JUNE 13 PSALMS 67-72

June 13 BIBLE BLOG

Psalms 67-72; Today, we finish BOOK TWO of the Psalms! At the end of Psalm 72 is a postscript that does not really belong to the psalm, but rather to BOOK TWO; it says: The prayers of David, son of Jesse, are ended. This is a little misleading, for not every psalm in BOOKS ONE and TWO are David’s, and a few of the psalms in BOOKS THREE, FOUR, and FIVE are David’s. So, what does it mean? My thought: perhaps BOOKS ONE and TWO are the collections David himself compiled, while the others were gathered together later. Let’s finish BOOK TWO!

Psalm 67 begins with a holy hope: May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face to shine upon us. What child of God wouldn’t want this? I’ve often asked for God’s grace and blessing. Psalm 67, however, does not end here; the author goes on to describe the holy motive that would seek God’s blessing. Read the rest of this psalm; in short, we say: “God shine on us that we may shine on others!”

Psalm 68, another Psalm of David (I thought the psalms of David were ended? See above.), gives us a vision of Psalm 67 fulfilled. When “God makes His face to shine upon us, what will it look like?”  

• Our enemies will be scattered (vv. 1, 21).
• The righteous will rejoice (v. 3).
• The needy will be cared for (vv. 5-10). I especially love v. 6 in the NIV: God sets the lonely in families. What a picture of the church’s God-ordained ministry!
• God’s people will worship Him (vv. 24-27)
• The nations of the world will worship Him (vv. 28-33)

Psalm 62 continues David’s yearning for the “Rock.” (vv. 2, 6, 7) In it, his great emphasis is on “waiting.” For God alone, my soul waits in silence (v. 1). For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from Him (v. 5). Trust in Him at all times, O people (v. 8)!

Can you hear the hunger and thirst in Psalm 63? Listen: O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is (v. 1). Were you to hear the melody that goes with verses 3 and 4, I think many of you would recognize this old praise song: Thy lovingkindness is better than life, Thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee; thus will I bless thee…I will lift up my hands in Thy name (vv. 3-4; KJV).

Psalm 64 breaks the string of psalms that yearn for God. Here, David reverts, once again, to his complaints about the wicked. But, in the end, the righteous will rejoice, and the upright will exult (v. 10).

Psalms 65 and 66 are psalms of pure praise. Praise is due You, O God, in Zion, David begins Psalm 65, which focuses on God’s creation. By the end, David personifies the hills, meadows and valleys; they shout and sing together for joy (65:13). Psalm 66 continues this vein: Shout for joy to God, all the earth (66:1)! In Psalm 66, the psalmist praises the Lord for His awesome deeds, His protection, and His provision. But just before he thanks God for answered prayer, he reminds himself of a holiness truth: If I had cherished iniquity (sin) in my heart, the Lord would not have listened (66:18).

God’s people do not cherish sin, they confess sin!

Your brother in the Word,

Pastor Gary