Psalms 66 Study Notes: Praise for God Who Refines and Hears
The whole world is summoned to praise God for His mighty works, such as turning the sea to dry ground. The people recall hard trials that God used to purify them before bringing them to plenty, and a worshiper then keeps his vows and testifies that God answered his prayer.
General
Whom does the psalmist invite in 66:16 to hear what God has done for him?
Answer: Everyone who fears God
Earlier the psalm invited everyone to come and see God's awesome deeds, such as making a dry path through the sea (66:5-6). Now the psalmist calls everyone who fears God to come and hear what God has done for him personally (66:16). To fear God means to honor and reverence Him. He tells them that he called out to God and praised Him aloud (66:17). Personal testimony of God's help is meant to be shared with God's people, as David also gathered listeners to teach them (Psalm 34:11; 22:22), and as Jesus sent a man He had freed from demons back home to tell his own people of the Lord's mercy to him (Mark 5:19).
- Psalm 66:16-17 (BSB)“Come and listen, all you who fear God, and I will declare what He has done for me. I cried out to Him with my mouth and praised Him with my tongue.”The psalmist invites God-fearers to hear his own story of calling to God and praising Him.
- Psalm 34:11 (BSB)“Come, children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the LORD.”David likewise calls listeners together to teach them reverence for the LORD from his experience.
- Psalm 22:22 (BSB)“I will proclaim Your name to my brothers; I will praise You in the assembly.”The psalmist, once rescued, vows to make God's name known to his brothers and to praise Him among the gathered people.
- Mark 5:19 (BSB)“But Jesus would not allow him. “Go home to your own people,” He said, “and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and what mercy He has shown you.””Jesus sends a man He freed from demons home to tell his people of the Lord's great mercy to him.
Theological
To what audience does the psalmist address his personal testimony in 66:16?
Answer: Everyone who fears God
The psalm moves from corporate recital (come and see, 66:5) to individual testimony (come and listen, 66:16), addressed specifically to the God-fearing community. His report begins with his cry to God and the praise that accompanied it (66:17). Declaring God's saving acts to the congregation is a recurring feature of the psalms of thanksgiving (Psalm 34:11; 22:22), and it continues in the New Testament witness of those whom the Lord has shown mercy (Mark 5:19).
- Psalm 66:16-17 (BSB)“Come and listen, all you who fear God, and I will declare what He has done for me. I cried out to Him with my mouth and praised Him with my tongue.”The psalmist invites God-fearers to hear his own story of calling to God and praising Him.
- Psalm 34:11 (BSB)“Come, children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the LORD.”David likewise calls listeners together to teach them reverence for the LORD from his experience.
- Psalm 22:22 (BSB)“I will proclaim Your name to my brothers; I will praise You in the assembly.”The psalmist, once rescued, vows to make God's name known to his brothers and to praise Him among the gathered people.
- Mark 5:19 (BSB)“But Jesus would not allow him. “Go home to your own people,” He said, “and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and what mercy He has shown you.””Jesus sends a man He freed from demons home to tell his people of the Lord's great mercy to him.
General
True or False: In 66:8-9 the peoples are told to bless God because He keeps His people alive and holds their steps steady.
Answer: True
This is true. The psalm calls the peoples to bless God aloud (66:8) and gives the reason: He keeps His people's lives and does not let their feet slide (66:9). Their survival is credited to God's keeping, not to their own strength. The same promise appears in Psalm 121:3, and the New Testament extends it to God's keeping of believers until the end: He has power to keep them from stumbling (Jude 1:24), and Christ's sheep can never be pulled from His hand (John 10:28-29).
- Psalm 66:8-9 (BSB)“Bless our God, O peoples; let the sound of His praise be heard. He preserves our lives and keeps our feet from slipping.”The peoples are called to bless God because He keeps His people alive and steady.
- Psalm 121:3 (BSB)“He will not allow your foot to slip; your Protector will not slumber.”The LORD, the ever-wakeful Protector of His people, keeps their footing secure.
- Jude 1:24 (BSB)“Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you unblemished in His glorious presence, with great joy—”God is able to guard His people from falling and bring them blameless and joyful into His presence.
- John 10:28-29 (BSB)“I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them out of My hand. My Father who has given them to Me is greater than all. No one can snatch them out of My Father’s hand.”Jesus says His sheep are held secure in His hand and His Father's, beyond anyone's reach.
Theological
True or False: In 66:8-9 the call to bless God is grounded in His preserving His people's lives and steadying their feet.
Answer: True
This is true. The summons to the peoples (66:8) rests on God's preserving care: He sustains His people's life and keeps their steps from slipping (66:9). Their continuance is God's work. This anticipates the doctrine of perseverance, grounded in God's keeping power rather than human steadfastness (Psalm 121:3; Jude 1:24; John 10:28-29).
- Psalm 66:8-9 (BSB)“Bless our God, O peoples; let the sound of His praise be heard. He preserves our lives and keeps our feet from slipping.”The peoples are called to bless God because He keeps His people alive and steady.
- Psalm 121:3 (BSB)“He will not allow your foot to slip; your Protector will not slumber.”The LORD, the ever-wakeful Protector of His people, keeps their footing secure.
- Jude 1:24 (BSB)“Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you unblemished in His glorious presence, with great joy—”God is able to guard His people from falling and bring them blameless and joyful into His presence.
- John 10:28-29 (BSB)“I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them out of My hand. My Father who has given them to Me is greater than all. No one can snatch them out of My Father’s hand.”Jesus says His sheep are held secure in His hand and His Father's, beyond anyone's reach.
General
True or False: In 66:7 the psalmist says God has turned His eyes away from the nations and watches over Israel alone.
Answer: False
This is false. The psalmist says God's rule by His might is everlasting and that His eyes keep watch on the nations, which is why rebels are warned not to raise themselves up (66:7). God's attention is not limited to Israel; He sees every people, and no proud rebel escapes His notice (Proverbs 15:3). The nations who plot against Him are powerless before the One who sits on heaven's throne (Psalm 2:1-4), and even a pagan king had to confess that no one can hold back God's hand (Daniel 4:35).
- Psalm 66:7 (BSB)“He rules forever by His power; His eyes watch the nations. Do not let the rebellious exalt themselves. Selah”God's eternal rule and watchful eyes are the reason rebels are warned against pride.
- Proverbs 15:3 (BSB)“The eyes of the LORD are in every place, observing the evil and the good.”The LORD sees everywhere, watching the wicked and the good alike, so no nation is outside His sight.
- Psalm 2:1-4 (BSB)“Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together, against the LORD and against His Anointed One: “Let us break Their chains and cast away Their cords.” The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord taunts them.”The nations plotting against the LORD are pictured as powerless before the One enthroned in heaven.
- Daniel 4:35 (BSB)“All the peoples of the earth are counted as nothing, and He does as He pleases with the army of heaven and the peoples of the earth. There is no one who can restrain His hand or say to Him, ‘What have You done?’””Nebuchadnezzar confesses that God deals with the earth's peoples as He wills and no one can hold Him back.
Theological
True or False: According to 66:7, God's watchful oversight is restricted to Israel rather than extended to the nations.
Answer: False
This is false. The verse grounds its warning to the rebellious in God's everlasting dominion and His surveillance of the nations (66:7). His providential oversight is universal (Proverbs 15:3), and His sovereignty over the peoples is absolute, so that rebellion against Him is futile (Psalm 2:1-4; Daniel 4:35).
- Psalm 66:7 (BSB)“He rules forever by His power; His eyes watch the nations. Do not let the rebellious exalt themselves. Selah”God's eternal rule and watchful eyes are the reason rebels are warned against pride.
- Proverbs 15:3 (BSB)“The eyes of the LORD are in every place, observing the evil and the good.”The LORD sees everywhere, watching the wicked and the good alike, so no nation is outside His sight.
- Psalm 2:1-4 (BSB)“Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together, against the LORD and against His Anointed One: “Let us break Their chains and cast away Their cords.” The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord taunts them.”The nations plotting against the LORD are pictured as powerless before the One enthroned in heaven.
- Daniel 4:35 (BSB)“All the peoples of the earth are counted as nothing, and He does as He pleases with the army of heaven and the peoples of the earth. There is no one who can restrain His hand or say to Him, ‘What have You done?’””Nebuchadnezzar confesses that God deals with the earth's peoples as He wills and no one can hold Him back.
General
In 66:5-6, which past work of God does the psalmist invite people to come and see?
Answer: The sea made dry so His people crossed by walking
The psalmist calls people to come and look at God's awesome deeds toward humanity (66:5), and he points to the day God changed the sea to dry ground so His people walked through the water (66:6). This recalls the exodus, when the LORD drove the sea back and Israel crossed on dry ground (Exodus 14:21-22; Psalm 106:9). Joshua later tied the crossing of the Jordan to that same act, so that every people would know the LORD's mighty hand (Joshua 4:23-24). The psalm also says the people rejoiced in God there, using the word we, so the worshipers who sing it count themselves part of the people God brought through.
- Psalm 66:5-6 (BSB)“Come and see the works of God; how awesome are His deeds toward mankind. He turned the sea into dry land; they passed through the waters on foot; there we rejoiced in Him.”The psalmist invites people to look at God's deeds and points to the day the sea became dry ground.
- Exodus 14:21-22 (BSB)“Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the LORD drove back the sea with a strong east wind that turned it into dry land. So the waters were divided, and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with walls of water on their right and on their left.”The exodus account records the LORD pushing the waters back with a wind so Israel could walk across on a dry seabed.
- Joshua 4:23-24 (BSB)“For the LORD your God dried up the waters of the Jordan before you until you had crossed over, just as He did to the Red Sea, which He dried up before us until we had crossed over. He did this so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the LORD is mighty, and so that you may always fear the LORD your God.””Joshua links the drying of the Jordan with the drying of the Red Sea, done so that all peoples would know the LORD's power.
- Psalm 106:9 (BSB)“He rebuked the Red Sea, and it dried up; He led them through the depths as through a desert.”Another psalm recalls the same deliverance, when God rebuked the sea and brought His people across its dried-up bed.
Theological
Which redemptive act do 66:5-6 put forward as the display of God's awesome works?
Answer: The sea made dry so His people crossed by walking
The invitation to behold God's works (66:5) centers on the paradigm deliverance of Israel's history: the sea turned to dry ground and the people crossing on foot (66:6), recalling the exodus (Exodus 14:21-22; Psalm 106:9). Joshua explicitly pairs the Jordan crossing with the Red Sea as one pattern of divine power meant to be known among all peoples (Joshua 4:23-24). The first-person plural of 66:6 shows later worshipers identifying with the redeemed generation, treating the exodus as their own story of salvation.
- Psalm 66:5-6 (BSB)“Come and see the works of God; how awesome are His deeds toward mankind. He turned the sea into dry land; they passed through the waters on foot; there we rejoiced in Him.”The psalmist invites people to look at God's deeds and points to the day the sea became dry ground.
- Exodus 14:21-22 (BSB)“Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the LORD drove back the sea with a strong east wind that turned it into dry land. So the waters were divided, and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with walls of water on their right and on their left.”The exodus account records the LORD pushing the waters back with a wind so Israel could walk across on a dry seabed.
- Joshua 4:23-24 (BSB)“For the LORD your God dried up the waters of the Jordan before you until you had crossed over, just as He did to the Red Sea, which He dried up before us until we had crossed over. He did this so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the LORD is mighty, and so that you may always fear the LORD your God.””Joshua links the drying of the Jordan with the drying of the Red Sea, done so that all peoples would know the LORD's power.
- Psalm 106:9 (BSB)“He rebuked the Red Sea, and it dried up; He led them through the depths as through a desert.”Another psalm recalls the same deliverance, when God rebuked the sea and brought His people across its dried-up bed.
General
According to 66:18-19, what would have kept the Lord from listening to the psalmist's prayer?
Answer: Holding on to sin in his heart
The psalmist says that if he had treasured sin in his heart, holding on to it instead of turning from it, the Lord would have refused to listen (66:18). But God did hear and paid attention to his prayer (66:19), and he closes by blessing God, who did not turn his prayer away or hold back His loving devotion, God's loyal, covenant-keeping love (66:20). This is not a claim to be sinless. Sin clung to builds a wall between people and God (Isaiah 59:2), but the one who confesses sin is forgiven (Psalm 32:5; 1 John 1:9). The psalmist credits the answer to God's loving devotion, not to his own merit.
- Psalm 66:18-20 (BSB)“If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened. But God has surely heard; He has attended to the sound of my prayer. Blessed be God, who has not rejected my prayer or withheld from me His loving devotion!”The psalmist reflects that sin held close would have blocked his prayer, but God heard and showed him loving devotion.
- Isaiah 59:2 (BSB)“But your iniquities have built barriers between you and your God, and your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He does not hear.”Isaiah says iniquity walls people off from God and hides His face, so their prayers go unheard.
- Psalm 32:5 (BSB)“Then I acknowledged my sin to You and did not hide my iniquity. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,” and You forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah”David shows the other path: he confessed his sin instead of hiding it, and God forgave.
- 1 John 1:9 (BSB)“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”John promises that God forgives and cleanses those who confess their sins.
Theological
What condition in 66:18 would have prevented the Lord from hearing the psalmist?
Answer: Holding on to sin in his heart
The psalmist names regarding iniquity with favor in the heart, harboring sin rather than repenting of it, as the thing that would have closed the Lord's ear (66:18). The verse assumes a penitent heart, not sinless perfection. God did in fact hear (66:19), and the closing doxology credits the answer to His loving devotion rather than the psalmist's worthiness (66:20). Unrepented sin separates from God (Isaiah 59:2), while confession meets forgiveness (Psalm 32:5; 1 John 1:9), so the hearing of prayer rests on grace.
- Psalm 66:18-20 (BSB)“If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened. But God has surely heard; He has attended to the sound of my prayer. Blessed be God, who has not rejected my prayer or withheld from me His loving devotion!”The psalmist reflects that sin held close would have blocked his prayer, but God heard and showed him loving devotion.
- Isaiah 59:2 (BSB)“But your iniquities have built barriers between you and your God, and your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He does not hear.”Isaiah says iniquity walls people off from God and hides His face, so their prayers go unheard.
- Psalm 32:5 (BSB)“Then I acknowledged my sin to You and did not hide my iniquity. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,” and You forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah”David shows the other path: he confessed his sin instead of hiding it, and God forgave.
- 1 John 1:9 (BSB)“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”John promises that God forgives and cleanses those who confess their sins.
General
How does the psalmist describe the hardships of 66:10-12?
Answer: As God's testing, purifying His people as silver is
The psalmist says it was God who tested His people and purified them the way silver is refined (66:10). He speaks of God trapping them as in a net and loading heavy burdens on them, and of letting people ride roughshod over them as they passed through fire and flood (66:11-12). Yet the story ends with God bringing them out to a place of plenty (66:12). God was in control of the hardship and used it for good. Zechariah uses the same image of refining silver (Zechariah 13:9), Peter says trials prove that faith is genuine (1 Peter 1:6-7), and Hebrews says God's painful discipline is for His children's good (Hebrews 12:10-11).
- Psalm 66:10-12 (BSB)“For You, O God, have tested us; You have refined us like silver. You led us into the net; You laid burdens on our backs. You let men ride over our heads; we went through fire and water, but You brought us into abundance.”The psalmist describes a season of severe hardship as God's own testing, which ended in abundance.
- Zechariah 13:9 (BSB)“This third I will bring through the fire; I will refine them like silver and test them like gold. They will call on My name, and I will answer them. I will say, ‘They are My people,’ and they will say, ‘The LORD is our God.’””God promises to put His people through the fire and refine them like silver, ending in renewed covenant fellowship.
- 1 Peter 1:6-7 (BSB)“In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in various trials so that the proven character of your faith—more precious than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”Peter says trials prove the genuineness of faith, as fire refines gold.
- Hebrews 12:10-11 (BSB)“Our fathers disciplined us for a short time as they thought best, but God disciplines us for our good, so that we may share in His holiness. No discipline seems enjoyable at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it yields a harvest of righteousness and peace to those who have been trained by it.”God's painful discipline is for His people's good and later bears the fruit of right living and peace.
Theological
How do 66:10-12 interpret Israel's sufferings?
Answer: As God's testing, purifying His people as silver is
The psalmist attributes the ordeal directly to God: He tested and refined His people like silver (66:10), led them into the net, laid burdens on them, and let men ride roughshod over them as they passed through fire and flood (66:11-12). God's sovereignty extends over affliction, yet He is not the author of the enemies' evil; He works through it for a refining purpose, and the ordeal ends in abundance (66:12). The refining motif recurs in Zechariah 13:9, and the New Testament presents trials as the proving of faith (1 Peter 1:6-7) and as fatherly discipline for the believer's sanctification (Hebrews 12:10-11).
- Psalm 66:10-12 (BSB)“For You, O God, have tested us; You have refined us like silver. You led us into the net; You laid burdens on our backs. You let men ride over our heads; we went through fire and water, but You brought us into abundance.”The psalmist describes a season of severe hardship as God's own testing, which ended in abundance.
- Zechariah 13:9 (BSB)“This third I will bring through the fire; I will refine them like silver and test them like gold. They will call on My name, and I will answer them. I will say, ‘They are My people,’ and they will say, ‘The LORD is our God.’””God promises to put His people through the fire and refine them like silver, ending in renewed covenant fellowship.
- 1 Peter 1:6-7 (BSB)“In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in various trials so that the proven character of your faith—more precious than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”Peter says trials prove the genuineness of faith, as fire refines gold.
- Hebrews 12:10-11 (BSB)“Our fathers disciplined us for a short time as they thought best, but God disciplines us for our good, so that we may share in His holiness. No discipline seems enjoyable at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it yields a harvest of righteousness and peace to those who have been trained by it.”God's painful discipline is for His people's good and later bears the fruit of right living and peace.
General
According to 66:13-14, what will the psalmist do when he comes to God's house bringing burnt offerings?
Answer: Keep the vows he promised while in trouble
Here the psalm turns from we to I. The speaker says he will come to God's house bringing burnt offerings and pay the vows he made with his own lips when he was in distress (66:13-14). He names generous gifts: fattened animals, rams, bulls, and goats (66:15). A burnt offering was a sacrifice wholly given up to God on the altar. He had promised God something while in trouble, and now that God has rescued him he keeps his word. Scripture warns that vows to God must be kept (Ecclesiastes 5:4-5), and other rescued worshipers say the same (Psalm 116:14; Jonah 2:9).
- Psalm 66:13-15 (BSB)“I will enter Your house with burnt offerings; I will fulfill my vows to You— the vows that my lips promised and my mouth spoke in my distress. I will offer You fatlings as burnt offerings, with the fragrant smoke of rams; I will offer bulls and goats. Selah”The speaker, now in the first person, brings generous offerings to God's house to keep his vows.
- Ecclesiastes 5:4-5 (BSB)“When you make a vow to God, do not delay in fulfilling it, because He takes no pleasure in fools. Fulfill your vow. It is better not to vow than to make a vow and not fulfill it.”Scripture warns that a vow made to God must be fulfilled without delay.
- Psalm 116:14 (BSB)“I will fulfill my vows to the LORD in the presence of all His people.”Another psalmist, rescued from death, pledges to pay his vows before all God's people.
- Jonah 2:9 (BSB)“But I, with the voice of thanksgiving, will sacrifice to You. I will fulfill what I have vowed. Salvation is from the LORD!””Jonah, delivered from the deep, promises thanksgiving sacrifice and fulfillment of his vow.
Theological
What does the psalmist say he will do as he brings lavish sacrifices to God's house in 66:13-15?
Answer: Keep the vows he promised while in trouble
The shift to the first-person singular brings the psalmist himself into the sanctuary with burnt offerings in fulfillment of vows uttered in his distress (66:13-14), and the list of fatlings, rams, bulls, and goats marks his gratitude as costly (66:15). A vow made in crisis becomes thanksgiving when God delivers. Scripture binds the worshiper to perform what he has vowed (Ecclesiastes 5:4-5), and the pattern of vow-paying after deliverance recurs in Psalm 116:14 and Jonah 2:9.
- Psalm 66:13-15 (BSB)“I will enter Your house with burnt offerings; I will fulfill my vows to You— the vows that my lips promised and my mouth spoke in my distress. I will offer You fatlings as burnt offerings, with the fragrant smoke of rams; I will offer bulls and goats. Selah”The speaker, now in the first person, brings generous offerings to God's house to keep his vows.
- Ecclesiastes 5:4-5 (BSB)“When you make a vow to God, do not delay in fulfilling it, because He takes no pleasure in fools. Fulfill your vow. It is better not to vow than to make a vow and not fulfill it.”Scripture warns that a vow made to God must be fulfilled without delay.
- Psalm 116:14 (BSB)“I will fulfill my vows to the LORD in the presence of all His people.”Another psalmist, rescued from death, pledges to pay his vows before all God's people.
- Jonah 2:9 (BSB)“But I, with the voice of thanksgiving, will sacrifice to You. I will fulfill what I have vowed. Salvation is from the LORD!””Jonah, delivered from the deep, promises thanksgiving sacrifice and fulfillment of his vow.
General
Whom does the opening of Psalm 66 (66:1-4) call to praise God?
Answer: The whole world, every land and people
Psalm 66 begins with a call that reaches far beyond Israel: every land is told to shout joyfully to God and to give Him glorious praise (66:1-2). The psalm even gives the words the world should speak to Him, marveling at His deeds and at a power so great that His enemies shrink back, while the whole world bows in worship (66:3-4). The God of Israel is the rightful Lord of every nation. Other psalms share this hope of the nations bowing before the LORD (Psalm 22:27; 86:9), and the New Testament shows every knee finally bowing to Jesus, for the Father's glory (Philippians 2:10-11).
- Psalm 66:1-4 (BSB)“For the choirmaster. A song. A Psalm. Make a joyful noise to God, all the earth! Sing the glory of His name; make His praise glorious. Say to God, “How awesome are Your deeds! So great is Your power that Your enemies cower before You. All the earth bows down to You; they sing praise to You; they sing praise to Your name.” Selah”The psalm opens by summoning every land to praise God and even supplies the words they should say to Him.
- Psalm 22:27 (BSB)“All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the LORD. All the families of the nations will bow down before Him.”Another psalm looks ahead to every family of the nations bowing in worship before the LORD.
- Psalm 86:9 (BSB)“All the nations You have made will come and bow before You, O Lord, and they will glorify Your name.”The psalmist confesses that every nation God made will one day worship Him and give honor to His name.
- Philippians 2:10-11 (BSB)“that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”Paul shows this worldwide homage finally given to Jesus, to the glory of the Father.
Theological
What is the scope of the summons to worship in 66:1-4?
Answer: The whole world, every land and people
The psalm's opening imperatives are universal: every land is summoned to shout to God and to render His praise glorious (66:1-2), and the nations are even given a script confessing His awesome works and the cringing submission of His foes (66:3-4). Israel's God is not a tribal deity but the Lord to whom all peoples owe worship. The same universal horizon appears in Psalm 22:27 and 86:9, and it reaches its goal in the confession of Christ's lordship by every tongue (Philippians 2:10-11).
- Psalm 66:1-4 (BSB)“For the choirmaster. A song. A Psalm. Make a joyful noise to God, all the earth! Sing the glory of His name; make His praise glorious. Say to God, “How awesome are Your deeds! So great is Your power that Your enemies cower before You. All the earth bows down to You; they sing praise to You; they sing praise to Your name.” Selah”The psalm opens by summoning every land to praise God and even supplies the words they should say to Him.
- Psalm 22:27 (BSB)“All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the LORD. All the families of the nations will bow down before Him.”Another psalm looks ahead to every family of the nations bowing in worship before the LORD.
- Psalm 86:9 (BSB)“All the nations You have made will come and bow before You, O Lord, and they will glorify Your name.”The psalmist confesses that every nation God made will one day worship Him and give honor to His name.
- Philippians 2:10-11 (BSB)“that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”Paul shows this worldwide homage finally given to Jesus, to the glory of the Father.