May God be gracious to us and bless us and make His face shine on us—so that Your ways may be known on earth, your salvation among all nations. (Psalm 67:1-2)
Foreign Missionaries Spur Us on
When missionaries come to our churches, they remind us and stir us to spread God’s good news in Jesus here in the USA. I love that! Years ago, The Barna Research Group reported that: 90% of American adults didn’t know what the Great Commission is; 70% had no idea what John 3:16 means; and 67% didn’t know what “the gospel” means. So we Christians have much work to do.
Dr. O. Palmer Robertson is a theologian and missionary rolled into one and serves at the African Bible Colleges in Malawi and Uganda (East Africa). He spoke in Houston about Christians’ great privileges in Jesus. We are the Israel of God, Abraham’s spiritual children, and the Lord’s chosen people, along with believing Jews.1
Robertson also reminded us that our privileges carry great obligations. The Savior wants all Christians evangelizing. We are entrusted with Christ’s life-giving message and responsible to declare the praises of Jesus who called us out of darkness into His wonderful light.2
Impacting our Corner of the World
If any of us go to Africa, or Asia, or other places, praise God! But most of us need to make our influence for Christ here, where we live and work. We are to shine for Jesus and make His gospel attractive right where we are, as salespeople, nurses, engineers, teachers, neighbors, and friends to others.3
In the USA, 210 million people claim to be Christian (63%). So why don’t we make more positive impact for Jesus? He calls us to permeate our society and to really stand up for Christ’s value system and His moral standards without wavering. All of us are to show and tell Christ, in the power of the Holy Spirit, and pray to God for a U-turn in our fallen world. Lord, use this Psalm to help us serve You, more and better.
The Harvest Setting
Psalm 67 mentions gathering in the agricultural crop in ancient Israel (verse 6). That’s how the Lord met their material needs. The Psalm also reminds us of God’s overflowing spiritual blessings of grace and goodness, and His plan of salvation in Christ. Faithful Israelites expected that Messiah would reverse the curse, gathering in Jews and Gentiles who call on His name. Jesus’ teaching often uses the harvest imagery.4
The writer of Psalm 67 sees people gathering olives, barley, wheat, and grapes. And it reminds him that the Lord promised that through Christ, Abraham’s descendant, all families on earth will be blessed. Here in Psalm 67, the Psalmist asks the Lord to do this. The physical harvest triggered thoughts of God’s in-gathering saved men, women, girls, and boys from all across the planet, bringing them to know Him, worship Him, love Him, and follow Him. That’s what the Bible is all about.
Why Does the Lord Save People? He Is Gracious.
The Psalmist prays in verse 1-2: “May God be gracious to us and bless us and make His face shine on us—so that Your ways may be known on earth, Your salvation among all nations.” Maybe you recognize that language which looks back to the benediction in Numbers 6:24-26. The Lord’s generous compassion moves Him to save sinners, undeserving as we are. Psalm 67 is asking God to save more people.
You may also like Jesus’ Blessing (Part 1).
When Christians share Christ, we are just nobodies telling everybody about Somebody (Jesus) who can save anybody. We are undeserving beggars ourselves, telling others where to find Christ, the Bread of Life. Salvation flows out to us from God’s big-heartedness, not because of anything in us. Let’s remember that, so we don’t become puffed up and proud. If we forget our own unworthiness, apart from God’s grace, our zeal for evangelism will shrivel up. We are blessed by God to be a blessing to others.
God’s Grace is His Active Intervention
All through the Old Testament, the Lord acts in history to deliver His chosen ones. Then He does something new and unique. God’s Son comes in the flesh to crush the serpent’s head for us.5 He wins the victory for us by His sinless life, His atoning death, and His bodily resurrection. Then Christ ascends back up into heaven, and sends the Holy Spirit at Pentecost to bring times of refreshing. Psalm 67 points ahead to Jesus saving work for us in all its facets.
Christ’s Followers Will See His Face
Psalm 67 asks the Lord to make His face shine on us. Amazing!
●God said to Moses: “You cannot see My face, for no one may see Me and live.” The Lord is holy, holy, holy, and we are sinful!6
●But God made His light shine in our hearts so we could know God’s glory that is seen in the face of Christ. The eternal Son of God came down and added on a human body and soul. So when Jesus was here on earth, people actually saw the image of God by seeing Christ. Someone said: “Lord, show us the Father and we will be satisfied and content.” And Jesus answered: “Anyone who has seen Me has seen the Father.”7
●Now that Jesus has returned to Heaven as the God-man, believers on earth can still see Him spiritually by faith as we study the Scriptures with the blessing of the Holy Spirit. Scripture says: “Even though you do not see Christ now (physically), you believe in Him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy.”8
●When Christ returns to earth physically, His shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. He will wipe every tear from our eyes and there will be no more death, mourning, crying, or pain. The benefits of following Jesus are unbelievable, but the best will be seeing Jesus face to face!9
To be continued. You can read Psalm 67 (Gathering in God’s Family, Part 2)
Notes (various Bible translations): 1 Gal 3:7, 6:16. 2 1 Thes 2:4; 1 Peter 2:9-10. 3 Phil 2:14-16; Titus 2:10. 4 See “Why Jesus Talked So Much about Agriculture” by Mike Glenn, Christianity Today, 1/30/2020. 5 Gen 3:15; Isaiah 7:14, 53:1-4; Rom 16:20. 6 Exodus 33:20. 7 2 Cor 4:6; John 14:8-9. 8 1 Peter 1:8. 9 1 John 3:1-3; Rev 21:1-4.