When someone gives us some money or other resources, and tells us that it should be used for a specific thing, the proper thing to do is to use that money or resource for that thing. If you give your son some money and tell him to go to the store and buy a certain item, you want him to come back with that item, not the latest computer game. If your boss gives you certain resources to be used on a specific project, you should use it on that, not your own pet project. Our psalm this week speaks of God blessing His people, but blessing them for a specific purpose. Let’s see what we can learn from this psalm.
As our brief psalm begins, the unknown author prays for God’s blessing upon himself and the people, and for His face to shine upon them (vs. 1). It is always nice to know that God’s face is shining upon oneself. When someone’s face is “shining” upon you, you know that you have their favor. It is a smiling, benevolent face, not an angry one. Having God’s shining face would mean that He is looking towards and on you with favor. God’s shining face is part of the blessing He commanded the priests to use for the people (Numbers 6:24-27). In the light of God’s shining face, the people would be blessed and marked with His Name as His holy people. Those who do not have God’s blessing, His shining face, face His terrible wrath (Psalm 34:16). For those who have called upon Jesus as their personal Savior, we can have God’s face to shine on us. That is because on the day of Jesus’ crucifixion the face of God turned away from Him while He was on the cross, bearing our sins.
The psalmist, though, is clear as to what the purpose of this blessing was to be (vs. 2). God’s blessing here is to be evangelistic. God’s blessing is to help us so that His ways will be known upon earth, so that we can go forth and tell others about the Lord. There are plenty of preachers, many on television, who claim that God wants to bless us so that we can be rich, have all the material possessions we want - bigger houses, fancier cars, even so the TV preacher can add another jet to his fleet! However, God’s Word says here that His blessing is so that we can make known His salvation, deliverance, and redemptive work so that others may come to know Jesus as Savior, not for our own personal wealth or prosperity.
As the psalmist continues, he prays that the people of the world will praise God (vs. 3). This is universal praise, not just from the people of Israel. This looks forward to the day when the Gospel message will be told all over the world (Matthew 28:19; Acts 1:8). God’s plan has always been for His message to go to all people throughout the world.
We read in verse 4 that God is the Judge of all the earth. Yahweh is not a tribal deity, or the God of just one group of people who follow Him. He is God, Lord, and Judge of all people everywhere, and in every time. His rule is righteous, unlike the corrupt rule of human governments. This verse also looks forward to the Lord Jesus Christ’s millennial reign, where He will rule the nations with perfect justice (Isaiah 11:3-5; Revelation 20:11-15).
The psalmist repeats verse 3 in verse 5. This shows his urgency and longing for global worship of the Lord. God deserves worldwide praise. Continuing on he speaks of God’s physical provisions and blessings (vs. 6-7). These are tied to His spiritual purpose, which is for us to tell others about Him. God’s blessings are for us to give testimony to Him, so that others will come to know Him, praise, and fear or give Him reverence. The psalmist ends his psalm with confidence that God will accomplish His global purpose. This certainty is grounded in God’s promises.
Our psalm today teaches us that God blesses His people so that they can be a blessing to the world. This is the same type of blessing that God gave to Abraham when He called him to follow Him. God blessed him so that he would in turn bless others by telling them of Yahweh (Genesis 12:1-3). Israel was meant to be a light to the nations, and the Church today continues that mission. This psalm looks forward to the day when all nations will fear God, and Christ will reign in righteousness.
As we look back over today’s Scripture, we see that God’s blessings upon us are not specifically for our comfort, but for our usefulness in His kingdom. We have a mission, and that is to give, go, pray, and witness to others for God. Our life is meant to make God’s ways known to others who do not know Him.
No comments:
Post a Comment