Praise Jehovah, all ye nations; laud him, all ye peoples;
The shortest psalm in the Bible is also the widest. Its two verses reach past Israel and call every nation on earth to praise — but who is doing the calling, and why should the nations join in?
The psalm is short. What makes it remarkable is not its size but the change of heart in the people who sing it.
It is a little psalm out of a large heart. Grace enjoyed goes out toward others, yes, to all. So shall Israel then sing. What a contrast with their narrowness of old! So Jehovah's mercy and truth will work in that day to His praise on earth.
The "us" of verse 2 identifies the singers. Israel, restored and blessed, turns outward and calls the nations in. The same pattern holds for us with the gospel.
All the nations are to praise this Lord Jehovah. This Psalm is the summons of the restored Jews (Israel), now under blessing, calling the nations to bless Jehovah as they have come to know Him — that is, on the ground of the blessing given to them, what He had done for them… Their knowledge of Jehovah in their own deliverance lets them speak of Him to others and call them in to blessing. So it is with us and the gospel.
The reason given is God's mercy toward one people. Yet the psalm calls the whole world to sing about it. What God does for Israel spills over to everyone else.
The psalm calls the nations and peoples to praise the Lord because of His mercy to "us," that is, to Israel. Romans 11:12-15 explains why. Receiving them back into the favour of God will be like "life from the dead." It will mean an outpouring of blessing that reaches out to every people. So all the nations will join with full heart in praising God for His mercy to Israel.
Restored Israel will stand as living proof that God keeps His word.
Those who will then stand as the witnesses of His faithfulness, their own favour now complete, stir the nations up to praise Jehovah as the God of truth. His gifts and promises are never taken back. And His restored mercy to His once rejected people holds the pledge of richer blessing for the families of the earth.
The nations learn who God is from His dealings with Israel. What they learn comes in a set order.
Psalm 117 calls the other nations and peoples to come and praise Jehovah, who will now be King over all the earth. They join, and God brings them gladly into this relationship. Jehovah makes Himself known to them by His ways with Israel. Merciful kindness comes here, as always, first; and truth that lasts for ever, which no failure has made to fail.
You cannot drop either word without loss. Both rest on the same ground.
Mercy at the expense of truth would not be for the glory of God and the blessing of men. Neither would truth at the expense of mercy… God has already laid the foundation of all this in the cross of Christ. So the same thing is true when the gospel reaches us today.
The New Testament takes up this verse in a run of quotations about God's purpose for the nations.
The third quotation, from Psalm 117:1, is an appeal to Jew and Gentile to join together in the praise of the Lord.
Commentators differ over when this appeal is answered. One writer holds that the full answer still lies ahead.
Four Scriptures are quoted to prove that it is the purpose of God to bless the Gentiles in mercy with His people Israel (Psalm 18:49; Deuteronomy 32:43 in Moses' great song; Psalm 117:1 and Isaiah 11:10)… They show that God had announced that Gentiles would rejoice in salvation and trust in Christ. The passages quoted wait for their fulfilment until the second coming of our Lord, the One who "arises to rule the Gentiles." Then Gentiles will rejoice with the saved remnant of Israel.
- Mercy first. Kindness comes before truth. And that truth is one no human failure has ever broken.
- Mercy to "us." God calls for praise on the ground of what He has done for one people, Israel. He never takes back what He promised.
- Mercy outward. Grace enjoyed does not stay put; it goes out toward others, and turns a narrow heart into a large one.
- Mercy to all. Israel's blessing means the world's blessing, so every nation joins the same song.
- Mercy to you. The cross laid the foundation. Knowing God in your own deliverance is what lets you call others in.
For his loving-kindness is great toward us, and the truth of Jehovah [endureth] for ever. Hallelujah!
Psalm 117 is the shortest psalm in the Bible, and this verse holds its whole weight: it gives the reason for the call to praise. Why should mercy to one people bring joy to every nation, and why does truth stand beside it here?
The verse opens with "For." The call of verse 1 rests on something already tasted. The people who make the call speak from their own experience.
In this Psalm the restored Jews (Israel), now under blessing, call the nations to bless Jehovah as He is now known. That is, they call them on the ground of the blessing given to them, of what He had done for them... Knowing Jehovah in their own deliverance is what enables them to speak of Him to others and call them in to blessing. So it is with us as to the gospel.
The verse speaks of mercy given to "us," yet the invitation goes out to all peoples. Commentators tie this to Romans 11, where Israel's restoration overflows to the world.
The nations and peoples are called upon to praise the Lord because of His mercy to "us," that is, to Israel. Romans 11:12-15 explains the reason. The receiving of them back into the favour of God will be as "life from the dead"... It will mean an outpouring of blessing that reaches every people. So all the nations will join with full hearts in praising God for His mercy to Israel.
The New Testament's own use of the psalm confirms that reach.
Romans 15:11 honours the shortest portion of the Old Testament with a direct quotation. (Psalm 117)
The order of the two words matters. Mercy stands before truth. Mercy is how the people came in at all.
Note too that the greatness of the mercy is felt and put first. That is how Israel comes in: brought in under mercy. Then the truth, they being morally restored, is proved to have endured and to be for ever. While they held to their lie they could not find it. Yet their lie only added to the enduring glory of His truth. Under mercy they had come into this. How deep is the wisdom of God!
Darby's own rendering keeps the same order and gives the sense of the word translated "great."
Then they can say, "his kindness" — note, mercy still put first — "was strong" or "prevailed," and the truth of Jehovah "for ever."
Mercy could look like bending the rules. The second half of the verse answers that: what is true stays true, and it lasts.
They can call on others to praise the Lord because of what they have experienced themselves: "great is his steadfast love toward us." At last they own that they have come into blessing on the ground of mercy (compare Romans 11:31-32). Yet they recognise that it is not mercy at the expense of truth. God has shown mercy but maintained truth. The truth has not been set aside; it endures for ever.
Mercy does something to the people who receive it.
The consciousness of grace and favour enlarges the heart. Israel never thought of calling the nations to praise when under the law. But now that mercy has brought blessing, they do. What opens the mouth and heart is the sense of what God is to us. It is the thankful enjoyment of that, as coming from God, through knowing Him. It calls others to enjoy His goodness too... only, as it should be, we learn love by knowing its exercise towards ourselves.
The smallness of the psalm sets off the size of the heart behind it.
It is a little psalm out of a large heart. Grace enjoyed goes out toward others — yes, to all. So Israel will sing then. What a contrast with their narrowness of old!
Commentators read the verse as looking ahead to a coming day for Israel. They also apply it to the present.
Neither mercy at the expense of truth, nor truth at the expense of mercy, would be for the glory of God and the blessing of men... God has already laid the foundation of all this in the cross of Christ. So the same thing is true when the gospel reaches us today.
- Mercy first — the verse names mercy before truth, because mercy is how anyone comes in at all. Its greatness comes first: mercy that was strong, mercy that prevailed.
- Mercy tasted — the nations are called to praise for what God did for "us." Knowing His deliverance in our own case is what lets us speak of Him to others.
- Mercy shared — grace enjoyed enlarges the heart. A people who never called the nations under the law now summon them all, because mercy has brought them blessing.
- Mercy without loss of truth — God shows mercy but maintains truth. Nothing true is set aside to make room for kindness; the truth endures for ever.
- Mercy secured at the cross — God laid the foundation for holding both together there. So this verse speaks to the gospel today as much as to the day it foresees.