Psalm LXVII
To the chief Musician. On Neglnoth. A Psalm or Song.
1 God be merciful unto us, and bless us; and cause his face to shine upon
us. Selah.
2 That thy way may be known upon earth, thy saving health among all
nations.
4 O let the nations be glad and sing for joy!
For thou shalt judge the people righteously, and govern the nations upon earth. Kelah.
6 Then shall the earth yield her increase; and God, even our own God,
shall bless us.
7 God shall bless us; and all the ends of the earth shall fear him.
Once more the Jewish Church is prominent in this solenm “Psalm,^’ which is sung as a lively “Song,” on Neginoth.
198 PSA1.M Lxvii. — iskael’s blessing prayed for
The contents. They pray for the outpouring of the full blessing which their High Priest, Jesus, is to bestow by their means on all the earth. The language of verse 1 refers us to Num. vi. 24, 25, and very appropriately; for the time is the Lord’s Second Coming, when, as true High Priest, he comes forth from the Holiest to bless the people. The “Selah” at the end of verse 1 and verse 4 is, in both cases, very expressive, indicating, as it does, pauses in the sense and feeling, as well as the music.” God be merciful to lis And bless us /
And cast the light of his countenance (So as that it may be) with us.” (!)3J^^^ See Ilengst.)
Bless us and guide us in thy way, (thy mode of dealing with thy people), that by us thy way may be known on the earth, as foretold in Gen. xii. 8, and since those days, in Amos viii. 1 4; Isa, Ix. 1, 2; Acts XV. 15-17; Rom. xi. 15, and many other places. “The nations (D’^^V) shall praise thee, 0 God; The nations shall jiraise thee!” (Ver. 3.) The peculiar people, Oyn, here anticipate with joy the time when the D^by, the whole Gentile people, shall praise their God and Saviour, and that through their means.
“Let the tribes (of earth, the D’’Q><V who once raged against thee, Psa ii. 1) rejoice and sing, For thou judgest {i. e., rulest) the (0“^^) nations righteously, And as for the tribes of earth {WB’ib) thou guidest them” (Isa. lviii. 11, Hengst.) And again at the happy prospect they cry, “Hallelujah!” foithey repeat their song —
“The nations (D^p;i) shall praise thee, 0 God, The nations shall praise thee! every one of them /” (Ver. 5.) And now Earth, as well as Palestine, giveth its increase, for the curse is away, and the blessing rests on it (Lev. xxvi. 4). Israel rejoices in this communication of their blessing to all men — “Earth giveth its increase! God, our God, blesseth us! God blesseth us! And they fear Him! All ends nf the carih!”
Horsley says, this is “A hymn for the Feast of Tabernacles, prophetic of a general conversion of the world to the worship of God.” Dr Allix entitles this Psalm, “A Prayer of the Synagogue for the Second Coming of the Messias, when her empire is to be extended over all nations, and the temporal blessings which are promised to the Jews in several oracles shall be conferred on them.” But it is simpler, and perhaps more correct to describe it thus — Tlce Prayer of Israel for the blessing which Messiah ii< to bestow on them, for the sake of earth at large.