The Blessing
Psalm 67

The organ finally brought instrumental music into the Church. Technicians of the Roman Empire had designed the first organs three centuries before Christ. Yet, the Church forbade instruments for worship until Charlemagne introduced them in the ninth century. Then everyone discovered what a fantastic sound a pipe organ makes in a cavernous, stone cathedral. Why did it take so long? Saint Augustine and Pope Gregory the Great gave typical opinions. They feared that instrumental music would be the messenger of musical charms in place of heavenly truths. Their prohibition is another example of Gnosticism overruling the clear teaching of Scripture. The Psalms show the way. The singing of Psalm 67, for instance, is to be accompanied by stringed instruments. God loves instrumental music performed to His glory. The results are indeed sad when men try to become more holy than the Bible. [D. Boorstin, The Creators .]

The Prayer Book uses Psalm 67 as a hymn. It is one of the musical responses to the Second Lesson in Evening Prayer. What makes this song such a favorite? Let's dig into it and find out on this Feast of St. Luke.

Though it is not certain, Psalm 67 may have been composed by King David after he brought the ark to Jerusalem. On that occasion David danced before the LORD with all his might. He offered sacrifices and blessed the people. This Psalm may have been the blessing he used. It combines a couple Old Testament themes: the priestly blessing of Aaron, and the covenant made with Abraham. The combination of these two motifs sets forth the future salvation of all nations, and the blessing, spiritual and material, that believers enjoy for eternity.

Verse one says, "God be merciful to us and bless us, And cause His face to shine upon us." David is here borrowing from the Aaronic benediction. In Numbers 6:24 God instructed Aaron, the high priest, to bless the people with these words, "The LORD bless you and keep you; The LORD make His face shine upon you" Every Jew would have immediately recognized the words from Numbers 6:24. They received this benediction in the Temple as the priest stood before them with raised arms. The shining forth of the face of God among his people is a metaphor for His goodwill and blessing. A shining, bright face reveals a person of good character and is a sign of inward pleasure. The opposite of God's shining face is his hidden face. When God hides his face, it is a sign of His wrath, and the life of the people is threatened. So David is clearly copying the words of the high priestly blessing.

What about the covenant with Abraham? How does David refer to that? We see it from verse two on. David, accompanied by stringed instruments, leads the people in a hymn of joy: "That Your way may be known on earth, Your salvation among all nations. Let the peoples praise You, O God; Let all the peoples praise You. Oh, let the nations be glad and sing for joy!" This reminds us of the new song of Revelation. Saints of every tribe and tongue and people and nation join adoring angels. And they sing: "Worthy is the Lamb who was slain" (Rev. 5:12). In this song of David we see the blessing of God spreading out over the earth. How does this fit with Abraham? God promised Abraham that he would make him a great nation. From there, the promise expands dramatically. He promised Abraham that he would be the mediator of divine blessing to all families. Listen to what God tells Abraham in Genesis 12:2: "I will make you a great nation; I will bless you I will bless those who bless you, and curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed."

A wonderful future for Abraham's descendents was only the beginning. "In you all the families of the earth shall be blessed." That promise suggests that God's blessing would extend to the whole world. After the universal flood many families came from Noah. Abraham was one of them. These families became nations and God spread them around the world in response to the arrogant rebellion at the tower of Babel. The Abrahamic covenant explains what would happen in the future. In it God swears by an unbreakable oath that He will bless all the families of the earth. Through Abraham's descendants, He will bless all the descendants of Noah. Whatever else "all families of the earth" means, it does not mean a minuscule percentage of the families of the earth. Israel's blessing is to be a blessing for all peoples and cultures.

The global scope of the Abrahamic covenant sometimes gets obscured. A few Old Testament laws seemed to erect a wall of separation between Jew and Gentile: the prohibition of pork, shrimp, and catfish; the mixing of fabrics ­ cotton and wool. These laws symbolized that Israel was not to be contaminated by contact with sinful cultures. Let's not forget the many wars Israel waged against the Canaanites. These realities seem to deny any kind of worldwide evangelistic mission. Nevertheless, Israel was to be a model of what all nations and the whole race were intended to be: a unified people worshiping the Lord, living in obedience to Him, and ruling the earth to His glory. Israel existed not for herself, but for the world. She was to set an example and help the other nations worship the Lord in the right way.

Though we frequently fail to notice it, God's people did serve as a model to other nations under the old covenant. Throughout the ancient world, kings paid obeisance to the Lord of Israel. Pharaoh acknowledged that Joseph's wisdom was from God (Gen. 41:39). The Queen of Sheba praised the Lord for His mercy to Israel in raising up a king like Solomon (1 Kings 10:9). After the Queen of Sheba, the whole earth came to listen to the sagacity of Solomon (1 Kings 10:24). The Ninevites repented under the preaching of Jonah (Jonah 3:5-10). Nebuchadnezzar humbled himself before the Lord at the time of Daniel (Daniel 4:28-37). In their better moments, Israel did actually carry out their evangelistic mission. [Leithart]

So to a certain extent, Israel gave the nations a glimpse of God's glory. Nonetheless, they ultimately failed. Israel was unfaithful. They scarcely became that shining light on a hill. Most of the families of the earth never learned that God governs the nations, in whose service is perfect freedom. That being the case, did God scrap His covenant with Abraham? Did the Lord abandon His promise to bless all the families of the earth? Hardly! The promise continues in the New Testament. Jesus takes up the Abrahamic covenant in the Great Commission: "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" (Mt. 28:18). The task of taking the kingdom of God to all the families of the earth belongs now to the Church. It is through the Church that God blesses the world. Since the Holy Spirit now empowers the Church, and Satan has been cast down and chained, we can expect the army of God to march on to victory. The Groom will return to earth for a glorious bride. Psalm 67 belongs to the New Covenant Church. Our praise and purpose today remain: "Let the peoples praise you, O God; Let all the peoples praise You."

Now that we have examined the Abrahamic facet of Psalm 67, let's return to the high priestly benediction. God's blessing is a big part of the passage. Verse five sings, "Let the peoples praise You, O God; Let all the peoples praise You. Then the earth shall yield her increase; God, our own God, shall bless us. God shall bless us, And all the ends of the earth shall fear Him."

What does the blessing of God entail? Many things. The greatest blessing is eternal life in Heaven with saints, angels and God Himself. Jesus saves us from sin and Hell. If Heaven were the only blessing Christians enjoyed that would be good enough. This life is but a vapor. It goes very fast. Having said that, we shouldn't ignore the earthly perks of eternal life in Christ. Obedience to the Lord sometimes results in excellent earthly benefits; not always, not automatically, but sometimes. The Bible often links blessing to land ownership, to fertility, health, and victory. Since Luke was a doctor, health is a common theme for the Feast of St. Luke. "Thy saving health among all nations." Good health is a blessing that we should not take for granted. We thank God for the good health we enjoy. Moreover, a godly posterity is a blessing; sons and daughters to carry on the cause of Christ. The removal of the curse from the ground is a key component. Eden is always in view. Timely showers, birds singing in maples growing along the banks of the river, and fragrant red roses join wine, oil, and wheat as beautiful indicators of God's earthly blessings. Deuteronomy 28 is a good example of this. Let's read the first part of the chapter. [Read Dt. 28:1-8.]

The physicality of these blessings are most apparent. Does the New Testament change that? No. Some people believe that the Old Testament has to do with the physical, whereas the New Testament with the spiritual. This is a false dichotomy. There is physical and spiritual in both Testaments. Yes, we "seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to us" (Mt. 6:33). This is what Jesus teaches. The Sermon on the Mount brings out the magnitude of God's blessings. Matthew 5:3 begins the Beatitudes. [Read Matthew 5:3-10].

Let's consider these blessings one at a time. 1.) Comfort is a blessing that belongs to God's children. "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted." Comfort is more than soothing; it is refreshment and encouragement under difficult circumstances. [I'm following Peter Leithart's outline here in The Kingdom and the Power , pp. 114 ff. Highly recommended reading.]

Inheriting the earth is another blessing. This proves that God's kingdom during New Testament times brings not only "spiritual" blessings, but material blessings as well. The Lord gives the earth to the saints for their inheritance.

Satisfaction is the next blessing. Have you ever known a person who seeks happiness in material things? It is a tragedy. G.K. Chesterton wrote, "Every man who knocks on the door of a brothel is looking for God." If people don't get their contentment in Christ, they are certainly not going to find it in materialism or hedonism. Satisfaction for our hearts is implied in the words, "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled." In the kingdom all our deepest desires find full satisfaction because in the kingdom we come face to face with the living God ­ the desire behind all our desires.

Mercy is next. Mercy is big. We wouldn't get to first base without mercy. Why? Sin. God has no obligation to permit us to enter His holy kingdom. We are people of unclean lips, hands, and hearts. We owe an infinite debt that we can never repay. But God in His compassion has forgiven the debt. Jesus shed His blood on the cross for that purpose.

Furthermore, the kingdom is where we see God. Even now, though through a glass darkly, we can "see" God by faith. The means of grace draw us closer to the Lord -- prayer, God's Word, the Eucharist, and fellowship with God's people. We thus gradually take on God's image from glory to glory (2 Cor. 3:12-18).

You and I become children of God at baptism. Baptism seals our adoption into the family of God. "Blessed are the peacemakers, For they shall be called sons of God." We are adopted into His family and made brothers and sisters of the incarnate Son of the Father (Heb. 2:11). Our heavenly Father loves us, cares for us, and protects us. Because we are children, we are heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ (Romans 8:17). If we are members of God's family we inherit the earth; we inherit Heaven. Shaquille O'Neil has earned quite a treasure playing basketball. Mel Gibson has attained great wealth acting and directing. After inheritance taxes, who is willed their wealth? The sons and daughters of Shaquille O'Neil inherit their father's riches and the sons and daughters of Mel Gibson get his. Nobody else does. Similarly, if you are a son or daughter of the heavenly Father, you can expect to inherit eternal life in the New Heavens and New Earth; but only as an adopted child in Christ.

Psalm 67 ends with "God shall bless us, And all the ends of the earth shall fear Him." Notice how joy and fear are combined. Those are the emotions that frame our relationship to the Lord. Joy overcomes sadness and stress; for we have security in Christ. Fear keeps us from overconfidence and the foolishness that flows from complacency and a false security. Fear and joy guard us from harmful attitudes. By God's grace and in His time all the nations of earth will be redeemed to God's glory. Our blessings are now and forever unspeakably sweet. Come now to the King's feast with joy and fear.

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