[To the chief Musician, A Psalm and Song of David]
1 Praise waiteth for thee, O God, in Sion: and unto thee shall the vow be performed.
2 O thou that hearest prayer, unto thee shall all flesh come.
3 Iniquities prevail against me: as for our transgressions, thou shalt purge them away.
4 Blessed is the man whom thou choosest, and causest to approach unto thee, that he may dwell in thy courts: we shall be satisfied with the goodness of thy house, even of thy holy temple.
5 By terrible things in righteousness wilt thou answer us, O God of our salvation; who art the confidence of all the ends of the earth, and of them that are afar off upon the sea:
6 Which by his strength setteth fast the mountains; being girded with power:
7 Which stilleth the noise of the seas, the noise of their waves, and the tumult of the people.
8 They also that dwell in the uttermost parts are afraid at thy tokens: thou makest the outgoings of the morning and evening to rejoice.
9 Thou visitest the earth, and waterest it: thou greatly enrichest it with the river of God, which is full of water: thou preparest them corn, when thou hast so provided for it.
10 Thou waterest the ridges thereof abundantly: thou settlest the furrows thereof: thou makest it soft with showers: thou blessest the springing thereof.
11 Thou crownest the year with thy goodness; and thy paths drop fatness.
12 They drop upon the pastures of the wilderness: and the little hills rejoice on every side.
13 The pastures are clothed with flocks; the valleys also are covered over with corn; they shout for joy, they also sing.
—Psalm 65 KJV Bible
This is a psalm of David; a hymn of thanksgiving. In the song, David praises God for His favor, for His greatness, and for His harvest. God is magnified as Redeemer, Creator, and Provider.
Many consider this to be a harvest psalm. The Jews had three festivals of harvests. The first was Passover (March to April), when they brought in barley. The second was Pentecost (May to June), when they brought in wheat. The third was Tabernacles (September to October), when they picked the grapes. The bread and wine, made from the grain and the grapes, remind Christians of the bread and wine that Jesus described at the Passover meal as His body and blood. And the Apostle Paul described Jesus as the "first fruits," or first harvest, of the resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:20). If this song truly was used as a harvest psalm, some think it would have been sung at Passover.
In verses 1 through 4, David praises God, the Redeemer, for His favor. In verse 1, David tells of God being in “Zion,” an expression for Jerusalem, where the Ark of the Covenant was kept during David's reign. David speaks of offering his “vow.” The "vow," or votive offering, is a sacrifice brought to God in relation to a past or future favor. This was one of the types of peace offerings explained by Moses in Leviticus 7:12-17 and Leviticus 22:17-33. Moses taught God's requirement that when bringing a sacrifice for a peace offering to fulfill a special vow, or for a freewill offering, the animal must be perfect; without a defect. In verse 4, David speaks of dwelling in the "courts," or close to the presence of God. The psalm makes other reference to God's temple or place of worship, though the first physical temple in Jerusalem was not built until the reign of David's son Solomon.
In verses 5 through 8, David praises God, the Creator, for His greatness. God will bring wondrous things that cause the wicked to fear and the righteous to glorify God. God, in his power, fashioned the mountains. And God can still the roaring of the ocean waves and the roaring of the people. Even those who dwell the most distant parts of the earth are afraid of God’s “tokens” —thunder, lightning, earthquakes, volcanoes, tornados, hurricanes, comets, and meteors. The people also marvel and rejoice at God’s “tokens” —morning, evening, birdsong, and other joys of God’s creation.
In verses 9 through 13, David praises God, the Provider, for His harvest. From His endless “river” of water, God covers the earth with rain, making the soil soft and fertile for growing. God blesses the sprouting plants and brings forth bounteous harvests of fruit and grain. Though few people live in the wilderness, it is suitable to pasture herding animals. Even they rejoice because they have plenty.
Father, you provide me with so much, yet I do not often show my appreciation. Please forgive me. I thank You for Your wondrous works. I thank You for Your creation and Your provisions. And I thank You for your redemption and the gift of Your Son.
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