Commentary - Psalm 67:3-5

Bird's-eye view

Psalm 67 is a thoroughly missionary psalm. It is a prayer that begins with a request for God's blessing upon His own people, but it does not terminate there. The blessing is not sought as a private hoard for Israel to enjoy in a corner. Rather, the blessing of God on the covenant community is the necessary prerequisite for the blessing flowing out to all the nations of the world. This psalm is structured as a chiasm, a literary form that pivots around a central point. And the central point here, the hinge upon which the whole psalm turns, is the gladness of the nations when God comes to govern them righteously. This is a psalm of gospel ambition, a postmillennial prayer that sees the knowledge of God covering the earth as the waters cover the sea. It connects God's grace to us with God's government over all.

The structure reveals the logic of God's plan for the world. The plea for blessing in verse 1 corresponds to the promise of blessing in verse 7. The result of that blessing, God's way being known on earth (v. 2), corresponds to the fruitful harvest of the earth (v. 6). And at the very heart of it all, enclosed by the repeated refrain for the peoples to praise God, is the reason for it all: the nations will be glad and sing for joy because God will judge them with equity and govern them upon the earth. This is not a fearful expectation of judgment, but a joyful anticipation of righteous rule.

Outline

Context In Psalms

This psalm follows the pattern we see throughout the Scriptures, where God's particular grace to His chosen people, first Israel, now the Church, is never an end in itself. God chose Abraham so that through him all the families of the earth would be blessed. God blessed Israel so that they would be a light to the Gentiles. This psalm is a concise, poetic expression of that Great Commission impulse. It is set in the context of the psalter, which is the church's prayer book and songbook. This means that the desire for the conversion of the nations is not some specialized task for a missions committee, but rather a central throb in the heart of the church's worship. We pray for God's face to shine on us so that His saving health may be known among all nations.

Verse by Verse Commentary

v. 3 Let the peoples praise You, O God; Let all the peoples praise You.

Here we have the first part of a refrain that brackets the central declaration of the psalm. This is not a suggestion, but an exhortation, a call to worship. And notice the scope of it. It is not "Let Israel praise You," though of course Israel should. The call goes out to the peoples, and then, for emphasis, all the peoples. This is an explicit rejection of any small-minded, tribalistic view of God's grace. The God of Israel is the God of the whole earth, and the worship He is owed is universal worship. This is the end game of the gospel. The purpose of God blessing us (v. 1) and making His way known (v. 2) is so that this happens. Praise is the goal. When God's salvation is known, the reflexive response is praise. This is not coerced uniformity, but the spontaneous, joyful eruption of worship from redeemed hearts across every tribe and tongue.

v. 4 Let the nations be glad and sing for joy; For You will judge the peoples with uprightness And lead the nations on the earth. Selah.

This verse is the very center of the psalm's structure, and it gives the reason for the praise called for in the previous verse. Why should the nations praise God? Because they have every reason to be glad and sing for joy. This is not the grim duty of a conquered people, but the exuberant celebration of a liberated people. The modern mind hears the word "judge" and immediately thinks of a grim-faced magistrate with a black cap, pronouncing a sentence of doom. But we must read our Bibles, not our anxieties. In the context of the Old Testament, particularly in the Psalms and a book like Judges, a judge is a deliverer, a rescuer. When God judges, He sets things right. He brings justice, equity, and order where there was chaos, oppression, and crookedness.

The reason for the joy of the nations is that God will judge the peoples with uprightness. He is not a corrupt judge who can be bribed. He is not a fickle tyrant. His rule is straight, true, and righteous. And what is the result of this judgment? He will lead the nations on the earth. The word for lead here is the word a shepherd uses for his flock. God's righteous judgment is not a destructive storm, but a shepherd's guidance. He will govern the nations, leading them into paths of righteousness and peace. This is a glorious picture of the kingdom of Christ. When the gospel goes forth, it doesn't just save souls for a distant heaven; it brings the righteous and joyful government of God to bear upon the earth. The nations, as nations, are to be glad in this. The Selah invites us to pause and let the weight of this truth sink in. This is the heart of the matter.

v. 5 Let the peoples praise You, O God; Let all the peoples praise You.

Having stated the central reason for joy, the psalmist now repeats the refrain from verse 3. This repetition serves to drive the point home with force. It is as though he has presented his central argument, the righteous, joyful reign of God, and now concludes, "Therefore, let the praises ring out!" The repetition makes the call to worship inescapable. It frames the central truth of God's righteous government with the only appropriate response: universal praise. It is a call for the Gentiles to join the choir. The blessing comes down to God's people so that the praise might go up from all peoples. This is the great missionary vision of Scripture, from Genesis to Revelation. God is gathering a people for His name from every nation, and the end of it all is a global symphony of praise to the only one who is worthy.

Application

The central application for us is to ensure our vision for the gospel is as large as this psalm's. We are blessed to be a blessing. The grace we receive in our corporate worship on the Lord's Day is not a private spiritual indulgence. It is fuel for mission. Worship is the engine, not the caboose. When God's face shines upon us, it is so that we might reflect that light into the dark corners of the world.

Secondly, we must recover a biblical understanding of God's judgment. We should not be afraid of it; we should pray for it. To pray "Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven" is to pray for God to judge the earth, to set things right. The world is groaning under the weight of injustice, corruption, and godless ideologies. The only solution is the righteous rule of Jesus Christ. Our evangelism, therefore, should not be a timid offer of fire insurance, but a bold proclamation that the rightful King has come to govern the nations, and that in His government there is gladness and joy. We call the peoples to praise Him because His reign is the best news the world has ever heard.