Bible Study - Psalms 67 & 117

Today we will look at two shorter psalms that emphasize an important message of the season after Christmas, Epiphany - when God’s love and plan for the whole world became most clear, with the coming of His Son, Jesus, into the world. It is a time for sharing this Good News. These two psalms speak of God’s care for all people, not just the Jewish nation of Israel.

We look first at Psalm 67, in the Old Testament. Verse one begins with an abbreviated form of a benediction, a blessing, that God first gave to Moses in Numbers 6:22-27. Aaron and the priests that followed him were to speak this blessing to the people of Israel. In this way, God’s name was put upon them, along with His grace and peace, as He looked upon them with His favor.

What may seem to be a surprise, though, is that verse two says that God’s blessing came upon Israel so that His “way” may be “known on earth” and His “saving power among all nations.” God chose Israel to be His nation, so that eventually, His salvation would be among all nations, not just the Jews. This was actually God’s plan from the beginning and announced from the very time He called Abram (Abraham) to be the father of this nation and gave His blessing to him. See Genesis 12:1-3. “In you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” This promise was given again in Genesis 17:3-6. Abraham was to be “the father of a multitude of nations” and “nations and kings” would “come” from him. These promises appear in many places as the Old Testament goes on and especially in promises of the coming Messiah.

God also reminded the Israelites that they were not His people because they had bigger numbers than others (Deuteronomy 7:6-8) or even were “more righteous” than others (Deuteronomy 9:4-7), but simply because of His choice and love and plan (Deuteronomy 9:6,8). By His grace they were saved and were His people. But there were also warnings of judgment if they rebelled and rejected the Lord. (See Deuteronomy 28:15ff. and verses like “62-63.”)

Passages like Isaiah 45:21-23 also remind that is no other “god” than the one True God and that “all the ends of the earth” need to turn to Him  to “be saved.” God still wishes to save all of His chosen people (Isaiah 45:25), but there are warnings that only a “remnant” would be saved. See Ezra 9:15, for example. There was also the promise of a whole New Covenant, a New Testament, which finally came with the coming of Jesus as the promised one, the Messiah, the Savior for the whole world, including Jews and Gentiles (non-Jews) who would trust in Him. (See Jeremiah 31:31-34 and the quotation and comment about this in the New Testament in Hebrews 8:6-13.)

If we go back to Psalm 67: 2-5, then, we see the psalmist saying again and again that “all nations” and “all the peoples” should “be glad” and “sing for joy” at God’s saving plan available to all. God will judge the peoples “with equity” (literally meaning “with uprightness,” in a fair way); and He wishes to “guide the nations” with His wise ways, ultimately centered in Christ Jesus.

Verses 6-7 also say that as the Lord blesses people with good crops and other good things, that will be a witness to His goodness and help He wishes to bring to all, so that eventually “all the ends of the earth could fear Him” and love and trust in Him, as their Lord, too. (Jesus Himself reminded that God sends His sun and His rain upon all. That shows His mercy and care for all.)

The other psalm for today is Psalm 117, the shortest psalm in the Bible. It says much the same thing as Psalm 67, but in a simpler, more compact way, in 2 verses. “All nations” and “all peoples” should praise the Lord, for “His steadfast love toward us is great, and His faithfulness will never fail. It “endures forever.” These are promises available to all, Gentiles (non-Jews, the nations) as well as Jews. Verse 1 is quoted in the New Testament in Romans 15:11, along with several other Old Testament passages, telling of God’s love and mercy for all nations (Romans 15:8-13), so that “the God of hope” can fill anyone “with all joy and peace in believing” in Jesus as Savior, “through the power of the Holy Spirit” (Romans 15:13)

In fact, the New Testament says that the true Israel of God is now all believers in Christ, whether Jews or of any other nation, when they are brought to trust in Him. (See Galatians 6:14-16; Galatians 3:11-14, 28-29; Romans 10:8-13; Romans 4:13,16-17,20-25; Luke 2:30-32, 3:6; etc.)

The New Testament also makes clear that God’s “way,” mentioned in Psalm 67:2 and now known on earth among all nations, is centered in Jesus. As we have heard, God plan was to work through Abraham and the Jewish nation to bring, at last, Jesus, His Son, born of a Jewish woman, Mary, to be the Savior of the world (through His life, death, and resurrection for us all). This is clearest in the words of Jesus Himself, who said, in John 14:6, “I am the Way and the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” The early Christians who trusted in Jesus were then called “followers of the Way, of Jesus” (Acts 9:2, 18:25, 19:9,23, 24:22 ).

As Psalms 67 and 117 say, the Good News that the Bible shares, centered in Jesus, is really for everyone in the world. Jesus Christ “gave Himself as a ransom for all" (1 Timothy 2:6). “Christ died for our sins, in accordance with the Scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:3).

As I write this podcast I know that this Good News of God’s rescue plan through Jesus can be an eternal blessing to everyone who hears and comes to believe in Him. People are reading or listening in various places in the US and in at least 6 other countries and who knows how many more places. Please pray that more will hear and come to trust the Word of God about Jesus:

• “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” (Acts 16:31-33)
• “Go into all the world and proclaim the Gospel to the whole creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved.” (Mark 16:15-16)
• “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16-18)

May we each also be strengthened in our own faith through what God tells us in His Word. Jesus said, “If you continue in My Word, you are truly My disciples, and you will know the truth, and the Truth will set you free” (John 8:31-32). And that Benediction, first given to the children of Israel and mentioned in Psalm 67, is a Benediction given also to us through Christ. “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” (Numbers 6:24-26).