at the temple, brothers and sisters. For Christ, the true temple of God has come. And we do not spill the blood of bulls and goats in worship, for Christ, the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, has shed his blood to atone for sin once and for all. We do not run off to the temple in Jerusalem to offer up shouts of joy to the Lord. No, we run to assemble with God’s people on the Lord’s Day. It is here that we give glory to the Father through faith in Jesus Christ.  But the message of this Psalm is the same. Having considered the greatness of God’s works, we are to run to worship. Let us respond by giving God the glory in his church, which is the temple of the Holy Spirit. 

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Consider The Psalmists Testimony

Lastly, in verses 16 through 20 we encounter a very personal testimony from the Psalmist. “Come and hear, all you who fear God, and I will tell what he has done for my soul. I cried to him with my mouth, and high praise was on my tongue. If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened. But truly God has listened; he has attended to the voice of my prayer. Blessed be God, because he has not rejected my prayer or removed his steadfast love from me!” (Psalm 66:16–20, ESV)

You will notice that this is the most personal portion of the Psalm. Here we are given a glimpse into the Psalmist’s heart. And you will notice that the audience has changed. Instead of a call to “all the earth”, here we find a call to “all…  who fear God”. “Come and hear, all you who fear God, and I will tell what he has done for my soul” (Psalm 66:16, ESV). It’s as if the Psalmist is now speaking to those who, having considered the marvelous works of God, have run with him to the temple. And what does he share with them? He shares what God has done for his soul. He testifies to God’s faithfulness, to his willingness to forgive sin, and to hear his prayer. He blesses God “because he has not rejected [his] prayer or removed his steadfast love from [him]!” (Psalm 66:20, ESV)

What a marvelous and fitting conclusion to this Psalm which began with a call to worship in response to the marvelous works of God in redemption a reminder of the judgments of God — verse 3: “Say to God, ‘How awesome are your deeds! So great is your power that your enemies come cringing to you.’” But here at the conclusion, the Psalmist testifies to the mercy of God and to his steadfast love. Those who run to the temple to worship, who confess their sins and turn from them, find forgiveness and love. And we know that this forgiveness is only possible through faith in the Christ that God has sent.  

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Conclusion

 Brothers and sisters, we are to do what the Psalmist has done when we assemble together in God’s house on the Lord’s Day. When we come together we are to remember what God has accomplished for us in Christ — he has forgiven us all our sins and has redeemed us from the curse of the law, the power of the evil one, and the fear of death. And we are to remember that he is always with us to refine, preserve, and protect us. And having considered these things anew and afresh, we are to worship. We are to sing joyous praises to our God and testify to one another concerning all that God has done for our souls. He is faithful, brothers and sisters. He is eager to forgive our sins and to hear our prayers when we gather in his temple in Jesus’ name. 

While it is undeniable that this past year was a difficult one, as God’s people we have reason to shout for joy and to give thanks. And we are to go on in confidence knowing for certain that his steadfast love endures forever.