Psalms 65:4 - Exposition

Blessed is the man whom thou choosest. The "choosing" intended is certainly not that of the seed of Aaron (Le Psalms 8:1 ), or of the seed of Levi ( Numbers 18:21-23 ), but that act by which God "chose" Israel out of all the nations of the earth to be "a special people unto himself" ( Deuteronomy 7:6 ), and gave them a distinct position, and peculiar privileges. And causest to approach unto thee, that he may dwell in thy courts. Among the peculiar privileges, one of the greatest was that of approaching God's presence in his holy temple, and entering his "courts" and worshipping there. This all Israelites were not only permitted, but commanded to do, at least three times in the year, while the dwellers in Jerusalem, privileged above the rest, had constant opportunities of attending, and using to the full the means of grace provided for them in the sanctuary. We shall be satisfied with the goodness of thy house, even of thy holy temple. In "the goodness of God's house" the psalmist includes, not only the delights there experienced, but also all the blessings which God gives to those who devoutly worship him there—"from the forgiveness of sins to outward, temporal mercies" (Hengstenberg).