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Text: Psalm 66
The psalm is divided into four parts that begin with an instruction and end with the Selah. The first is verses 1-4 to make a joyful noise unto God. The second is come and see the works of God in verses 5-7. The third is to bless our God in verses 8-15. And the fourth is come and hear in verses 16-20.
Make a joyful noise (vss 1-4)
- Make a joyful noise is not a verse about the qualifications for leading congregational singing.
- It’s a command. If you’re not excited about the Lord, learn to get excited about Him and find joy in Him.
- Can you imagine having to tell someone whose soul was saved out of eternal damnation that they need to be joyful about the one who saved them?
- Can you further imagine that soul not only not wanting to joy in the God of their salvation, but after being told to be joyful they made a conscious choice NOT to be.
- We’ll make noise about the things that move us.
- I notice that the noise is unto God. It’s not for the crowd and it’s not necessarily public.
- It will be the future state of the world eventually.
Come and see the works of God (vss 5-7)
- Crossing of the Red Sea is a miraculous event done for the nation of Israel against Egypt and for all the world to see the mighty hand of God.
- The cross of Christ
- The current work of God among His people.
- We subject our eyes and vision to anything but the work of God.
- We look for trouble.
- We look for bad news.
- We look for faults in others.
- We behold lies.
- We covet with our eyes.
- I notice in these commandments that if you’re doing them you don’t have to “struggle” with sin as much. If I’ve occupied my line of sight with what God is doing that means I’m not putting something wicked before my eyes.
- How characteristic is that of the Lord Jesus Christ’s answer to the lawyer who asked what the greatest commandment was. Instead of a negative commandment of thou shalt not, the Lord says love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, strength, mind, and love your neighbor as yourself and you’ll fulfill the law.
O bless our God (vss 8-15)
- He’s the Rock, the security, the promise, an anchor
- Someone said the doctrine of eternal security makes people want to sin. If the steadfastness of the Lord makes you want to sin then your heart isn’t right with God. And whatever you think you got saved from it obviously wasn’t sin.
- Do things that make God happy. Take responsibility for submitting to the Lord who bought you with a price and you are no longer your own, if that’s true of you.
Come and hear (vss 16-20)
- If a saved soul does the first three commands in this psalm, then this one will be easy. You won’t have to be told to be an ambassador for God because you’ll be so full of the Lord He’ll be coming out of you.
- Fear God is the first step to receiving anything from God. It’s the beginning of wisdom, knowledge, etc.
- Those that pray without the fear of the Lord don’t have any audience with God.
- Prayers that don’t get heard
- Regard iniquity in your heart (vs 18)
- Not hear vanity (Job 35:13, Matthew 6:7)
- Practices sin secretly (Ezekiel 8:6-18)
- Ye ask amiss that ye may consume it on your lusts.
- David is thankful for God’s mercy.
