Psalm 65 is a harvest psalm. Through the psalm, we will read of God’s people who are coming to Him in thanks for the harvest.
We will begin this series on work by thinking about the God who works. All our ideas about work come from the Bible but are grounded in God Himself as He is revealed in the Bible. The Old Testament speaks of God as a gardener and in the New Testament, Jesus is a carpenter. This is the God who works.
Some news sources suggest that the average global worker clocks between 10 to 10.5 hours a day. One report published that in Singapore, one in five workers worked more than 11 hours a day. At 55 out of your 168 hours, that's one third of your week.
Work is a big part of all of our lives.
What is work? Work is an activity that involves mental or physical effort done to achieve a purpose or result. Work is the process by which resources go into you to produce a product.
Psalm 65 tells us about the God who works. And one of the best places we should begin is Genesis, which we will look at next week. We will look at God’s design for work, which existed even before the Fall, sin and corruption entered the world. Work is a part of what we were always meant to do.
This is why if you take work away from someone, you take away the identity that work gives them. And in Genesis too, we will also see why work has gone terribly wrong.
But today, we will turn our attention to the God who works. We are to worship God also for what He does (Ps 65:1-4). The psalm shows us what He does — salvation (new creation) and creation (Ps 65:5-8). And this God works in providence (Ps 65:9-13).
(A) Worship the God who works (Ps 65:1-4)
“Praise is due to God”, says the opening of the psalm (Ps 65:1a). It is also said other ways — vows shall be performed (Ps 65:1c), prayer is offered to him (Ps 65:2a) , and all flesh shall come to Him (Ps 65:2b). In other words, there is an obligation and duty that we have towards God.
it is “due to Him in Zion” (Ps 65:1b). “Zion” is a name for the city that King David, the great unifying and conquering King of Israel took for Himself and where his son established a holy temple for God’s worship (c.f. 2 Sam 5:6-10). Thus, Zion, used narrowly can refer to the capital, David’s city. It can also refer more broadly to the centre of David’s reign, where the temple is.
Thus, it makes sense that vows are performed, because now people come to the temple to keep their vows. This first statement makes the point that God in His temple is to be worship. Praise is due Him. Later in Psalm 65:4-5 , we read of coming “near” and “dwelling” in God’s “courts”, being “satisfied” in His “house” and “temple”. So we praise and delight in God, which means that we are indebted, joyful, happy in God even.
What do you understand by the word “due”? There is a certain right and obligation to it and it is not optional.
But, why is praise, prayer and worship due to God? It is due to who He is or what He has done. And what the psalmist is going to show us is all the reasons why praise is due God! God is worthy of worship.
Very often, we go to church, a worship service or Bible study because we are supposed to, merely going through the motions. There ought to have been a reminder before we entered the space about why God is due worship and praise.
But why? What has God done?
Psalm 65:3-4 tells us two works that God does that are related: first, when “iniquities prevail against me”, God “atones for transgressions” (Ps 65:3). Second, God “chooses and brings near” for dwelling in His courts so that we are “satisfied” with “goodness” and “holiness” (Ps 65:4).
This is because the main work of the temple is atonement. We are unable to have a relationship with God without atonement. We are unable to draw near to God unless He makes it possible. Only He makes it possible for us to close the gap with Him.
Psalm 65:3 is speaking of when the psalmist is in the grip of sin (“prevail”). He speaks honestly of his dependence and desperation. What did God do when this man could do nothing for himself? God atoned for His transgression. This is a stunning idea for anyone who knows the Old Testament. The temple has a system of atonement done by the priest. Taken together these would have been surprising — forgiveness is not cheap nor free in the Bible — it is normally the priest who atones and puts in the sweat and tears to make atonement possible. The individual is unable to offer it and atone for his own sins. He is dependent on work done by another, the priest.
But here in Psalm 65:3, it is God who is at work.
God deals with our greatest need — our sin problem. Our greatest problem in life is not that we don’t have enough money, or a job or love. We need someone to work so that our sins are dealt with. And God has done it for us.
Praise is due to God because of His works in salvation. Have you ever thought of the works of God, the thing they’ve done and how good they are? Have you thought about the effort He has put in and the product that comes out from it?
Psalm 111:2-4 has an excellent call that we should heed and memorise: “Great are the works of the Lord, studied by all who delight in them. Full of splendor and majesty is his work, and his righteousness endures forever. He has caused his wondrous works to be remembered; the Lord is gracious and merciful.” These verses tell us that when we consider the works of God, we delight in them. We do not try to improve on them or work on them. We are called to look at it, enjoy and appreciate it, receive it. Studying the works of God allow us to appreciate Him, and out of that, comes understanding that gives us joy and satisfaction, as Psalm 65:4 says.
Is this how you feel about God’s work in salvation? Do you see how He has done all this to close the gap that our sins have created with Him and brought us back? God is working out good for us to be accepted and made glad. Moreover, we get the idea that the reason why the psalmist is so indebted to God is because He has worked to bless him
Friends, do you know the works of God in salvation? There is no greater work. Revelation tells us that for eternity we will be delighting and rejoicing in the work of the Lamb who was slain. So here on earth, we should cultivate an appreciation and delight in studying God’s work. This is why we study the Bible. We are not just looking for things to apply, wisdom to make decisions or ways to improve ourselves. These are important but are not the most important. This is the important principle: the praise of thanksgiving is the response to the good work of God, to what He has achieved and done on our behalf. So we worship the God who works good for us because His labors, His plans, His achievements, bless and satisfy us.
This is not to say that God’s glory is not important - after all, Psalm 65:1 makes it clear that praise is due Him, but the two are not exclusive. God’s good work for His own glory, is also here, working out good for others. Good work can satisfy and also be a blessing. The most important is that God’s works have been completed and revealed. As we fix our eyes on what He has done, our hearts find joy.
(B) God who works in salvation and creation (Ps 65:5-8)
In Psalm 65:5a, the psalmist recognises God’s “awesome deeds” that are God’s righteous answer to us, and he calls him the “God of our salvation”. So we see the personal connection to Psalm 65:3 in how the psalmist refers to God, His work makes Him the “God of our [own] salvation”. In answer to our prayers for help and rescue (Ps 65:2a), God performs His “awesome deeds” in righteousness. The NIV version puts it this way: “You answer us with awesome and righteous deeds, God our Savior”. So the psalmist first recognises God for His work in salvation. That’s the beginning of a relationship with a holy God. But that’s not all He does.
The psalmist quickly turns to a second work and we can see it in the continued sentence of Psalm 65:5 — “the hope of all the ends of the earth and…seas”. These are the bounds of where human beings can travel - the earth and sea. And throughout the earth, we see His power in creation.
Four proof points are offered for God’s creational power:
His strength and might in establishing the mountains (Ps 65:6)
His rule over the chaotic seas and waves (Ps 65:7)
His reign over the tumult of the people and those who are in awe of God’s signs (Ps 65:7)
The joyful passage of time in the morning and evening (Ps 65:8).
These four proof points show us that God rules and reigns over what He made as the undisputed Creator of the world, and He has no rival. God’s work in creation took effort and led to outcomes. God created with intention and design. If you are working in a domain that seeks to bring order from chaos, or trying to establish routines with people, take heart! This is what God does.
God also creates in joy. Three times in this psalm, we have seen it. Earlier, we’ve seen how salvation leads to intimacy and satisfaction. It is finding all of our heart’s longing in Him. His work in creation leads to creation celebrating! No wonder God declares that it is good at the end of His creation! In the subsequent verses, we read of the two other instances of joy.
In subsequent weeks we’ll think more about the Genesis account of how God creates in power, but let’s consider this point together — that the Genesis creation accounts give us not one but two complementary accounts of God’s creation. The first shows God speaking and creating by His Word like a divine Ruler, and the second shows God present on the earth, forming man out of dust (Gen 2:7), breathing in His own breath, and planting a garden in the dirt (Gen 2:8). So God is presented as a gardener, a worker of the soil. This imbues work with an incredible dignity and purpose. But there is still one more work we need to look at.
(C) God who works in providence (PS 65:9-13)
The psalmist next describes God’s work in providence (Ps 65:9-13). What is providence? It is the idea that God with His power, works out good for His people and the world.
The Heidelberg Catechism Answer 27 puts it this way: “Providence is the almighty and ever present power of God by which he upholds, as with his hand, heaven and earth and all creatures, and so rules them that leaf and blade, rain and drought, fruitful and lean years, food and drink, health and sickness, prosperity and poverty—all things, in fact, come to us not by chance but from his fatherly hand ” John Piper defines the term as: “his purposeful sovereignty by which he will be completely successful in the achievement of his ultimate goal for the universe. God’s providence carries his plans into action, guides all things toward his ultimate goal, and leads to the final consummation.”
Thus, we see that providence is not just God’s power but it is His power working out God’s heart, His loving, fatherly and kind intentions.
God’s providence is described here in Psalm 65:9-13 in a series of statements about three things: water, harvest, and festival. We see the cooperative nature of God’s providence as it works in tandem with human processes. Natural processes are overlaid with divine purpose and action. The outcome of divine work leads to the joy of anthropologised nature and the community.
Water
First, divine presence visits in blessing -- watered and enriched. Next, the river of God is prepared to be full of water leading to grain. Thirdly, we read of the work of preparing the furrows to be watered abundantly with settled ridges,. Finally, the showers have a preparation effect and growth is a blessing.Harvest
We begin with a big picture of time as the year is blessed with bounty and crowned. Next, we see the big picture of the economy as wagon tracks overflow with abundance.Festival
First, the wilderness also overflow with pastures in transformation. Secondly, the hills are joyful. Thirdly, the meadows are full of flocks and fourth, the valleys are full of grain. Finally, together, there is joy in the shouting and singing. This links back to Psalm 65:1 and the praise and vows from the temple, now spilling out into the praise all over the lands. The works of God lead to fruitfulness and joy.
Notice how there are no reference to human beings here in Psalm 65:9-13. If we read the grammar of it, who is doing these things? The grammar suggests that it is God working. We see that in Psalm 65:9, which speaks of God visiting. We are meant to see the cooperative nature of this — God working with man’s work — to accomplish this. This psalm shows us the God who is at work! The human work is implied but it is the work of God to supply from beginning to end.
One of the scariest thing is to worship God on Sunday but work in an atheistic world on Mondays to Saturday. We want our life to be kind of easy, where we don’t want to do too much to get paid, and live from holiday to holiday. Until we see the God has worked out in salvation and is working out in providence now, we will not be able to believe that the things we are doing at work — logistics, food science, policy for trade — is a part of God’s providential care for your neighbour. And to be honest, we do not think of our work as a way to serve our neighbour. We work as slaves, striving to get through the day in the easiest possibly way and to return to our lives with us as king at the centre. Friends, consider how our work is God’s way of blessing our neighbour.
See Psalm 65:9. Water provides the nutrient and notice how the river is not an atheistic river. It is a river of God. It is intentional that the psalmist begins with Heaven — as God who is in Heaven comes and visit the earth, and prepares the grain of this earth too. God intends to make every seed grow. This is why we have grain and rice. God waters the furrows (Ps 65:10). Work has gone into providing these tracks to provide maximum yield. Do you work in investment? Consider how this indicates how effort is made to optimise yield. Things don’t just happen!
And see how God Himself is involved in the harvest! This is what the psalmist keeps emphasising. He is at work from the moment it rains. He crowns the year with His goodness (Ps 65:11). And see the action of repeated collection (marked by the abundant wagon tracks in Psalm 65:11).
Where are the pastures in Psalm 65:12? These are in the wilderness — the untamed, undomesticated lands. These also become pastures. It is ironic because no one plants crops on the hills or the valley. There is so much blessing that there is growth even on the hills and in the valleys. The meadows are full of flocks because of the grain harvest (Ps 65:13). This results in singing for joy.
Is this how we think of God’s work? Whatever you are working on, pray that the work of your hands bring value to someone. Ask that He will use it to do His work. If we believe that God really works in providence, we believe that God works through us, and we will think of our jobs differently.
Three times we see the joy that comes as a result of God’s work. By His work in salvation, creation and providence, it leads to joy and more joy.
As we begin this series on work, let us remember what He has done as He makes us, sustains and in Christ, makes us His again, even as we rebelled against Him.
What have you learnt today about the God who works? How well do you know the works of God in creation, salvation and providence.