Psalms 66

Shout to God, all the earth. Wesley: All the earth—all nations. Universal summons opens the song.

Join the earth's shout. Joy to God is not private property of one people; all the earth is addressed.

Calvin: all the earth is called to shout—Gentile inclusion already sounded. Joy is owed to God for His works.

Both traditions share this call to all the earth. The earth's joy is commanded because God's deeds deserve it.

Sing to the glory of his name! Offer glory and praise! Wesley: Name—his glorious perfections. Praise must match the glory named.

Sing His name's glory. Let praise be glorious, not grudging; the Name summons worthy song.

Calvin: sing forth the honor of His name—make His praise glorious. Doxology is the fitting response to revealed glory.

Glorify the Name aloud. Half-hearted praise misrepresents the God named.

Tell God, “How awesome are your deeds!” Through the greatness of your power, your enemies submit themselves to you." Wesley: Say—to God, and of him. Cringing enemies prove power.

Speak theology to God: awesome deeds, great power. Enemies' forced submission warns the rebellious heart to yield willingly.

Calvin: men must address God concerning His terrible works; enemies submit feignedly under constraining power.

Power that makes enemies cringe invites willing worship from the faithful.

All the earth will worship you, and will sing to you; they will sing to your name. Selah. Wesley: Worship—shall worship. Prophetic certainty of worldwide praise.

Shared hope—earth will worship. Labor and pray toward that end; sing now as firstfruits of the nations' song.

Calvin: all the earth shall worship—certainty of God's universal praise. Selah invites pause over the promise.

Mission rests on God's purpose that the earth sing His name.

Come and see God’s deeds—awesome in his work for the children of men. Wesley: Come—and behold. Invitation to observe providence.

Come and see. Faith looks at deeds; invite others to behold what God has done for humankind.

Calvin: Come and see—the works of God toward the children of men are terrible and worthy of contemplation.

God’s deeds are public, and the psalm invites us to come and see. God's deeds toward mankind are public enough to summon spectators.

He turned the sea into dry land. They went through the river on foot. There, we rejoiced in him. Wesley: Sea—the Red sea. River—Jordan. Exodus memory fuels present joy.

Rehearse Red Sea and Jordan. Corporate "we" rejoices in old deliverances as present warrant for trust.

Calvin: He turned the sea into dry land; they went through the flood on foot—Exodus and Jordan prove awesome deeds. There we rejoiced.

Both traditions share this covenant memory. Past crossings ground present praise; identity is "we" who rejoiced in Him.

He rules by his might forever. His eyes watch the nations. Don’t let the rebellious rise up against him. Selah. Wesley: Behold—looks upon all their ways. Forever rule checks rebel pride.

Shared warning—do not exalt yourself under the Eye that watches nations. Forever might outlasts every revolt.

Calvin: He rules by His power forever; His eyes behold the nations—rebellious must not exalt themselves. Surveillance of nations is comfort and threat.

Providence is perpetual. Rebel self-exaltation is folly before the forever King.

Praise our God, you peoples! Make the sound of his praise heard. Wesley: Peoples—ye Gentiles. Nations bless "our" God—Israel's God made known.

Shared mission—call peoples to bless. Make His praise audible; silence is not neutrality.

Calvin: O bless our God, ye people—Gentiles summoned to audible praise. "Our God" becomes the nations' confession.

Sound of praise must be heard. Peoples are addressed because election of Israel aimed at wider blessing.

Who preserves our life among the living, and doesn’t allow our feet slip. Wesley: Holdeth—keeps and preserves. Living souls and steady feet are gifts.

Shared gratitude—held among the living, feet not slipping. Acknowledge holding grace; walk carefully in answer.

Calvin: He holdeth our soul in life and suffereth not our feet to be moved—preservation is continual.

Life and stability are held by God. Slippery paths do not finally cast down those He keeps.

For you, God, have tested us. You have refined us, as silver is refined. Wesley: Tried—as silver is refined. Testing is refining, not pointless pain.

Trials refine. Yield to the Refiner; silver's beauty comes through fire you must not refuse.

Calvin: Thou, O God, hast proved us, as silver is refined—affliction is God's furnace for purifying His people.

Both traditions hear God refining his people like silver. The Refiner's fire is purposeful; He does not abandon the silver in the heat.

You brought us into prison. You laid a burden on our backs. Wesley: Net—of troubles. Affliction is ascribed to God's bringing.

Shared hard truth—God brought into the net. Honesty about His hand in hardship deepens trust rather than atheism.

Calvin: Thou broughtest us into the net and laidst affliction upon our loins—God is author of the trial as well as of the issue.

Even the net and the crushing burden stand under God’s rule. Crushing burden is not outside His rule; that fact comforts when men also oppress (v. 12).

You allowed men to ride over our heads. We went through fire and through water, but you brought us to the place of abundance. Wesley: Ride—tyrannize over us. Fire and water—extreme dangers. Yet—abundance after extremity.

Shared arc—through fire and water into abundance. Hold yet in the middle of riding oppressors; God brings out.

Calvin: men rode over our heads; we went through fire and water; yet Thou broughtest us into a wealthy place—deliverance crowns the ordeal.

Extremity is not the last word. Abundance is God's exit from the path He led through.

I will come into your temple with burnt offerings. I will pay my vows to you. Wesley: Burnt-offerings—in token of my gratitude. House and vows answer deliverance.

Pay what you promised. Gratitude takes bodily form in worship and kept vows.

Calvin: I will go into Thy house with burnt offerings and pay Thee my vows—private deliverance becomes public worship.

Vows in trouble must be paid in peace. Enter the house with offerings, not excuses.

That which my lips promised, and my mouth spoke, when I was in distress. Wesley: Opened—uttered. Trouble-born vows bind in ease.

Shared integrity—remember what your mouth opened in distress. Keep promises made under pressure when relief comes.

Calvin: which my lips have uttered when I was in distress—vows made in anguish are not to be forgotten in prosperity.

God records trouble-vows. Faithfulness after rescue honors the Hearer of prayer.

I will offer to you burnt offerings of fat animals... bulls and goats. Selah. Wesley: Offer—costly and acceptable sacrifices. Costly thanks fit great deliverance.

Give worthily. Fatlings and incense of praise answer abundance; stingy thanks misread mercy.

Calvin: burnt sacrifices of fatlings with incense of rams—liberal offerings express felt mercy. Selah marks the resolve.

Generosity in worship mirrors God's generosity in rescue.

Come and hear, all you who fear God. I will declare what he has done for my soul. Wesley: Fear—reverence and serve. Testimony is for God-fearers.

Tell your soul's story. Come-and-hear evangelism among those who fear God strengthens the congregation.

Calvin: Come and hear, all ye that fear God—I will declare what He hath done for my soul. Personal mercy becomes communal instruction.

For the church: shared witness. God-fearers are the apt audience; declaration glorifies the Doer.

I cried to him with my mouth. He was extolled with my tongue. Wesley: Mouth—with my voice. Cry and praise can share one tongue.

Cry and exalt together. Petition that already praises trains the heart for v. 19's listening God.

Calvin: I cried unto Him with my mouth and He was extolled with my tongue—prayer and praise intertwined.

The praying tongue is also the praising tongue. Cry without forgetting exaltation.

If I cherished sin in my heart, the Lord wouldn’t have listened. Wesley: Regarded—loved and cherished. Heart-cherished sin blocks audience.

Cherished iniquity is a barrier—the Lord wouldn’t have listened. Shared warning: do not hug sin and claim open ears in heaven. Grace convicts so the heart may release what it regarded.

Calvin: if I regard sin in my heart, the Lord will not hear—hypocrisy voids prayer. God requires integrity of affection, not mere words.

Heart idolatry silences prayer's claim. The heard petitioner of vv. 19–20 is one whom grace has turned from regarding iniquity.

But most certainly, God has listened. He has heard the voice of my prayer. Wesley: Verily—truly. Attended listening answers honest cry.

Shared assurance—God has listened. Let "most certainly" steady weak faith; attended prayer is not imagination.

Calvin: but verily God hath heard—He attended to the voice of prayer. Certainty follows the cleared heart of v. 18.

God has truly heard. Divine attention is the privilege of upright petition.

Blessed be God, who has not turned away my prayer, nor his loving kindness from me! Hesed retained closes the psalm.

Shared doxology—bless God for unrejected prayer and unremoved love. End in blessing, not in self-congratulation.

Calvin: Blessed be God who hath not turned away my prayer nor His mercy from me—prayer answered and hesed kept are twin gifts.

Mercy not removed is the deeper gift beneath answered prayer. Bless God for both.