Psalm Sixty Five
by Dr. Henry M. Morris
(taken from the Defender's Study Bible)
To the chief Musician, A Psalm and Song of David.
Psalm 65:1 Praise waiteth for thee, O God, in Sion: and unto thee shall the vow be performed.
Psalm 65:2 O thou that hearest prayer, unto thee shall all flesh come.
hearest prayer. It is most amazing and wonderful that the omnipotent God, seated on His heavenly throne, listens to our prayers! He can do this because the third Person of the Triune Godhead, the Holy Spirit, is present in the bodies of all believers (John 14:16-18).
Psalm 65:3 Iniquities prevail against me: as for our transgressions, thou shalt purge them away.
whom thou choosest. Although we may freely choose to approach God (Romans 10:13, etc.), the glorious mystery of God's election is that we then find that He had already chosen us (Ephesians 1:4; John 15:16)!
Psalm 65:6 Which by his strength setteth fast the mountains; being girded with power:
stilleth the noise of the seas. The roar of a troubled sea is analogous to the tumult of quarreling anxious nations (Luke 21:25). Only the Lord Himself can still the waves (Matthew 8:26), speak peace to the nations (Zechariah 9:10) and calm the troubled soul (Isaiah 26:3).
at thy tokens. The “tokens” of the Lord are the “signs” (same word) established in the heavens (Genesis 1:14), to be seen by people of all times, even in the uttermost parts of the earth, as a testimony of the Creator and His purpose in creation.
outgoings. The “outgoings” (same Hebrew word as for “goings forth” in Psalm 19:6 and Micah 5:2) of the morning refers to the life-sustaining radiations from the sun; the “outgoings” of the evening refers to the guiding lights of the moon and stars.
river of God. The “river of God” in this context refers to the remarkable machine known as the hydrologic cycle, which continually provides water for the life of the earth.
Psalm 65:11 Thou crownest the year with thy goodness; and thy paths drop fatness.