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Commentary on Psalms 67 verses 1–7
The composition of this psalm is such as denotes the penman's affections to have been very warm and lively, by which spirit of devotion he was elevated to receive the spirit of prophecy concerning the enlargement of God's kingdom.
I. He begins with a prayer for the welfare and prosperity of the church then in being, in the happiness of which he should share, and think himself happy, Psa 67:1. Our Saviour, in teaching us to say, Our Father, has intimated that we ought to pray with and for others; so the psalmist here prays not, God be merciful to me, and bless me, but to us, and bless us; for we must make supplication for all saints, and be willing and glad to take our lot with them. We are here taught, 1. That all our happiness comes from God's mercy and takes rise in that; and therefore the first thing prayed for is, God be merciful to us, to us sinners, and pardon our sins (Luk 18:13), to us miserable sinners, and help us out of our miseries. 2. That it is conveyed by God's blessing, and secured in that: God bless us; that is, give us an interest in his promises, and confer upon us all the good contained in them. God's speaking well to us amounts to his doing well for us. God bless us is a comprehensive prayer; it is a pity such excellent words should ever be used slightly and carelessly, and as a byword. 3. That it is completed in the light of his countenance: God cause his face to shine upon us; that is, God by his grace qualify us for his favour and then give us the tokens of his favour. We need desire no more to make us happy than to have God's face shine upon us, to have God love us, and let us know that he loves us: To shine with us (so the margin reads it); with us doing our endeavour, and let it crown that endeavour with success. If we by faith walk with God, we may hope that his face will shine with us.
II. He passes from this to a prayer for the conversion of the Gentiles (Psa 67:2): That thy way may be known upon earth. "Lord, I pray not only that thou wilt be merciful to us and bless us, but that thou wilt be merciful to all mankind, that thy way may be known upon earth." Thus public-spirited must we be in our prayers. Father in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come. We shall have never the less of God's mercy, and blessing, and favour, for others coming in to share with us. Or it may be taken thus: "God be merciful to us Jews, and bless us, that thereby thy way may be known upon earth, that by the peculiar distinguishing tokens of thy favour to us others may be allured to come and join themselves to us, saying, We will go with you, for we have heard that God is with you," Zac 8:23.
1.These verses, which point at the conversion of the Gentiles, may be taken, (1.) As a prayer; and so it speaks the desire of the Old Testament saints; so far were they from wishing to monopolize the privileges of the church that they desired nothing more than the throwing down of the enclosure and the laying open of the advantages. See then how the spirit of the Jews, in the days of Christ and his apostles, differed from the spirit of their fathers. The Israelites indeed that were of old desired that God's name might be known among the Gentiles; those counterfeit Jews were enraged at the preaching of the gospel to the Gentiles; nothing in Christianity exasperated them so much as that did. (2.) As a prophecy that it shall be as he here prays. Many scripture-prophecies and promises are wrapped up in prayers, to intimate that the answer of the church's prayer is as sure as the performance of God's promises.
2.Three things are here prayed for, with reference to the Gentiles: -
(1.)That divine revelation might be sent among them, Psa 67:2. Two things he desires might be know upon earth, even among all nations, and not to the nation of the Jews only: - [1.] God's way, the rule of duty: "Let them all know, as well as we do, what is good and what the Lord our God requires of them; let them be blessed and honoured with the same righteous statutes and judgments which are so much the praise of our nation and the envy of all its neighbours," Deu 4:8. [2.] His saving health, or his salvation. The former is wrapped up in his law, this in his gospel. If God make known his way to us, and we walk in it, he will show us his saving health, Psa 50:23. Those that have themselves experimentally known the pleasantness of God's ways, and the comforts of his salvation, cannot but desire and pray that they may be known to others, even among all nations. All upon earth are bound to walk in God's way, all need his salvation, and there is in it enough for all; and therefore we should pray that both the one and the other may be made known to all.
(2.)That divine worship may be set up among them, as it will be where divine revelation is received and embraced (Psa 67:3): "Let the people praise thee, O God! let them have matter for praise, let them have hearts for praise; yea, let not only some, but all the people, praise thee," all nations in their national capacity, some of all nations. It is again repeated (Psa 67:5) as that which the psalmist's heart was very much upon. Those that delight in praising God themselves cannot but desire that others also may be brought to praise him, that he may have the honour of it and they may have the benefit of it. It is a prayer, [1.] That the gospel might be preached to them, and then they would have cause enough to praise God, as for the day-spring after a long and dark night. Ortus est sol - The sun has risen. Act 8:8. [2.] That they might be converted and brought into the church, and then they would have a disposition to praise God, the living and true God, and not the dumb and dunghill deities they had worshipped, Dan 5:4. Then their hard thoughts of God would be silenced, and they would see him, in the gospel glass, to be love itself, and the proper object of praise. [3.] That they might be incorporated into solemn assemblies, and might praise God in a body, that they might all together praise him with one mind and one mouth. Thus a face of religion appears upon a land when God is publicly owned and the ordinances of religious worship are duly celebrated in religious assemblies.
(3.)That the divine government may be acknowledged and cheerfully submitted to (Psa 67:4): O let the nations be glad, and sing for joy! Holy joy, joy in God and in his name, is the heart and soul of thankful praise. That all the people may praise thee, let the nations be glad. Those that rejoice in the Lord always will in every thing give thanks. The joy he wishes to the nations is holy joy; for it is joy in God's dominion, joy that God has taken to himself his great power and has reigned, which the unconverted nations are angry at, Rev 11:17, Rev 11:18. Let them be glad, [1.] That the kingdom is the Lord's (Psa 22:28), that he, as an absolute sovereign, shall govern the nations upon earth, that by the kingdom of his providence he shall overrule the affairs of kingdoms according to the counsel of his will, though they neither know him nor own him, and that in due time he shall disciple all nations by the preaching of his gospel (Mat 28:19) and set up the kingdom of his grace among them upon the ruin of the devil's kingdom - that he shall make them a willing people in the day of his power, and even the kingdoms of this world shall become the kingdoms of the Lord and of his Christ. [2.] That every man's judgment proceeds from the Lord. "Let them be glad that thou shalt judge the people righteously, that thou shalt give a law and gospel which shall be a righteous rule of judgment, and shalt pass an unerring sentence, according to that rule, upon all the children of men, against which there will lie no exception." Let us all be glad that we are not to be one another's judges, but that he that judges us is the Lord, whose judgment we are sure is according to truth.
III. He concludes with a joyful prospect of all good when God shall do this, when the nations shall be converted and brought to praise God.
1.The lower world shall smile upon them, and they shall have the fruits of that (Psa 67:6): Then shall the earth yield her increase. Not but that God gave rain from heaven and fruitful seasons to the nations when they sat in darkness (Act 14:17); but when they were converted the earth yielded its increase to God; the meat and the drink then became a meat-offering and a drink-offering to the Lord our God (Joe 2:14); and then it was fruitful to some good purpose. Then it yielded its increase more than before to the comfort of men, who through Christ acquired a covenant-title to the fruits of it and had a sanctified use of it. Note, The success of the gospel sometimes brings outward mercies along with it; righteousness exalts a nation. See Isa 4:2; Isa 62:9.
2.The upper world shall smile upon them, and they shall have the favours of that, which is much better: God, even our own God, shall bless us, Psa 67:6. And again (Psa 67:7), God shall bless us. Note, (1.) There are a people in the world that can, upon good grounds, call God their God. (2.) Believers have reason to glory in their relation to God and the interest they have in him. It is here spoken with an air of triumph. God, even our own God. (2.) Those who through grace call God their own may with a humble confidence expect a blessing from him. If he be our God, he will bless us with special blessings. (4.) The blessing of God, as ours in covenant, is that which sweetens all our creature-comforts to us, and makes them comforts indeed; then we receive the increase of the earth as a mercy indeed when with it God, even our own God, gives us his blessing.
3.All the world shall hereby be brought to do like them: The ends of the earth shall fear him, that is, worship him, which is to be done with a godly fear. The blessings God bestows upon us call upon us not only to love him, but to fear him, to keep up high thoughts of him and to be afraid of offending him. When the gospel begins to spread it shall get ground more and more, till it reach to the ends of the earth. The leaven hidden in the meal shall diffuse itself, till the whole be leavened. And the many blessings which those will own themselves to have received that are brought into the church invite others to join themselves to them. It is good to cast in our lot with those that are the blessed of the Lord.
Your Love remembers, that in two Psalms, which have been already treated of, we have stirred up our soul to bless the Lord, and with godly chant have said, "Bless thou, O my soul, the Lord." If therefore we have stirred up our soul in those Psalms to bless the Lord, in this Psalm is well said, "May God have pity on us, and bless us" [Psalm 67:1]. Let our soul bless the Lord, and let God bless us. When God blesses us, we grow, and when we bless the Lord, we grow, to us both are profitable. He is not increased by our blessing, nor is He lessened by our cursing. He that curses the Lord, is himself lessened: he that blesses the Lord, is himself increased. First, there is in us the blessing of the Lord, and the consequence is that we also bless the Lord. That is the rain, this the fruit. Therefore there is rendered as it were fruit to God the Husbandman, raining upon and tilling us. Let us chant these words with no barren devotion, with no empty voice, but with true heart. For most evidently God the Father has been called a Husbandman. [John 15:1] The Apostle says, "God's husbandry you are, God's building you are." [1 Corinthians 3:9] In things visible of this world, the vine is not a building, and a building is not a vineyard: but we are the vineyard of the Lord, because He tills us for fruit; the building of God we are, since He who tills us, dwells in us. And what says the same Apostle? "I have planted, Apollos has watered, but the increase God has given. Therefore neither he that plants is anything, nor he that waters, but He that gives the increase, even God." [1 Corinthians 3:6-7] He it is therefore that gives the increase. Are those perchance the husbandmen? For a husbandman he is called that plants, that waters: but the Apostle has said, "I have planted, Apollos has watered." Do we enquire whence himself has done this? The Apostle makes answer, "Yet not I, but the Grace of God with me." [1 Corinthians 15:10] Therefore wherever thou turn you, whether through Angels, you will find God your Husbandman; whether through Prophets, the Same is your Husbandman; whether through Apostles, the very Same acknowledge to be your Husbandman. What then of us? Perchance we are the labourers of that Husbandman, and this too with powers imparted by Himself, and by Grace granted by Himself....
This, I say, is the universal way for the deliverance of believers, concerning which the faithful Abraham received the divine assurance, “In thy seed shall all nations be blessed.” He, indeed, was by birth a Chaldaean; but, that he might receive these great promises, and that there might be propagated from him a seed “disposed by angels in the hand of a Mediator,” in whom this universal way, thrown open to all nations for the deliverance of the soul, might be found, he was ordered to leave his country, and kindred, and father’s house. Then was he himself, first of all, delivered from the Chaldaean superstitions, and by his obedience worshipped the one true God, whose promises he faithfully trusted. This is the universal way, of which it is said in holy prophecy, “God be merciful unto us, and bless us, and cause his face to shine upon us; that thy way may be known upon earth, thy saving health among all nations.” And hence, when our Savior, so long after, had taken flesh of the seed of Abraham, he says of himself, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.”
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SUMMARY
Psalm 67:1 serves as a profound and concise communal invocation, articulating an earnest prayer for divine favor, comprehensive blessing, and the manifest presence of God's benevolent approval. This foundational verse, framed by liturgical instructions, establishes the psalm's posture of humble dependence and hopeful anticipation, setting the stage for its subsequent universal vision of God's redemptive purposes extending to all nations.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Psalm 67:1 is rich in literary devices that amplify its spiritual impact. The most prominent is Anthropomorphism, vividly displayed in the phrase "cause his face to shine upon us," which attributes a human characteristic (a shining face) to God to express His benevolent disposition and active, favorable presence. This anthropomorphism functions as a powerful Metaphor for divine favor, approval, and illuminating guidance, contrasting sharply with the terrifying concept of God hiding His face, which would signify disfavor or judgment. The verse also employs Supplication or Litany, presenting a direct and earnest prayer composed of a series of cumulative petitions ("be merciful," "bless us," "cause his face to shine"). This sequence creates a profound sense of intense longing and dependence on divine intervention. Furthermore, the structure exhibits a form of Parallelism, where the three petitions build upon each other, emphasizing the comprehensive and multifaceted nature of the desired divine intervention, moving from unmerited grace to holistic well-being and finally to manifest presence and approval.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
This verse is deeply embedded in the Old Testament's understanding of God's covenant relationship with Israel, echoing the ancient and sacred priestly benediction. The earnest requests for mercy, blessing, and the shining of God's face directly parallel the foundational declaration of God's desire to bless and protect His people, as meticulously outlined in Numbers 6:24-26. The psalm's opening prayer for divine favor upon Israel is not an end in itself; rather, it serves as the essential precondition and catalyst for the subsequent universal mission, where God's "saving health" is to be made known among all nations, as explicitly stated in Psalm 67:2. This highlights a profound theological principle: God blesses His people not merely for their own comfort or prosperity, but so that they might become a conduit and channel of blessing to the wider world, reflecting His glory and drawing others into His redemptive embrace. It underscores the concept that divine favor is both a deeply personal gift and a weighty communal responsibility, intended to facilitate and advance God's global redemptive purposes.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Psalm 67:1 provides a timeless and profoundly impactful model for both personal and communal prayer, serving as a powerful reminder of our absolute and unwavering dependence on God's unmerited grace and His active, benevolent presence in every facet of our lives. It beckons us to regularly and earnestly seek His face, not as a mere perfunctory ritual, but as a heartfelt and profound longing for His divine approval, His illuminating guidance, and the deep, abiding joy that only His manifest presence can bring. In a world frequently overshadowed by anxiety, pervasive uncertainty, and spiritual darkness, the prayer for God's face to shine upon us is a potent petition for His divine light to courageously dispel our fears, for His infallible wisdom to precisely guide our steps, and for His sustaining favor to uphold and nourish our very existence. Furthermore, by understanding the broader missional context of Psalm 67, this opening verse challenges us to recognize that the manifold blessings we graciously receive from God are not solely intended for our individual comfort or personal prosperity. Instead, they are purposefully bestowed to equip and empower us to become a radiant witness to God's transformative goodness in the world, reflecting His glorious light so that others might be irresistibly drawn to His saving truth and experience His boundless, life-altering love. It is a compelling call to live blessed lives that, in turn, become a profound blessing to others, actively participating in the unfolding of God's global redemptive mission.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
What does "Neginoth" mean in the superscription?
Answer: "Neginoth" (H5058 nᵉgîynâh) is a Hebrew term found in the superscriptions of several psalms, including Psalm 67:1. It is a musical direction indicating that the psalm was intended to be performed with stringed instruments. This highlights the liturgical and musical context of the psalm's use in ancient Israelite worship, suggesting it was a sacred song meant to be accompanied by instruments like lyres or harps, emphasizing its communal and orchestrated nature.
What is the significance of "Selah" at the end of the verse?
Answer: "Selah" (H5542 çelâh) is a Hebrew word appearing frequently in the Psalms and Habakkuk. While its precise meaning remains debated among scholars, it is widely understood as a musical or liturgical instruction. Common interpretations suggest it signifies a pause for reflection, a musical interlude, or a change in musical dynamics or vocal emphasis. Its placement after Psalm 67:1 invites the worshiper to meditate deeply on the profound prayer that has just been uttered, allowing its spiritual weight and implications to settle before moving forward in the psalm.
How does "cause his face to shine upon us" relate to other biblical passages?
Answer: This phrase is a powerful anthropomorphism that echoes the ancient priestly blessing found in Numbers 6:24-26, where the Lord is invoked to "make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you." It signifies God's benevolent presence, His active approval, and the illuminating light of His favor, which brings guidance, joy, and dispels darkness. It stands in stark contrast to God "hiding His face," which implies disfavor, judgment, or abandonment, as seen in passages like Deuteronomy 31:17 and Psalm 13:1. The concept is also powerfully present in Psalm 4:6, where the psalmist longs for the light of God's countenance to bring joy and security.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Psalm 67:1, with its earnest and profound plea for God's mercy, comprehensive blessing, and the radiant shining of His face, finds its ultimate and most glorious fulfillment in the person and redemptive work of Jesus Christ. He is the very embodiment of God's boundless mercy and unmerited grace, the one through whom all spiritual blessings in the heavenly places are poured out upon us, as affirmed in Ephesians 1:3. In Christ, God's face truly and perfectly shines upon humanity, for He is "the light of the world" (John 8:12) and "the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being" (Hebrews 1:3). Through His atoning sacrifice on the cross, we receive not merely a temporary blessing but eternal life, complete reconciliation with God, and privileged access to His very presence (Romans 5:8-10). The ancient prayer for God's face to shine upon us is definitively answered in the person of Christ, who fully reveals the Father's heart and grants us the profound privilege of living in the full, unhindered light of His favor, thereby enabling us, as believers, to reflect that glorious light to a world still enshrouded in spiritual darkness (2 Corinthians 4:6). He is the divine means by which God's "saving health" is made known to all nations, fulfilling the broader missionary vision of Psalm 67 through the Great Commission given to His disciples (Matthew 28:19-20).