The first of these psalms appears to close the series wherein is set out the iniquity, of the adversaries against those who look for Christ, the godly Jewish remnant. The three following portray their feelings as having in the Beloved a plea for deliverance which waxes stronger and clearer by His Spirit working in them according to the word provided for their souls.
Psalm 64
“To the chief musician, a psalm of David. Hear, O God, my voice in my meditation; from fear of the enemy, thou wilt preserve my life. Thou wilt hide me from the secret of evil-doers, from the tumult of workers of iniquity, who have sharpened like the sword their tongues, have bent their arrow, a bitter word, to shoot in the secret places at the perfect; suddenly they will shoot at him and fear not. They will strengthen for themselves an evil matter; they concert to hide snares; they have said, who will see to them? They devise iniquities: We are ready [finished]! a well-devised device! and man's inward (thought) and heart [is deep. But God shall shoot at them: with an arrow suddenly the wounds have been theirs. And they shall be made to stumble, their own tongue against them; all that see them shall flee away. And every man shall fear, and they shall declare God's doings, and his work they shall understand. The righteous one shall be glad in Jehovah, and trust in him; and all the upright in heart shall glory” (ver. 1-11).
Thus the godly are consoled by the assurance of God's sudden and retributive judgment of their enemies, who are here described not as reprobates only but as malicious against the righteous, plotting and conspiring; but suddenly God's judgment falls, others fear as they behold God's doing, and the righteous rejoice in Jehovah Who has thus appeared at length in vindication of His name.
Psalm 65
“To the chief musician, a psalm of David, a song. To thee waiteth praise, O God, in Zion, and to thee shall vow be paid. Hearer of prayer, to thee shall all flesh come. Iniquities [lit. words or matters of] have been far too strong for me: our transgressions, thou wilt purge them. Blessed [he whom] thou wilt choose and bring near: he shall dwell in thy courts. We shall be satisfied with the goodness of thy house, thy holy temple. Terrible things in righteousness thou wilt answer us, O God of our salvation; confidence of all the ends of the earth and sea, afar off; establishing mountains by his strength, girded with power, stilling the roar of seas; roar of their waves, and the tumult of peoples. And those inhabiting the uppermost parts shall fear because of thy signs; the outgoings of morning and evening thou wilt make to shout for joy. Thou hast visited the earth and watered it; greatly wilt thou enrich it; the river of God is full of water; thou preparest their corn, for so thou preparest it (the earth). The furrows thou dost water, thou dost break down its ridges; with showers thou wilt soften it; its springing thou wilt bless. Thou crownest the year [with] thy goodness, and thy paths drop fatness. They drop [on] the pastures of the wilderness, and the hills are girded with joy. The sheep-walks are clothed with the sheep, and the valleys are covered with corn; they shout for joy, yea, they sing” (ver. 1-14).
Here the positive side of blessing is before the heart; for to Jewish thought the people and the land (and indeed all the earth) are blended in their expectations of goodness at length triumphant. And terrible things in righteousness are not absent, even if the joyous change be more prominent. Not such is our proper but heavenly hope in the coming of our Lord Jesus; it is to be with Himself in the Father's house, though we surely love His appearing and expect to be manifested with Him when He is manifested in glory. Our hope is to be translated to heaven, as Christ ascended, apart from all judgment of the world, in which the Jew shall be involved but delivered out of it, when the creation itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the liberty of the glory of the children of God.
Psalm 66
“To the chief musician, a song, a psalm. Shout aloud to God, all the earth, sing forth the glory of his name, make his praise glorious. Say to God, how terrible [are] thy doings; in the greatness of thy strength shall cringe to thee thine enemies. All the earth shall worship thee and sing psalms to thee; they shall sing to thy name. Selah. Come and see the works of God, terrible in dealing toward the sons of men. He turned sea to dry land; through the river they will pass on foot; there will we be glad in him. He ruleth by his might forever; his eyes over the Gentiles watch; let not the rebels exalt themselves. Selah. Bless, ye peoples, our God, and make the voice of his praise to be heard, who setteth our soul in the life and hath not given our foot to be moved. For thou hast proved us, O God, thou hast assayed us as silver is assayed. Thou hast brought us into the net, thou hast put pressure upon our loins, thou hast caused men to ride on our heads; we went into the fire and into the waters, and thou hast brought us into abundance. I will go to thy house with burnt offerings, I will pay to thee my vows, which my lips uttered and my mouth spoke in my distress. Burnt offerings of fatlings will I offer up to thee with incense of rams, I will offer bullocks with goats. Selah. Come, hear, all ye that fear God, and I will tell you what he hath done for my soul. I called to him [with] my mouth, and he was extolled with my tongue. If I had regarded iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear. Verily God hath heard, he hath attended to the voice of my prayer. Blessed [be] God who hath not turned away my prayer nor his mercy from me” (ver. 1-21).
It is the godly Jew anticipating deliverance after the sorest but justly inflicted trials. But God is faithful, and proved so at the close Who had of old redeemed them from Egypt.
Psalm 67
“To the chief musician, on Neginoth (stringed instruments), a psalm, a song. God be gracious to us and bless us; cause his face to shine upon us (Selah), that thy way may be known in the earth, in all Gentiles thy salvation. Let the peoples give thee thanks, O God, let all the peoples give thee thanks. Let the nations rejoice and shout for joy, for thou wilt judge the peoples equitably, and the nations on the earth, thou wilt guide them. Selah. Let the peoples give thee thanks, O God, let all the peoples give thee thanks. The earth hath yielded its increase; God, our God, will bless us; God will bless us, and all the ends of the earth shall fear him” (ver. 1-8).
Here the wonder is how any believer can fail to see that the Jew praising God's grace at length delights in the blessing of the Gentiles, all of them, whether in association with Israel or outside. Not only shall Ephraim not envy Judah, and Judah not envy Ephraim; but far from them in that day an atom of narrowness toward the nations. Their heart is enlarged by God's mercy to themselves. If the casting away of Israel was the world's reconciling as now, what shall the receiving of them be but life from the dead?