We all know (I hope!) the Great Commission: here it is from Matthew’s Gospel:

And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28.18 – 20, ESV)

Make disciples “of all nations…” Navigator patriarch Jim Downing, who passed away in 2018 at the age of 104, asked, “Where is the Great Commission in the Old Testament?” Jim believed the answer to the question is Psalm 67. Let’s see. It opens this way:

To the Chief Musician. On Stringed Instruments. A Psalm. A Song.

God be merciful to us and bless us, And cause His face to shine upon us, Selah That Your way may be known on earth, Your salvation among all nations. (Psalm 67.Introduction – verse 2, NKJV)

“God be merciful to us” – why? “THAT your way may be known on earth, your salvation among all nations.” There it is: “all nations.”

Psalm 67 continues:

Let the peoples praise You, O God; Let all the peoples praise You. Oh, let the nations be glad and sing for joy! For You shall judge the people righteously, And govern the nations on earth. Selah (Psalm 67.3, 4, NKJV)

“…the peoples…the nations…” And the psalm repeats verse 3 and closes…

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. God shall bless us, And all the ends of the earth shall fear Him. (Psalm 67.5 – 7, NKJV)

God’s heart is that ALL the nations, ALL the peoples praise God. Then…

• The earth shall yield her increase
• God, our own God, shall bless us. God shall bless us, And
• All the ends of the earth shall fear Him. (Psalm 67,5 – 7, NKJV, bulleted for clarity)

And how will the nations praise the true God if we don’t tell them?

How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, Who bring glad tidings of good things!” (Romans 10.14, 15, NKJV)