What does Psalm 66:12 mean?

Continuing his description of Israel's testing at God's hands, the psalmist symbolically describes the Israelites' former suffering. The imagery here is of horses being ridden over the heads of victims. The implication is that Israel's trials felt harsh and unbearable. Likewise, their struggles involved varieties of hardship: like going through burning fire in one moment and overwhelming water the next. However, the psalmist realizes God's discipline in these things. He credits God with bringing Israel out to a spacious and prosperous place: the Promised Land of Canaan.

The cycle of discipline begins with sin, then moves to suffering leading to repentance, which brings God's forgiveness and blessing. Isaiah 43:2 holds a promise for Israel. It assures Israel, "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you." "Through" is a key word in this promise. It reveals that affliction is temporary; there is an exit! God permits trials to turn a believer back to Himself and to bring him into a place of blessing. He doesn't intend to use trials to make a believer bitter but to make them better!