1 Be joyful lelohim, all you lands; *
[2] sing the glory of his Name; sing the glory of his praise.
2 [3] Say lelohim, "How awesome are your deeds! *
because of your great strength your enemies cringe before you.
3 [4] All the earth ׀ bows down before you, *
sings to you, sings out your Name."
4 [5] Come now and see the works elohim, *
how wonderful he is in his doing toward all people. Selah.
5 [6] He turned the sea ׀ into dry land, so that they went through the water on foot, *
and there we rejoiced in him.
6 [7] In his might he rules ׀ forever; his eyes keep watch over the nations; *
let no rebel rise up ׀ against him Selah.
7 [8] Bless you peoples ׀ elohenu; *
make the voice of his praise to be heard;
8 [9] Who holds our souls in life, *
and will not allow our feet to slip.
9 [10] For you, elohim, have proved us; *
you have tried us just as silver is tried.
10 [11] You brought us into the snare; *
you laid heavy burdens upon our backs.
11 [12] You let enemies ride over our heads; we went through fire and water; *
but you brought us out into a place of refreshment.
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Psalm 66:1-8 was the reading selection for Proper 9 Year C; and, I posted my views on those verses in this commentary: Psalm 66: Following the commands of our elohim. Feel free to read that and compare notes with this commentary today. Also, on the sixth Sunday of Easter (Year A) Psalm 66:7-18 is read aloud; and, I posted a commentary about those verses in 2021. The name of that is Psalm 66: 7-18 – Praise to what made Israel great under David and it can also be read by clicking on the link. By reading both one can see if there is any different views I have expressed today, in the following commentary.
Because I have written about Psalm 66 twice before, I will not compete with myself to rewrite what has already been written now. Instead, I will make this Psalm 66 fit the Old Testament reading (Jeremiah 29), to which it is paired. In that reading, Jeremiah 29:4 begins by saying, “Thus says Yahweh of hosts, elohe of Israel.” In that, the Hebrew word “elohe” is a plural noun, equal to the Hebrew word “elohim,” which must always be understood as the divine presence of an inner spirit that leads one (a soul in its flesh) to serve Yahweh (as His wife-soul). This makes every reference to “elohim” be relative to the Yahweh elohim in Genesis 2, which was Adam, the only Son of Yahweh. David was married to Yahweh when He poured out His Spirit upon David’s soul (a form of an “el,” as an eternal being) forevermore. That made David be a “Messiah” (meaning “Anointed one”), which allowed the soul of Yahweh’s Son to be resurrected alongside the soul of David, leading him as David’s Lord. David sang five time in these verses of Psalm 66 about this “elohim.”
In the directions given by Jeremiah to the captives of Jerusalem, telling them to do things that appear to be in the physical sense, that physical sense becomes metaphor for the true message, which is to grow spiritually while slaves of a foreign ruler. Thus, in verse one, David sings loudly, “make a joyful noise unto your elohim, all your flesh.” In that, “earth” is the physical reading, with the spiritual intent to refer to the “flesh” that houses the souls – oneself and one’s Lord soul. This inner presence means salvation, therefore a noise of praise must be heard by others who are lost and wanting to be found.
In verse two, David says to give full credit to one’s inner elohim, as his works are those done by the soul in the flesh, who submits to the elohim as his or her Lord. The great works are the effects of ministry in his name. That submission is then stated as evidence of the elohim being one’s Lord, while also being the submission of a wife to her Husband, where all humans are souls in flesh that equate to the feminine, therefore wives-to-be (males and females are all feminine essence in the flesh). The “enemies” overcome by the presence of an elohim are the sins that lead souls to become lost, taken into captivity by worldly powers. The Son of Yahweh defeats these influences and attackers of one’s beliefs, because the weak soul stand behind the strength of Yahweh, possessed by the Son.
In verse four there is the first of five vertical bars, which indicate places of rest. The rest is designed for one reading or singing to reflect on that said before the mark of note. In verse four that highlights “all the earth.” Again, the physical “earth” must be reflected upon as the intent to see the spiritual elohim within one’s “flesh,” as the earth has no soul, thus no life. A body of flesh is a corpse without a soul. This means to reflect on “all the flesh,” this relates back to the power the Son has over the “enemies” of sin, which are equal influencers over “all flesh” on earth, alive with a soul that is lost. Thus, verse four sings of the ministry that goes out to help lost souls become found, in the name of the inner elohim.
In verse five, David again sings praises to his elohim, calling those lost souls “sons of men.” They are called to “come and see the works of elohim,” and those who are true seekers will receive the proposal of marriage from Yahweh and then find their own elohim within their souls, transforming them into “sons of Adam.” Here, the Son of Yahweh is named as the elohim.
In verse six is the second of the vertical bars, where the pause of reflection is placed on “he overturned the sea.” Here, the metaphor of “the sea” is that of the souls covering the earth. This is the metaphor that makes a soul in its flesh become the fish of “the sea,” who would become the targets of saints made “fishers of men” by the inner presence of Jesus’ soul. To be “overturned” is to be taught the truth, so the influence of the world to sin is “turned away from.” This then leads to an outer dryness that rejects the ways of the world, while being nourished within by “streams” or “rivers” of life. This can be seen as the blood of Jesus flowing spiritually through one’s soul and flesh.
Verse seven then finds the third vertical bar of rest, which leads one to reflect on “he rules by his strength.” The strength of Jesus is Yahweh. This is why Jesus said to his disciples (and others) he spoke only what the Father told him to speak. This focus then leads to a second vertical bar in verse seven, which make the focus on “his strength” be powerful against the “rebellious.” The translation above does not make this second vertical bar fit into the poor translation; but the point (which is stated by enclosure marks over two words, making them reflect in the inner beings of the “rebellious,” which is to make them powerless against Yahweh’s strength. This predicts a failure of the “rebellious” to gain eternal life after physical death. Their only hope is to submit to the strength of Yahweh.
In verse eight is the fifth of the vertical bars of rest, pointing out the need to understand “oh kneel you peoples.” To “kneel” must be seen as a form of submission, whereby a soul “kneels” at the altar of marriage to Yahweh. This says the rebelliousness has been “overturned.” David then says the “elohim” comes after this divine marriage and submission to serve Yahweh as His wife-soul. As a wife in marriage, the birth of a new Son comes next. Once resurrected within a soul, his voice is heard; and, that voice leads one as one’s new Lord.
Verse nine sings, “he keeps the soul among the living,” which is the promise of eternal life. In verse ten, David sings his fifth recognition of his elohim, as the one who tests our souls as a refiner tests silver. This is the testing of one’s soul to follow the lead of one’s Lord, where this test must be made to ensure a soul is worthy of eternal life. In verse eleven, David sings that “you brought us in the net,” which again is the fishers of men promise of Jesus. This says all souls in flesh are wayward, before a minister in the name of Yahweh, as His Son reborn (as was Samuel) leads one to the truth. The testing of one’s metal is then the true value of salvation; and, that is what truly makes a soul “rich.”