66³

Come and listen, all you who fear God;
let me tell you what he has done for me.ps

The activity of Israel's god was told and retold and preserved for many generations to hear. Beyond the notion of heritage, though, was the intent of telling outsiders about this incredible creator. In the context of the Ancient Near Eastern culture this could simply be a move to tell of how Israel's god was superior to the many other deities which were represented in the surrounding nations. And while this may also be the case of this particular statement (and the psalm in its entirety), there is yet more to this beckoning to come and listen. . .

Within the framework of religious practice, to tell of divine activity is to glorify the one who acts. In other words, whenever a story is recounted it is for the purpose of promoting and glorifying the figure at the center of the story. Psalm 66 is a hymn of thanksgiving which makes use of this principle.

"And when he bids his fellow believers hear what God has done for him, then this 'narration' is likewise meant to form a part of the glorification of God's saving deeds in the presence of the congregation, which forms the purpose and theme of the cultic ceremony."*

In summary, narration beckons glorification.

For Israel's god to act drives the individual and community to an appropriate response of thanksgiving and worship, which encapsulates the telling of his story and produces glorification. And we know now why his actions bring him glory (though perhaps a greater process than first imagined). I would suppose that it is a good thing for this process to become rather instantaneous in our lives. . .so long as we do not forget to tell of what he has done.



*Artur Weiser, Psalms OTL (Lousiville: WJK, 1962), 471.