January 8
Reading: Psalm 67
To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments. A Psalm. A Song.
1 May God be gracious to us and bless us
and make his face to shine upon us,
Selah
2 that your way may be known on earth,
your saving power among all nations.
3 Let the peoples praise you, O God;
let all the peoples praise you!
4 Let the nations be glad and sing for joy,
for you judge the peoples with equity
and guide the nations upon earth.
Selah
5 Let the peoples praise you, O God;
let all the peoples praise you!
6 The earth has yielded its increase;
God, our God, shall bless us.
7 God shall bless us;
let all the ends of the earth fear him!
Psalm 67 is a benediction, a pronouncement of blessing over God’s people. This psalm takes as its inspiration the Aaronic blessing of Numbers 6:22-27.
The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, Thus you shall bless the people of Israel: you shall say to them,
The LORD bless you and keep you;
the LORD make his face to shine upon you
and be gracious to you;
the LORD lift up his countenance upon you
and give you peace.
“So shall they put my name upon the people of Israel, and I will bless them.”
Verses 2-7 reflect the design of God in calling His people out of slavery in Egypt in fulfillment of His promise to Abraham. This is that He will bless His people so that they will be a blessing to all the nations on earth. “In you all the families of the earth will be blessed.” (Genesis 12:3) God’s plan for His people Israel was always that they would praise Him so that eventually all the nations on earth would praise Him. God wants all peoples to see His saving power in His own people so that many of the all people would become His people.
John Stott called this psalm “a missionary psalm.” C.H. Spurgeon said of Psalm 67, “The great theme of the psalm is the participation of the Gentiles in the worship of Jehovah.”
This is a psalm that anticipates the spread of the Gospel to all the nations on earth as the principal blessing of God upon His people. This is why Jesus condemned the Jewish leaders so harshly when they rejected any hint of God’s blessing to the Gentiles. It is God’s great blessing on the Jews that they should be God’s means to bless all the nations.