Psalm 67

Comments

I. (67:1–3) May God Bless Us, So That All Nations May Know Him. Verse 1 adapts the priestly benediction (Num. 6:24–26: may God “be gracious,” “bless,” and “make his face to shine”), and Psalm 67:2 follows this with a purpose clause: the goal for which the congregation prays for God’s blessing is that God’s “way may be known on the earth”—specifically, that his “saving power” might be known “among all nations.” God called Abram both to bless him and his descendants and to make them a vehicle of blessing to the Gentiles (Gen. 12:2–3). These words turn that calling into a song.

In echoing the Aaronic benediction text in Numbers the psalm likely invites the singing congregation to imagine the whole benediction, not merely the parts specifically mentioned; thus an explanation of that benediction will be helpful here. The priest opens his benediction of God’s people by urging God to “bless” each one (Num. 6:24). The basic idea of the Hebrew term is to “speak well”; when people bless God, they speak well of him, and when God blesses people, he speaks well of them—or even speaks wellness upon them. The rest of the benediction clarifies the specific kinds of wellness the priests are asking God to provide. The verb “keep” conveys the idea of watchful and unsleeping care or protection, as in Psalm 121 (where the verb appears six times). This would include protection from one’s enemies as well as from one’s own inclination to do wrong.

The priest then asks God to “make his face shine” (or, “make his face to give light”) on each member. The “light of one’s face” refers to one’s facial expression and accompanying actions that show that one is well-disposed (e.g., Job 29:24; Pss. 4:6; 44:3; 89:15; Prov. 16:15). Likewise, to make the face give light is to show this kindly disposition in concrete fashion. This naturally flows into may “the Lord . . . be gracious to you,” that is, may he display a gracious—kind and generous—inclination toward each one. God’s “gracious” character is fundamental to his revelation in the Sinai covenant (Ex. 34:6, a passage echoed throughout the OT). To “lift up the countenance” is to show acceptance to someone. This can be used negatively to refer to partiality (Lev. 19:15) or more positively to the showing of proper respect (Deut. 28:50). Certainly here the emphasis is on God’s cheerful acceptance of the worshipers. The “peace” that God is asked to give probably emphasizes the well-being of faithful covenant members, as God’s bounty is seen visibly in the productivity of their fields and the harmony of their families and communities (cf. Deut. 28:8–11; Ps. 147:14).

The benediction in Numbers focuses on what the Aaronic priests are to do for the sake of the people of Israel. The psalm, however, puts that action into its larger context of God’s intention to “bless” Abram and his descendants for the sake of the “families of the earth” (Gen. 12:2–3). In Psalm 25:4 the congregation prays, “Make me to know your ways”; but now they anticipate all the earth’s knowing it. The “saving power” (or “salvation”) that was for Israel (cf. 21:1, 5) is now made manifest for “all nations” (cf. 98:3). Hence the prayer “Let the peoples [non-Israelites] praise you.”

II. (67:4–5) May All Nations Be Glad in His Rule. In addition to their knowing God’s saving power, the psalmist prays for the nations to “be glad and sing for joy” because he rules over (“you judge”) them “with equity.”

Verse 4 declares to God, “You judge the peoples with equity.” In the OT the first duty of the judge is to protect the innocent; he is a kind of savior. It is possible that the prayer is simply that the Gentiles would acknowledge God as the author of that general and kind providence they have experienced and would then worship him (cf. Acts 14:17). However, the term “judge” seems to indicate a more direct rule than simply oversight, as does the word “guide” (or “lead”; cf. Pss. 73:24; 77:20), and therefore it is more likely that these words pray for the day in which God’s acknowledged rule is extended to include the Gentiles (cf. Isa. 2:4; 11:3–4, both using the same word, “judge,” applied to the Gentiles). The OT very decidedly looks to a future era in which the Gentiles receive God’s light, and this song fosters such hope in each ordinary believer (cf. comment on 67:6–7). Christians confess that this era has arrived due to Jesus’ resurrection, which installs him on the throne of David (Matt. 28:18–20; Rom. 1:1–5).

III. (67:6–7) God Will Bless Us, So That All Nations May Fear Him. The final stanza repeats the idea of blessing from the first and indicates one particular kind of blessing for which the people should give thanks: “The earth has yielded its increase.” For Israel an abundant yield of crops serves as evidence that God’s people as a whole are faithful, not unfaithful (cf. Lev. 26:4, 20). This display of God’s favor emboldens the hope that “God shall [continue to] bless us.”

Psalm 67:7 repeats the final phrase of verse 6 in order to focus attention on God’s aim in blessing his people, namely, that “all the ends of the earth fear him.” To fear God means to hold him and his word in reverence, a disposition of true faith (Pss. 5:7; 15:4; 25:12) For the ends of the earth’s turning to the Lord (esp. in the messianic age) cf. 2:8; 22:27; 72:8 (cf. Zech. 9:10); Isaiah 45:22; 52:10; Jeremiah 16:19.