Today’s Passage: Psalm 66
This psalm begins by calling the whole earth to make a joyful noise to God, and then it invites everyone to come and see what He has done: how He turned the sea into dry land and brought His people through on foot. Partway along, the many voices narrow down to one. A single worshiper steps forward to enter God’s house, to pay the vows he made, and to tell all who will listen what God has done for him. And the psalm ends in wonder that God has surely heard his prayer.
As you read, hold this: Come and see the works of God. He has not rejected my prayer.
Psalm 66:1-4 (BSB)
For the choirmaster. A song. A Psalm. ¹ Make a joyful noise to God, all the earth! ² Sing the glory of His name; make His praise glorious. ³ Say to God, “How awesome are Your deeds! So great is Your power that Your enemies cower before You. ⁴ All the earth bows down to You; they sing praise to You; they sing praise to Your name.” Selah
Notice how wide the opening is. It is all the earth that is summoned to sing, and it is God Himself that the whole world is told to address, until even His enemies cower before the greatness of His power. The very first call to worship is not a private one.
Psalm 66:5-7 (BSB)
⁵ Come and see the works of God; how awesome are His deeds toward mankind. ⁶ He turned the sea into dry land; they passed through the waters on foot; there we rejoiced in Him. ⁷ He rules forever by His power; His eyes watch the nations. Do not let the rebellious exalt themselves. Selah
Context Come and see
When the psalm remembers the sea becoming dry land, it is remembering Israel’s own crossing out of Egypt, and it still sings of that far-off day as though it were ours: there we rejoiced in Him. And the same God who parted those waters still keeps His eyes upon the nations. The God of that crossing is not done watching over His people.
Psalm 66:8-12 (BSB)
⁸ Bless our God, O peoples; let the sound of His praise be heard. ⁹ He preserves our lives and keeps our feet from slipping. ¹⁰ For You, O God, have tested us; You have refined us like silver. ¹¹ You led us into the net; You laid burdens on our backs. ¹² You let men ride over our heads; we went through fire and water, but You brought us into abundance.
Tested, tsaraph, pronounced tsah-RAF. Strong's H6884, to smelt, refine metal by fire. The word means to smelt, to hold metal in the fire until the dross runs off and only the pure metal is left. The net, the burdens, the fire and the water are all named here as God’s own work, not as random misfortune, and all of it is aimed at the abundance waiting on the far side. , led into the net, with men riding over their heads, brought through fire and water, and then at last into a place of abundance. Through every hard mile of it the word stays we, the whole people held together in the hands of God.
Psalm 66:13-15 (BSB)
¹³ I will enter Your house with burnt offerings; I will fulfill my vows to You— ¹⁴ the vows that my lips promised and my mouth spoke in my distress. ¹⁵ I will offer You fatlings as burnt offerings, with the fragrant smoke of rams; I will offer bulls and goats. Selah
Now the voice becomes I. The vows made in the day of distress are carried into God’s house and paid there, and the paying is costly and done in the open where everyone can see.
Psalm 66:16-20 (BSB)
¹⁶ Come and listen, all you who fear God, and I will declare what He has done for me. ¹⁷ I cried out to Him with my mouth and praised Him with my tongue. ¹⁸ If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened. ¹⁹ But God has surely heard; He has attended to the sound of my prayer. ²⁰ Blessed be God, who has not rejected my prayer or withheld from me His loving devotion!
Study notes Come and see. Come and listen.
Back in verse 5 the invitation was come and see; now in verse 16 it becomes come and listen. First the whole nation’s crossing, and then the testimony of one mouth. Had this worshiper cherished sin in his heart, the Lord would not have listened. But God has surely heard him, and He has not rejected his prayer.
"so that the proven character of your faith, more precious than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire, may result in praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ." 1 Peter 1:7 (BSB)
It is the same refining heat, and here it is our faith that is being proven, more precious than gold, and aimed at praise and glory and honor when Christ is revealed. It is the same gospel, running from this psalm all the way through to us.
Come and see the works of God. He has not rejected my prayer.