Real Hope: PsalmsSample

The Biggest, Shortest Psalm

On the evening before His crucifixion, Jesus sang hymns with His disciples. Those hymns were most likely to be a word-for-word recitation of Psalms 113 to 118, known as the Egyptian Hallel. Hallel means ‘to boast of’ or ‘to praise.’ The Psalms praise God for His salvation from sin and death and speak of One who will bring this salvation one thousand years before His birth.

Psalm 117, while the shortest psalm in the Hallel, should not be mistaken as lacking eternal significance. What a joyful, universal invitation to worship the Lord the first verse is. Not a half-sung, hands-in-pockets variety of worship, but an exhortation to ‘extol’ or enthusiastically praise. The psalmist also extirpates religious and social borders by extending a relationship with God to all people. This is a revolutionary idea for the very tribal culture of Israel, God’s chosen nation. Further, the implication of ‘all you nations’ presumes both the right for others to join in worship and their knowledge of the Lord’s existence through evangelism—a commission before the great commission.

In the second verse, David revels in our Lord’s praiseworthiness. We glimpse God’s great love for us and His enduring faithfulness. David sings of God’s great, unconditional love for His creation. Finally, while humanity’s promises are often temporary, we are reminded that God’s promises are eternal, pre-dating our existence and continuing beyond our understanding.

What a holy time it must have been for Jesus as He sang these words with His disciples that night.

Written by DWAYNE JEFFRIES