To the leader: with stringed instruments. A Psalm. A Song.
1 May God be gracious to us and bless us
Psalm 67 is a community thanksgiving for harvest. The date is unknown. In general, Old Testament Theology focuses more upon history than on nature. Dahood sees the text as a wish for rain. It suggests a discussion of the role of blessing in the life of the people of God and the significant role of the witness of the people of God in the world.
The superscription says to the leader: with stringed instruments. A Psalm. A Song.
1 May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face to shine upon us. Selah. The focus of Aaronite blessing, from Numbers 6:24-26, is more on God than on material blessing. Praying that the face of God shine upon them is a standard request for an expression of favor in the Psalms (e.g., Psalm 31:16; 4:6; 80:3, 7, 19; 119:135). That the face of the Lord would shine reminds us that Israel's deity, from the earliest stages of Israelite religion, had an association with the natural phenomenon of light. The encounter of Moses with Yahweh was with the burning bush (Exodus 3:2). The exodus narrative includes the Lord leading the people through the wilderness by a pillar of fire at night (Exodus 13:21 and Psalm 78:14). The lightning of God lit up the world (Psalm 77:18, 36:9, 43:3, Isaiah 60:19). The ancient Near Eastern background of such imagery seems clear.[1]
Between verses one and two is an abrupt change in person. It moves from addressing God in the third person, “May God…” to addressing God in the second person, “That your way…” Some would suggest such an abrupt change is a sign of editing. In any case, Psalm 67: 2-4 offer the reasons why God should affirm the request. First, 2 that your way may be known upon earth, your saving power among all nations. The purpose of divine blessing is knowledge of God, not just material blessing. Thoughts turn from the gift to the giver of the gift, a religiously cosmopolitan outlook influenced by international wisdom circles. The psalm is an attempt to draw nations into the sphere of praise in which Israel lived in relationship to its God. Second, the psalmist invites the entire world to praise God. 3 Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you. 4 Let the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you judge the peoples with equity and guide the nations upon earth. Selah. Thanksgiving leads to joy in God, even when God judges. The desired result of the favor of the Lord is international social justice.
In Psalm 67: 5-7, we find the request made in verse 1 becoming explicit. 5 Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you. 6 The earth has yielded its increase; God, our God, has blessed us. The world needs to see God as the giver of the gifts. They must not just focus on the enjoyment of earthly pleasures. A further result of the favor of the Lord is natural bounty. Here we see that social justice and natural prosperity are two sides of the same coin. Both depend on establishing and maintaining a right relationship with God. 7 May God continue to bless us; let all the ends of the earth revere him. The thanksgiving leads to hope and salvation. The loving-kindness of God reveals the majesty and sovereignty of God.
Psalm begins by asking God to bless us and it ends with the affirmation that God has blessed us. We say a blessing before our meals. There is the Saint Francis' "Blessing of the Animals." There are bedtime blessings, blessings for babies, and so on. A reflection upon the role of such blessings in communal life might be in order.
The psalm has a focus upon witness in the world. It desires that the nations would know the ways of God. The people of God are to be distinctive in the world. Their awareness of the saving power of God, their desire to know the ways of God and live by them, and their awareness of the source of the gifts of social justice and natural bounty, gives the people of God their mission in the world. They are to witness in word and deed in a way that will lead to all people offering their praise to God. They will resist this witness. Most people and most nations want to pursue their way rather than the ways of God. Further, the people of God always have a gap between their desire to live by the ways of God and their actual practice of these ways. This fact always leaves room for the accusation of hypocrisy. Further still, the people of God may adopt forms of witness that are legalistic, harsh, and judgmental to the point where one wonders if witness is the objective at all. One must admit that the negative response of culture to Christian teaching and values often has some basis in the lack of attraction contained in the witness.
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