The Logic of Global Evangelism
Introduction: The Centrality of God's Face
We live in a therapeutic age, which is another way of saying we live in a narcissistic age. When modern man comes to God, if he comes at all, he comes asking for blessings that terminate on himself. "God, make me happy. God, make me prosperous. God, make me feel good about myself." But the Bible will not allow us to do this. Biblical prayer, biblical worship, is radically God-centered. And because it is God-centered, it is therefore evangelistic. It is missional to the core.
This little psalm, just seven verses, is a powerhouse of missionary zeal. It is a prayer for God's blessing on Israel, but it is a prayer with a purpose that extends far beyond Israel's borders. The logic is striking in its simplicity: God blesses His people so that His salvation might flood the entire world. The blessing is not the destination; it is the fuel for a global mission. The goal is not our comfort, but God's glory among the nations.
The psalmist begins by echoing the great Aaronic blessing from Numbers 6. This is a prayer steeped in the covenant history of Israel. But it takes that blessing and immediately gives it a global trajectory. It is as though the psalmist takes a pot of water that was meant for the family garden and pours it into a channel that will irrigate the whole earth. This is the logic of the gospel. God's particular grace to His chosen people has always had a universal purpose. He chose Abraham not just to bless Abraham, but so that in him all the families of the earth would be blessed.
So as we come to this psalm, we must check our own motives at the door. Are we seeking the face of God simply for a private, spiritual experience? Or do we desire the light of His countenance upon us so that we might become beacons, reflecting that light into the darkest corners of the earth? This psalm teaches us that true blessing is never a dead end. It is a highway for the gospel.
The Text
God be gracious to us and bless us,
And cause His face to shine upon us, Selah.
That Your way may be known on the earth,
Your salvation among all nations.
(Psalm 67:1-2 LSB)
The Aaronic Blessing Globalized (v. 1)
The psalm opens with a direct appeal for God's favor, using language that every Israelite would have recognized.
"God be gracious to us and bless us, And cause His face to shine upon us, Selah." (Psalm 67:1)
This is a condensed version of the priestly blessing God commanded Aaron to pronounce over the people: "The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you; the LORD lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace" (Numbers 6:24-26). To ask for God's face to shine upon you is to ask for His presence, His favor, His active and benevolent attention. It is the opposite of being under His wrath or judgment. When God hides His face, it is a sign of displeasure and abandonment. When His face shines, it is the source of all life, joy, and security.
Think of what the face communicates. It is the focal point of personality and relationship. To have someone's face turned toward you is to have their attention, their approval. To have it turned away is to be ignored or rejected. The psalmist is praying for the ultimate good, which is not a thing, but a person. He is praying for God Himself. This is the essence of true piety. We do not seek God's gifts, but the Giver. We do not want things from His hand; we want the light of His face.
The word "gracious" points to unmerited favor. It is a plea for God to give us what we do not deserve. "Bless us" is a request for God's provision and protection in every area of life. But the central request is for His face to shine. This is the sun that makes the garden of our lives grow. Without it, all is darkness and death. All true spiritual health begins here, with a desperate desire for the manifest presence of God.
And then we have that word, "Selah." We are not entirely certain what it means, but it seems to be a musical or liturgical notation, likely calling for a pause. It tells the singers and the congregation to stop and think about what was just said. Ponder this. Meditate on it. What does it mean to have the face of the infinite, holy God shining upon you? Do not rush past this. This is the fountainhead of everything that follows. Before we can be witnesses to the world, we must first be worshipers basking in the light of His countenance.
The Great Commission in Seed Form (v. 2)
Verse two provides the divine logic, the purpose clause for the blessing requested in verse one. Why should God's face shine upon us?
"That Your way may be known on the earth, Your salvation among all nations." (Psalm 67:2 LSB)
Here is the missionary heartbeat of the Old Testament. The blessing is not an end in itself. It is a means to a glorious, global end. The light is not given to us so we can hoard it in a private cul-de-sac. It is given to us to be placed on a lampstand, so that it gives light to all who are in the house, and ultimately, to the whole world.
God's "way" refers to His manner of governing the world, His moral law, His path of righteousness. It is the way He does things. When God blesses His people, making them fruitful, prosperous, and secure in the land, the surrounding pagan nations are supposed to look on and ask, "How does this happen? What kind of God do they serve?" The visible blessing on the covenant community is intended to be an apologetic, a demonstration of the goodness and wisdom of God's ways.
The second phrase makes the point even more explicit: "Your salvation among all nations." The Hebrew word for salvation is Yeshua. This is the name of Jesus. The prayer is that God's blessing on Israel would result in His Yeshua being known among all the Gentiles. This is not some later New Testament innovation. The global scope of God's redemptive plan was there from the beginning.
This completely demolishes any notion that the Old Testament teaches a tribalistic, exclusive faith. God's election of Israel was never about favoritism for its own sake. It was about creating a pilot project, a beachhead for the invasion of the whole world with His grace. Israel was to be a kingdom of priests, mediating the knowledge and salvation of God to all the nations.
And so the logic flows directly to us. Why does God save us? Why does He bless our churches? Why does He give us sound doctrine, stable families, and material provision? The answer is right here. It is so that His way, the way of the cross, the way of discipleship, might be known on the earth. It is so that His salvation, found in Christ alone, might be proclaimed among all nations. If our church is blessed, but we are not missional, we have short-circuited the very purpose of the blessing. We have become a stagnant pond instead of a flowing river.
Conclusion: From Beneficiaries to Benefactors
These two verses set the stage for the rest of the psalm, which erupts into a chorus of praise, calling for all the peoples, all the nations, to be glad and sing for joy. But it all begins here, with this foundational prayer.
First, we must be a people who desperately long for the face of God to shine upon us. Our worship, our prayers, our lives must be oriented toward Him. We cannot commend a God we do not cherish. We cannot reflect a light we are not standing in. A church that is not captivated by the glory of God's face will have nothing compelling to say to a dying world.
Second, we must understand the purpose of that blessing. God does not bless us for our own private enjoyment. He makes us beneficiaries of His grace so that we might become benefactors to the world. He shines His face on us so that we might turn and shine on others. Every blessing we receive is a commissioning. Every act of grace is a call to mission.
The ultimate shining of God's face was seen in the face of Jesus Christ. As Paul says, "For God, who said, 'Let light shine out of darkness,' has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ" (2 Corinthians 4:6). In Christ, the Aaronic blessing finds its ultimate fulfillment. He is the grace of God personified. He is the blessing of God incarnate. And through His death and resurrection, His way is now being made known on the earth, and His salvation is going out to all nations. We who have seen this light are now commanded to carry it. We pray for God's face to shine on us, so that through us, He might cause His face to shine on the world.