Psalms 67 Study Notes: Blessing for the Sake of the Nations
The psalmist prays for God's favor on His people in words drawn from the priestly blessing. The purpose is that every nation will come to know God's saving ways, praise Him for His just rule, and revere Him as the land yields its harvest.
General
According to 67:1-2, why does the psalmist ask God to bless His people?
Answer: So God's ways and saving power become known worldwide
The request for God's favor in 67:1 is followed by its purpose in 67:2: that His ways would be known throughout the earth and His salvation among every nation. God's blessing on Israel was never meant to stop with Israel. This goes back to God's promise to Abraham that every family on earth would receive blessing through him (Genesis 12:3). Paul calls that promise the gospel announced in advance, because God would justify, or declare righteous, people from the nations through faith (Galatians 3:8), and the apostles saw their mission as carrying salvation to the farthest parts of the world (Acts 13:47).
- Psalm 67:2 (BSB)“that Your ways may be known on earth, Your salvation among all nations.”The purpose of God's blessing on His people is that His ways and salvation become known worldwide.
- Genesis 12:3 (BSB)“I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you; and all the families of the earth will be blessed through you.””God promised Abraham that every family on earth would receive blessing through him.
- Galatians 3:8 (BSB)“The Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and foretold the gospel to Abraham: “All nations will be blessed through you.””Paul says this promise announced the gospel ahead of time, showing that God would declare Gentiles righteous through faith.
- Acts 13:47 (BSB)“For this is what the Lord has commanded us: ‘I have made you a light for the Gentiles, to bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’””Paul and Barnabas take up God's command to be a light to the nations, carrying salvation to the farthest parts of the world.
Theological
What purpose clause governs the petition for blessing in 67:1-2?
Answer: So God's ways and saving power become known worldwide
The petition for grace and blessing (67:1) is explicitly missional: its goal is that God's ways be made known throughout the earth and His salvation among the nations (67:2). Israel is blessed in order to be a channel of blessing, in line with the Abrahamic promise (Genesis 12:3), which Paul identifies as the gospel preached beforehand concerning the justification of Gentiles through faith (Galatians 3:8), and which the apostolic mission carried to the farthest parts of the world (Acts 13:47).
- Psalm 67:2 (BSB)“that Your ways may be known on earth, Your salvation among all nations.”The purpose of God's blessing on His people is that His ways and salvation become known worldwide.
- Genesis 12:3 (BSB)“I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you; and all the families of the earth will be blessed through you.””God promised Abraham that every family on earth would receive blessing through him.
- Galatians 3:8 (BSB)“The Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and foretold the gospel to Abraham: “All nations will be blessed through you.””Paul says this promise announced the gospel ahead of time, showing that God would declare Gentiles righteous through faith.
- Acts 13:47 (BSB)“For this is what the Lord has commanded us: ‘I have made you a light for the Gentiles, to bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’””Paul and Barnabas take up God's command to be a light to the nations, carrying salvation to the farthest parts of the world.
General
The prayer in 67:1 echoes the blessing God gave Israel's priests to speak (Numbers 6:24-26). What does the psalmist ask God to do?
Answer: Show grace, give blessing, and let His face shine on them
Psalm 67 opens by asking God to be gracious, to bless His people, and to make His face shine on them (67:1). These are the key words of the blessing God gave to Aaron and the priests descended from him to speak over the Israelites (Numbers 6:22-26). For God's face to shine on someone means His favor and kindness rest on them. The psalm takes up that familiar priestly blessing as its own prayer, and then, as the next verse shows, looks beyond Israel with it.
- Psalm 67:1 (BSB)“For the choirmaster. With stringed instruments. A Psalm. A song. May God be gracious to us and bless us, and cause His face to shine upon us, Selah”The psalm opens with a prayer for God's grace, blessing, and shining face upon His people.
- Numbers 6:24-26 (BSB)“‘May the LORD bless you and keep you; may the LORD cause His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; may the LORD lift up His countenance toward you and give you peace.’”The blessing God gave Aaron's priests to speak over Israel asks for His blessing, His shining face, and His grace.
- Numbers 6:22-23 (BSB)“Then the LORD said to Moses, “Tell Aaron and his sons: This is how you are to bless the Israelites. Say to them:”God Himself gave Aaron and his sons the words for blessing the Israelites.
Theological
The opening petition of 67:1 takes up the Aaronic benediction (Numbers 6:24-26). What does it ask of God?
Answer: Show grace, give blessing, and let His face shine on them
The opening petition for grace, blessing, and the shining of God's face (67:1) deliberately echoes the Aaronic benediction (Numbers 6:24-26), which God Himself gave the priests to pronounce over Israel (Numbers 6:22-23). The psalm turns that covenant blessing into congregational prayer, and the following verse widens its horizon to the nations.
- Psalm 67:1 (BSB)“For the choirmaster. With stringed instruments. A Psalm. A song. May God be gracious to us and bless us, and cause His face to shine upon us, Selah”The psalm opens with a prayer for God's grace, blessing, and shining face upon His people.
- Numbers 6:24-26 (BSB)“‘May the LORD bless you and keep you; may the LORD cause His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; may the LORD lift up His countenance toward you and give you peace.’”The blessing God gave Aaron's priests to speak over Israel asks for His blessing, His shining face, and His grace.
- Numbers 6:22-23 (BSB)“Then the LORD said to Moses, “Tell Aaron and his sons: This is how you are to bless the Israelites. Say to them:”God Himself gave Aaron and his sons the words for blessing the Israelites.
General
True or False: Psalm 67 ends by saying the harvest is a reward Israel earned by its own faithfulness.
Answer: False
This is false. The psalm's closing verses say the land has produced its crops and credit this to God's blessing on His people (67:6). The reason for that blessing reaches beyond Israel: God blesses His people so that people to the farthest reaches of the world will fear Him (67:7). The harvest is God's gift, as He promised to give rain and fruitful land (Leviticus 26:4; Psalm 85:12), and its goal is that the nations would turn to Him (Isaiah 45:22).
- Psalm 67:6-7 (BSB)“The earth has yielded its harvest; God, our God, blesses us. God blesses us, that all the ends of the earth shall fear Him.”The land's harvest is taken as God's blessing, with the aim that the whole world will fear Him.
- Leviticus 26:4 (BSB)“I will give you rains in their season, and the land will yield its produce, and the trees of the field will bear their fruit.”God promised Israel rain and fruitful land as His covenant blessing.
- Psalm 85:12 (BSB)“The LORD will indeed provide what is good, and our land will yield its increase.”Good harvests are credited to the LORD, the giver of every good thing.
- Isaiah 45:22 (BSB)“Turn to Me and be saved, all the ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other.”God summons the farthest reaches of the world to look to Him for salvation.
Theological
True or False: The conclusion of Psalm 67 presents the harvest as Israel's earned reward for covenant faithfulness.
Answer: False
This is false. The closing verses attribute the yield of the land entirely to God's blessing (67:6), and they subordinate that blessing to a universal end, the fear of God throughout the earth (67:7). Covenant provision is God's gift (Leviticus 26:4; Psalm 85:12), and it serves the missionary purpose announced in 67:2, God's call for the whole earth to turn to Him (Isaiah 45:22).
- Psalm 67:6-7 (BSB)“The earth has yielded its harvest; God, our God, blesses us. God blesses us, that all the ends of the earth shall fear Him.”The land's harvest is taken as God's blessing, with the aim that the whole world will fear Him.
- Leviticus 26:4 (BSB)“I will give you rains in their season, and the land will yield its produce, and the trees of the field will bear their fruit.”God promised Israel rain and fruitful land as His covenant blessing.
- Psalm 85:12 (BSB)“The LORD will indeed provide what is good, and our land will yield its increase.”Good harvests are credited to the LORD, the giver of every good thing.
- Isaiah 45:22 (BSB)“Turn to Me and be saved, all the ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other.”God summons the farthest reaches of the world to look to Him for salvation.
General
What reason does 67:4 give for the nations to rejoice and sing?
Answer: God rules the peoples fairly and guides the world
The center of Psalm 67 calls the nations to rejoice and sing because God judges the peoples with fairness and guides the world's nations (67:4). The same call for every people to praise God is repeated before and after it (67:3, 5), framing that reason. God's rule is good news for the nations, not a threat, because He is just. Other psalms say the same: the LORD reigns and will judge with equity (Psalm 96:10; 98:9). Paul quotes several Old Testament calls to the Gentiles to rejoice and praise God as fulfilled in the gospel reaching them (Romans 15:9-11).
- Psalm 67:3-5 (BSB)“Let the peoples praise You, O God; let all the peoples praise You. Let the nations be glad and sing for joy, for You judge the peoples justly and lead the nations of the earth. Selah Let the peoples praise You, O God; let all the peoples praise You.”A repeated refrain calling every people to praise surrounds the reason given for the nations' joy.
- Psalm 96:10 (BSB)“Declare among the nations: “The LORD reigns!” The world is firmly established; it cannot be moved; He will judge the peoples with equity.”Another psalm tells the nations that the LORD reigns and will judge the peoples fairly.
- Psalm 98:9 (BSB)“before the LORD, for He comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness and the peoples with equity.”The LORD is coming to rule the world in righteousness and to deal fairly with its peoples.
- Romans 15:9-11 (BSB)“so that the Gentiles may glorify God for His mercy. As it is written: “Therefore I will praise You among the Gentiles; I will sing hymns to Your name.” Again, it says: “Rejoice, O Gentiles, with His people.” And again: “Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles, and extol Him, all you peoples.””Paul gathers Old Testament texts calling the Gentiles to rejoice and praise God for His mercy.
Theological
On what ground does 67:4 summon the nations to rejoice?
Answer: God rules the peoples fairly and guides the world
Framed by an identical refrain (67:3, 5), the central verse grounds the nations' joy in God's equitable judgment of the peoples and His guidance of the nations (67:4). His universal kingship is presented as a blessing because it is righteous (Psalm 96:10; 98:9). Paul sees such calls for Gentile praise realized as the nations praise God's mercy in Christ (Romans 15:9-11).
- Psalm 67:3-5 (BSB)“Let the peoples praise You, O God; let all the peoples praise You. Let the nations be glad and sing for joy, for You judge the peoples justly and lead the nations of the earth. Selah Let the peoples praise You, O God; let all the peoples praise You.”A repeated refrain calling every people to praise surrounds the reason given for the nations' joy.
- Psalm 96:10 (BSB)“Declare among the nations: “The LORD reigns!” The world is firmly established; it cannot be moved; He will judge the peoples with equity.”Another psalm tells the nations that the LORD reigns and will judge the peoples fairly.
- Psalm 98:9 (BSB)“before the LORD, for He comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness and the peoples with equity.”The LORD is coming to rule the world in righteousness and to deal fairly with its peoples.
- Romans 15:9-11 (BSB)“so that the Gentiles may glorify God for His mercy. As it is written: “Therefore I will praise You among the Gentiles; I will sing hymns to Your name.” Again, it says: “Rejoice, O Gentiles, with His people.” And again: “Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles, and extol Him, all you peoples.””Paul gathers Old Testament texts calling the Gentiles to rejoice and praise God for His mercy.