KJV Psalm 117: 1-2 O praise the LORD, all ye nations: praise Him, all ye people. (2) For His merciful kindness is great toward us: and the truth of the LORD endureth forever. Praise ye the LORD.”
NASB Psalms 117:1-2 Praise the LORD, all nations; Laud Him, all peoples! (2) For His lovingkindness is great toward us, And the truth of the LORD is everlasting. Praise the LORD!”
Psalm 117, a Psalm of only two verses, is the shortest of the Psalms in the Psalter. Yet, despite its brevity, it is worthy of our consideration. It is rich in spiritual truth and material for worship. Consider
God’s Eternal purpose is for all nations to know Him and worship Him
Paul cites this verse in Romans 15:11, showing that God’s purpose has always been to embrace the Gentile nations in His great plan of redemption. Israel failed to fulfill its role as missionaries to the nations; instead, it chose to become like the nations. But it has been God’s eternal purpose to embrace you and me in His love. Israel failed, but, as ever, God retreated into His Son and found a righteous basis for our inclusion.
God’s Essential Nature – grace and truth
In verse two, we are called upon to praise (laud or glorify) Him for two attributes: His steadfast love and His truth. These are seen in His dealings with the nation of Israel in the Old Testament. But it was in His Son, the Lord Jesus, that grace and truth were revealed in all their brilliance and fullness. Steadfast love marked the Saviour as we trace Him through John’s Gospel. The harlot and the helpless, the lame and the lost, the despised and the dead all received His tender compassion and ministry. He deals in mercy with the adulteress, yet never compromises truth.
God’s Enduring Faithfulness
“The truth of the Lord endures forever” (v 2). Here is the foundation for all our security and hope. His truth never changes because He is changeless, the Same, yesterday, today, and forever. It is remarkable that in the final book of the Old Testament, God again reminds His people, “I change not” (Mal 3:6). The God of Genesis is the God of Malachi. We can add that He is also the God of Revelation. Just as the attributes of grace and truth apply to Jehovah and Jesus, so does the title, “The Same” (John 1:2).
God’s Excelling Worth – worthy of our praise
The Psalm began with a “hallelujah” and now closes with the same expression. In the brief compass of these two verses, the Spirit of God, through the writer, has catalogued God’s love, faithfulness, truth, and immutability for us. As He gathers all these together, He brings the Psalm to a close by calling upon us individually to ascribe glory and honour to the majestic, incomparable God Whom we have come to know and adore. In like manner, since all has been revealed to us in His Son, He also is worthy of our worship.
Consider
There is something ironic in the shortest of the Psalms, being in the shadow of Psalm 119, the longest. Yet, it does not suffer in the least when we consider the richness of its statements.