One person I have always looked up to is my grandfather, Jack O'Kelley. He is a man from whom I have learned much, not only from what he has taught me, things like how to fish and how to ride a bike, but also from watching his actions as I have grown up. Many things I have seen in his life reveal a man of great character who deeply loves God, his church, and his family.
For instance, when I was younger, I often spent a lot of time at my grandparents’ house during the summers while my mom was at work. I remember watching him study his Bible in preparation to teach his Sunday School class each week. I also have numerous memories of him serving our church in all sorts of ways, often taking care of things behind the scenes that few people probably knew about. He would take time to tend to the church's flowerbeds, and he changed the scripture and sermon title on the church sign each week. He would spend hours in a small back room making copies of audio recordings of the sermon to distribute to the homebound members and those who requested them. Even though he is now 82 years old, he still does as many of these things as he is able.
Furthermore, in the past few years, as my grandmother has suffered from Alzheimer’s, I have watched him as he has loved her and cared for her so faithfully, sitting with her, talking to her, feeding her. These numerous actions I have witnessed in my grandfather's life, and continue to do so, have demonstrated to me his character and are evidence of a life profoundly shaped by the gospel of our Lord Jesus.
You know, our words, but even more so our actions, demonstrate our character, that is who we really are. And this is not only true of my grandfather and all of us. It is true of our great God as well. What we have before us this morning in this psalm of David is the fruit of David's meditation on who God is as demonstrated by three things he does. In the Bible, not only does God speak to us about who he is, but also he shows us who he is as we see how he has acted in history and continues to act for our good and his glory.
Furthermore, this knowledge of who God is should move us to worship. This is exactly what David was doing in this thanksgiving psalm, leading the people to praise God in response to who he is as demonstrated by some of his actions. Essentially, what we see in this text this morning is a call to praise our God because he gives us grace (vv. 1-4), he exhibits his might (vv. 5-8), and he provides for us abundantly (vv. 6-13). Let me repeat that in case you are taking notes. This text calls us to praise our God because he gives us grace (vv. 1-4), he exhibits his might (vv. 5-8), and he provides for us abundantly (vv.6-13). Now let's look more closely and see these three things in this psalm.
In the first part of psalm, vv. 1-4, we see that God gives us grace. David first calls the people to worship by confessing three things about God and their response to him. In the first half of v. 1, "Praise is due to [God]...in Zion." God, by virtue of who He is, being the creator, the redeemer, the most perfect being in the universe, is eminently worthy of our praise. David was acknowledging that the proper response to God is praise.
Furthermore, at this point in redemptive history, the proper place for worshipping God was at Zion, or Jerusalem. Yet we must note that we being under Christ, under the New Covenant, do not have to worship at Jerusalem. God no longer dwells in a temple at Jerusalem but in his people. He is near to us, and we are able to worship him anywhere. Remember the words of Jesus to the woman at the well in John 4, "Woman, believe me, ?the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father...But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” That hour that Jesus spoke of is now, and this morning, by virtue of Christ's work, Christians are gathering all over the world to worship him, not just in Jerusalem.
In the second part of verse 1, David states, "To you shall vows be performed." A vow would have been a promise made to God as an act of devotion to him and in asking him to answer prayer. For example, in 1 Samuel, Hannah vowed that if the Lord would give her a son, Samuel, he would be given to the Lord’s service. This was another way David was declaring his and the people’s intention to worship.
Finally in v. 2, David states, "O you who hear prayer, to you shall all flesh come." God hears our prayers and is the one to whom all people, all nations, will come. David envisioned a day when people of every nation would come to Jerusalem to worship God. We, who now know the whole biblical story, know that this is being fulfilled even now and will be completed when Christ returns to consummate his rule on the earth. In all three of these statements David is expressing his and the people's intention to come and worship their God. However, there is a problem we encounter in v. 3, sin.
It says, "When iniquities prevail against me, you atone for our transgressions." Though this verse does not translate very smoothly into English, essentially what David is doing here is confessing his and the people's sins and declaring that God provides atonement. God, who is perfectly holy, calls us to relationship with him, yet we are wicked sinners. If men and women are to draw near to God in worship, their sin must be atoned for. This was the purpose of the entire sacrificial system of the Old Testament. God provided a way for the sinful people of Israel to dwell in his presence and in relationship with him. God atoned for their transgressions, and for those of us who are believers, he atones for ours as well.
Looking back from this side of the cross, we know even more how God atoned for theirs and our transgressions. As the author of Hebrews wrote in chapter 10, it was not the blood of bulls and goats that took away sin. It was Jesus Christ, God himself in flesh, who lived the life we could not live perfectly fulfilling the law, who was crucified taking the wrath of God for our sin, and who rose three days later. Hear the words of Hebrews 10:12-14, "But when Christ? had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he ?sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified." God atones for the sins of his people through Christ! God has wonderfully demonstrated his grace to us, yet there is even more here in the first stanza of Ps. 65 for which to praise him.
Look with me at verse 4. "Blessed is the one you choose and bring near, to dwell in your courts! We shall be satisfied with the goodness of your house, the holiness of your temple!" David declares the one that God chooses to bring near is blessed, favored by God, and that those who draw near to worship him will be satisfied with his goodness and holiness. Friends, let me remind you this morning that if you are a Christian, if you have repented of your sins and placed your faith in Christ Jesus, if God has brought you near to Him, this is not your own doing. It is God who calls, atones, and draws us near to him, and this should stir our hearts to awe and wonder at the sheer mercy and grace of our God. That God would allow sinners such as us to worship him and be satisfied with his goodness and holiness is astounding! God has so greatly blessed us with his grace, which demonstrates his loving and merciful character. Brothers and sisters, let this stir our affections and move us to worship our great God this morning as it moved David and God's people of old! Yet, as moving as this is, it is not the only that David holds up to show who God is and move his people to worship.
In the second part of the psalm, vv. 5-8, we see that God exhibits his might. Look with me at this second part of the psalm and listen again to David's description of God's mighty acts. "By awesome deeds you answer us with righteousness, O God of our salvation, the hope of all ?the ends of the earth and of the farthest seas; the one who by his strength established the mountains, being girded with might; who stills the roaring of the seas, the roaring of their waves, the tumult of the peoples, so that those who dwell at the ends of the earth are in awe at your signs. You make the going out of the morning and the evening to shout for joy."
God responds to his people with "righteousness" that he shows in "awesome deeds." Now you may be thinking, “What exactly are these deeds that David describes?” First, he vividly presents God's might in establishing the mountains and stilling the seas (v. 6). At creation, God shaped the whole earth, raising the mountains and lowering the valleys, all by his mighty word. If you have ever been to the Rockies or the Appalachians or another mountain range, you know how great and awesome the mountains are, and God by his might crafted them. God also rules over the chaotic and churning oceans. You may have seen pictures or video before of stormy seas or a hurricane. God is sovereign over the waters and can still them in an instant. He even demonstrated this when he came in the flesh in Mark 4. God has demonstrated his awesome might in the natural world.
Second, David uses the raging of the ocean as a metaphor for the tumult of the nations. Tumult is a word for confusion or disorder. God here is displayed as the one who can bring peace ultimately to the chaotic and unruly nations. In ruling over them, he demonstrates again his might and also his righteousness. However, you might be thinking at this point, “God rules over the nations? Then why is there so much violence and suffering?” This we must admit is true. The world is full of wickedness and chaos. Yet, we trust God’s word, which tells us that God can bring peace to the tumult and one day he will when Christ returns and rule over all and make all things right.
Finally, we cannot overlook the significance of these acts. David declares that they are to be a sign for the nations. Just as he alluded to in verse 2, God is the one to whom all flesh, all nations, eventually come and hope. His power and righteousness demonstrated in creation and in ruling the world is meant to move people to awe and praise. This is ultimately not just for Israel but also for all people. Look at verse 8. These things are "So that those who dwell at the ends of the earth are in awe at your signs. You make the going out of the morning and the evening to shout for joy." Now what does the going out of the morning and the evening shouting of joy have to do with the nations worshipping God? Well, since the psalms are poetry, we know they use a lot of images and descriptive language. What David is referring to is the extremes of the ends of the earth, the far east where the sun rises and the far west where it sets. Again, David envisions a day when the nations will respond in worship to God. Brothers and sisters, this day that David looked towards and alluded to is now. The good news of Jesus' life, death, and resurrection is going out to the ends of the earth, and people are coming to faith and coming to worship the Lord. As John Piper has said, "Missions exists, because worship doesn't." The Church is on mission to take the gospel to the ends of the earth until people from every tribe and tongue come to faith and worship our great God and Savior. And this is being fulfilled in our midst this morning as we worship. We are gathered here this morning as Gentiles worshipping God at the ends of the earth. Therefore as we think on God's demonstration of his might, let us be moved to awe and shout for joy just as David hoped. Yet there is one more act of God that David holds up to stir us to worship.
In the final stanza, vv. 9-13, we see that God provides for us abundantly. The climatic stanza of this psalm contains a beautiful poetic description of God's abundant blessing of Israel's land. This emphasis on God’s provision probably indicates that this psalm was originally composed to celebrate the harvest. David describes God as coming with rain to enrich the earth and prepare it for the growing season. God “visit[s] the earth and water[s] it.” His provision of rain is poetically described as a river in v. 9. The rain softens the hard earth and prepares it for planting. In that part of the world the ground can be very hard and dry and the winter and spring rains are needed to soften it and prepare it for planting. God was the provider of their grain for “so [he had] prepared it” we see in v. 9, and the rains are God’s way of blessing the earth’s growth. In v. 11, David declares that it is God who “crowns the year with [his] bounty.” The rows of crops, if you can envision this in your mind, are depicted as God moving through the land in a wagon or a chariot laden with food that overflows into the wheel ruts. The picture here is one of great abundance and bounty. This description finds its climax in vv. 12 and 13. “The pastures of the wilderness overflow, the hills gird themselves with joy, the meadows clothe themselves with flocks, the valleys deck themselves with grain, they shout and sing together for joy.” The land is putting on its best in response to God. It is bursting with life and growth as if it is erupting into joyous song. What a beautiful display this is.
Many of us have probably seen something like this as we have been out in or driving through the countryside around Jackson during the late summer or early fall. Crops as far as the eye can see. Trees all around are decked in green foliage. Or maybe you have seen this in a small scale in your own yard or garden. All of this, the beauty, the abundant provision of food, is God’s work. The preparation of the land and the growth of the crops is ultimately his work.
Does this denigrate the work of the farmer? Not at all for we know God uses means to accomplish his ends, but I am sure any farmer or gardener will tell you, they do not cause the growth. That is God’s doing. Paul even appeals to this idea in speaking of the building up of the Church. In 1 Cor. 3:6-7, he states, “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.” God is the great provider for the physical needs of his people. So the final act we see which reveals God’s character is this: God demonstrates his great love and care for his people in providing for their needs. This should move us to praise and offer thanks to our God. When we sit down to eat lunch here in a little while, may we be mindful that all that we are partaking of is a blessing from God. May we give thanks to our Father for providing food for our bodies, and in the coming months as winter turns to spring and the land begins to become filled with color once again, let us be moved to praise God for his abundant provision.
Over 2,000 years ago David penned these words to lead the people of Israel in the praise of their God. Here we are today being moved by these same words, yet O how much more perspective God has given us through the rest of his Word. David knew of God’s grace through the sacrificial system that God provided for them and the forgiveness they received. Yet as I mentioned earlier, we know that that forgiveness comes through a perfect sacrifice who died once for all for sin, our Lord Jesus.
David knew of God’s might as demonstrated at creation and in God’s ruling of the nations, and along with this, we know that someday, on the last day, we will see God’s great might in the recreation, when Christ returns and brings final peace to the tumultuous nations.
David knew of God’s provision for his people, as do we, and now we draw near to the table to partake of a meal that proclaims Christ’s death and points us to that final day when we shall enjoy the bounty of the Lord’s table with him at the marriage supper of the lamb. Brothers and sisters, let us rejoice with praise at our great God who is gracious, mighty, and generous towards us this morning. God was at work in David’s day; he is at work in our day and has been working throughout history to demonstrate his great character. Our proper response can be nothing less than joyful worship. Perhaps you are here this morning and you are not a believer in Jesus. You may think, “What have I to benefit from hearing about God’s graciousness, might, and provision?” Well, you have already benefitted of these kindnesses. Even before we come to faith, we enjoy God’s grace towards us in a myriad of ways. Were it not for God’s grace, you could not even live. You experience God’s might in the created world that he shaped and form, and it is he that rules over the nations and restrains their evil. Finally, you enjoy his provision in the food and drink that sustains you each day. As Romans 2:4 tells us, “God’s kindness is meant to lead [you] to repentance.” If you have not turned from your sins and placed your faith in Christ, I want to urge you this morning to do so. Jesus fulfilled God’s law perfectly, died on the cross for sin, and was raised three days later. He commands everyone to turn from his or her sins and place their faith in Him alone for salvation. So this morning, if you have not done this, I urge you to do so.
Finally, brothers and sisters, as we come to the table and sing songs of praise, let us rejoice and give thanks to God for his bountiful provision for our physical needs, for his might in creation and in ruling the nations, and most of all, for his great grace demonstrated to us in the atonement he has provided through Jesus Christ his Son. Let us pray.