Psalms 65 · The Lantern

To the choirmaster. A psalm of David. A song. To you silence is praise, God, in Zion; and to you a vow will be fulfilled.

Praise Awaits God in Zion

Hearer of prayer, to you all flesh will come.

Matters of iniquities have prevailed over me; our transgressions — you yourself will atone for them.

Happy is the one you choose and bring near to dwell in your courts. We will be satisfied with the goodness of your house, the holiness of your temple.

With fearful things in righteousness you answer us, God of our salvation, the trust of all the ends of the earth and of the far-off sea;

who establishes the mountains by his power, girded with might;

who stills the roaring of the seas, the roaring of their waves, and the roar of the peoples.

And the inhabitants of the far reaches fear at your signs; you make the goings out of morning and evening sing aloud.

You have visited the land and made it overflow; you greatly enrich it. The channel of God is full of water; you prepare their grain, for so you prepare it.

Only let us recognize the purpose of the evil. Why have the crops withered, our storehouses been emptied, the pastures of our flocks failed, the fruits of the earth been withheld and the plains been filled with shame instead of such fatness?

"Thou hast visited the earth, and hast inebriated it" [Psalm 65:9]. Whence hast inebriated the earth? "Thy cup inebriating how glorious it is!" "Thou hast visited the earth, and hast inebriated it." Thou hast sent Thy clouds, they have rained down the preaching of the truth, inebriated is the earth. "Thou hast multiplied to enrich it." Whence?

Again, vegetation is generous. Hence in the Psalm: "You have visited the land and watered it; greatly have you enriched it. God's watercourses are filled; you have prepared the grain," and "the valleys are blanketed with grain." This land is alive and awake, it abounds.

Saturating its furrows, settling its ridges; with showers you soften it; you bless its sprouting.

You have crowned the year of your goodness, and your tracks drip with fatness.

"Thou shalt bless the crown of the year of Thy goodness" [Psalm 65:11]. Seed is now sowing, that which is sown is growing, there will be the harvest too. And now over the seed the enemy hath sown tares; and there have risen up evil ones among the good, false Christians, having like leaf, but not like fruit.

For that these bodies have a circular motion David shows when he says: Thou shalt bless the crown of the year with thy goodness; here with wonderful propriety styling the circle of the twelve months a crown, as crowning the face of the earth with beauty, whence he added: And the fields shall be filled with thy fatness.

For the fact that each of the four rows worn on the chest contains three stones corresponds to the sequence of the yearly cycle, which is divided into four seasons of three months each. Now in the Scriptures the entire year is designated as the time of our salvation, in which we strive for an eternal reward.

The pastures of the wilderness drip, and the hills gird themselves with rejoicing.

The meadows are clothed with flocks, and the valleys wrap themselves in grain; they shout in triumph; indeed, they sing.

Psalms65

Praise Awaits God in Zion