PSALM 67[1]

Let the nations be glad

Prayer for God’s blessing (vv.1-2)

1 God be gracious [2] to us and bless us,	And cause His face to shine[3] upon us—Selah.
2 That Your way may be known on the earth,	Your salvation among all nations.

Refrain (v.3)

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 will judge the peoples with uprightness

And guide the nations on the earth. Selah.

Refrain (v.5)

5 Let the peoples praise You, O God;

Let all the peoples praise You.[4]

Prayer for God’s blessing (vv.6-7)

6 The earth has yielded its produce;	God, our God, blesses us.
7 God blesses us, [5]	That all the ends of the earth [6] may fear Him.[7] [8]

[1] Question 191 of the Westminster Larger Catechism uses Psalm 67 as a proof text as to what we are to pray for when we pray, “Thy kingdom come”:

What do we pray for in the second petition?

In the second petition, (which is, Thy kingdom come, (Matt. 6:10) ) acknowledging ourselves and all mankind to be by nature under the dominion of sin and Satan, (Eph. 2:2–3) we pray, that the kingdom of sin and Satan may be destroyed, (Ps. 68:1,18, Rev. 12:10–11) the gospel propagated throughout the world, (2 Thess. 3:1) the Jews called, (Rom. 10:1) the fullness of the Gentiles brought in; (John 17:9,20, Rom. 11:25–26, Ps. 67)…

[2] This plea for graciousness occurs 19x in the Psalter. It is rooted in God’s statement to Moses, “I Myself will make all My goodness pass before you, and will proclaim the name of the Lord before you; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show compassion on whom I will show compassion” (Exodus 33:19) and the Aaronic benediction, “The LORD make His face shine on you, And be gracious to you” (Numbers 6:25).

[3] Make Your face to shine occurs five times in the Psalms (Psalm 31:16; 67:1; 80:3, 7, 19; 119:135; cf. Psalm 45:12). After Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit they hid themselves from the “face” of the LORD God (Gen.3:8). Jacob wrestled with God, was blessed by God and he could say “I have seen God face to face” (Genesis 32:28-30). The blessed hope of Jacob was also the hope of pronounced by the priest upon the people (Numbers 6:22-26; cf. Psalm 17:15; 51:9).

[4] Repetition of refrains in Psalms are also found in: 42:5,11 with 43:5; 46:7,11; 49:12,20; 56:4,11; 57:5,11; 59:6, 14; 59:9, 17; 62:2,6; 80:3,7,19; 99:5, 9; 107:8,15,21,31; 107:6,13,19,28 (cf. Psalm 8:1,9; 136). It is also found in Israel’s “first Psalm” (Exodus 15:1,21).

[5] Psalm 66 ends with “Blessed be God”; 67 begins and ends with blessing, Psalm 68 ends with “Blessed be God!”; Psalm 72:17-19 ends with four mentions of blessing.

[6] Even though it is not evident in our English translation, the very end of Psalm 67 ends with “all the ends of the earth.” The “ends of the earth” (1 Samuel 2:10; Psalm 2:8; 22:27; 46:9; 59:13; 61:2,6-7; 67:7; 72:8; 98:3; Isa.45:22; 49:6; 52:10; Micah 5:2-4; Zech.9:9-10; cf. Psalm 65:5,8; Acts 1:8) emphasizes that the heavenly blessing of Messianic salvation will be worldwide just as the earthly blessing of God’s bounty is worldwide (cf. Gen.12:1-3). A similar way of looking at God’s universal blessing is found in Isaiah 11:9//Habakkuk 2:14, “For the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord As the waters cover the sea.”

[7] Verses 6-7 are chiastic:

(A) The earth has yielded its produce;

(B) God, our God, blesses us.

(B) God blesses us,

(A) That all the ends of the earth may fear Him.

[8] To hear Psalm 67 sung listen to Sons of Korah.