Psalms
Chapter 66
Let the Whole World Acclaim God
Shout with joy to God, all you on earth;
sing to the glory of his name; proclaim his glorious praise.
Say to God, “How great are your deeds! How formidable your power, that makes your enemies cower!
All the earth bows down to you, making music, in praise of you, singing in honor of your name.”
Come, and see God’s wonders; his deeds, awesome for humans.
He has turned the sea into dry land, and the river was crossed on foot. Let us, therefore, rejoice in him.
He rules by his might forever; his eyes keeping watch on the peoples; his arm, holding the rebels in check.
Praise our God, O nations; let the sound of his praise be heard;
for he has preserved us among the living and kept our feet from stumbling.
Why did you test us, O God; and refine us like silver?
You let us fall into the snare; you burdened us with disgrace.
You allowed a nobody to rule over us; and we have gone through fire and water, but you have brought us to safety at last.
I will bring offerings to your house in fulfillment of my vows—
those I made, when assailed with troubles.
I will offer holocausts of fatlings, sending up smoke of burning rams, and a sacrifice of goats and bulls.
(65) Let the Whole World Acclaim God1Shout with joy to God, all you on earth;
I cried aloud to him, extolling him with my tongue.
If I had nurtured wickedness in my heart, then the Lord would not have heard.
But God has listened; he gave heed to my prayer.
May God be blessed! He has not rejected my prayer; nor withheld his love from me.
Commentaries
66
The ‘we’ in verses 2 to 12 suddenly shifts to ‘I’ in verse 13. Suppose this isn’t a combination of two separate psalms. In that case, one might assume that the leader (possibly the king?) is speaking about his people or that a private individual has used a national psalm to introduce his prayer. Overall, it’s more plausible to think that an editor later joined two psalms. Both parts share feelings of relief and joy. Therefore, the psalmist invites us to praise God for his many blessings. In fact, most of us, at some point, have experienced God’s Invisible Hand at work. Many of us probably have special talents and countless blessings to thank him for. Additionally, if some of us are still waiting for these gifts, Jesus told us in Matthew 6:31 and again in verse 34, “Do not worry…” and then in Matthew 7:11, “How much more, then, will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask him!”
The psalmist recognizes that God has not only created nature but also protects his people from a hostile world, and he recalls his saving acts. “We thank you, Lord God, Master of the universe, who are and who were, for you have begun your reign, using your invincible power. The nations raged, but your wrath has come, the time to judge the dead and reward your servants, the prophets, the saints, and those who honor your Name—whether great or small—and destroy those who destroy the earth” (Rev 11:17-18). Let us reflect on our history or that of the Church, and we will see how much God has done for us. Thus, we will worship, praise him, and give thanks.