For those who may wish to ‘study’ this chapter, the following simple resources are provided for you. Each passage has a four-Part approach to help you take in and think further about what you have read.

Passage: Psalm 65

1 Praise awaits you, our God, in Zion;
    to you our vows will be fulfilled.
2 You who answer prayer,
    to you all people will come.
3 When we were overwhelmed by sins,
    you forgave our transgressions.
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.

5 You answer us with awesome and righteous deeds,
    God our Saviour,
the hope of all the ends of the earth
    and of the farthest seas,
6 who formed the mountains by your power,
    having armed yourself with strength,
7 who stilled the roaring of the seas,
    the roaring of their waves,
    and the turmoil of the nations.
8 The whole earth is filled with awe at your wonders;
    where morning dawns, where evening fades,
    you call forth songs of joy.

9 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 corn,
    for so you have ordained it.
10 You drench its furrows and level its ridges;
    you soften it with showers and bless its crops.
11 You crown the year with your bounty,
    and your carts overflow with abundance.
12 The grasslands of the wilderness overflow;
    the hills are clothed with gladness.
13 The meadows are covered with flocks
    and the valleys are mantled with corn;
    they shout for joy and sing.

A. Find Out:

1. What reasons does David give for praising God? v.1-4
2. How is God described? v.5
3. What has He done? v.6,7
4. With what result among men? v.8
5. To what does David attribute to God? v.9-13

B. Think:

1. What sort of God is described in verses 1-4?
2. What sort of God is described in verses 5-8
3. What sort of God is described in verses 9-13

C. Comment:

Praise is due to God; that is David’s main point here (v.1). He gives us three reasons. The first is that God is a REDEEMING God. In verses 1-4 David speaks about God who hears men’s prayers, who forgives them when they come in repentance, and who brings them into close relationship with Him. These are verses all about relationship.

The second reason is that God is a CREATING God. In verses 5-8 David reminds us that God is the one who formed the earth, who established the mountains and the seas. The result is that all peoples can rejoice in the security of this world that God has provided for us.

The third reason is that God is a CONSTANTLY PROVIDING God (v.9-13). We may take for granted the ongoing nature of the world but David attributes it to God. It is God who provides water that sustains the ground (v.9), that brings forth fruit and harvest (v.10c,11), that feeds the flocks (v.12,13). No all the bounty of Creation is provided by God. In Heb 1:3 we find the same thing as the writer describes Jesus as the one who is “sustaining all things by his powerful word.” We assume Creation is like a machine that keep on going. No says the Bible, it is not, it keeps going because God is the force that keeps it moving. The world isn’t like a petrol engine with its own fuel. It’s more like a cart that keeps on needing ‘pushing’, and that’s what God does.

D. Application:

1. God is worthy of our praise. Do we give it to Him?
2. Praise Him for His relationship, & Provision for you