Devotional Short Note on Psalm 65: Dear commentators, Christians and Jews, in the past have done unsacred things with this Psalm: that David did not write it and some choir-member of the temple wrote it (Rabbi Ibn Ezra 1092-1167); that it was written after some crime or after the Assyrians died in Hezekiah’s day. The answer is simple, although Hengstenberg did not understand it either but he did admit that future forms of the verb are prevalent in the Psalm. They all threw up their hands and honestly admitted that with their preteristic model of past event seeking method, they could not find a single event in David’s life to relate the Psalm to. Answer. They will not. Only a historicist look at the Psalm can give a proper meaning since nearly all the verbs are futures except some past verbs that are probably “prophetic past” forms.

If your translation is reading past tense, you might want to use a pen and write the futures at the verbs since it is there. David is talking about eschatology and a time when the saints will be “in Zion” “praising” the Lord and “vow will be performed” (65:2b). This event is still in waiting for God and now continuously God hears prayers (65:3a). But, David says, the time will come when the waiting (65:2a dumiyyah) will be over and “unto You shall all flesh come” (65:3b). This is not a general round up of all humans but those who feared the Lord in their lives with living obedience to Him.

David says that the History of the Fall in Sin of humanity is “too heavy for me” (65:4a). Sin denial is the biggest sin. David is on the right track here. “As for our transgressions, You will pardon them” (65:4b). If one focus on sin one is lost but focusing on the solution to sin by God’s engine of salvation is a different ball-game altogether.

David then uses the jargon of Wisdom literature by starting with “blessed” is the one “You will choose” (65:5a). He/she will be chosen, “You will bring him/her near. He/she will occupy Your court” (65:5b). The word for “occupy” here is really “tentdwelling” the same as when Christ came to tentdwelling (John 1:14 which Frank Holbrook saw as language from Exodus and the Greek word resembles the Hebrew root almost identical in ἐσκήνωσεν =  ישכן        among people at the Incarnation. It is the word David is using for resurrected saints living in God’s abode. Of course scholars in the preteristic mode will find no precedent in the history of Israel for this description. They are right in their honesty admitting their inadequacy.

“We will [future] be satisfied with the goodness of You house, the Holy Place of Your temple” (65:5c-d). Although for the Jews to visit the temple area or Western Wall is the “sacrament” of their membership in God’s household, this verse has nothing to do with our history. It is the heavenly temple and God’s abode where David and saints will be satisfied.

God will answer “us” [David included] “with works arousing awe in righteousness, O God of our salvation” (65:6a-b). This is the place where the saints will see their Redeemer face to face, Christ our Righteousness in verity. “Who is the confidence/trust of all the ends of the earth and of the far distant seas” (65:6c-d).

There is a question and an answer by David: Question: “Who set stable the mountains in His strength?” Answer: “We will gird about with might” answers God, the Trinity since it is the first person plural of the verb and not the singular. The question was in the singular but the answer came in the plural. David cannot set stable mountains. No human can. This is the Divine God answering.

Question from David again: “Who still the roaring of the seas, the roaring of their waves and the tumult to the peoples?” Christ stilled the angry sea of Galilee is the answer. Who does these things David says, “and they will fear and will dwell in the ends of Your signs? The ones who will rejoice morning and evening?” (65:9). Why morning first? The Resurrection morning is important. Christ was arose in the morning and the Second Coming may be in the morning at which time the Resurrection will take place.

The prophetic past is used by David here, “You have remembered the earth and will water her, greatly will You enrich her” (65:10). “With the river of God that is full of water, You will prepare them corn, for so You will prepare her”. God is going to recreate the earth anew as the Book of Revelation also explains in the final chapter. David knew all this. He was not uninformed as many scholars make him out to be. For many commentators on the Bible in other denominations, eschatology does not exist in the Old Testament except after the Persian times. Good morning.

David says that God will “water her ridges, You will settle down the furrows thereof, You will make her soft with showers, You will bless the growth thereof” (65:11). This eschatological agricultural event by God is a wonder we do not want to miss. David neither.

“You crown [prophetic past] the year with Your goodness, and Your paths will [future] drop fatness” (65:12).

In that glorious day of recreation by God of this earth after the Hell event burning all evil, “the pastures of the wilderness will drop and the hills will be girded with joy” (65:13).

“To cloth the meadows of the flock and the valleys will be covered corn. They will shout for joy, truly, they will sing” (65:14). It is a farmers dream to look up and see the valleys as far as their eyes can see covered with beautiful corn. In amazement they will shout. Coming from an Asian country with a group of Asians to South Africa, they are soon shouting for joy seeing the maize fields into the horizon. Heaven will have this effect and more to the saints.