TEXT:
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 the earth.
Throughout my lifetime prejudice and stereotyping have always been among the great social problems of the day. Whether these exist between racial groups, ethnic groups, political opponents, or even between fans of rival sports teams, it seems that one group is always pitted against the other, with each one calling the other unflattering names and characterizing the other in a way that emphasizes their worst traits and ignores the best ones. The ancient people of God were by no means free of such behavior. They saw their status as God’s chosen people not as a gift of His grace to them but rather as something that made them better than everyone else. And before we become too judgmental of them, we have to admit that Christians have also at times made that mistake and have consequently fallen into the same kind of arrogance. We must always be on our guard against adopting an elitist attitude in our relationships with others. The fact that we have been redeemed from sin and death says nothing about us but it says everything about the One who has redeemed us. In the same way, our being called to faith and discipleship says nothing about us but it says everything about the One who has called us and sanctified us.
It is clear from the verses before us this morning that God looks at all of us the same. He is equally angered by sin no matter who commits it and He is equally gracious toward all sinners, regardless of who they may be. It is interesting that in these verses from Psalm 67 the word translated “nations” is mywg, which is the plural of ywg, a disparaging term used among Jews to describe people like us--Gentiles. God is saying here that “the nations” (or the Gentiles) are to “be glad and sing for joy” no less than the chosen nation of God and that He “guide[s] the nations (or Gentils) upon the earth” just as surely as He guides His own chosen people. As we celebrate today the conversion of Saint Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles, we will center our attention on how God deals with people (especially how He deals with them through Law and Gospel) and how the people respond to His dealings with them.
How God deals with people through the Law is made clear by the psalmist’s statement: “You judge the peoples with equity and guide the nations upon the earth.” The Law of God is a standard of absolute perfection that applies to all people, whoever they may be. In this Law there are no loopholes, no exemptions, no consideration given to the status, personality, or personal history of the person who is judged by it. The same Law of God that condemns the sin that we rail against so often and so loudly also condemns us. That’s why the Law is useless as a means of salvation. As I tell my confirmation class students, the Law of God is like a stop sign on the street. It tells us what to do, but does not and cannot enable us to do what it says. The purpose of the Law is primarily to expose sin and guilt so that sinners might despair of their own merits and look outside of themselves for salvation.
But God doesn’t deal with us strictly on the basis of His Law. He also looks at us through the lens of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This Gospel, like the Law, is given to all people, regardless of their gender, race, ethnic background and even regardless of how sinful they have been. The apostle Paul writes to the church at Rome: “There is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by His grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:22-24). The Savior that God sent and the redemption that that Savior accomplished by His perfect life and innocent suffering and death are for everyone, not just for a select few. The “King of the Jews” (Matthew 2:2) who was born in Bethlehem was worshiped by Gentile wise men from the east. The author of one of the four Gospels was a Gentile. And (as we remember especially today) Saul of Tarsus, who described himself as “a Hebrew of Hebrews” (Philippians 3:5), was so zealous for preserving the traditions of Judaism that he persecuted those who believed in Jesus as Messiah and Savior. And yet, by God’s grace, he became not only a Christian but the apostle to the Gentiles, sharing primarily with them the riches of the Gospel of Christ. In so many ways the Lord has shown Himself to a universal God and Savior.
Paul writes to Titus: “The grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people” (Titus 2:11). The result of God extending His redeeming grace in Christ to all is that “the nations [are] glad and sing for joy.” The most joyous times of the year for Christians are Christmas and Easter--and a very big part of that joy finds its expression in singing. The reason why these times are so joyful is that they mark the great saving actions of our God: His becoming human in Christ and His rising from the dead after securing salvation for all nations through His suffering and death. The birth of Jesus means that God is truly One of us and one with us. The resurrection of Jesus validates everything that He taught us and did for us, especially His sacrifice of atonement for the sin of the whole world. This is certainly cause for the whole world to rejoice.
The joy that people feel in response to God’s grace in Christ cannot be contained. That’s why the psalmist sings: “Let the peoples praise You, O God; let all the peoples praise You!” But praising the Lord is not limited to singing and shouting. Praising the Lord for His grace entails everything that we do in response to that grace revealed in Christ. It especially involves loving and serving others as we have been loved and served by the Son of God. Being grateful to the Lord, we want to do things for Him but He doesn’t need anything, least of all anything from us. But He has surrounded us with people who are in need and His will is that we serve Him by serving them. This includes all people, since the Savior came for all and has called us to represent Him to all in our world. Our best praise of all is share the love of Jesus in the words that we speak and the deeds that we do, reaching out to others in their need and doing whatever we can to bring comfort and help. This is what Jesus has done for us and it is what He calls us to do for others in His name.
God’s perfect justice and perfect grace, seen most clearly in the cross of Jesus Christ, are what motivate joyful praise in all people. As we deal with conflict and division among people, sickness, injury, and death--indeed in the face all the things that we fear in life, our true joy, comfort, and confidence lie in the Christ who became human to redeem us from sin and death and to reconcile us to God and to one another. He is the One who gives us a reason to rejoice and to respond to His grace with love and service to all people, empowered by the Spirit that He has given us in Baptism and continues to give us in His means of grace so that we may join all people in receiving His salvation and rejoicing in it.
Amen.
May the God who caused light to shine out of darkness cause you to increase and abound in love toward one another and toward all people, as His love abounds for us; and may the glory of His Son be manifested to you and in you, that you may be witnesses to all nations now and until the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful, and He will do it. Amen.