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Psalm 67
“May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face to shine upon us, that your way may be known on earth, your saving power among all nations” (vv. 1–2).
Since the Old Testament has a concentrated focus on the nation of Israel, it can be easy for people to conclude that God did not have much concern for the gentile nations at that time. As we look at the full scope of the old covenant Scriptures, however, it becomes clear that the Lord had a plan to incorporate men and women from all nations into His covenant people. In other words, our Creator never intended His covenant with Israel to remain limited to the Hebrew people; His goal from the start was to include the gentiles who trust in the God of Israel, the one true Lord of all. God’s goal, in separating Abraham from the nations and making him the father of Israel, was to bless all the nations through the patriarch’s line (Gen. 12:1–3). The account of Rahab and the spies proves that the Lord has always been willing to take those who are His enemies and embrace them as His friends by having them come to know Him as the only true God (Josh. 2; 6:25).
Today’s passage gives more evidence that the Lord desired the redemption of the gentile nations even before the formal establishment of the gentile mission in the new covenant church. To understand Psalm 67, we must first recall the structure of the old covenant and its promised blessings for obedience. Deuteronomy 28:1–14, for instance, lists several benefits that would come to Israel for covenant faithfulness. If the Israelites lived in gratitude for God’s saving them from slavery in Egypt by seeking to keep His law, avoiding flagrant sin, repenting for transgression, and trusting the Lord in all things, then they would receive many physical blessings—fruitful wombs and fields, victory over enemies, good health, and so on.
Psalm 67 shows us that these blessings were never meant to be ends in themselves. One reason that they were to be desired was so that the nations would recognize the saving power of the God of Israel. The psalmist, in fact, prays for the Lord’s blessing so that the gentiles would know the ways of God and praise Him in reverent fear (e.g., vv. 1–3). God’s blessings are good gifts in themselves, but they are ultimately to direct people to acknowledge the Lord’s holiness, mercy, power, and grace. The old covenant blessings were to seek the Lord’s gifts not as the ultimate goal but as means for recognizing the gift-giver. This principle remains true for the new covenant church. We should desire God’s blessing not only for our own sake but for the conversion of the nations (vv. 6–7).
Coram Deo Living before the face of God
We should pray for the Lord to meet our needs and to bless us, for Jesus Himself tells us to ask Him for our daily bread (Matt. 6:11). In so doing, however, let us take care that we not seek God’s gifts as ends in themselves. Let us seek to remember His grace and mercy in the distribution of His blessings, and let us ask the Lord to bless us in such a way that those who do not yet know Him will recognize His saving power.
For further study
- Deuteronomy 8
- Psalm 115
- Micah 7:14–17
- Romans 11:11–24
The bible in a year
- Job 10–12
- Acts 8:4–25