| The Christian Life | February 1946 |
The Christian’s Delight
Meditations of Sion
Psalm 65
THE book of Psalms has sometimes been called the song book of the church. Many of these psalms, or spiritual songs, are dedicated to the “Chief Musician,” for him to set to music. We may identify him as being our Lord Jesus, who is the Chief Musician of God’s spiritual temple. By his teachings and example he has revealed the harmony of these exquisite melodies, these spiritual songs composed by David, the sweet singer of Israel, and others of his line.
The Psalms are peculiarly one of the devotional parts of the Word of God. They indicate the manner in which we may address God with suitable language, and in a proper attitude of reverence. In the Psalms we have revealed all phases, and the many and various experiences of the Christian life, and appropriate language suggested for every occasion. The 65th Psalm under consideration expresses some of the sentiments of God’s people living at the close of the Gospel age, and who are blessed by the light of present truth, hence able to contemplate the outworking of the various features of the great divine plan.
In the first verse of this Psalm David declares, “Praise waiteth for thee, O God, in Sion.” Sion is one of the names representatively given to the Gospel church, made up of the sons of God who are to compose the heavenly phase of the kingdom. Israel as a nation in some respects was typical of the Gospel-age Sion class, but there were no sons of God, and no spiritual Sion in the earth during the days of the Psalmist. While this Psalm reflects much that was true of David and of Israel, yet primarily in it the Psalmist is speaking prophetically of the time when the Sion class of the present age would be brought into being, and would begin to praise God by showing forth the excellencies of the Heavenly Father’s character and plan.—Psalm 139:14-16
Sion Begins Her Work
In its application to the church, this prophecy began to be fulfilled at Pentecost. There the church class began to be developed, and it was there that a kind of praise began to ascend to Jehovah such as had never been heard from the typical Sion, the house of servants. This is even more forcefully suggested by the Hebrew text (see margin): “Praise is silent for thee, O God, in Sion.”
“And unto thee shall the vow be performed,” continues David; that is, the vow or covenant entered into by all the Sion class. In another Psalm David outlines this vow, saying, “Gather my saints together unto me; those that have made a covenant with me by sacrifice.” (Psalm 50:5) This is the vow of full consecration entered into and faithfully performed by all who qualify as members of The Christ, the Sion class of the Gospel age.
“O thou that hearest prayer, unto thee shall all flesh come,” continues the prophet (Verse 2) One of the things Jesus made plain to his disciples was that through him they were to have access to the Father in prayer. (John 14:13) We further learn that later, through the church, the true temple of God, all flesh will approach God in prayer. That will be during the time of the kingdom, for Isaiah wrote (Isa. 56:7): “Mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people.”
In the third verse the Psalmist, speaking as one of the spiritual Sion class, refers to the experiences of the consecrated in the narrow way, saying, “Iniquities prevail against me.” This reminds us of a statement of our Master, “Men … shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.” (Matt. 5:11) This is one reason that. God’s people often appear as evildoers in the eyes of the world. But in due time their characters will be vindicated—“As for our transgressions, thou shalt purge them away.”
The elect quality of the spiritual Sion class is brought to our attention in the fourth verse, where we read: “Blessed [happy, highly favored] is the man whom thou choosest, and causest to approach unto thee, that he may dwell in thy courts.” What a blessing indeed to be chosen of God! When we think of the numbers who have been passed by, as well as the hosts who have lived and died in ignorance of the glad tidings of salvation, we realize that we have been greatly favored to receive the invitation to the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
And when we remember how much by nature we are in bondage to sin, and how earthly interests, domestic affairs, business, etc., hold us in subjection, it is very apparent that the Lord does a great deal for us, helping us to become free from these things, giving us by his providences the time and desire to investigate the truth, and the grace to take the steps of faith and obedience, that we may approach into the full relationship of sons of God, and dwell in his courts—the condition of full consecration to God.
“We shall be satisfied with the goodness of thy house, even of thy holy temple,” continues David. Who is there in this harvest period of the Gospel age, who has heard the Lord’s knock, and has appreciated the proofs of his presence, and has opened the door of his heart for the Master to come in to sup with him, who is not “satisfied with these riches of his grace! How true are the words of the Prophet Daniel, “Blessed is he that waiteth and cometh to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days”!—Daniel 12:12
God’s Providences Awe-Inspiring
“By terrible things [by things to be feared or reverenced] in righteousness wilt thou answer us, O God of our salvation.” (Verse 5) The reference here seems to be the Lord’s providences in connection with the affairs of his people, and especially the manifestation of his power on their behalf in connection with the establishment of the kingdom. “Who art the confidence of all the fields of the earth, and of them that [at the present time] are afar off upon the sea”—that is, separated from the lawless masses of mankind.
There is to be a great demonstration of divine power in the day of trouble just preceding the full setting up of the kingdom, and when the governmental powers of the Millennial age will be firmly established. The discontent of the lawless elements of mankind will then be stilled, and the blessings of restitution will satisfy the fondest hopes of the people. “The desire of all nations shall come,” says the prophet. (Haggai 2:7) Now, however, the earnest expectations of humanity must await the revelation of the sons of God. (Romans 8:19) It is this that the Psalmist speaks of in verses six and seven.
“Thou makest the outgoings of the morning and evening to rejoice.” (Verse 8) The outgoings of the morning and evening seem to have reference to man’s days as they succeed one another; and understood symbolically, the text refers to the Gospel day of salvation, being followed by the Millennial day of Christ’s kingdom. The realization that we have come to the time of this great change of dispensation causes special rejoicing among the Lord’s people. “Sion heard, and was glad; and the daughters of Judah rejoiced because of thy judgments, O Lord.”—Psa. 97:8
The Day of Visitation
Verse nine reads: “Thou visitest the earth, and waterest it.” Various visitations of God are brought to our attention in the Scriptures. One such, for instance, was at the close of the Jewish age, when he sent Jesus to Israel and to the world. The Scriptures tell us that the Israelites “knew not the time of their visitation.”—Luke 19:44
At the close of the Gospel age comes another day of visitation, when the great mass of nominal spiritual Israelites are similarly unready for His coming, and are unable to recognize the signs of His presence. With the setting up of the kingdom will come the day of visitation to the world in general, when the times of refreshing and restitution will bring the long promised blessings of life to all the families of the earth.—Acts 3:19-21
The river of truth will be full to overflowing in that day. Nourishing and strengthening food—“corn,” both natural and spiritual—will be the portion of all mankind, and will be provided as man’s experiences make him ready to receive them. The Revised Version reads: “Thou providest them with corn when thou hast so prepared the earth.”
Verse ten suggests how the wisdom, power, and love of the great Husbandman will all operate during the Millennial day, to the end that humanity will bring forth much fruit, and by fully responding to the blessings of the kingdom, attain to the complete raising up to all that was lost in Adam. We quote:
“Thou waterest her furrows abundantly [giving special help to the depressed, sin-degraded sections of humanity]: thou settlest [levelest] the ridges thereof [those classes who in that day will think themselves a little better than their fellows, will need some leveling-down experiences]: thou makest it [the hard-heartedness of man] soft with showers [the showers of God’s grace and goodness]: thou blessest the springing thereof [every effort put forth to develop character and obey the laws of the kingdom ].”—R.V.
“Thou crownest the year with [margin, “of”] thy goodness.” (Verse 11) Just as the literal year is frequently crowned with an abundant harvest, so we have every reason to expect that the work of the great antitypical jubilee year—the thousand years of Christ’s kingdom will be crowned with an abundant harvest. This harvest will be that of a restored paradise, and a perfect race of human beings to inhabit it; only the few (we trust) incorrigibly wicked having to be destroyed.
The Psalmist continues (Verse 11): “Thy paths drop fatness”—that is to say, rich blessings come to those who walk in the paths of the Lord. “All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth unto such as keep his covenant and his testimonies.”—Psa. 25:10
“They [the rich blessings of the Lord] drop upon the pastures of the wilderness [the pastures provided for the Lord’s sheep in the former wilderness of sin and death—Isaiah 35:1]: and the little hills [even the small nations of earth—Psalm. 72:3,4] rejoice on every side.” (Verse 12) This Millennial age picture of blessing is enlarged upon as the Psalmist continues (Verse 13):
“The pastures are clothed with flocks [the whole earth will become a pasture for the willing and obedient of humanity—Ezekiel 36:38]; the valleys also are covered over with corn: they shout for joy, they also sing.” This is a beautiful, picture of restored humanity, singing an eternal song of praise to Jehovah for all his munificence. “Let every thing that hath breath praise the Lord.”—Psalm 150:6