Psalm 66

November 2, 2008

 

We spend a lot of time talking about our “personal relationship” with Jesus Christ and it is proper that we do so for in the depth of that relationship lies our eternal future. But sometimes we forget to talk about this world’s “corporate experience” of God. Psalm 66 tells us the world judges the everyday and the extraordinary events of this world different from the way people of faith interpret these same events. The psalm begins with the way the whole earth either already has or will respond to God and ends with the heartfelt response of the psalmist to God’s work in his life. This psalm shows how the interpretative choices we make determine our future by telling us that the Christian life grows in intensity and power as we encounter God. Let’s see where we find ourselves this morning.

 

1 Shout with joy to God, all the earth!

 2 Sing the glory of his name;
       make his praise glorious!

 3 Say to God, "How awesome are your deeds!
       So great is your power
       that your enemies cringe before you.

 4 All the earth bows down to you;
       they sing praise to you,
       they sing praise to your name."
       Selah

 5 Come and see what God has done,
       how awesome his works in man's behalf!

 6 He turned the sea into dry land,
       they passed through the waters on foot—
       come, let us rejoice in him.

 7 He rules forever by his power,
       his eyes watch the nations—
       let not the rebellious rise up against him.
       Selah

 

When someone is stilled by the beauty of a sunset or is touched by fingerprint of God through His revelation of Himself in nature, when someone experiences the overwhelming power of nature in a earthquake, a hurricane, or a flood, when someone witnesses a powerful event for which they have no explanation, there is a moment, no matter how brief, when they touch something beyond themselves.  When a mom and a dad hold their newborn child for the first time, when they witness the overwhelming courage of young soldier on the battlefield in the face of overwhelming odds, when medicine is able to bring life to one who should have died long ago, we need someone with which to share that moment. When the world witnesses the death of saint, rebellion dissipates.

 

James Montgomery Boice (An Expositional Commentary on Psalms: Vol. 2, Psalms 42-106; Baker Books, 1996, p. 539) says this psalm talks about the fact that although God is God of the whole earth and all the peoples of the earth should acknowledge him as God and be thankful, the reality is that all people do not. He says, “They may be awed by God, but do not worship. They may say “God is trying to tell us he is not pleased with us,” but we never see any significant turning to God following a natural disaster.”

 

We know this, don’t we?  When newscasters or public officials comment on some difficult experiences, they quite often say, “our prayers go out to…” or they call on “All Americans to pray” but they cannot point us to a Father who knows our every need and stands by ready and willing to respond.  When Joshua sent the spies into Jericho, Rahab told them, “Great fear of you has fallen on us, so that all who live in this country are melting in fear because of you.  We have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to Sihon and Og, the two kings of the Amorites east of the Jordan, whom you completely destroyed. When we heard of it, our hearts melted and everyone's courage failed because of you, for the LORD your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below” (Joshua 2:9-11). At the same time, only Rahab turned to God in faith; the rest of the city hid behind walls that would crumble in their hour of need.

 

God’s revelation of Himself through world events alone rarely seems to convince the skeptic. But the family of faith should see the world differently.

 

8 Praise our God, O peoples,
       let the sound of his praise be heard;

 9 he has preserved our lives
       and kept our feet from slipping.

 10 For you, O God, tested us;
       you refined us like silver.

 11 You brought us into prison
       and laid burdens on our backs.

 12 You let men ride over our heads;
       we went through fire and water,
       but you brought us to a place of abundance.

 

While the Palestinian world only watched as God made a powerful nation of a group of Israelite slaves under the guidance of Moses and Joshua, a second and new generation of Jews corporately experienced God’s abundant provision. This psalm captures the essence of a blessed nation: “You, O God, tested us; you refined us like silver, and brought us to a place of abundance.”  The heart of faith sees the trials and tribulations of the desert as growing pains, as something we must experience if we want to become mature. The eye of faith searches until it finds the hand of God in all that we go through as a nation; the self-centered heart fills with bitterness when tried by the same events.

 

Craig R. Smith ( http://www.snopes.com/politics/soapbox/hitnail.asp) wrote an article in World Net Daily which has been rewritten an attributed to either Jay Leno or David Letterman and circulated through email “forwards.” This article illustrates how different people can look at the same events and view them completely differently.

 

“The other day I was reading Newsweek magazine and came across some poll data I found rather hard to believe. It must be true given the source, right?

The Newsweek poll alleges that 67 percent of Americans are unhappy with the direction the country is headed and 69 percent of the country is unhappy with the performance of the President. In essence 2/3 of the citizenry just ain't happy and want a change. So being the knuckle dragger I am, I started thinking, 'What are we so unhappy about?''

Is it that we have electricity and running water 24 hours a day, 7 days a week?

Is our unhappiness the result of having air conditioning in the summer and heating in the winter?

Could it be that 95.4 percent of these unhappy folks have a job?

Maybe it is the ability to walk into a grocery store at any time and see more food in moments than Darfur has seen in the last year?

Maybe it is the ability to drive our cars and trucks from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean without having to present identification papers as we move through each state?

Or possibly the hundreds of clean and safe motels we would find along the way that can provide temporary shelter?
I guess having thousands of restaurants with varying cuisine from around the world is just not good enough either.

Or could it be that when we wreck our car, emergency workers show up and provide services to help all and even send a helicopter to take you to the hospital.

Perhaps you are one of the 70 percent of Americans who own a home.

You may be upset with knowing that in the unfortunate case of a fire, a group of trained firefighters will appear in moments and use top notch equipment to extinguish the flames, thus saving you, your
family, and your belongings.

Or if, while at home watching one of your many flat screen TVs, a burglar or prowler intrudes, an officer equipped with a gun and a bullet-proof vest will come to defend you and your family against attack or loss.

All of this comes in the backdrop of a neighborhood free of bombs or militias raping and pillaging the residents—neighborhoods where 90% of teenagers own cell phones and computers.

How about the complete religious, social and political freedoms we enjoy that are the envy of everyone in the world?

Maybe that is what has 67% of you folks unhappy.

Fact is, we are the largest group of ungrateful, spoiled brats the world has ever seen. No wonder the world loves the U.S., yet has a great disdain for its citizens. They see us for what we are—the most blessed people in the world who do nothing but complain about what we don't have, and what we hate about the country instead of thanking the good Lord we live here.”

While our corporate faith and point of view make us a nation, ultimately we will be judged on what our eyes see and our hearts internalize. This is the truth our psalmist found.

13 I will come to your temple with burnt offerings
       and fulfill my vows to you-

 14 vows my lips promised and my mouth spoke
       when I was in trouble.

 15 I will sacrifice fat animals to you
       and an offering of rams;
       I will offer bulls and goats.
       Selah

 16 Come and listen, all you who fear God;
       let me tell you what he has done for me.

 17 I cried out to him with my mouth;
       his praise was on my tongue.

 18 If I had cherished sin in my heart,
       the Lord would not have listened;

 19 but God has surely listened
       and heard my voice in prayer.

 20 Praise be to God,
       who has not rejected my prayer
       or withheld his love from me!

 

The secret to a worshipping heart is found in verses 13 and 14.  Our psalmist was in trouble and cried out to God.  In the midst of his trouble he turned his whole life over to God—that is the significance of a “burnt offering”—and in so doing found God faithful. This event was so real and powerful that our psalmist symbolically gave God everything he had—rams, bulls, and goats (all plural).  It is hard for us living today to understand the huge cost of this offering.  But to know that God “listened” (v18) and “heard my voice in prayer” (v19) and to know that God did not “reject” (v20) him but instead “loved” (v20) him, was all that mattered.

 

This psalm reminds us that everyone already has experienced God at some level.  To be human is to know that God exists, it is the universal experience that links humanity.  But many of us are confused by these experiences instead of enlightened.  There is a day coming when all of this will be clarified, that day we stand in His glorified presence and bow and worship Him. 

 

Identifying that hand while on earth makes us Christians and what we share together is our corporate praise.  Our corporate praise and working together by sharing our spiritual gifts makes us a family. This is why we praise him for His great acts of salvation, the salvation He makes available to all of us. In Israel’s case it was the Exodus, in our case it was the cross. Life brings all of us our trials, our tests, and our tribulations.  Those events are opportunities that help us personally experience God’s grace and allow us to come to know Him individually. When we find ourselves personally in great distress, when we realize we are powerless to save ourselves and we called out to God and He answers us, those who are His children present all they have on the altar of sacrifice.  To be love and not rejected by God, to be heard and not ignored, is the greatest reality any of us can experience.  To experience His presence constantly is our ultimate reality.

 

Whether you find that reality or spend your life always wanting more, something that always seems to elude you begins with how you interpret a sunset. Is it God’s goodnight kiss or is it something to overlook on your eternal search for happiness?