Psalm 67:1-3…“May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face to shine upon us, Selah that your way may be known upon earth, your saving power among all nations.” vss. 1-2
In many faith communities the Aaronic Benediction from the book of Numbers is pronounced by the pastor at the close of worship. It’s a blessing for the people as they leave the sanctuary and go out into their mission field. But here, presumably as a part of temple worship, the psalmist begins with a blessing, and it really isn’t a bad idea. It could be that we need the assurance of God’s grace as we open our hearts to God and begin our confession. It might even be better than the common place, “Good morning and welcome to worship.”
And then the psalmist throws in the word “selah,” a mysterious Hebrew term that occurs 71 times in the book of Psalms. Even AI doesn’t know what it means, and the best biblical scholars disagree. The best guess is that it is a direction of sorts, perhaps a pause for an instrumental interlude, or maybe a prompt to bow the head or lift up the eyes. We really don’t know!
What we do know is that worship is not only a time for sermons, hymns, and Holy Communion, but an occasion for meditation and reflection on God’s gracious love and saving power. It really is a time to be still before the Lord, and reconnect with the Divine Presence.
Thought for the Day: What happens inside me as I worship?
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