Psalm 117 issues another CALL to “Praise the LORD,” but this time the call goes out to “all nations” or “Gentiles” (KJV, NKJV) and “all peoples” (1). From Israel’s perspective, this might be a bit shocking, because the nations who surrounded little Israel were often quite hostile to her, when they were not subdued by Kings David & Solomon. But this shortest of all the psalms declares God’s perspective. God has always had a heart for the nations, stemming back to God’s promises to Abraham in Genesis 12:3 & 18:18. The Apostle Paul quotes verse 1 in Romans 15:11, where he sets forth the case that even the Gentiles were to glorify God for his mercy. 117:2 gives us the two-fold CAUSE for praise by the foreigners. Why should all nations/Gentiles praise Israel’s God? “For great is his steadfast love toward us and the faithfulness of Yahweh endures forever.” The word for “steadfast love” is variously translated as “loyal love,” “lovingkindness,” “faithful love” & “merciful kindness.” It’s the Hebrew word that describes God’s commitment to his covenant with Israel. This kind of committed, covenant, gracious loyalty is here commended for the admiration and commendation of those who are not yet God’s people. The Bible makes it abundantly clear that God’s people will include both Jews and Gentiles. All those who believe in Jesus Christ have the faith of Abraham and are sons & daughters of God through that kind of faith. (Read Galatians 3 and Romans 4). God commends his faithfulness (truth, trustworthiness, reliability to his word) to people everywhere, because only as people come to see how faithful and true God is will they praise what the see. It’s humbling to know that I can play a part in telling others who don’t yet know Jesus how gracious & merciful & great he is as seen in his life & death & resurrection so that they, too, can join in the universal praise of God. So, come on everybody – “PRAISE THE LORD!” and invite others to do the same.
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