The Nation Praised God

Psalms 66:1–7
» View this passage in NIV (Bible Gateway)

The four psalms - 65, 66, 67, and 68, form a quartet of prophetic utterance concerning the coming age. We do not know for sure who wrote this Psalm. However there is good reason to believe that it was written by godly King Hezekiah after the final overthrow of Jerusalem by Sennacherib.

The Psalmist calls on the whole earth to respond with great honor to God’s royal majesty. The works of the great king brings “awe: among the worshiping community. Everyone is urged to praise the Lord by shouting (v. l), singing (vv. 2,4) and speaking (vv. 3-4). But God’s “enenies” too will “bow” down before the Lord, though not from the heartt. All peoples of the earth, willingly or unwillingly , will one day “bow down” before the Lord, singing praise to His holy name. There is not much real singing in the world today, which faces oppression, war, hunger and false religion. Two thirds of the world’s population, over four billion people, live in the world’s poorest countries. Every second two more human beings populate this planet. We cannot visualize what hunger means to so many. Then famine is only part of the problem. War, disease, false religion, and downright wickedness all add to the misery.

The writer was remembering the famous story about God’s rescue of the Israelites parting the red sea. He saved the Israelites then and He continues to save His people today. The psalmist calls on the nations to see that God’s awesome works on behalf of man demonstrate His sovereignty (vv. 5-7). Israel’s crossing the Red Sea and the Jordan River were notable acts of God’s power and deliverance.  Therefore people should realize that He rules forever by His power (v. 7), putting down rebels and delivering His people. There will not be much fight left in the anti-Semitic world powers after Armageddon. Like whipped puppies the nations will submit themselves to the mighty hand of God.

Application

The writer above was remembering the Biblical account about God’s rescue of the Israelites by parting the Red Sea. God saved the Israelites then and He continues to save His people today. I’m so thankful the Lord saved me in the middle of the Atlantic ocean in 1954.