Psalms 67 and 68 from my new book:

A NEW LOOK AT THE OLD PSALMS

Praying the Psalms: a modern interpretation

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I present here a new perspective on the psalms. I have rewritten them from a New 
Testament Christ-centered point of view. I did not try to capture the poetry of the 
psalms – I leave that to more gifted writers – but I attempted to capture their message
with a more modern interpretation.

God bless,

John

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Psalm 67 (Jesus brought all nations into his Church.)

W

ith the resurrection of Jesus, God has been gracious to us, blessed us, and looked with favor upon us. He has brought salvation to all nations, Jewish and Gentile, and he will rule them justly. May all nations praise you, Lord, for you have blessed them with earthly abundance. They all stand in awe of your magnificent generosity. Amen.²⁶

Psalm 68

(A prophecy of Jesus’ resurrection and ascension.)

J

esus has risen and driven his enemies away and is preparing to ascend to the Father. The righteous celebrate and praise God for his saving grace. He is the Lord and greatly to be praised. He cares for the orphan and the widow; provides shelter for the homeless; frees the captives; and raises the dead to life.

As the earth trembled when God led his people through the desert, the land quaked when Jesus rose from the tomb. As God provided water for the thirsty from the rock, Jesus will strengthen the weak and bring them back to the fullness of life. He will sustain the poor and inspire evangelists. He is the King of hearts who showers his subjects with many blessings, like pennies from heaven.

The Lord will place bishops in charge of his Church. They will keep her pure as she gives birth to followers of Christ, just as the Blessed Virgin Mary maintained her purity so she could give birth to Christ himself. These bishops will be as numerous as snowflakes in a winter storm. There will be no need to look for God elsewhere, for the Church is the house of God. He dwells there, just as the baby Jesus rested in the womb of the Virgin Mary. And he will remain with us until the end of time.

Jesus ascended to heaven forty days after his resurrection to the cheers of his followers and the heavenly host. Thus it was that he brought to completion his mission: the salvation of mankind. He freed us from the slavery of sin and death and showed the disobedient how to live a godly life. Let us praise God for his magnanimous generosity, for our God is a saving God. He has destroyed death and defeated the devil. Wherever the wicked raise their ugly heads, on land or sea, he will destroy them for us.

We were witnesses to your glorious ascension, Lord. We saw the procession of rulers, maidens, singers, and members of your Church who accompanied you. Show us your great power, Lord, and strengthen us against the enemy. Great kings will bow before your authority. Rebuke the wicked — those who infect the godly with their evil — and disperse those who seek war.

May all nations sing your praises, Lord, as you rise toward heaven. We hear your voice. It is a powerful voice. We glorify your name for your magnificence, power, and holiness. Our mighty strength comes from you. Amen.²⁷

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Cover image: Christ the Saviour (Pantokrator)." Web. 25 Sept 2016.
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Spas_vsederzhitel_sinay.jpg
"Creative Commons License." Web. 18 May 2016.
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

26The Orthodox Study Bible. (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2008), 724.

²⁷Ibid.

This book and other books I have written are posted for your reading pleasure at Booksie.

Scriptural quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, 

copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois
60189. All rights reserved.

Copyright © 2016 by John P. Gross. All rights reserved. Reproduction of this material must 

be done in its entirety with the copyright notice intact. This book is not for sale, but is 

offered to the public free of charge for the glory of God.