Psalms 66 – 68

Notice something in the next few Psalms. Verse 66:4 is the first mention:

The entire earth will bow down to worship You
    and will sing glory-songs to You;
    they will sing praises to Your name!

It seems like there is a subtle move from God’s chosen people to the all the nations. Is this setting us up for Jesus or has God always been there for every nation? We look back at how he blessed King Hiram but granted that was after this was written, so who knows.

Verse 67:4 is very similar:

May all nations celebrate together, singing joy-filled songs of praise to You
    because You judge the people fairly
    and give guidance to all the nations of the earth.

Is this acknowledging that God is with all nations and not just Israel? I know the OT gives us the impression that most nations worship pagan gods and worthless idols, with Israel being the only nation in God’s favor. But when nations honor and praise God, they are blessed also, just as our nation once was.

Verse 68:3 focuses on our personal relationship with God:

But may those who are righteous rejoice
    in the presence of the True God—so may they be glad and rejoice.
    Yes, let them celebrate with joy!

The key to the relationship with God is a pure heart. God cannot stand sin and therefore we need to be cleansed before God. In OT days that required an animal sacrifice. Today Jesus took the place as the final sacrifice. Today we just need to repent and confess in the name of Jesus to be “righteous” before God and to be in His presence. How cool is that?