Psalm 117 Devotional

Outsiders Invited to Praise

The shortest psalm in the Bible has the widest reach. In one breath it calls every nation and every people to praise the LORD (117:1). In the next it gives the reason: his loving devotion toward us is great, and his faithfulness lasts forever (117:2).

Notice the movement. The love described is toward us, toward Israel, the people God had bound himself to by covenant. Yet the call to praise goes out to all the nations. God's faithful love for one people was always meant to become a reason for the whole world to worship. Paul quotes this psalm to show that God intended the Gentiles, people outside Israel, to glorify him for his mercy, and that Christ came to confirm those promises (Romans 15:8-11). That is how the gospel has reached people from every nation, as outsiders invited in. The psalm also gives praise a firm footing in two facts that do not change: God's steadfast love is great, and his faithfulness endures.

To think about: How does knowing that God's love was always meant for the nations shape the way you see people very different from you?