Question

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Crown with Your Bounty

Psalm 65:1-13

Key Verse: 65:11

1. Read verse 1-2. What are the belief and hope of the psalmist for God? Read verses 3-4. For what else does he praise God? Who are those who God chose and what is the blessing from the presence of the Lord? (Ez 34:26)

2. Read verses 5-8. What is God’s awesome and righteous deeds? Why is God the hope of the whole earth? How does God take care of the earth? What kind of attitude toward God’s creatures we must have? (Ge 1:28, 2:15)

3. Read verses 9-11. What is our benefit which comes from God’s rule? Read verses 12-13. How does his blessing extend to others? Count your blessing which came from the presence of God and his reign over your life? (Ps 23:1-2, Jn 15:5, Eph 5:8, 1Pe 2:9-10)

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Attachment

• Ps65-01-13-q.docx

Message

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Crown the Year with Your Bounty

Psalm 65:1-13

Key Verse: 65:11 “You crown the year with your bounty, and your carts overflow with abundance.”

We studied two psalms, Psalm 51 and 57, for the last two weeks. Both psalms show us that David was in specific situations. Psalm 51 is David’s repentant prayer. David asked God’s forgiveness of his sin from adultery and murder, and for the restoration of God’s spirit in his soul. Psalm 57 is David’s plea for God’s mercy and justice over his enemies, and his praise and confidence about victory. When David wrote Psalm 57, he was in the cave of Adullam, escaping from Saul. Today we will study Psalm 65, which shows us a different picture from the two previous psalms. David’s heart is full of thanks, joy, and peace. Let us study what happened to David and how David praised God and gave thanks to Him in this psalm.

First, bring near to live in your courts. (1-4) In Psalm 51 & 57 David starts with the words, “Have mercy on me, O God,”, but in Psalm 65 he starts with “Praise, Our God!” Look at verses 1-2. “Praise awaits you, Our God, in Zion; to you our vows will be fulfilled. You who answer prayer, to you all people will come.” Here we see David’s covenantal praise. According to Exodus 19 God made the covenant with his people Israel through Moses. (Ex 19:5,6) Through this covenant God wanted to make Israel a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. In other words, the covenant is that the LORD will be their God, and they will be his people. The Israelites responded the covenant by answering, “We will do everything the LORD has said.” (Ex 19:8) Now David saw the vision that this vow would be fulfilled. He believed that God would answer their prayer that all people of all nations would come to the LORD. God’s will is to fill this earth with the knowledge of God so that all people of all nations may come to seek him and worship him. So, David said, “Praise awaits God in Zion.”

We have prayed for God’s blessing upon ISBC. We all want to see His Glory at Urbana Champaign next month. We believe that praise awaits God in ISBC. We believe that glory shines over us in ISBC. We will see all people from all nations come to see his glory. Glory awaits you, our God, in ISBC! May God answer our prayer so that we may see His glory there. Amen!

Look at verse 3. “When we were overwhelmed by sins, you forgave our transgressions.” This verse applies personally and nationally to David. When David was overwhelmed by his own sins, God forgave all his sins. David also remembered how God forgave the sins of his forefathers while they were in the wilderness. God forgave their sin of rebellion and brought them to the Promised Land, carrying them on his wings. The forgiveness of sin is the most essential blessing among all blessings from God. We can live without good cloth. We can endure our hunger. We can tolerate persecution. But we cannot live without the forgiveness of sin. No matter what we do our best, we are not happy if our sins are not forgiven. We have no peace of mind when you carry the burden of sin. We are truly free when our sins are forgiven. We are truly happy when the joy of salvation is restored. David was thankful for God’s forgiving love for his personal sin and national sin.

There is another reason why David was happy. This is because he felt the presence of God. Look at verse 4. “Blessed are those you choose and bring near to live in your courts! We are filled with the good things of your house, of your holy temple.” Here those who God chose are not only high priests who lived in the temple of God, but also those who are in the presence of God. Indeed, blessed are those who live in the house of God. Psalm 84 says about the blessing of living in the house of God in this: “Blessed are those who dwell in your house; they are ever praising you...Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked.” (Ps 84:4, 10)

The temple is God’s dwelling place. When Solomon built the temple, God said that his eyes and ears were attentive to the prayers offered in the temple. God said that his eyes and his heart would be in the temple. (2 Chr 7:15-16) But the temple is gone. Now the temple is Jesus Christ. Jesus built his temple through his death and resurrection. God’s presence is in Jesus. Jesus is God incarnate. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us that we see the glory, the glory of the One and Only Son through Jesus. (Jn 1:14) When Jesus was born, Matthew called his name, “Immanuel,” which means “God with us.” (Mt 1:23) Therefore, blessed are those who are in Jesus and with Jesus and for Jesus. Now let us put the name Jesus in the place of the temple in verse 4. “Blessed are those God chooses and brings near to Jesus! You are filled with the good things which come from Jesus, the true temple of God!” Amen!

Second, crown the year with your bounty (5-13) Now David turns his eyes from the temple to nature and the great things of God’s creation. Look at verses 5-8. “You answer us with awesome and righteous deeds, God our Savior, the hope of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest seas, who formed the mountains by your power, having armed yourself with strength, who stilled the roaring of the seas, the roaring of their waves, and the turmoil of the nations. The whole earth is filled with awe at your wonders; where morning dawns, where evening fades, you call forth songs of joy.” David praised the mighty work of God’s creation and his rule. He described God as the hope of all the ends of the earth and the farthest seas because God formed the mountains and stilled the roaring of the seas. Recently we have suffered from the effect of global warming. Last week South Korea had a historical amount of rain which caused the casualty of many lives and loss of houses and fields. Europe and Southwest of USA are suffering from the extreme heat and drought. The mountain fire in Canada blew its smoke to cover the half of America, even to St. Louis here. When we think about this natural disaster, we don’t have any hope for this earth. But we have hope in God for this earth. This is because God formed this earth beautifully and wonderfully and he rules this earth. David praised the awesomeness of God’s creation in Psalm 19. “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge...” (Ps 19:1-2) When we look at the beauty of nature, such as beautiful flowers of the field and flying birds in the sky, and we cannot but praise the awesomeness of God. This is why Connie often took pictures of flowers and sunsets and sent me to share her joy. When we also look at the sky, we cannot but say Wow because of its harmony and beauty. It is amazing to see all the stars in the universe moving around without any collision. Who can explain the awesomeness of God’s creation when they look at nature and consider its law?

God is the hope of the earth because he also still the turmoil of the nations. Look at verse 7b. “who stills the turmoil of the nations.” Some worry about the future of the world. They have a negative viewpoint of this world because of natural disaster and national turmoil. But we don’t have to worry about the future because God will rule, and God will still the turmoil of the nations. God will preserve this earth until Jesus comes back. We believe that all things under heaven are in God’s divine control. Amen!

Next, David praised God’s care for this earth. Look at verses 9-10. “You care for the land and water it; you enrich it abundantly. The streams of God are filled with water to provide the people with grain, for so you have ordained it. You drench its furrows and level its ridges; you soften it with showers and bless its crops.” Now David turns his eyes from mountains and seas to the field. David praised God’s care for the land and farmers. David showed an agricultural picture. The land and water are very important to farmers. Farmers prepare the land by making furrows and ridges, and they wait for rain. Rain is the main source of water for the land. When the land needs water, God sends rain so that the land can be soften and drenched. The land can be fully watered by rain and produces vegetation. Thus, God cares the land.

Look at verses 11-13. “You crown the year with your bounty, and your carts overflow with abundance. The grasslands of the wilderness overflow; the hills are clothed with gladness. The meadows are covered with flocks and the valleys are mantled with grain; they shout for joy and sing.” ‘God crowns the year with his bounty’ reminds us of God’s covenantal blessing for new beginning after the flood of Noah. God said in Genesis 8:22, “As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease.” This is God’s promise of his care for the earth. God will provide all necessary things day and night 24/7 four seasons. Here the word ‘bounty’ indicates ‘his generosity and goodness’.

God crowns the year with his bounty. God crowns your year with his bounty, too. Remember how God cares for you with his presence and abundance until your carts are full. Amen! When we talk about carts, we remember carts in a shopping mall or a grocery store. These days it is not easy to expect our carts full because of inflation. But there is no inflation in God’s market. God will fill our carts with his bounty. Let us read Deuteronomy 28:1-13. In these verses God promises how he blesses those who trust in him and obey his words. “All these blessings will come on you and accompany you if you obey the LORD your God…You will be blessed in the city and blessed in the country…You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out…The LORD will open the heavens, the storehouse of his bounty, to send rain on your land in season and to bless all the work of your hands…” (Det 28:2,3,6,12) Someone interprets ‘carts’ for ‘cloud.’ God provides enough water for the land for four seasons by rain and snow. Then, grasslands, hills, meadows, and hills will be well watered and covered with green pasture. God’s blessing reaches everywhere from the temple, the sea, the land, the pasture, and even to the flock of sheep.

David saw the glory of God in nature. He had hope for the nature because of God’s faithfulness and abundance. To David our God is the great Creator and Redeemer. In the same way Paul saw the hope of this world through Jesus. In Romans 8 Paul saw the restoration of the whole creation through Jesus’ second coming. He said in Romans 8:19-21, “For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God.” After the pandemic, people became more anxious about the future of this earth. But we see the bright future because of Jesus’ second coming. We’ll see the glory of God because of Jesus Christ who is with us, guides us, and cares for us. Let us repent and dwell in Jesus and remain in his love and words so that we may see his glory not only at the conference, but also from every people, every creation of the world. Amen!

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Attachment

• Ps65-01-13-message-4th draft.docx