The Small Psalm with the Big Message
In the prayer meeting on Wednesday evening, Rev. James MacIver preached on ‘The Small Psalm with the Big Message’. Psalm 117, despite being the shortest chapter in the book, carries a big message. Although it is only a few lines in length, its reach extends far beyond Israel.
Psalm 117 contains a call to praise the Lord and – unusually for the psalms which, of course, belonged to Israel – this call is extended to ‘all nations’ and ‘all peoples’. In not being exclusive to Israel, it anticipates the ministry to the Gentiles that is contained in the New Testament.
The call is echoed in Acts 17;30, where the Lord ‘commands all people everywhere to repent’; in Romans 15: 11, where the cry is, ‘Praise the Lord all you Gentiles, and let all the peoples extol him’; and also in Matthew 28:19, ‘Go therefore and make disciples of all nations’.
Therefore, Psalm 117 contains both the mandate for, and the aim of our evangelism.
These days, we are used to the concept of a multi-faith society. While freedom of conscience is certainly an important value, worthy of defence and protection, it does not follow that people have a right to follow different faiths. In fact, any rights in this situation pertain exclusively to God: He has a right to be worshipped by all people everywhere. Verse 1 of Psalm 117 contains a statement of this right which extends to the whole of mankind. It is not a call to Christians only, but to those who do not, as yet, know Christ as their Saviour. Revelation 7: 9, which speaks of the ‘great multitude . . . from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages’ is a clear testament to the breadth of God’s jurisdiction.
Having examined the call to praise God contained in the text, Mr MacIver then turned to the cause for praising Him. This is rooted in the statement at verse 2, ‘for great is His steadfast love towards us’. In Hebrew, the word ‘hesed’ used here can be translated as ‘lovingkindness’ and conveys a sense of love in action.
This love is the source of the covenant bond – the same love which brings the believer to know Christ also maintains them in Him. Equally, the love of the Saviour is the same love extended to us from God the Father, the Shepherd, and the Counsellor.
Crucially, because of this, God’s people can use the words, ‘towards us’ in regard to His love. This is not to imply that it is an exclusive right of Christians. What these words convey is the sense that Christians, because they have experience of His covenant love, can witness to it. They are – in essence – saying, ‘we know His love and it is great’ in order to exhort those who are currently outside of it to come in.
The greatness of His love is not here a reference to magnitude, but the word used comes from a root meaning ‘to prevail’ and evokes a sense of victory against an opponent. Nowhere is that victory more thoroughly manifest than in the death of Christ, which is the ultimate example of a prevailing love. As Christians, our knowledge of the mighty love of God creates an impetus to go and share it with everyone else who has not yet experienced it for themselves.
Psalm 117 also speaks of His faithfulness enduring forever. There are two covenant concepts here – steadfast love and faithfulness, which belong together, being elements of the same grace. Love establishes the bond and faithfulness ensures its continuance.
That God’s love endures forever is not a mere reminder that He will continue in His love always. It is a statement of the beautiful fact that His promises today are as fresh as ever; they are as pristine, unworn and unsullied to us as they were when He first made them to Abraham thousands of years ago. This is an immovable foundation.
In conclusion, Mr MacIver said that we now need to return to the command of verse 1. As Christians who fully appreciate the cause of praising God, centred upon His enduring faithfulness to us, and all that implies, we must now issue the call to others through our urgent witness for Christ.
This smallest of Psalms is in the absolute centre of the Bible, equidistant from the first word in Genesis and the last word of Revelation. It concludes, in the original language with a call to praise God – the ‘hallelujah’ that all who know His steadfast love can sing with sincerity.
