Let the peoples praise You, O God; let all the peoples praise You. Then the earth shall yield her increase; God, our own God, shall bless us. (Psalm 67:5-6)
I would suggest to you that David’s words, though speaking prophetically — i.e. there is coming a day when the nations will bow before God — are also a prayerful appeal to Heaven. It is as if David, understanding God’s original intent and purpose for man and the rest of His creation, is praying that God will hasten the day when all the peoples will praise Him. He knows that when the nations of the world turn to God and acknowledge His sovereignty over them, there will be an unprecedented response in the earth, that is “the earth shall yield her increase.” In other words, when the people of the world finally experience spiritual renewal, the physical world will experience an agricultural renewal and, in the words of Paul, “be delivered from the bondage of corruption” (Romans 8:21).
It is a Biblical fact that sin pollutes the atmosphere, disrupts the water cycle and literally contaminates the soil. In the days leading up to the flood, the Bible says that the earth itself was corrupt because “all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth” (Genesis 6:12). Time and again, the Bible clearly establishes this principle: our sin and disobedience has a direct impact on the ground from which we came. When there is drought and famine, it is likely due to the deficient spiritual condition of mankind. As it is written: “He will shut up the heavens so that there be no rain, and the land yield no produce” (Deuteronomy 11:17).
And so it is that David prays for the day when men will turn from their errant ways and offer praise to the Lord so that the world might be restored to its more fruitful state. Paul adds to this notion saying that “the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together” longing for “the revealing of the sons of God” (Romans 8:19, 22). Though it may seem farfetched at the moment, there is a glorious day coming when the nations, in unison, will worship the King of Kings. In that day, His people will be redeemed as will the rest of His creation and the earth will be restored to its original state — as it was before the fall of mankind. Thus it written, “O mountains of Israel, you shall shoot forth your branches and yield your fruit to My people … so they will say, ‘This land that was desolate has become like the garden of Eden’” (Ezekiel 36:8, 35). May it come speedily, even in our lifetime.
Blessings and Shalom,
Bill
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