Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Adult Sunday School Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/bb/bb19970316.htm

PSALMS: DIARIES OF GODLY OLD TESTAMENT SAINTS
Psalm Sixty-Five - Help For Those Who Cannot Forgive Themselves
(Psalm 65:1-13)
  1. Introduction
    1. No suffering is quite as poignant as that of unrelenting guilt. It can eat away at the soul with endless oppression until he actually goes insane.
    2. Psalm sixty-five addresses the great forgiveness and restoration from God to the repentant, producing an encouragement to those who suffer great false or lingering guilt over former sins.
  2. Help For Those Who Cannot Forgive Themselves, Psalm 65:1-13.
    1. David began this psalm with an expression of great praise to the Lord, an appreciation of God's ministry to him that was so great, it left David in a state of silent awe, unable to speak, Ps. 65:1.
    2. In fact, David predicts that someday all men will come to worship the Lord when news of His greatness is known unto them, Ps. 65:2.
    3. In explaining why David has such a great adoration for the Lord, He explains it to be God's great ministry of forgiveness of sin for which David could not himself handle well, Ps. 65:3-13:
      1. David explains that at a point in his life, the charge of some sin or sins he had committed was so convicting that he couldn't deal with his own sinfulness, Ps. 65:3a.
      2. Yet, God had Himself handled David's sins that David had found so difficult even to face, and God had done it to an amazing degree, Ps. 65:3b-13:
        1. When David had sinned to the point where he himself was overcome with the guilt of that sin, the Lord had made an atonement for him, Ps. 65:3b.
        2. This atonement covered ALL of David's transgressions of the Mosaic Law, Ps. 65:3c.
        3. Then, God had blessed David abundantly with earthly blessings due to this great forgiveness, 65:4.
        4. The rest of the psalm details these blessings as follows: (1) God answers the cries for help from His people with their sin problems unto the ends of the earth, Ps. 65:5. (2) He Who formed the mountains by His power, who stille d the roaring of the seas (apparently in the Noahic Flood that came in judgment on sin) and the turmoil of peoples could thus produce songs of joy due to God's great grace and forgiveness, Ps. 65:6-8. (3) Following forgiveness, God blesses His own by caring for the land, watering it to provide crops that they overflow with agricultural bounty, Ps. 65:9-13a. (4) This rich bounty in an agricultural society such as belonged to David's ancient Palestine produced great joy, Ps. 65:12b, 13b.
Lesson: Where David found it impossible to face his own iniquity once it was defined for him, GOD not only forgave, but restored David's broken spirit with great joy due to all of His forgiving bounties showered upon him! Such GRACE left David spe echless in awe! THUS, GOD HAS A PROGRAM OF HIMSELF ENCOURAGING THOSE WHO ARE SO APPALLED AT THEIR OWN SINS THAT THEY DON'T HAVE THE CAPACITY TO FORGIVE THEMSELVES!

Application: (1) When our SIN becomes so obnoxious that even WE cannot stand to FACE it, let alone to FORGIVE ouselves, GOD'S GRACE abundantly takes over. (2) Thus, if we are saddled with enormous GUILT, we need GOD not only to FORGIVE us based upon 1 John 1:9's promise, but we need HIM to ENCOURAGE us unto full restoration following our depression from that failure. Thus, LOOK TO THE LORD FOR RESTORATION ONCE WE HAVE CONFESSED OUR SIN! (3) If we have friends who are struggling with FALSE guilt, we need to teach them to rely upon GOD to handle that GUILT, cf. 1 John 3:19-20. (4) When God's GRACE is so overwhelming that we are left SPEECHLESS in AWE, that AWE is itself acceptable WORSHIP, for WORSHIP is an ATTITUDE of ADMIRATION to the Lord, Ps. 65:1. Thus, learn to view WORSHIP as much more than singing songs, reading Bible texts and praying in a Sunday Morning Service -- it is an attitude of appreciating GOD'S PERSONS and WORKS.