Psalm 33:12
Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people he chose for his inheritance.
So far in this Psalm we have been reminded of many wonderful
things about God. He is faithful, righteous, just and endlessly loving. His word is true and right and powerful enough to bring all creation into being. His plans stand firm, his purposes alone will last for ever. No wonder the psalmist thinks we should praise this Lord! Who wouldn't want to know and worship and obey a God like that? We can see why a people whose God is this God
are blessed!
In the psalmist's time, to belong to God's people was to be
part of the nation of Israel. Even then, 'outsiders' were welcome to become part of God's people. Think of Rahab, in the time when Joshua led Israel to take possession of Jericho. Or Ruth, originally from Moab, who takes the God of Israel as her God. The Old Covenant blessings were expressed materially in terms the Promised Land, an actual place with physical borders, and so God's people were identifiable as a specific nation. To become a follower of God meant 'opting in' to being part of Israel, and physically coming to live there. But now we live under the New Covenant, brought about by the death of Jesus. Our blessings are primarily spiritual. Our 'promised land' is heaven. And so we are no longer constrained by geography. Revelation tells us that God's people are made up of those from EVERY tribe and
tongue and language and nation.
God's people are no longer confined to one single nation. But v.12 remains true: Blessed are the people whose God is the Lord. Blessed are we who belong to him, because of Jesus. He chose us before the creation of the world to be his inheritance. His righteousness and faithfulness and love are directed towards US. His true words are spoken to US. His sure plans and purposes are good for US.
Whatever our particular circumstances today, we are still
blessed beyond anything we deserve, if we can say that the God so wonderfully described in this Psalm is OUR God and we are his children. Wherever we were born, whatever our background or language or skin colour or passport. We now belong, securely and forever, to the people of God. Let's praise him for that today.
