Psalm 67

Like Psalms 65 and 66, Psalm 67 is a universal psalm, that is, it shows Yahweh's concern and care for "all nations." Psalm 67 has a chiastic pattern, that is, it is inverted, as the following chart shows:

A--The psalmist prays the God's salvation may come to all nations--verses 1-2
B--The psalmist prays that all peoples will praise God--verse 3
C--The psalmist prays that the nations will rejoice because God maintains justice
among them--verse 4
B--The psalmist prays that all peoples will praise God--verse 5
A--The psalmist prays that God will continue to bless all nations and that they will
revere him--verses 6-7.

Psalm 67 says:

"May God be gracious to us and bless us
and make his face to shine upon us,
that your way may be known upon earth,
your saving power among all nations.
Let the peoples praise you, O God;
let all the peoples praise you.
Let the nations be glad and sing for joy,
for you judge the peoples with equity
and guide the nations upon earth.
Let the peoples praise you, O God;
let all the peoples praise you.
The earth has yielded its increase;
God, our God, has blessed us.
May God continue to bless us;
let all the ends of the earth revere him."

1. This psalm is clearly universal, because it refers to "the nations" three times (verses 2b, 4a, c), "the peoples" five times (verses 3a, b, 4b, 5a, b), and "earth" in the sense of the nations twice (verses 2a, 7b). God created all peoples, and he sustains, loves, and cares for all peoples.
2. Verse 1 invokes God's execution of the Priestly Blessing in Numbers 6:24-25. "God's face shining upon" people is an idiomatic expression meaning "bless," as the parallelism in verse 1 shows.
3. The nations of the earth see what God does and thus who God is by observing how God works among his chosen people ("us"--verses 1-2, 6-7).
4. Verse 4 portrays Yahweh as king. The primary function of a king is to maintain justice in his kingdom. God's kingdom is the whole earth. He preserves "equity," that is, "justice," "fair dealing," among his subjects. Hence, he is a strong opponent of injustice and unrighteousness. See Amos 2:6-8; 8:4-6; Isaiah 1:21-26; 5:1-7; Jeremiah 22:13-19.
The only appropriate response to God's rule in human life is "praise"--verses 3, 5; and "reverence"--verse 7.

John Willis

Psalm 66:16-20

The second part of the second major section of Psalm 66, verses 16-20, summons those who "fear God" to "Come and hear" what God had done for the psalmist; just as verses 5-12 summon "all the earth" (see verses 1, 4) to "Come and see" what God had done for his chosen people Israel. The poet says:

"Come and hear, all you who fear God,
and I will tell you what he has done for me.
I cried aloud to him,
and he was extolled with my tongue.
If I had cherished iniquity in my heart,
the Lord would not have listened.
But truly God has listened;
he has given heed to the words of my prayer.
Blessed be God,
because he has not rejected my prayer
or removed his steadfast love from me."

1. It is important for God's people to "tell" others God's mighty acts in the past, including the exodus from Egypt, protection during the wilderness wanderings, the conquest and settlement of Canaan, the sending of Jesus and his death and resurrection, and so on. But it is also vitally important for each child of God to "tell" others what God has done for him or her. The woman at the well is a striking biblical example of this. John 4:28-30, 39 say:
"Then the woman left her water jar and went back to the city. She said to the people, 'Come and see a man who told me everything I have ever done! He cannot be the Messiah, can he?' They left the city and were on their way to him. . . . Many Samaritans from that city believed in him because of the woman's testimony, 'He told me everything I have ever done.'"
2. A comparison of Psalm 66:17 with Exodus 15:2; and of Psalm 66:19-20 with Exodus 3:7 and 15:13; indicates that the psalmist is comparing God's intervention in his behalf with his intervention to deliver the Israelites from Egyptian bondage and to lead them across the Red Sea to safety. By delivering his people from their troubles, God repeatedly reveals his "steadfast love" for humankind (see Exodus 34:6-7).
3. The specific thing God had done for the author of Psalm 66 was to answer her or his prayer. We do not know the specific thing or things for which the psalmist prayed, but what stands out in Psalm 66 is the composer's gratitude for God "listening to" and "answering" his or her prayers. Jesus encourages people to "ask, seek, and knock," assuring us that God is ready and anxious to respond to the cries of those who truly trust in him, just as a parent is ready and anxious to do things for her or his child (Matthew 7:7-11).
Praise God for his readiness and willingness to hear and answer our prayers.

John Willis