Psalm 116:1-19 & 117:1-2
Q.1. What prompted the Psalmist to give praise to God? What did God’s intervention reveal about Himself? – (Ps.116:1-11)
The Psalmist had felt forsaken by his friends, and by God. He was at the point of death and had been given false hope by others (all men are liars – Ps.116:11). However, he had not been abandoned by the Lord. He cried out in his distress – 1 I love the Lord, because He hears My voice and my supplications. 2 Because He has inclined His ear to me. Therefore, I shall call upon Him as long as I live … 5 Gracious is the Lord, and righteous; Yes, our God is compassionate. 6 The Lord preserves the simple; I was brought low, and He saved me (Ps.116:1-2 & 5-6).
Q.2. How did the Psalmist wish to respond to God’s goodness? What do disasters and death reveal about God? – (Ps.116:12-19)
The chorus of this Psalm (song) answers the question of how we should respond to all of God’s benefits to us (Ps.116)12). He would raise the cup of salvation in honour of the Lord – I shall pay my vows to the Lord, Oh may it be in the presence of all His people (Ps.116:14 &18). Moreover, he wanted it to be a public declaration – In the courts of the Lord’s house, In the midst of you, O Jerusalem. Praise the Lord! (Ps.116:19). His near-death experience had underscored the preciousness of life, in the eyes of the Lord – Precious in the sight of the Lord Is the death of His godly ones (Ps.116:15).
Q.3. Why is the Lord God to be praised among all the nations? – (Ps.117:1-2)
There are two unshakable principles upon which this world revolves – For His lovingkindness is great toward us — and the truth of the Lord is everlasting. Praise the Lord! (Ps.117:2). This is true for all people, regardless of nationality. God’s lovingkindness and truth apply to all the nations (Ps.117:1). For that reason, all should lift their voice in praise to God.