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But their blessing isn ’ t an end in itself . It is not simply to make Israel well-fed or to defeat their enemies . Israel ’ s blessings , as with all blessings , are meant to glorify God and to flow into blessings for others . Here , the Psalmist is asking God for the blessing so that God ’ s ways are known on the earth . The Hebrew for way is a form “ derech ,” which means “ road or way .” It is God ’ s narrow path . It is the direction which God leads His people in . It is done so that His laws , statutes , commands and character may be known throughout all the world .
Secondly , we see that God ’ s salvation is known among all the nations . The Hebrew word used here is “ yeshuatecha ” - your salvation . The blessing of Israel is tied to salvation as a direct continuation of the way God said He would bless the world through Abraham ’ s descendants . The salvation of Israel is the same salvation for the nations , Yeshua !
As we praise the Lord , offering Him thanks for His blessings , we should remember that our thanks should be centered around the chief intent of those blessings – for God ’ s ways and His salvation is to be made great , not just in Israel , but in all the nations .
The middle chorus of this Psalm is a sandwich of sorts . The peoples and nations are praising God . But why ? They are rejoicing over God ’ s righteous dealing with them as His people .
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