Psalm 67 - Blessed to be a Blessing

Message Outline

1. Blessed to be a blessing to others (Psalm 67:1-2)

2. All the peoples praise God (Psalm 67:3)

3. God’s justice, rule, saving grace bring gladness and joy (Psalm 67:4)

4. Repeated refrain (Psalm 67:5)

5. Ends where he began (Psalm 67:6-7)

Message Exposition

1. The psalmist begins by stating that we have been blessed to be a blessing to others (Psalm 67:1-2)

Psalm 67:1 ESV

1 May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face to shine upon us, Selah

Aaronic Blessing

Numbers 6:24–26 ESV

24 The Lord bless you and keep you; 25 the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; 26 the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.

“A shining face is the opposite of an angry or scowling face, and a face turn toward someone is the opposite of a face turned away in indifference or disgust. A shining face implies favor… and it implies the friendliness of warm personal relationships too” - Boice

“Why should he fret when God smiles? What matters though all the world should sensor, if Jehovah countenances his servants. A look of approval from God creates a deep, delightful calm within the soul” - Spurgeon

Psalm 67:2 ESV

2 that your way may be known on earth, your saving power among all nations.

2. The psalmist offers the refrain that all the peoples praise God (Psalm 67:3)

Psalm 67:3 ESV

3 Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you!

3. The psalmist states that God’s righteous justice, sovereign rule, and saving grace bring gladness and joy to people (Psalm 67:4)

Psalm 67:4 ESV

4 Let the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you judge the peoples with equity and guide the nations upon earth. Selah

4. The psalmist repeats the refrain that all the peoples praise God (Psalm 67:5)

Psalm 67:5 (ESV)

5 Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you!

5. The psalmist ends where he began. We have been blessed to be a blessing (Psalm 67:6-7)

Psalm 67:6 ESV

6 The earth has yielded its increase; God, our God, shall bless us.

Psalm 67:7 ESV

7 God shall bless us; let all the ends of the earth fear him!

The Gospel in Psalm 67

Gospel Transformation Bible: English Standard Version (Study Notes for the Psalms)

Psalm 67 God’s blessings are intended to create people with an outward-oriented, missional impulse (Gen. 12:1–3).

Attaching a purpose clause (Ps. 67:2) to the traditional Aaronic blessing (Num. 6:22–27) forms a prayer for evangelistic success to the ends of the earth.

There are three parts to this news that make it good for all the peoples of the earth.

1. The first is that God makes himself known (Ps. 67:2; Acts 17:27). In contrast to false gods, whose ways are fickle and whose wills are difficult to discern, God shines his grace into the world (Isa. 44:9–20). Ultimately, that light shone perfectly in Jesus Christ (John 8:12).

2. Another reason the news of the gospel is good is that the Lord is an utterly fair judge (Ps. 67:4–5). The nations will be glad to live under his authority, because it saves (John 12:47). Unlike pagan rulers, God’s judges protected the weak and brought liberation to the downtrodden (Judg. 2:16–19). They prepared the way for Christ the Judge, whose arrival brought “good news of great joy that will be for all the people” (Luke 2:10; cf. Ps. 67:4–5).

3. Finally, God supplies the creaturely needs of all human beings (Ps. 67:6; Acts 14:17). He provides “life and breath and everything” (Acts 17:25). But this common grace has a redemptive purpose. Sinners must not presume on God’s patience, who “commands all people everywhere to repent” (Acts 17:30). If they repent now, they will be “glad and sing for joy” (Ps. 67:4); if they wait, they will be judged in “righteousness” and found wanting (Acts 17:31).

Discussion Questions

What new thoughts have you had since reading and studying Psalm 67:1-7 or from Hearing James’ message on the passage?

What verse from this passage will you commit to meditating on and memorizing this week? Write it down. Share it with others.

Bringing It Home

Pondering the Passage:

What is the main point? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Learn

What did I learn?

Where has my thinking, beliefs, and values been challenged in this passage?

Do I find any of the characteristics ways of thinking or behaving of the ungodly in my life?

List and describe those areas in which I struggle.

Love

What does this passage teach me about God?

Has my thinking about God changed?

How have I learned to love God more and others selflessly as a result of this passage?

Have I learned ways that I have acted unlovingly towards others that I must change?

Live

What are the practical steps that I can take to apply to what I have learned in this passage?

Where must I change?

What do I need to repent and confess?

How will pondering and personalizing this passage change how I live my life today and moving forward?

Praying the Passage (ACTS)

What specific things can I pray adoring God because of what I learned in this passage?

What specific things do I need to confess based on what I learned from this passage?

What specific things do I need to thank God for based on what I learned from this passage?

What specific things do I need to request in prayer (supplication) based on what I learned from this passage?