Sē’lah

Meditations on Christ in the Psalms 

October 5, 2022

Sē’lah

 

May your ways be known throughout the earth,

your saving power among people everywhere.

May the nations praise you, O God.

Yes, may all the nations praise you.

Psalm 67:2-3

Let’s begin with Sē’lah, a word that appears often in the Book of Psalms. The New Living Translation renders this word, Interlude. The NIV translation drops the word from the text and uses a footnote to indicate “Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) was inserted in the Hebrew Text.” The NRSV, and its cousin, The Common English Bible, retain the word Selah. The meaning of this important word in the Psalms, and as I use it as the closing in my correspondence, is to pause, and think about these things. I begin today’s meditation with this explanation because the psalmist uses Sē’lah twice in the seven verses of Psalm 67, the first-time following verse one. The psalmist wants us to pause and consider his words.

The issue of personal, private piety is continued in Psalm 67. There are no personal pronouns in this psalm. The psalmist continually refers to us, people everywhere, all the nations, to make the prayer and praise of this psalm inclusive of all humankind, all of creation. This is the worldview God desires for all His people. Typically, our prayers are like concentric circles. We begin with our life, and then expand to family and friends. We pray for our church. Sometimes we continue praying and our circles expand to include our community and maybe even our nation.

I am increasingly appreciative of how the church we attend uses the Book of Common Prayer and how our prayers often incorporate verses two and three: “May your ways be known throughout the earth, your saving power among people everywhere. May the nations praise you, O God. Yes, may all the nations praise you.”

This psalm reflects an all-inclusive worldview. This is more than a technique for praying. It is a matter of how we view the entire world, and our place within God’s creation. For those who are seeking the life in Christ as their way of life, Psalm 67 reveals that at the very core of our being, we are Kingdom people, just as Jesus affirmed: “God so loved the world” (John 3:16).

My Takeaway: May God so transform each of us that when we pray verse one, "us" expands to include all the people of God’s creation.

“May God be merciful and bless us.

    May his face smile with favor on us.”

Sē’lah

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

 

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com.

 

Copyright © 2022 by Alex M. Knight

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.