Psalm 117

If you started reading this psalm like me and think you missed something, you didn’t.  It is the shortest chapter of the bible.  A simple statement to praise God.  Fun fact: it’s also the middle chapter of the bible!  Literally 2 verses, my guess is that it was a simple refrain.  It could have been a side note written somewhere.  It could have been sung repeatedly because the few words in it are worth saying again and again!

Just because it is short, doesn’t mean we shouldn’t take some time to understand Psalm 117.Verse 1 is about praising God.  There is a word we don’t use very often found in here.  Depending on your translation, it could say laud or extol.The meaning here is an enthusiastic, public praise.  Shouting, dancing, worshipping without hindrance.  In our current context, “praise” is limited to just a few songs on a Sunday morning before the sermon.  You probably know a person or two who regularly say, “praise God,” in conversation when something good happens.  Other than that, do we really praise God as He deserves?  An even more obscure word used to translate the original Hebrew is mirth. This is defined as amusement, especially as expressed in laughter. From what I can see, this is an outward expression of joy!  It’s a celebration.  It’s a party welling up from inside us and exploding all over those within ear shot.  Is this exuberant joy evident in us today?  Do we boast in the goodness of the Lord?  Do we scream at the top of our lungs how good He is?  Do people think we are crazy for how much we love Yahweh?

This brings us to an even deeper question that is raw: why should we?  There are so many reasons that we feel we shouldn’t.  If we are honest with ourselves, we can point 10 fingers or more at circumstances, both external and internal, and give excuse as to why we don’t praise God in this way.  If that is the case, then we are missing the point!  In Psalm 116 we saw that our circumstances do not dictate our joy. It might affect our happiness in the current moment, but our joy comes from the Lord.  Verse 2 tells us why.

His lovingkindness is great!  His patience, His mercy, His faithfulness.  The entire bible is a testimony to God’s character and that He is worthy of praise.  His truth endures forever.  NOTHING else in this world endures forever.  It comes and goes. Even heaven and earth will cease to exist as we know it (Revelation 21), but God and His love and truth will remain forever.  That deserves a hallelujah!  Hallelujah, by the way, is how you say “Praise Yahweh”.  This psalm is the embodiment of “hallelujah.” In Hebrew, it is pronounced hallu-yah.  But, it wasn’t used as a sign-off for a profound statement, it was used as a proclamation, an exclamation point, something to shout.

The Christmas season just passed and one of my favorite bands, Skillet, was chastised by their rendition of O Come Emanuel. Traditionalists claimed that it was “evil” because of the hard guitar solos at the end.  Being a “rocker” like myself, I actually liked it.  However, upon reading this psalm, I think they better encapsulated the meaning of this song!  They screamed at the top of their lungs and make a joyful noise to the Lord!  If you consider the original singing of the song, it tends to be a solemn, quiet song.  How can we truly rejoice if we aren’t yelling at the top of our lungs!

Here it is if you haven’t seen it yet.  Let’s cheer for Jesus together!