Heading.
‘For the Chief Musician. A Song, a Psalm.'
This Psalm is dedicated to the Chief Musician or Choirmaster. It probably indicates that it has been adapted for Temple worship. It is described as both a song and a Psalm, but it is noteworthy that no reference is made to authorship. The dedication of anonymous Psalms to the Chief Musician was rare (only this and Psalms 67). The situation in life for the Psalm was probably the amazing deliverance of Jerusalem from the armies of Sennacherib, for it clearly indicates connection with a great deliverance and a short, sharp shock. If this was so the Psalm is written in the time of Hezekiah. Others have, however, suggested that it reflects the deliverance from Exile, in which case we would have to date it after 520 BC, for it refers to the Temple as a going concern (Psalms 66:13-15). But the impression that the people who are delivered are also those who had directly suffered calamity is against this attribution, whilst there is no indication of exile.
A feature of the Psalm is that the first part (Psalms 66:1-12) is in the plural, and clearly has in mind the whole congregation of Israel, whilst the last part (Psalms 66:13-20) is in the singular. This may suggest:
1) That the speaker in the last part was the king acting as intercessor for the people, as a priest after the intercessory order of Melchizedek (Psalms 110:4). Kings regularly described the activities of their subjects in terms of themselves. If the situation was as we have suggested that king would be Hezekiah, and we have an example of his intercessory status in Isaiah 37:1; Isaiah 37:14-20, compare Isaiah 38.
2) That the first part is a general call to praise sung by the choir, or spoken out by a priest in authority, and that in the second part the people then respond as individuals, each speaking on his own behalf. The second part would then be seen as a personal and total response in gratitude by the whole assembly, each speaking as an individual (compare how in a modern service we can switch from the general to the personal when each of us recites the Nicene Creed in the first person, although saying the creed together as one people). Priests or Levites might stand among them leading this personal worship line by line so that each would know what to pray (compare Nehemiah 8:7-8), although if it was regularly used it would soon be known by heart.
3) That the singular ‘I' represented the whole people of Israel seen as one, thus lacking the sense of individualisation found in 2). Against this is the question as to why such a change of tense should suddenly take place.
Note On The Priesthood After The Order Of Melchizedek.
When David captured Jerusalem using his own men it became his possession. It became ‘the city of David', and was regularly seen as separate from Israel and Judah (see e.g. Isaiah 1:1; Isaiah 2:1; Isaiah 3:1; Isaiah 8:14; Jeremiah 19:3; Jeremiah 27:21; Jeremiah 35:13; Zechariah 1:19; Matthew 3:5). In Jerusalem there would appear to have been a priesthood ‘after the order of Melchizedek' (compare Genesis 14:18). This would have been exercised by the priest-king of Jerusalem. Thus David by right of being king in Jerusalem inherited that priesthood. It was seen as an eternal priesthood (Psalms 110:4), and it was as such that he would be honoured by the Jebusite inhabitants of Jerusalem. But by virtue of the fact that only the Levitical priesthood was acceptable to Israel as a sacrificing priesthood, the priesthood after the order of Melchizedek had necessarily to become an intercessory priesthood. This explains why David's sons could be called ‘priests' (2 Samuel 8:18 literally). It was a priesthood which continued in the time of the writing of Psalms 110 (see Psalms 66:4). It was taken quite seriously, which was why the king would regularly take on himself the responsibility of interceding for the whole people without being seen as usurping the position of the Levitical priests. Consider David in 2 Samuel 24:10; 2 Samuel 24:17; Solomon in 1 Kings 8; Hezekiah in Isaiah 37:1; Isaiah 37:14-20; and David's and Solomon's intercessory Psalms. Consider also the special position of ‘the Prince' in Ezekiel's Temple (Ezekiel 44:3; Ezekiel 45:16-17; Ezekiel 46:2; Ezekiel 46:4-8; Ezekiel 46:10; Ezekiel 46:12). It was this priesthood that devolved on Jesus as the son of David (Hebrews 6:20).
End of note.
Significant is the fact that this Psalm is not headed ‘for David'. If Hezekiah was seen as its author (compare his Psalmic prayer in Isaiah 38) this might be seen as militating against the idea that ‘for David' merely indicated someone of the Davidic line, for then Hezekiah's authorship could have been seen as ‘for David'.
The theme of the Psalm is clear. Initially, speaking on behalf of the people, the Psalmist reminds the nations of the past actions of God on Israel's behalf, something which demonstrates God's sovereignty, and then goes on to praise Him for a special deliverance. After this the king (or high priest, or even the people, each speaking as an individual) takes over and deals with the question of the ritual response to God's goodness. If it is the king who responds then, as the one who sums up the people in himself, he promises the performing of vows made at the time of trial, and outlines the offerings and sacrifices that will be made. And then again on behalf of his people he declares what God has done for him by answering his intercession. Great stress is laid on the importance of a guileless heart when approaching God. Throughout the ancient East kings were seen as playing an important role in ritual activity as representatives of the whole people, so it would not be unusual for the King of Israel (Judah), to share the same role.
If this is so the Psalm well exemplifies the connection between king and people in Israel's thinking. All the people (or at least the assembled males) initially offer their worship, and then the king as summing up the people in himself, deals with the ritual side of things. When saying ‘I' he would be instinctively aware that he was speaking on behalf of all (‘I' as embodying the people), for he embodied all that they were. To us it may seem strange, but to Israel it would seem perfectly natural. What seems to us to be a startling contrast was to them not a contrast at all. The whole people saw themselves as a composite unity, and the king as summing them up in himself. As the Anointed of YHWH he was their life (see Lamentations 4:20). This was preparing the way for the concept of all true Christians as members of one body (1 Corinthians 6:15-17; 1 Corinthians 10:16-17; 1 Corinthians 12:12 ff.), summed up in the One Whose body it is, and with Whom we are made one, our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 10:17; 1 Corinthians 12:12-13). As the body of Christ we are united with Him and made one with Him. We are not separated from Him as though He were the head in Heaven and we the headless body on earth. In 1 Corinthians 12 the head is part of the body.
Alternately the idea may of general worship and gratitude for deliverance, followed up by each individual Israelite personalising the deliverance and declaring what his response will be. (Compare how in our worship services we may pray in unison as ‘we', and then individually recite the Apostle's Creed as ‘I').
The Psalm may be divided up as follows:
PART 1). GOD'S CALL TO THE NATIONS (Psalms 66:1-11).
This consists of:
o a) A Call For The Whole Earth To Praise And Worship, And To Express Appreciation of God, In View Of The Deliverance That He Has Accomplished (Psalms 66:1-4).
o b) A Call For Them To Remember And Take Note Of What God Has Done For His People In The Past (Psalms 66:5-6).
o c) A Warning To The Nations To Remember In The Light Of His Historic Activity That He Is Observing Them (Psalms 66:7).
o d) A Call To The Nations To Take Note Of The Wonderful Deliverance From A Disastrous Experience That His People Have Experienced (Psalms 66:8-12).
PART 2). ISRAEL'S GRATEFUL RESPONSE TO GOD'S DELIVERANCE REVEALED IN OFFERINGS AND THE FULFILMENT OF VOWS, AND A CALL FOR CONSIDERATION OF GOD'S FAITHFULNESS IN ANSWERING PRAYER (Psalms 66:13-20).
This consists of:
o a) Deliverance Having Been Accomplished Each Individual In Israel (Or The King As The Representative Of His People) Approaches God And Glories In The Ways In Which He Himself Will Express His Gratitude Ritually Through Offerings And The Fulfilment Of Vows (Psalms 66:13-15).
o b) A Call To Consider The Way In Which God Has Answered His (or their) Prayer Because His (their) Heart Was Right Towards God (Psalms 66:16-20).