Psalm 65:10-14

This week’s responsorial psalm is from Psalm 65, which praises God for the wonders he has accomplished in nature, echoing the theme of nature from our other readings. At God’s touch, the earth comes alive with vegetation and flocks.

Note that the response itself is drawn from our gospel reading: “The seed sown on rich soil is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold” (Matthew 13:23).

You have visited the land and watered it; greatly have you enriched it. God’s watercourses are filled; you have prepared the grain.

The psalmist acknowledges God’s provision and care for the earth and its inhabitants, highlighting God’s role as the sustainer of life.

Note how God is being specifically praised not just for the fertility of the earth, but for the natural wonders that make the world fertile. He is depicted as a farmer who can control the rainfall and the fertility of the earth.

Some scholars believe that in addition to heartfelt praise of God, mention of God’s control over water may have also served to criticize the beliefs surrounding the fertility god Baal. The Canaanites believed that Baal had authority over the natural elements, including the heavens, earth, and waters.

Thus have you prepared the land: drenching its furrows, breaking up its clods, softening it with showers, blessing its yield.

Israel experiences a distinct annual pattern of rain that plays a crucial role in its agricultural practices. The autumn rains soften the hardened soil from the dry summer months, making it more pliable for plowing and sowing seeds.

The spring rains provide the necessary moisture for crops to flourish, maximizing the yield.

The psalmist extols the God of Israel as the one created this beautiful process.

You have crowned the year with your bounty, and your paths overflow with  a rich harvest; 

In Canaanite mythology, separate deities held sway over rainfall versus the harvest; in this psalm, the God of Israel has dominion over both. The psalmist is showing that God has no rival. He alone prevails over every aspect of the world.

the untilled meadows overflow with it,

Even the meadows, untilled and untouched by man’s efforts, overflow with bounty.

There is no doubt that the fertility and abundance of the land are solely the work of God.

and rejoicing clothes the hills. 

Using very poetic language, the psalmist describes how nature joins humans in praising God’s goodness (see also Isaiah 44:23, 49:13).

The fields are garmented with flocks and the valleys blanketed with grain.
They shout and sing for joy.

Along with a bountiful harvest, another result of abundance is the presence of large flocks. Animals, including humans, need fertile land to sustain themselves. Where such land exists, herds thrive.

Due to its emphasis on harvest and abundant yield, the psalm is often recited during harvest festivals as a prayer of gratitude. During the harvest season, the fields and valleys, rich with ripe growth, join in the joyful praise of God.