ACTIONS AND CONSEQUENCES
Psalms 67:1-7 NKJV
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.
I typically don't list an entire psalm as the devotional passage. But this one is short and has two actions and consequences that are worth noting. Plus, this psalm has such a poetic flow to it.
Here is the first action, and it's on God's part. God being merciful and blessing us. His blessings are a part of His mercy. It's not that we have earned or deserved God's blessings. If it was earned, mercy would not be necessary. God causes His face to shine upon us. God's face shining on us is another term for God's favor. When God shines on us, we are in a favorable position. When a parent's face shines upon a child, that child is in a good place. So God is pouring out His mercy and blessing, and His favor is shining on our life.
Now, here is the consequence. God's blessings and favor cause His ways to be known on the earth and His salvation among all nations. When God's blessings and favor show up in our lives, then God is glorified. Some Christians seem to have a difficult time with the concept of God blessing His people. But if we consider that God's blessings and favor point to the love and goodness of God, then we see there is a very valid reason for the favor and blessings. God's goodness toward us is not to make us special but to point out to a world that cannot see Him of His great love and salvation.
The psalm then shifts to an exhortation to praise God. To me, and this is Alan's opinion, the praise of the nations and the joy of the nations speak of a time when God is judging and ruling over the nations of the earth. Of course, I could be wrong in my interpretation of the timing, but I am willing to wait until heaven to prove that I am right.
The conclusion of this psalm has another action and consequence. This time, the action is on our part, and the consequence is from God. As all the people praise God, something good happens. The people praise God, and the earth produces its harvest, and God blesses us. God blesses His people because of His mercy. And when God's people praise Him, the blessings come. When the blessings of God come, the earth picks up the message and has respect for the Lord. This is a really great cycle of mercy and blessings and praise and blessings. And the message delivered to the world is the greatness and mercy of God.
APPLICATION
I believe there are correlations between our praise and God's blessings, and God's mercy, and favor that we have barely understood. The bottom line for us is because of the mercy of God we are blessed. His favor causes us to stand out. And our praise is always an appropriate way of honoring our God. I am glad there are actions and consequences. And with God I am so glad these actions and resulting consequences are all good.