Verse-by-Verse Bible Commentary
Psalms 66:7

Clarke's Commentary

Verse Psalms 66:7. He ruleth by his power — His omnipotence is employed to support his followers, and cast down his enemies.

His eyes behold the nations — He sees what they purpose, what they intend to do; and what they will do, if he restrain them not.

Let not the rebellious exalt themselves. — They shall not succeed in their designs: they have their own aggrandizement in view, but thou wilt disappoint and cast them down.

Selah. — Mark this. It is true.

Bridgeway Bible Commentary

Psalms 66-67 God and the nations

It appears that in Psalms 66:0 the people join in singing the first part of the song, and that the king sings the latter part alone. The song opens with a call to people worldwide to sing praise to God for a notable victory he has just won for Israel (66:1-4). Centuries earlier God brought Israel out of Egypt and led the people through the Red Sea, and the same God still rules in the affairs of nations (5-9). The worshippers acknowledge that in allowing them temporarily to be defeated, God had been working for their good. His purpose was to correct their waywardness so that once again they might enjoy the freedom of life that is found only in his presence (10-12).

The king then sings his praises, promising to present sacrifices in fulfilment of the vows he made to God during the time of trouble (13-15). He urges godly people everywhere to take note of what the experience has taught him (16). Above all, it has taught him not to ignore personal wrongdoing. God answers the prayers of those who have no known sin unconfessed in their lives (17-20).

Psalms 67:0 shows God’s loving purposes towards all the nations of the world. When the people of Israel enter into the fulness of God’s blessing, they will be in a fit condition to take the message of his salvation to other nations (67:1-3). These nations will then have their way of life changed through coming under the just rule and merciful guidance of God (4-5). People everywhere will rejoice in God’s good gifts and offer thanks to him (6-7).

Coffman's Commentaries on the Bible

GOD’S MIGHTY DEEDS OF THE PAST RECALLED

“Come and see the works of God; He is terrible in his doing toward the children of men. He turned the sea into dry land; They went through the river on foot: There did we rejoice in him, He ruleth by his might forever; His eyes observe the nations: Let not the rebellious exalt themselves. (Selah)”

“He turned the sea into dry land” This is a reference to the passage of Israel though the Red Sea on dry land and the subsequent drowning of the army of Pharaoh in the same sea.

“They went through the river on foot” They not only did that, the children of Israel went over the Jordan on foot when the river was at flood stage! “It is noteworthy that throughout the Psalms no other historical event is viewed with as much awe and wonder as the Exodus crossing of the Red Sea. There are no less that eight of the Psalms that speak of it, Psalms 18; Psalms 66; Psalms 74; Psalms 77; Psalms 78; Psalms 89; Psalms 106, and Psalms 136.”The New Bible Commentary, Revised, p. 491.

“Come, and see the works of God” Now the people who received this psalm could by no stretch of imagination “come and see” the mighty works of God mentioned in the same breath, namely, the crossing of the Red Sea and the crossing of Jordan. Then, what was it that the psalmist here invited the people to “Come, and see?” One possibility is that the nations were to come and look at the dead army of Sennacherib. There may have been some other mighty work of God just as wonderful as that; but it could have been that very thing.

“His eyes observe the nations… let not the rebellious exalt themselves” Delitzsch gave the meaning here as follows: “God’s eyes keep searching watch among the peoples; the rebellious who struggle against God’s yoke and persecute God’s people, had better not rise against Him. It will go ill with them if they do.”F. Delitzsch, Vol. V-B, p. 235.

Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible

He ruleth by his power for ever - literally, “Ruling by his power forever.” The idea is, that he does this constantly; in each age and generation. He never has ceased to rule; he never will. His dominion extends from age to age, and will stretch forward forever. The power which he evinced in delivering his people he retains now, and will retain forever. In that unchanging power, his people may confide; that unchanging power, the wicked should fear.

His eyes behold the nations - All nations; all people. He sees all their conduct. They can conceal nothing from him. They should, therefore, stand in awe. The wicked have much to fear from One who sees all that they do, and who has power to crush and destroy them. Compare the notes at Psalms 11:4.

Let not the rebellious exalt themselves - Be lifted up with pride, or feel secure. They cannot overcome an Almighty God; they cannot escape from his power. The word rebellious here has reference to those who are impatient under the restraints of the law of God, and who are disposed to east off his authority. The admonition is one that may be addressed to all who thus rebel against God, whether they are nations or individuals. Alike they must feel the vengeance of his arm, and fall beneath his power.

Calvin's Commentary on the Bible

7.He ruleth by his power over the world The Hebrew word עולם, olam, which I have translated the world, signifies occasionally an age, or eternity; ⁽⁴⁷⁴⁾ but the first sense seems to agree best with the context, and the meaning of the words is, that God is endued with the power necessary for wielding the government of the world. What follows agrees with this, that his eyes behold the nations Under the law, Judea was the proper seat of his kingdom; but his providence always extended to the world at large; and the special favor shown to the posterity of Abraham, in consideration of the covenant, did not prevent him from extending an eye of providential consideration to the surrounding nations. As an evidence of his care reaching to the different countries round, he takes notice of the judgments which God executed upon the wicked and the ungodly. He proves that there was no part of the human family which God overlooked, by referring to the fact of the punishment of evil-doers. There may be much in the Divine administration of the world calculated to perplex our conclusions; but there are always some tokens to be seen of his judgments, and these sufficiently clear to strike the eye of an acute and attentive observer.

(474) Our English version renders the word in this last sense. Hammond, with Calvin, prefers reading, “over the world.” “That עולם,” says he, “ἄιὼν, as the English age, signifies not only time and duration, but also the men that live in any time, there is no question. And then מושל עולם, must here most properly be rendered ruling the world, or over the world; and so the Chaldee certainly understood, who read, ‘who exerciseth dominion over the world;’ and so I suppose the LXX. their ‘δεσπόξουτι τοῦ ἀιῶνος,’ ‘having dominion over the world,’ doth import.” The Vulgate, in this instance not following the Septuagint, has “in aeternum,” “for ever.”

Smith's Bible Commentary

Psalms 66:1-20

Psalms 66:1-20 :

Make a joyful noise unto God, all ye lands: Sing forth the honor of his name: make his praise glorious ( Psalms 66:1-2 ).

Sing forth the honor of the name of the Lord; make His praise glorious. Oh, that men would praise the Lord, the scripture says, for His glorious works.

Say unto God, How awesome art thou in thy works! Through the greatness of thy power shall your enemies submit themselves unto you. All the earth shall worship you, and shall sing unto you; they shall sing to thy name ( Psalms 66:3-4 ).

And here again, "Every knee shall bow, every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is the Lord to the glory of God the Father." "All of the earth shall worship and shall sing unto Thee, and shall sing to Thy name." God has highly exalted Him; given Him a name that is above every name. That at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess.

Come and see the works of God: he is awesome is his doing toward the children of men. He turned the sea into dry land: they went through the flood on foot: and there did we rejoice in him ( Psalms 66:5-6 ).

So, take a look at what God has done, dried up the Red Sea so that His people were able to come though on dry land.

He rules by His power for ever; his eyes behold the nations: let not the rebellious exalt themselves. O bless our God, ye people, and make the voice of his praise to be heard: which holds our soul in life, and allows not our feet to be moved. For you, O God, have proved us: you have tried us, as silver is tried. You brought us into the net; and you laid affliction upon our loins. You've caused men to ride over our heads; we went through the fire and through the water: but you brought us out into a wealthy place ( Psalms 66:7-12 ).

And so, God took us through the fire, God took us through the water, but they were all necessary as God was seeking really to purge us, to purify our lives, that He might bring us into that place of abundance in Christ. Jesus said, "I am the vine, ye are the branches. Every branch in Me that bringeth forth fruit, He purgeth" ( John 15:1-2 ). The word purge is cleanses. He washes it.

Now if you go over to Israel today and through the area between Bethlehem and Hebron, the valley of Eshcol, the area where Joshua and Caleb picked a cluster of grapes that was so big that they tied it onto a stick that they carried between them. There in the valley of Eshcol grow some of the most delicious grapes in all the world. And it is interesting that these grapevines grow on the ground. You'll see these big stocks and they put rocks under them to prop them up maybe eight inches or so, but they grow on the ground. They don't set up the terraces or anything for them, or the wires and all, but they let them grow on the ground. But they are fabulous grapes. But in growing on the ground, as the grapes are developing, during the summertime they will come along and they will take these bunches of grapes that are lying there on the ground, and they will lift them up, and they will wash them in order that they may develop even fuller and better. That they might get more fruit. If they just stay on the ground, those that are lying on the ground will sort of rot, but they'll lift them up, they will prop them up, they'll wash them.

And Jesus said, "And every branch of Me that bringeth forth fruit," He washes it that it might bring forth more fruit. "Now you are clean through the word that I have spoken unto you" ( John 15:3 ). There is a process of God in your life of washing, cleansing. There is also the process of God in our lives of that purifying through fire, as silver or gold is refined. That refining process of God, the end result, the producing of a more quality kind of a fruit for His glory. Because, basically, that is what God is looking for from your life, that you bring forth fruit for His glory.

God wants to work in you. God desires to do a work in your life, but never is God satisfied with just working in you. The work of God is in me first, that's necessary. The husbandman must be the first partaker of the fruit, but God is working in me in order that having worked in me, He may now work through me to touch the needy world around me. So God works in you what He can do for you, in order that He might do through you in helping others who are in need. So the work of God in me is first of all subjective, that which He is desiring to do in my life. But always with God there is the objective in view, that which He can do through my life in touching others. And so, we are to bless God and make the voice of His praise heard. He will not allow your feet to be moved. He has proved us and tried us as silver in order that He might bring forth that fruit from our lives, that purity from within. That He might bring you in to the wealthy place. Oh, how rich I am in Christ. Oh, the riches of God's glorious grace in Christ Jesus.

I will go to your house with burnt offerings ( Psalms 66:13 ):

And the burnt offerings were the offerings of consecration. So, "I will go to Your house with offerings of the consecration, God, where I consecrate my life to You."

I will pay thee my vows, which my lips have uttered, and my voice had spoken, when I was in trouble ( Psalms 66:13-14 ).

That's when vows are usually made to God, when a person is in trouble. I have found that there is nothing like trying to surf in a stormy surf, you know, when it is really running high, to cause you to make vows to the Lord. I have been up on top of some of those waves looking down, saying, "Lord, if You get me out of this, I promise I'll go home." Vows, when I was in trouble. "Lord, just get me out of this mess. And I'll serve you. Lord, just help me to get out of here, and I'll go to church. I'll do anything, Lord. Help me." Well, the Lord listens to those vows that you make when you are in trouble and after He's done His part, He expects you to do your part. "I will pay the vows which my lips uttered when I was in trouble."

I will offer unto thee the burnt sacrifices of the fatlings, with the incense of rams: I will offer bullocks with goats. Come and hear, all ye that fear God, and I will declare what he hath done for my soul. I cried unto him with my mouth, he was extolled with my tongue. If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me: But verily God hath heard me; he hath attended to the voice of my prayer ( Psalms 66:15-19 ).

Now he says, "Come and let me tell you what God has done for me. He has heard. He has attended to the voice of my prayer." But he said, "If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me."

A lot of times we wonder why our prayers are not answered. And one of the reasons for which prayers are sometimes not answered is because of the iniquity in our lives. In Isaiah 59:1-21 God declared, "Behold the hand of the Lord is not short, that He cannot save. Neither is His ear heavy that He cannot hear. But your sins have separated you from God." In other words, the problem in prayer is not always on the upper end, which we are prone to usually think when our prayers aren't being answered. "What's the matter with God? Why isn't God answering my prayers? Is God deaf? Is He having problems hearing me? What's going wrong?" And we usually think that the problem lies on the upper end. Quite often the problem lies on the lower end. Our prayers are coming forth from a deceitful heart, from a wicked life. "If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord doesn't hear me when I pray." That is, if I am regarding and plotting and planning evil and iniquity. "Your sins have separated," Isaiah said, "between you and your God."

Does God hear the prayer of a sinner? The president of the Southern Baptist church I guess got in trouble recently by a statement that he made concerning whose prayers God hears. In the New Testament there was a man who was born blind, and Jesus came to him and said, "Would you like to see?" And he said, "Sure would." So Jesus spit on the ground, made some mud, put it in his eyes and said, "Go down to the pool of Siloam and wash that out." And the man went down to the pool of Siloam, and when he washed out his eyes, he could see. Now it happened on the Sabbath day, so it got the Jews upset. And they said to the man, "How is it that you can see?" And he told them the story. "This man came and He put this mud in my eye and He told me to go and wash. And He said when I washed I could see." And they said, "Who was it?" And he said, "I don't know." They said, "Well, we know He has got to be a sinful man, because He told you to violate the Sabbath." He said, "Whether He was a sinner or not I do not know, but all I know is where I was blind, now I can see." But he said, "If He were a sinful man, how was it that God hears His prayers, because we know that God does not hear the prayer of the sinners."

Now that particular statement cannot be taken for doctrinal truth. Cause this is the statement of a blind man in a conversation with the Pharisees. It's just quoting the statement of this man. The truth of the matter is that God does hear the prayer of sinners, or else you would all still be sinners. God hears you when you said, "Oh God, be merciful to me a sinner." He hears that prayer. How much more, I don't know. David said, "If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord does not hear me when I pray." God said through Isaiah, "It isn't that My ear is heavy that I cannot hear, but your sins have separated, they have severed connections, between you and God." So David is rejoicing in the fact that the Lord heard his prayer.

Blessed be God, which hath not turned away my prayer, nor his mercy from me ( Psalms 66:20 ). "

Dr. Constable's Expository Notes

1. The nations’ praise 66:1-12

Dr. Constable's Expository Notes

Psalms 66

This is a psalm of thanksgiving, as was the previous one. We do not know the writer or the occasion for sure. In this psalm, God’s people acknowledged His deliverance and invited other people to join them in praising Him.

"This psalm shows the move from communal affirmation to individual appreciation, which is what we always do in biblical faith." [Note: Brueggemann, p. 139.]

"The exhortation to praise the Lord begins with the Gentile nations (Psalms 66:1-7), moves to Israel (Psalms 66:8-12), and concludes with the individual believer (Psalms 66:13-20)." [Note: Wiersbe, The . . . Wisdom . . ., pp. 210-11.]

Dr. Constable's Expository Notes

God’s great acts in nature and history demonstrate His sovereign authority over all the earth. The Red Sea and Jordan River crossings demonstrated this authority to all the nations (cf. Joshua 2:9-11). Nations should therefore pause before rebelling against the Lord.

Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible

He ruleth by his power forever,.... Christ is the Ruler in Israel, King over his holy hill of Zion; who must reign till all enemies are put under his feet. He rules in the kingdom of nature and providence by his power, and does whatsoever he pleases; nor can any stay his hand. He rules in the kingdom of grace, in the hearts of his people, by his efficacious grace; which makes them willing, in the day of his power, to be subject to him; and in the latter day he will take to himself his great power and reign, when he will be King for ever. His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, it shall never be subverted nor usurped; nor will he in it be succeeded by another; he will reign to the end of the world, throughout the thousand years, with his saints on earth, and then with them in heaven for evermore. The Targum renders it,

"over the world;''

over the whole world; for Christ will be King over all the earth in the latter day, Zechariah 14:9;

his eyes behold the nations; the antichristian states. He sees all the idolatry and wickedness committed in them; and his eyes will be as flames of fire to destroy them, when the time is come. The allusion is to God's looking through the pillar of fire and cloud upon the Egyptians in the Red sea, and troubling them, Exodus 14:24;

let not the rebellious exalt themselves. That are rebels against Christ, would not have him to reign over them; antichrist, who exalts himself above all that is called God, and all his followers. Or, "they shall not exalt themselves" a: or, as the Targum,

"they shall not be exalted in themselves for ever;''

see Revelation 18:7.

Selah; on this word, Revelation 18:7- :.

a אל ירימו למו "haudquaquam sese exultabunt", Tigurine version, Musculus, & Gejerus.

Henry's Complete Commentary on the Bible

To the chief musician. A song or psalm.

      1 Make a joyful noise unto God, all ye lands:   2 Sing forth the honour of his name: make his praise glorious.   3 Say unto God, How terrible art thou in thy works! through the greatness of thy power shall thine enemies submit themselves unto thee.   4 All the earth shall worship thee, and shall sing unto thee; they shall sing to thy name. Selah.   5 Come and see the works of God: he is terrible in his doing toward the children of men.   6 He turned the sea into dry land: they went through the flood on foot: there did we rejoice in him.   7 He ruleth by his power for ever; his eyes behold the nations: let not the rebellious exalt themselves. Selah.

      I. In these verses the psalmist calls upon all people to praise God, all lands, all the earth, all the inhabitants of the world that are capable of praising God, Psalms 66:1; Psalms 66:1. 1. This speaks the glory of God, that he is worthy to be praised by all, for he is good to all and furnishes every nation with matter for praise. 2. The duty of man, that all are obliged to praise God; it is part of the law of creation, and therefore is required of every creature. 3. A prediction of the conversion of the Gentiles to the faith of Christ; the time should come when all lands should praise God, and this incense should in every place be offered to him. 4. A hearty good-will which the psalmist had to this good work of praising God. He will abound in it himself, and wishes that God might have his tribute paid him by all the nations of the earth and not by the land of Israel only. He excites all lands, (1.) To make a joyful noise to God. Holy joy is that devout affection which should animate all our praises; and, though it is not making a noise in religion that God will accept of (hypocrites are said to cause their voice to be heard on high,Isaiah 58:4), yet, in praising God, [1.] We must be hearty and zealous, and must do what we do with all our might, with all that is within us. [2.] We must be open and public, as those that are not ashamed of our Master. And both these are implied in making a noise, a joyful noise. (2.) To sing with pleasure, and to sing forth, for the edification of others, the honour of his name, that is, of all that whereby he has made himself known, Psalms 66:2; Psalms 66:2. That which is the honour of God's name ought to be the matter of our praise. (3.) To make his praise glorious as far as we can. In praising God we must do it so as to glorify him, and that must be the scope and drift of all our praises. Reckon it your greatest glory to praise God, so some. It is the highest honour the creature is capable of to be to the Creator for a name and a praise.

      II. He had called upon all lands to praise God (Psalms 66:1; Psalms 66:1), and he foretels (Psalms 66:4; Psalms 66:4) that they shall do so: All the earth shall worship thee; some in all parts of the earth, even the remotest regions, for the everlasting gospel shall be preached to every nation and kindred; and this is the purport of it, Worship him that made heaven and earth,Revelation 14:6; Revelation 14:7. Being thus sent forth, it shall not return void, but shall bring all the earth, more or less, to worship God, and sing unto him. In gospel times God shall be worshipped by the singing of Psalms. They shall sing to God, that is, sing to his name, for it is only to his declarative glory, that by which he has made himself known, not to his essential glory, that we can contribute any thing by our praises.

      III. That we may be furnished with matter for praise, we are here called upon to come and see the works of God; for his own works praise him, whether we do or no; and the reason why we do not praise him more and better is because we do not duly and attentively observe them. Let us therefore see God's works and observe the instances of his wisdom, power, and faithfulness in them (Psalms 66:5; Psalms 66:5), and then speak of them, and speak of them to him (Psalms 66:3; Psalms 66:3): Say unto God, How terrible art thou in thy works, terrible in thy doings! 1. God's works are wonderful in themselves, and such as, when duly considered, may justly fill us with amazement. God is terrible (that is, admirable) in his works, through the greatness of his power, which is such, and shines so brightly, so strongly, in all he does, that it may be truly said there are not any works like unto his works. Hence he is said to be fearful in praises,Exodus 15:11. In all his doings towards the children of men he is terrible, and to be eyed with a holy awe. Much of religion lies in a reverence for the divine Providence. 2. They are formidable to his enemies, and have many a time forced and frightened them into a feigned submission (Psalms 66:3; Psalms 66:3): Through the greatness of thy power, before which none can stand, shall thy enemies submit themselves unto thee; they shall lie unto thee (so the word is), that is, they shall be compelled, sorely against their wills, to make their peace with thee upon any terms. Subjection extorted by fear is seldom sincere, and therefore force is no proper means of propagating religion, nor can there be much joy of such proselytes to the church as will in the end be found liars unto it, Deuteronomy 33:29. 3. They are comfortable and beneficial to his people, Psalms 66:6; Psalms 66:6. When Israel came out of Egypt, he turned the sea into dry land before them, which encouraged them to follow God's guidance through the wilderness; and, when they were to enter Canaan, for their encouragement in their wars Jordan was divided before them, and they went through that flood on foot; and such foot, so signally owned by heaven, might well pass for cavalry, rather than infantry, in the wars of the Lord. There did the enemies tremble before them (Exodus 15:14; Exodus 15:15; Joshua 5:1), but there did we rejoice in him, both trust his power (for relying on God is often expressed by rejoicing in him) and sing his praise, Psalms 106:12. There did we rejoice; that is, our ancestors did, and we in their loins. The joys of our fathers were our joys, and we ought to look upon ourselves as sharers in them. 4. They are commanding to all. God by his works keeps up his dominion in the world (Psalms 66:7; Psalms 66:7): He rules by his power for ever; his eyes behold the nations. (1.) God has a commanding eye; from the height of heaven his eye commands all the inhabitants of the world, and he has a clear and full view of them all. His eyes run to and fro through the earth; the most remote and obscure nations are under his inspection. (2.) He has a commanding arm; his power rules, rules for ever, and is never weakened, never obstructed. Strong is his hand, and high is his right hand. Hence he infers, Let not the rebellious exalt themselves; let not those that have revolting and rebellious hearts dare to rise up in any overt acts of rebellion against God, as Adonijah exalted himself, saying, I will be king. Let not those that are in rebellion against God exalt themselves as if there were any probability that they should gain their point. No; let them be still, for God hath said, I will be exalted, and man cannot gainsay it.