Psalm 64
"The first quality for a commander-in-chief is a cool head to receive a correct impression of things," said Napoleon I. "He should not allow himself to be confused by either good or bad news." David was probably serving in Saul's court when he wrote this psalm (1 Sam. 18—20). He knew that Saul was his enemy and wanted to kill him and that most of Saul's officers were in a conspiracy against him. Though he was the
Psalm 64—65
Israel has no sanctuary today, but one day the temple will be rebuilt (Ezek. 40—48; Dan. 9:20–27), and the Gentile nations will come and worship the true and living God (v. 2; Isa. 2:1–3; 56:7; Mic. 4:1–5; Mark 11:17). Before we approach the Lord, we must confess our sins and trust Him for forgiveness (1 John 1:9; and see Ps. 15; Isa. 6). The priests were chosen by God to serve in the sanctuary (Num. 16:5), but God wanted all of His "chosen people" to live like priests (Ex. 19:3–8; Deut. 7:6–11; Ps. 33:12). Believers today are "a kingdom of priests" (1 Peter 2:9–10; Rev. 1:5–6), chosen by the Lord, offering Him their praise and worship. What the Jewish worshippers had in their sanctuary, believers today have in Jesus Christ, and we find our complete satisfaction in Him. We have all these blessings only because of the grace of God, for He chose us (John 15:16).
weapons that the enemy uses against us, the Lord uses to defeat them.
Give Glory to the Lord (vv. 9–10) As the nation watched the defeat of David's enemies and his exaltation as king, it all brought great glory to the Lord. Some people stood and shook their heads in disbelief (v. 8a). Dr. Bob Cook used to say, "If you can explain what's going on, the Lord didn't do it." Faith expects to see God do the impossible! The nation had a new fear of the Lord as they saw sin judged and their godly king vindicated (59:9–13). The people praised the Lord for what He had done, and as they worshipped, they meditated on His character and His purposes. It isn't enough to know the works of the Lord; we must also seek to understand His way and learn how to please Him (103:6–7). David's great concern was that the Lord be glorified, and that was why God blessed Him. Rejoice!
He Is the Ruler of All Nations (vv. 5–8) We move now from the people of Israel to all the nations of the world, and from God's grace to the Jews to God's government of the Gentiles. God performed "awesome deeds" for Israel (47:2–4; 66:1–7; 68:35; 89:5–10), and these gave witness to the pagan nations around them that Jehovah alone is the true and living God and the Lord of all nations (Rom. 9:17; Josh. 2:1–14; Acts 14:15–17; 17:26–28; Amos 1—2; 9:7). He chose Israel to be a light to the Gentiles (Isa. 42:6; 49:6), and this was ultimately fulfilled in the coming of Christ to the world (Luke 2:32; Acts 13:47). Day and night, God's creation witnesses to the nations, and they are without excuse (19:1–6; Rom. 1:18–25; 10:14–18). Jesus Christ is the only hope of the world. The "roaring seas" are a symbol of the nations in tumult and confusion (v. 7; Isa. 17:12–13; 60:5; Dan. 7:2–3; Rev. 13:1; 17:15). From the east to the west (sunrise to sunset), His name will be reverenced. What a missionary text! The nations of the earth need to know the gospel of Jesus Christ so they can sings songs of joy to the Lord.