Jan 17 A Small Package

January 17

A Small Package

 

Ps 117:1 ¶ 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 for ever. Praise ye the LORD.

Have you ever received a gift that was in a small package only to discover the value of the gift was much greater than how it was wrapped?  Perhaps the keys to a car, or a diamond ring. You get the idea.  A gem of scripture is found in the smallest psalm. Psalm 117 has only two verses. That’s it!  A tiny psalm consisting of two short verses. Packed in this tiny package are three huge reasons to Praise the Lord.

The Psalms were written during a time in which God’s chosen people Israel were surrounded with idolatrous nations.  God did miracle after miracle for Israel and against the heathen nations.  Most of the old testament is the history of His chosen people.  Yet when we come to Psalm 117 we find the inspired text says all nations and all people should praise the LORD. Jew and Gentile, the chosen race and strangers, those who were of Jacob’s family and those who were not should all praise the LORD.

If Christ had been sent to only the Jewish nation where would the rest of us Gentiles be? We would be of all men most miserable. Lost and without hope of salvation. But this small psalm reaches out to all. Not only all nations but for emphasis that all are included it says “…all ye people.”  WE are told to praise the LORD and here is a wonderful reason. The door to God has been swung open wide for all nations and all people. He included you and He included even me! Praise ye the LORD!

A second reason we should praise the LORD is because of His merciful kindness. The words mercy and grace are often seen in Scripture, but sometimes their meaning is muddled together. They are however, two very different words. Grace is getting something you did not deserve. God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense is a good way to spell G R A C E.

Mercy is at the other extreme. Mercy is demonstrated when we do not get what we deserve. Grace is the opposite. We get what we don’t deserve. That is why we often see both words linked together when describing God’s love for us. He is the God of grace and mercy. The greatest example of that is sending Christ to take our sins upon Him. Surely the great gift of salvation is wrapped up in these few words.  Here in an old testament verse we are told why we should praise the LORD.

…For his merciful kindness is great toward us

The third reason to praise the LORD is because he has not left us to our own imaginations of how we should live, work, play and praise Him.  He has given us His word, the Bible.

and the truth of the LORD endureth for ever

Not only has he given us His word but His promise is the truth of the LORD endureth forever.  What great comfort there is in reading the Bible and letting God speak to us. Over the centuries men have tried to destroy the Bible.  Rulers have outlawed it, skeptics have denied it, and societies have scoffed at it.  They are gone and the Bible remains.  Praise ye the LORD!

God’s word can speak to us every time we read it and meditate on it’s message. Old familiar passages often bless our hearts with new and fresh ideas we had not previously seen. When that happens we begin to understand the inexhaustible riches contained in it’s pages.

Praise ye the LORD. He included me, He extended His mercy to me through Christ, and he has given us His word. Pause for a moment and reflect on how all three of these unspeakable gifts have been wrapped into this short psalm. It is indeed a small package which contains such huge blessings for us.  Selah (think on these things)  Please take a moment to re-read this psalm and then join me in praising the LORD for including us, for Christ, and for the Bible.

O praise the LORD, all ye nations: praise him, all ye people