Sermon Tone Analysis

This is a Psalm of Thanksgiving.

It is a being used as a song.

Why is it a Song?

In general… in the world we live in… what is a song?

Some songs we sing are silly, some we sing are not really true, some songs we sing express emotion, some songs we sing to help us remember things...

in the church we use songs… These kids just sang a songs that contained a truth found in scripture that they will now know forever...

In our gatherings… We use songs to help us understand truth, to help us remember truth, and to remind us to celebrate truth… Truth about Who???

About God and his nature!

When we use songs to help us know truth, we are catechizing ourselves… in other words, we are teaching and training ourselves to know truth about God.

So if this Psalm is a song, then what truth is it reminding us of?

Let’s look at it one verse at a time...

Have you ever heard this before?

That God would make his face to shine upon you??? Do you recognize it?

do know where it comes from?

Do you understand what it is saying?

What does it mean for God’s face to shine upon you?

What we know from scripture is that God is spirit… Jesus said in that God is Spirit and must be worshipped in Spirit and Truth.

But the Bible also declares that God is invisible but Jesus is the image of him...

So if God is invisible and spirit then why do we see this phrase the face of God? Make your face shine upon us?

If God is spirit then he does not have a human body… we have this term anthropomorphism which is a fancy way to say a way of describing God with anatomical or emotional terms so that humans can better understand Him.

Let me give you an example of that… in a lot of ways we see in scripture it says that when God is going to judge someone or something, that “his face is set against them” or how about this...

the point isn’t that God has hands and ears, but rather that he can reach us to save us and hear in our prayers...

So back to his face Shining upon us… what would the idea of someones face shining upon you mean?

To shine is to illuminate, to warm, to comfort or to be connected to...

This psalm is starting by referencing a familiar scriptural blessing to Gods people.

It is a portion of Aaron’s priestly prayer.

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To the original hearers of this psalm, to those who would be singing this psalm it would be a reminder that God’s favor, blessing, and presence was with them.

This was a blessing that God said his priests should pronounce over his people for them to know he was with them and will bless them.

Yet, it is recorded in scripture and passed on to us to declare a truth and remind us of this truth.

SO what is the truth found here???

Truth #1 - God is with us!

and as we read through this psalm we see the word Selah follow this verse.

This word Selah means to Pause… to reflect

For them they would stop and think of how God was with them… they would be singing and would pause to give intentional space to stop and think about what was just sung.

Can we pause for a moment and think about how God is with us??? How he makes his face to shine upon us by being gracious to us...

with that thought in mind look at the next verse...

Think about this… God is with us so that his WAY would be made known on the earth… What is his WAY???

God’s way is in reference to, his blessings and presence with his people.

Let me say it this way “God’s blessing on his people, (vs 1.), is for the whole earth to recognize his Power… namely his saving power!

What greater blessings are there than to understand that God is able to save us?!

And please notice that it says his saving power among ALL NATIONS!!!!

This speaks of God’s sovereignty over all nations… how he is able to save all.

God is sovereign over ALL, not just one particular country.

We need to stop it with the God and Country ideas that have replaced the Gospel.

The Gospel is not an American promise, it is not manifest destiny, it is not for one nation to lead the way for others… when we believe that, we lose the value that we find in the Gospel in scripture, which is that God is Saving people from all nations to be HIS PEOPLE.

That is why it says “your saving power AMONG all nations”.

God is not saving us FROM a nation, and he is not saving us TO a nation, but rather he has saved us from AMONG ALL NATIONS!!!

He is sovereign over all!!!

So as they sang this psalm, God’s special chosen people of Israel would sing of something that they had yet to see realized back then, but now in Christ this is exactly what we see as the plan of God unfolded at the Cross.

So the second truth we see from this psalm...

Truth #2 - God has the power to save from among ALL NATIONS!

Aren’t you glad that you belong to not only a local church but a Global church that reaches through the generations and across foreign lands, into the hearts of people from every nation, race, tribe and tongue!!!

I think today we need a healthy reminder that God’s face is to shine upon his people as a means of the whole earth knowing God’s ways and hearing of his saving power among all nations, is just as necessary now as it was back then.

Moving on, in the next 3 verses, we see something being sung as a prayer to God.

This phrase “Let the peoples” means, “May it come to pass”.

If this is more of a prayer it is as if the psalmist is asking God, that it would come to pass that all peoples would praise him.

And so it is the Psalmists desire for all peoples to praise God.

This is something can only be realized in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

This is a prophetic prayer that looks forward to a day when all peoples will be included in the promise made to Abraham and his offspring.

In it talks about how that promise made to Abraham and his offspring really points to Christ and those who are in him.

And so all kinds of people are being saved in Christ and this prayer is answered by the Gospel...

Everything that would divide us in this world has been broken down by the sacrifice that Christ made in his flesh for us to be united.

What was a far off promise to them is a reality to us in Christ Jesus!

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And since we are One in Christ, and have come from all different peoples we are reminding to praise God! that is the truth found here...

Truth #3 - God is to be praised!

No one else is worthy to receive our praise.

This is what they were singing and reminding themselves of.

If you are in him, then Praise him for including you in his peoples, AMEN?!

Why should the nations be glad and sing for Joy?

Because God Judges them?

No he judges the peoples with EQUITY...

4793 מִישׁוֹר (mî·šôr): n.masc.; ≡ Str 4334; TWOT 930f—1.

LN 1.46–1.50

plateau, plain, i.e., a flat, yet elevated geographical formation of a large area of table-land or steppe-land (Dt 3:10; 4:43; Jos 13:9, 16, 17, 21; 20:8; 1Ki 20:23, 25; 2Ch 26:10; Jer 21:13; 48:8, 21+); 2. LN 1.39–1.45

level ground, smooth ground, i.e., land without potholes or mounds (Ps 26:12; 27:11; 143:10; Isa 40:4; 42:16; Zec 4:7+), see also domain LN 79.84–79.87;

3. LN 88.12–88.23 uprightness, justice, i.e., fairness according to a standard (Ps 45:7[EB 6]; 67:5[EB 4]; Isa 11:4; Mal 2:6+)

this word equity has a few different meanings in scripture but here it is seen as to say God judges us on Level ground, in Uprightness and justice, or fairness according to a standard.

SO what is God’s Standard??? His Law!

Example - Michael Phelps swimming example

God law is a high standard and we can’t fulfill it.

Jesus did for us and in him we are now judged, and in that way and that way only can the nations be glad and sing for joy!

And notice also it says that God guides the nations upon the earth.

Again this psalm reinforces God’s sovereignty as he guides ALL nations through good times and bad.

Keep in mind that this is being sung by people who were once slaves that were delivered and will go on to be brought into exile.

God is sovereign in guiding nations over all!

This is a great reminder to them and us of truth...

Truth #4 - God will Judge People and Guide Nations

It seems as though this song would remind them of truth that will point them to their only hope in life and death.

The God who Judges with Equity and Guides nations.

Here is the same thing we saw 2 verses ago… it is repeated.

whenever we see the same words repeated it is a literary method meaning to bring attention and importance to something.

So what is being emphasized here?

PRAISE FOR GOD!

WHY?

Because when we praise God it reminds us of God’s proper place and our proper place.

We praise him who is over all, we are his subjects and we look to him!

And again, why, “Let all peoples praise you, O God;”

Because God’s people should desire all people to take part in praising God.