All Nations Will Praise The Lord

Psalm 67

Our Psalm for this week is a national psalm of thanksgiving.  Thanksgiving should not be limited to just one day a year, when we are reminded to thank the Lord for all that He has done, both for us and our nation.  This psalm calls upon us to give thanks to the Lord at all times.  There are two basic themes in this psalm.  One is the need for God’s mercy and our resulting response of praise when we receive it.  The other is the future universal worship of God by all nations.

Verse 1 is very reminiscent of the priestly blessing in Numbers 6:24-26.  In this blessing the people ask the Lord to bless them with favor and protection, and to be merciful and compassionate to them.  When I think of God having His face to shine upon His people, I picture Him looking down on us with a smiling face, one filled with love.  Young children will frequently look up at their parents, looking for a smile and face full of love.  If they rarely see that, they can be filled insecurity and uncertainty of their parent’s care for them.  That is not the case between God and His children.  His love for us is certain, and His face will shine upon us.

In the next several verses the psalmist calls upon everyone to praise God.  This was not to be exclusive to just the people of Israel.  Again in Scripture we see another reference for all nations, including the Gentiles, to worship the Lord Yahweh.  They are to be included in God’s millennial kingdom.   Jesus, in giving His Great Commission recorded in Matthew 28:18-20 would become a fulfilling of verse 2 of our Psalm in bringing the salvation message to all nations.   Jesus tells us to bring His Gospel to all nations so that they, too, may know, love and praise Him.

Verses 6 and 7 tell us to put our trust in God.   He provides us with all that we need each day.  When we put our trust in Him, and remember to thank and praise Him,  He will continue to bless us.

Praise to God is the greatest thing that we can ever do in our life.  He is worthy of our praise.  Praise should be the activity of all believers, those who are a part of His Kingdom.

The final verse of this psalm of praise tells that the whole world should and shall fear Him.  By the time the Lord returns, the message of the Gospel will have been preached throughout the whole world.