Psalms 67:1-2 God be merciful to us and bless us, and cause His face to shine upon us, Selah. That Your way may be known on earth, Your salvation among all nations.
If we rewind a few hundred years before Psalm 67 was written and go to the first time these words we just read were given, we will come to that moment where Moses received these words from the Lord, which the Priests had to proclaim over the people of Israel in order to bless them: "The Lord bless you and keep you; The Lord makes His face shine upon you and be gracious to you; The Lord lift up His face upon you, and give you His peace (Num 6:24-26)."
Now notice that the Psalmist wrote the word SELAH just after these familiar words, cause he wanted us to pause and meditate on what we just read, to ponder on what it means that the Lord is merciful towards us, and what it means to be blessed by Him who also shines His face upon us as He gives us His peace!
Oh and right after we thought of His mercy, His blessing, His glory shining over us and His peace for us, the Psalmist follows up with a small Hebrew word that help us to live with God's blessing, the little word לָדַ֣עַת (la-'dat).
It simply means: TO KNOW that it is God's will and heart for all people!!!
Listen the text says, גּ֝וֹיִ֗ם בְּכָל (bekal goyjim) everybody, ALL PEOPLE.
Thats why Psalm 67:2 gives the reason and purpose of God's blessing upon us: That Your way may be known on earth, Your salvation among the nations!
Its pointing to Jesus who is the WAY and is our SALVATION!
Psalm 67 reminds us why God blesses us so that His will is to spread through us, just as Numbers 6:27 further points out how those who are blessed will carry His name: So they shall invoke My name on the sons of Israel, and then I will bless them.”
Hallelujah!
Although this plan of the Lord was through Israel, it was always meant for all nations, all people, yes you and I too.
How blessed aint we to know that through Christ we are blessed by the Lord who keeps us, makes His face shine upon us, is gracious unto us, who lifts His face over us and gives us His peace!’
Thats why Paul urged the believers in Phillipi to work out their own salvation, thus to let all Christ has done in us come forth in our lives, as we get to show how His blessing reigns in and over us and our lives point to Jesus as the only way and salvation unto all nations.
Amen