Psalm 66

Psalm 66

Glorious Praise

I. We must make God’s praise glorious, so we must give Him exuberant corporate praise (Vv. 1-12)

a. The psalmist begins his call to praise on the corporate level by calling the whole earth to praise God. He call us to make God’s praise glorious through shouting, singing, and proclaiming God’s glory because of who He is and what He does. His praise is glorious when it’s the spontaneous and exuberant overflow of our hearts. Truly exuberant and glorious praise of God for His great Name and works, is also reflected in heartfelt obedience to Him. As the psalmist says, even God’s enemies can fake singing and shouting over Him, but their lack of obedience will reveal the true nature of their heart, and ultimately all creation will praise God for who He is. (Vv. 1-4; Ps. 22:27; 86:9; 98:4; 100:1; 102:15; Rom. 15:9-12; Phil. 2:9-11; Rev. 5:9-10)

b. True depth of exuberant and glorious praise comes from experiencing who God is through what He does; because God does what He does because of who He is. He is merciful, gracious, loving, just, righteous, and holy; and all of who He is, is testified to through His creative, sustaining, redeeming, and ultimately judging works. Because the psalmist has a true heart of praise, he’s compelled to praise God for His amazing works, and call the world to exuberant praise by seeing the amazing works of God for themselves. God showed His love towards the Israelites by revealing Himself to them, making them His covenant people, and preserving them through His promises. They praise God especially for His works in the Exodus account and their receiving the promised land. God divided the waters of the Red Sea to deliver His people from enslavement to the Egyptians, and forty years later, He divided the Jordan River for His people to take possession of the land which He promised them. God delivered, provided for, and sustained His people then, and He’s provided for the deliverance and provision of all people through them, in the finished work of Jesus Christ. When we look for God’s mighty hand in all things, even through trials, difficulties, and discipline, it’s His sovereign hand that directs all things towards His glory, His purposes, and our good. We make His praise glorious by trusting in Him in all things and at all times, and by testifying to Him in all things and at all times. No matter how things might appear, God is in control, and we must praise Him exuberantly for it! The psalmist calls the world to look around and see that God’s power never weakens, that He’s at work in all things at all times, and if they’ll look for His mighty and sovereign Hand in all things, they won’t exalt themselves, but will praise Him and ultimately enjoy His abundance. (Vv. 5-12; Exod. 14:10-31; Josh. 3:13-17; Ps. 23:5; John 3:16; 4:22; Rom. 8:18-28; Eph. 1:9-23; Heb. 12:4-11)

II. We must make God’s praise glorious, so we must give Him exuberant personal praise (Vv. 13-20)

a. Instead of moving from personal praise to corporate praise, the psalmist has moved from a global call to praise, to a national call to praise, and now he reflects on his personal praise. First, he declares that we make personal praise for God glorious when we exuberantly and fully dedicate our lives to Him. The psalmist had called on God when he was in a time of great distress. God had been faithful and delivered him out of his circumstances, so now the psalmist is following through with his promises to make costly sacrifices to God. The sacrifices, specifically costly rams, bulls, and male goats, are to be burnt offerings, which is to say total sacrifices, leaving nothing. The psalmist’s value of God’s faithful deliverance is seen in the level of sacrifice returned to God in exuberant and glorious praise. But, the blood of animals was never sufficient to fully pay for humanity’s rebellious sin. The cost of our deliverance from sin and death is the shed blood of the Son of God, and so we make our praise of God glorious when we offer up ourselves completely, as living sacrifices to God in exuberant worship of Him. (Vv. 13-15; Rom. 8:1-9; 12:1-2; Heb. 9:22; 10:4-10)

b. Lastly, the psalmist declares that we make personal praise for God glorious we exuberantly worship Him through prayer, and testify to what He has done in and through us as a result. The psalmist cried out to God in prayer, praising Him enthusiastically, and God responded. The psalmist isn’t claiming to be perfect or free of sin, which would leave no chance that God would respond to his prayers. He claims that although he’s not perfect, in his heart he loves God and not sin, so God is gracious, merciful, and compassionate to hear his humble prayers and answer for His glory. The psalmist’s heart for God, which compels him to turn to God in humble prayer, and then share how God is faithful and good to listen, respond, and bless him, makes his prayers glorious praise to God! (Vv. 16-20; Isa. 59:1-2; Jas. 4:1-4a; 5:16; 1 John 1:5-10; 5:14-15)