Psalms 67:1-2 - Homiletics

God be merciful, etc.

No wonder this beautiful little psalm has been enshrined so prominently in the worship of the Christian Church. Its most remarkable character is its world wide breadth of sympathy, hope, and prayer. It is like a beam from the unrisen sun of Christianity. The more one studies the intense narrow national sentiment of the Jews, the more plain is it that strains like these could be inspired only by the Spirit of God. The psalm is Hebrew of the Hebrews—sung probably for ages in the temple. Yet its aspirations can be fulfilled only by the gospel and kingdom of Christ.

I. THE MEANING OF THIS PRAYER . "That thy way may be known"—"thy saving health."

1 . God's way is:

2 . God's "saving health" is salvation (simply another translation of the same Hebrew word). Not simply "the way of salvation"—the knowledge of the gospel, and provision for our salvation; but actual experience of deliverance from sin, pardon, peace with God, strength for holiness. Salvation, in the Scriptures, means both safety and health. Illust.: Matthew 8:25 ; Luke 18:42 ; Luke 7:50 .

II. THE SCOPE OF THIS PRAYER . "On earth;" "among all nations." St. Paul says that the gospel was preached beforehand to Abraham, in the promise that in his offspring all nations should be blessed. We are apt to take too narrow a view both of the gospel and of salvation. We think and speak of "saving souls." That is the beginning; for there is no reconciliation to God but by personal repentance, faith, turning to God. But nations have their life; their collective action, righteousness, guilt, growth, decay, prosperity, ruin. Knowledge of God's truth, and obedience to God's law, are the conditions of national welfare. We have a message to "all nations" as well as to "every creature." We are to labour as well as pray, that God's will may be "done on earth, as it is in heaven.'