Psalm 67: 1 – 7
One World Government
An Invocation and a Doxology
To the Chief Musician. On stringed instruments. A Psalm. A Song.
1 God be merciful to us and bless us,
and cause His face to shine upon us, Selah 2 That Your way may be known on earth, Your salvation among all nations. 3 Let the peoples praise You, O God; Let all the peoples praise You. 4 Oh, let the nations be glad and sing for joy! For You shall judge the people righteously and govern the nations on earth. Selah 5 Let the peoples praise You, O God; Let all the peoples praise You. 6 Then the earth shall yield her increase; God, our own God, shall bless us. 7 God shall bless us, and all the ends of the earth shall fear Him.
Did the title catch your attention? Yes, we need One Person to rule the world. However, it is not a human being. We need the Prince of Peace to rule.
Mankind has tried all kinds of government to rule. Here's a rundown of the various forms of government. Which one works? (Pick one)
. Absolute monarchy - a form of government where the monarch rules unhindered, i.e., without any laws, constitution or legally organized opposition.
. Anarchy - a condition of lawlessness or political disorder brought about by the absence of governmental authority.
. Authoritarian - a form of government in which state authority is imposed onto many aspects of citizens' lives.
. Commonwealth - a nation, state or other political entity founded on law and united by a compact of the people for the common good.
. Communist - a system of government in which the state plans and controls the economy and a single -- often authoritarian -- party holds power; state controls are imposed with the elimination of private ownership of property or capital while claiming to make progress toward a higher social order in which all goods are equally shared by the people (i.e., a classless society).
. Confederacy (Confederation) - a union by compact or treaty between states, provinces or territories that creates a central government with limited powers; the constituent entities retain supreme authority over all matters except those delegated to the central government.
. Constitutional - a government by or operating under an authoritative document (constitution) that sets forth the system of fundamental laws and principles that determines the nature, functions and limits of that government.
. Constitutional democracy - a form of government in which the sovereign power of the people is spelled out in a governing constitution.
. Constitutional monarchy - a system of government in which a monarch is guided by a constitution whereby his/her rights, duties, and responsibilities are spelled out in written law or by custom.
. Democracy - a form of government in which the supreme power is retained by the people, but which is usually exercised indirectly through a system of representation and delegated authority periodically renewed.
. Democratic republic - a state in which the supreme power rests in the body of citizens entitled to vote for officers and representatives responsible to them.
. Dictatorship - a form of government in which a ruler or small clique wield absolute power (not restricted by a constitution or laws).
. Ecclesiastical - a government administrated by a church.
. Emirate - like a monarchy or sultanate, a government in which the supreme power is in the hands of an emir (the ruler of a Muslim state); the emir may be an absolute overlord or a sovereign with constitutionally limited authority.
. Federal (Federation) - a form of government in which sovereign power is formally divided -- usually by means of a constitution -- between a central authority and a number of constituent regions (states, colonies or provinces) so that each region retains some management of its internal affairs; differs from a confederacy in that the central government exerts influence directly upon both individuals as well as upon the regional units.
. Federal republic - a state in which the powers of the central government are restricted and in which the component parts (states, colonies, or provinces) retain a degree of self-government; ultimate sovereign power rests with the voters who chose their governmental representatives.
. Islamic republic - a particular form of government adopted by some Muslim states; although such a state is, in theory, a theocracy, it remains a republic, but its laws are required to be compatible with the laws of Islam.
. Maoism - the theory and practice of Marxism-Leninism developed in China by Mao Zedong (Mao Tse-tung), which states that a continuous revolution is necessary if the leaders of a communist state are to keep in touch with the people.
. Marxism - the political, economic and social principles espoused by 19th century economist Karl Marx; he viewed the struggle of workers as a progression of historical forces that would proceed from a class struggle of the proletariat (workers) exploited by capitalists (business owners), to a socialist "dictatorship of the proletariat," to, finally, a classless society -- Communism.
. Marxism-Leninism - an expanded form of communism developed by Vladimir Lenin from doctrines of Karl Marx; Lenin saw imperialism as the final stage of capitalism and shifted the focus of workers' struggle from developed to underdeveloped countries.
. Monarchy - a government in which the supreme power is lodged in the hands of a monarch who reigns over a state or territory, usually for life and by hereditary right; the monarch may be either a sole absolute ruler or a sovereign - such as a king, queen or prince - with constitutionally limited authority.
. Oligarchy - a government in which control is exercised by a small group of individuals whose authority generally is based on wealth or power.
. Parliamentary democracy - a political system in which the legislature (parliament) selects the government - a prime minister, premier or chancellor along with the cabinet ministers - according to party strength as expressed in elections; by this system, the government acquires a dual responsibility: to the people as well as to the parliament.
. Parliamentary government (Cabinet-Parliamentary government) - a government in which members of an executive branch (the cabinet and its leader - a prime minister, premier or chancellor) are nominated to their positions by a legislature or parliament, and are directly responsible to it; this type of government can be dissolved at will by the parliament (legislature) by means of a no-confidence vote or the leader of the cabinet may dissolve the parliament if it can no longer function.
. Parliamentary monarchy - a state headed by a monarch who is not actively involved in policy formation or implementation (i.e., the exercise of sovereign powers by a monarch in a ceremonial capacity); true governmental leadership is carried out by a cabinet and its head - a prime minister, premier or chancellor - who are drawn from a legislature (parliament).
. Presidential - a system of government where the executive branch exists separately from a legislature (to which it is generally not accountable).
. Republic - a representative democracy in which the people's elected deputies (representatives), not the people themselves, vote on legislation.
. Socialism - a government in which the means of planning, producing and distributing goods is controlled by a central government that theoretically seeks a more just and equitable distribution of property and labor; most socialist governments have ended up being no more than dictatorships over workers by a ruling elite.
. Sultanate - like a monarchy, a government in which the supreme power is in the hands of a sultan (the head of a Muslim state); the sultan may be an absolute ruler or a sovereign with constitutionally limited authority.
. Theocracy - a form of government in which a Deity is recognized as the supreme civil ruler, the Deity's laws are interpreted by ecclesiastical authorities (bishops, mullahs, etc.); a government subject to religious authority.
. Totalitarian - a government that seeks to subordinate the individual to the state by controlling not only all political and economic matters, but also the attitudes, values and beliefs of its population.
So, which one did you pick as the best? The answer is that they all do not work!
In today’s Psalm the key verse for me is 4 “Oh, let the nations be glad and sing for joy! For You shall judge the people righteously and govern the nations on earth. Selah”
To the Chief Musician. On stringed instruments. A Psalm. A Song.
This is another Psalm dedicated to the Chief Musician or Choirmaster, who had overall responsibility for the music played and sung in the Temple. This heading may well have indicated that it had been adapted for Temple worship. It is described as both a ‘song’ and a ‘Psalm’ (a song accompanied by instrumental music). The dedication of anonymous Psalms to the Chief Musician was rare (only this and Psalm 66). It was to be accompanied by stringed instruments. Because it indicates that the harvest has been gathered in (verse 6) it was probably sung at the Feast of Tabernacles.
The Psalm is a short one and is celebrating the goodness of God, as Deliverer (verse 2), as prospective Righteous Ruler (verse 4) and Provider (verse 6).
The people pray that God’s face may shine on them, resulting in the world seeing how God has delivered them.
1 God be merciful to us and bless us,
and cause His face to shine upon us, Selah 2 That Your way may be known on earth, Your salvation among all nations.
The initial call is that God will act in unmerited favor towards them, and bless them, and that specifically He will look on them with favor and act towards them beneficently. They recognize that their whole dependence is on the unmerited goodness of God.
‘Selah.’ The musical pause indicates that they are to pause and think of that.
Their especial request is then that the nations will see how God has delivered His people from danger and oppression in order that they may truly worship and obey God. It should be noted that the idea is not simply that they might be delivered from oppression. It includes the idea of being so delivered so that they could truly worship God. Their view was that God delivers His people with a view to their being free to worship Him truly. We are reminded of the words of Psalm 137.4. “How shall we sing YHWH’s song in a strange land?”
This may simply be a general prayer for God’s continual manifest deliverance, or it may originally have had some specific need for deliverance in mind. Note the emphasis on the fact that they want God’s way to be known on earth because of what happens. Their own need is secondary. And therefore, they can be confident that God will act. They are confident that God will fulfil what He has promised to them so that His ways will be known.
That the thought goes further than just their own deliverance comes out in verses 3-4. God’s deliverance is not only for them but will eventually reach out to the whole world. The nations will not only see how God delivers His people but will also experience it themselves. It was a recognition of the fact that God’s purpose was eventually for the whole world, and not just for one people.
At its best Israel’s faith was not restricted. They did not see God’s blessing as limited to them. They did not see Him as just a local God Who was interested in them, but as the God of the whole earth Who would one day rule all nations, with all nations looking to Him for justice and fair government. They believed firmly in the fulfilment of God’s promises to David (Isaiah 9.6-7). It has come to its fruition in Jesus Christ for we know that these promises are being fulfilled in our LORD Jesus Christ, Who rules over His heavenly kingdom, and over the hearts of all men everywhere whose trust is in Him (Colossians 1.12-13).
3 Let the peoples praise You, O God; Let all the peoples praise You. 4 Oh, let the nations be glad and sing for joy! For You shall judge the people righteously and govern the nations on earth. Selah
Please note how verse 3 is repeated in verse 5. He Is to be praised for His righteous rule overall nations and for His abundant provision for them.
He Is to be praised because of the certainty of the establishment of His righteous world-wide rule. Israel were confident that one day God would rule over the hearts of people of all nations, who would for the first-time experience true righteous rule. It is an expression of the certainty that one day God’s righteous rule would prevail. The New Testament reveals that this righteous rule is from Heaven over the hearts of His true people (Colossians 1.12-13), eventually climaxing in the establishing of Christ’s righteous heavenly kingdom (1 Corinthians 15.24-28, 30).
The next thing for which praise is to be offered is God’s full provision. The earth yields its increase because of God’s provision. He makes His sun to shine, and His rain to fall, on both the righteous and the unrighteous (Matthew 5.45). And consequently, the earth produces its increase.
5 Let the peoples praise You, O God; Let all the peoples praise You. 6 Then the earth shall yield her increase; God, our own God, shall bless us. 7 God shall bless us, and all the ends of the earth shall fear Him.
These words would especially suit the Feast of Tabernacles, when all the harvests had been gathered in and the people gave thanks for His gracious provision. It includes an expression of confidence that God will bless them in this way, with the consequence that the whole world will far Him as they see what He has done for His people.
It may include the thought that after many barren years caused by the Assyrian invasions, fruitfulness would once again be a mark of God’s deliverance (Isaiah 37.30-31). Deliverance is always followed by fruitfulness. And the same should be true for God’s people.
