Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible
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Psalms
Book: Psalms
Chapter: 65
Overview:
God is to be praised in the kingdom of
Grace.
(1-5) In the
kingdom of
Providence.
(6-13)
1-5 All the praise the
Lord receives from this
Earth is from
Zion, being the
Fruit of the
Spirit of
Christ, and acceptable
through him. Praise is silent unto thee, as wanting words to
express the great
Goodness of God. He reveals himself upon a
Mercy-seat, ready to hear and answer the prayers of all who come
unto him
By Faith in
Jesus Christ. Our sins prevail against us;
we cannot pretend to
Balance them with any
Righteousness of our
own: yet, as for our transgressions, of thine own free
Mercy,
and for the sake of a
Righteousness of thine own providing, we
shall not come into condemnation for them. Observe what it is to
come into
Communion with
God in order to blessedness. It is to
converse with him as one we
Love and value; it is to apply
ourselves closely to religion as to the business of our
dwelling-place. Observe how we come into
Communion with
God;
only
By God's free choice. There is abundance of
Goodness in
God's
House, and what is satisfying to the soul; there is enough
for all, enough for each: it is always ready; and all without
Money and without price.
By Faith and
Prayer we may keep up
Communion with
God, and bring in comfort from him, wherever we
are. But it is only through that blessed One, who approaches the
Father as our
Advocate and
Surety, that sinners may expect or
can find this happiness.
6-13 That Almighty strength which sets
Fast the mountains,
upholds the believer. That
Word which stills the stormy ocean,
and speaks it into a calm, can silence our enemies. How contrary
soever
Light and
Darkness are to each other, it is hard to say
which is most welcome. Does the watchman wait for the morning?
So does the labourer earnestly desire the shades of
Evening.
Some understand it of the morning and
Evening sacrifices. We are
to look upon daily
Worship, both alone and with our families, to
be the most needful of our daily occupations, the most
delightful of our daily comforts. How much the fruitfulness of
this lower part of the
Creation depends upon the influence of
the upper, is easy to observe; every good and perfect
Gift is
from above. He who enriches the
Earth, which is filled with
Man's sins,
By his abundant and varied bounty, can neither want
power nor will to feed the souls of his people. Temporal mercies
to us unworthy creatures,
Shadow forth more important blessings.
The rising of the
Sun of
Righteousness, and the pouring forth of
the influences of the Holy
Spirit, that
River of God, full of
the waters of
Life and
Salvation, render the hard,
Barren,
worthless hearts of sinners fruitful in every good work, and
change the
Face of nations more than the
Sun and
Rain change the
Face of nature. Wherever the
Lord passes,
By his preached
Gospel, attended
By his Holy
Spirit, his paths drop fatness, and
Numbers are taught to rejoice in and praise him. They will
descend upon the pastures of the
Wilderness, all the
Earth shall
hear and embrace the
Gospel, and bring forth abundantly the
fruits of
Righteousness which are, through
Jesus Christ, to the
Glory of the
Father. Manifold and marvellous, O
Lord, are thy
Works, whether of nature or of
Grace; surely in loving-kindness
hast thou made them all.