A Pattern for Human Governance - Psalms 66-68

 Psalms 67:1-5 (ESV)

May God be gracious to us and bless us

and make his face to shine upon us, Selah

that your way may be known on earth,

your saving power among all nations.

Let the peoples praise you, O God;

let all the peoples praise you!

Let the nations be glad and sing for joy,

for you judge the peoples with equity

and guide the nations upon earth. Selah

Let the peoples praise you, O God;

let all the peoples praise you!

Would not the above passage be a great political campaign theme?   Would it not be great for someone running for office to proclaim the contents of those five verses their guiding principles for governing the people who elect them?   There a number of themes in these five verses that any state, nation or governing power would do well to emulate:

1. Praise for God.    The entire song is about singing praise to God.   No (or few) political figure will boast out loud that their sole endeavor is to bring praise to God.  That would not be political correct.  Yet, that is the theme of the psalm for the people of God. We are to lift up God in praise and adoration. 

2.  His way is to be declared.  The writer of this song wants to make sure God’s way is published in the land.   The only way to do #1 is to do #2.  You can’t praise Him if you do not follow HIs ways and declaring His ways gives us the guidelines to praise Him. 

3. Make His power known.   You can’t do #3 if you don’t do #1 and #2.   God’s power is limited when we disobey His ways and do not sing His praise.  As we obey His ways and lift Him up in praise, His power has freedom to work in our lives and the lives of those around us.   We stifle God’s power when we don’t do His ways and we fail to be praising Him.  

4.  Judge people with equity.   God sets the example of judging people with equity.  We have a lot of talk about equity in our world today.  But, few mention that this equity is based upon God’s sovereign ways.   God IS THE EXAMPLE OF EQUITY.   If we want a standard of what is equitable we need only turn to God.  God treats all mankind based upon His righteous ways.   Failing to do #2 will result in a skewed #4.  

5. God guides the nations.  We might not see it.  We might not believe it.  We might not want it.  But, God is guiding the nations.   We might not like how He is doing that.   But, God uses the nations to accomplish task.  He even uses nation that don’t Him.  Note what Isaiah said to the king of Assyria:

Isaiah 45:4-5 (ESV)

For the sake of my servant Jacob,

and Israel my chosen,

I call you by your name,

I name you, though you do not know me.

I am the LORD, and there is no other,

besides me there is no God;

I equip you, though you do not know me,

Though he did not know God, God equipped him to do what God wanted him to do.  

If we want to bring honor to God and bless our nation we need leaders who will practice all five of these truths in their leadership.