Here the praise anticipated and waited for in the preceding Psalm breaks forth in Zion. Jehovah has answered the prayer by terrible things in righteousness. (Psa. 65:5; 66:3,5.) The vows made are here paid. (Psa. 65:1; Psa. 66:13-14.) When they were afflicted they prayed, now being merry they sing psalms.
But this Psalm appears to have a very exact structure marked by Selahs. The Psalmist (the Spirit of Christ in the Remnant) calls on all lands to praise God for His judgments (Psa. 66:1-4), and then invites them to look at those judgments (Psa. 66:5-7). He then calls on the people to bless God for His mercies to them (leading them himself in that worship, Psa. 66:8-15), and then invites them to hearken to the story of those mercies (Psa. 66:16-20).
Observe “come and see” in Psalm 66:5, “come and hear” in Psalm 66:16; for the manifested works, or works in the earth (the operations of His hand), are proposed to sight, the hidden works, or works in the soul (the operations of His Spirit), are proposed to the ear. The whole Psalm is an utterance of great liberty and joy of heart, and savors richly of the gladness of God’s chosen in the days of the kingdom, remembering the judgments of the wicked and the discipline of the righteous which had ushered it in.