Exhortation to all nations to praise God. Psalm 117
It is true that Psalm 117 is very brief, but with a glorious transcendence that exhorts all the peoples of the earth to permanently praise the one God for his marvelous attributes such as mercy and faithfulness. It is a great joy to know that Psalm 117 already contemplated God's salvation for every tongue, race, kindred and nation. This should lead us to shout for joy and give thanks to God for his mercy and faithfulness to all human beings. The author of Psalm 117 tells us:
Praise the LORD, all you nations;
Praise him, all you peoples.
2 For he has magnified his lovingkindness toward us,
And the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever.
Alleluia. Psalm 117 Reina-Valera 1960 (RVR1960)
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While it is true, God's chosen people have been the people of Israel, whom God in love and mercy brought out of slavery in Egypt and led them through the wilderness after crossing the Red Sea. God did many wonders and miracles in the eyes of Israel to show his love and mercy, however, the more love and faithfulness God showed, the more rebellious the people became. God through Moses gave laws, statutes and commandments to the people of Israel to know their God and walk in his ways, but the people were very rebellious, so when God sent the promise of the Messiah, they in rebellion rejected Jesus, since then, the eyes of God turned to all the peoples of the earth, who received the commandments of God and by faith received the Messiah as savior. This immense love of God for all nations allowed the Christian people to be formed throughout the world, for which, in Psalm 117, all these peoples of the earth are exhorted to give praise to God, because the Lord has been merciful and faithful to them, for which the psalmist says:
Praise the Lord, all you nations;
Praise him, all you peoples. Psalm 117: 1
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God in the immensity of his love, has magnified over Israel his mercy. God throughout the history of the people of Israel has shown his faithfulness, even in those moments of rebellion, when the people of Israel stopped serving God to go after the idols of the pagan nations, the Lord punished them and then, when Israel cried out to God, the Lord showed his mercy and delivered them from the hands of the enemy peoples. In the time of the judges The people of Israel practiced much idolatry and abandoned the service of their true God to bow down to the gods of foreign nations, God punished them for years and handed them over to their enemies and after so much oppression and bitterness, the people of Israel turned to God and the Lord continued to show his faithfulness and mercy to the children of Israel. He forgave them and then punished the enemies of his people. This continued for years and centuries during the time of the judges in Israel. God never stopped showing his love and mercy, even though the people of Israel were very rebellious. In this Psalm 117 the psalmist highlights God's mercy and faithfulness, saying:
For he has magnified his steadfast love toward us,
and the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever.
Alleluia. Psalm 117: 2
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Christian people have enjoyed and greatly rejoiced in God's love and faithfulness. God's eyes are no longer focused directly on the people of Israel, but out of Israel came salvation for all the nations of the earth, so that, in Christ, we can now enjoy both God's mercies and his faithfulness to all Christians. The peoples of the earth as a whole are called to give rational praise to the God of the universe, because he has been faithful and merciful to us all, for in former times we were dead in our trespasses and sins, but in Christ, God showed his mercy and forgave us for a new life and so that we can praise God forever.
May all the peoples of the earth praise God.
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How glorious and wonderful is Psalm 117, which although very short and simple, leads us on the successful path of praise, as we have God to thank for His everlasting mercy and faithfulness to all the peoples and nations of the earth. Alleluia, long live the Lamb of God! Amen.
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