"Thou crownest the year with thy goodness, and thy paths drop fatness."
Psalm 65:11
Part 1
Thoughts for the New Year
King David always seemed to be amazed at the providence of God. From his youth as a shepherd of his father’s flocks, as he sat on the hillside around Bethlehem watching God’s creation, he learned much about His sovereignty. Psalm 65 is a song he wrote to be sung by the choir in Israel’s praise of God’s divine intervention on the earth. God cares for His creatures.
“This joyous hymn was probably composed for use in the sanctuary at one of the great annual festivals. It deals expressly with God’s bounty in the fertility of the earth” [1] (Meyer).
“Thou crownest the year with thy goodness;”
What a thought! The new year is being crowned by God with His goodness.
“Thou crownest the year with good” [2] (Luther).
The Hebrew text can mean that God is blessing a particular year, or that He is blessing the parts of the “year of abundant productions”[3] as seen in the bountiful harvest.
“The Lord himself conducts the coronation, and sets the golden coronal [the sun’s corona] upon the brow of the year. Or, we may understand the expression to mean that God’s love encircles the year as with a crown; each month has its gems, each day its pearl. Unceasing kindness girdles all time with a belt of love”[4] (Spurgeon).
He cares for His own and what goes on in the year. We can trust Him with what is coming in this new year, for He cares for us!
David said, “thy paths drop fatness.” What did he mean by this? Come back tomorrow as we finish these thoughts for the New Year.
[1] F.B. Meyer. Through the Bible Day by Day, the electronic version in eSword.
[2] Luther, as quoted by Albert Barnes. Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible, the electronic version in eSword.
[3] Albert Barnes, ibid.
[4] C.H. Spurgeon, Treasury of David, the electronic version in eSword.