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Psalm 67

The Nations Called to Praise God

To the leader: 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 upon 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, has blessed us.

7

May God continue to bless us;

let all the ends of the earth revere him.


1 God be merciful unto us, and bless us The psalm contains a prediction of Christ’s kingdom, under which the whole world was to be adopted into a privileged relationship with God; but the Psalmist begins by praying for the Divine blessing, particularly upon the Jews. They were the first-born, (Exodus 4:22,) and the blessing was to terminate upon them first, and then go out to all the surrounding nations. I have used the imperative mood throughout the psalm, as other translators have done, although the future tense, which is that employed in the Hebrew, would suit sufficiently well, and the passage might be understood as encouraging the minds of the Lord’s people to trust in the continuance and increase of the Divine favor. The words, however, are generally construed in the form of a prayer, and I merely threw out this as a suggestion. Speaking, as the Psalmist does, of those who belonged to the Church of God, and not of those who were without, it is noticeable that yet he traces all the blessings they received to God’s free favor; and from this we may learn, that so long as we are here, we owe our happiness, our success, and prosperity, entirely to the same cause. This being the case, how shall any think to anticipate his goodness by merits of their own? The light of God’s countenance may refer either to the sense of his love shed abroad in our hearts, or to the actual manifestation of it without, as, on the other hand, his face may be said to be clouded, when he strikes terrors into our conscience on account of our sins, or withdraws the outward marks of his favor.

2 That they may know thy way upon the earth. Here we have a clear prophecy of that extension of the grace of God by which the Gentiles were united into one body with the posterity of Abraham. The Psalmist prays for some conspicuous proof of favor to be shown his chosen people, which might attract the Gentiles to seek participation in the same blessed hope. 44     “A fin que par la clarte d’icelle les Gentils soyent amenez a la participation de la mesme esperance.” — Fr. By the way of God is meant his covenant, which is the source or spring of salvation, and by which he discovered himself in the character of a Father to his ancient people, and afterwards more clearly under the Gospel, when the Spirit of adoption was shed abroad in greater abundance. 55     “The petition here offered is, that the Gospel, God’s ‘way,’ might be universally spread; — a prayer that is not yet accomplished, but is in progress towards completion. The mention of nations and peoples, all of them, intimates, that the time which is the object of supplication is the time when God will no longer be the God of the Jews, but of the Gentiles also.” — Walford. Accordingly, we find Christ himself saying,

“This is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God,”
(John 17:3)


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