“Exclusive property?”
By Rev. Michael Stonhouse
Meditation – Thursday, January 25, 2024
Psalm 67 (Forward, p. 88) CEV p. 593
One of the sad things that sometimes surfaced during the Jesus Revolution was a feeling that Jesus ‘belonged’ to me, and to no one else. It was expressed in the somewhat derogatory comment that some people felt that ‘Jesus and me’ were all that mattered. It was a very personal, individualized religion that could, on occasion, leave out anyone else—or, at very least, leave them out of the present picture. What they did with Jesus, and whether they knew Him or loved Him or not, didn’t really matter.
Unfortunately, that kind of thinking sometimes permeated Judaism and the Jewish people as well. Often their thinking was that what mattered was their relation to God; as for how other nations related to God, it was of little matter or consequence.
Today’s psalm has nothing of that thinking. Rather than just the Aaronic blessing—reflected in verse 1), the Abrahamic blessing, one that touches all of humankind, is picked up everywhere else:
“Then everyone on earth will learn to follow you, and all nations will see your power to save us” (verse 2).
“Make everyone praise you and shout your praises. Let the nations celebrate with joyful songs, because you judge fairly and guide all nations. Make everyone praise you and shout your praises” (v. 3-5).
“Pray for his blessings to continue and for everyone on earth to worship our God” (verse 7).
Notice this: he alludes to all nations, and to everyone. No nation and no person is left out. And notice what specific things God is to be praised for:
-His guidance, like a shepherd (verses 2a, 4).
-His saving power (verse 2b).
-His fair and righteous judgment (verse 4).
-His bounteous provision in harvest (verse 6).
Two things especially stand out here, for me at least. Firstly, there is God’s wise and benevolent guidance, which stands so much in contrast to the wisdom of 'our world'. And secondly, His justice, which, once again, is so different from what we usually see around us.
Surely, these aspects of God are things most attractive, especially when see in human form, in life and death situations, in the person of Jesus. His life is so compelling, so attractive, that surely more people would turn to Him—if only they had the chance! And so, in keeping with the thrust of this psalm, I feel that we should be doing our level best to present Him ‘to the nations’, yes, but also to everyone else as well, including all of those around us, in our families and friends and local communities and churches. Is this, then, not God’s hope and plan: that all nations and all people, everyone, should know Him, follow Him and praised Him, and be blessed as a consequence. No, we cannot, we must not, ‘keep Him to ourselves’, as our exclusive property or as some private possession. Thanks be to God.
Forward notes: “May God give us his blessing and may all the ends of the earth stand in awe of him” (verse 7).
Commemoration: The Conversion of Saint Paul
“I took a poetry class once, and the assignment was to spend some time being astonished by the world around us and then to write about it. Try it!
“I realized I am astonished by many things every day; that bellies are distended by lack of food in one part of the world and too much food in another, and sometimes they live right beside each other. I am astonished when young fertile minds are nourished to do good—and when young fertile minds are nourished to do evil.
“I am astonished by God, the very fact of God, that God is. I am astonished by God’s mercy, God’s grace, and God’s enduring love.
“If and when we pay attention to the world around us and allow ourselves to be astonished, to be in awe, we have so much to say and to share about God. I imagine that Saint Paul was so astonished by God’s mercy that he spent the rest of his life with God’s story on his lips, telling it to everyone!”
Moving Forward: “What astounds you? How will you share that with others?”