Praise the LORD, all nations!
Extol him, all peoples!
For great is his steadfast love toward us,
and the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever.
Praise the LORD!
We’ll call it “Interpretive Maturity,” (IM) – one’s competency in interpreting Scripture. My thesis is that your understanding of one small word in this shortest of psalms is a good diagnostic of your IM. So, let me ask you: how do you interpret “us”?
Level 1 – Us = Me. You’re reading the Bible, and that’s a win. But your IM is low, in that your first question in opening the Bible is “what does this have to do with me and my life?” Without articulating it, your implicit demand is that everything you read needs to be directly, immediately applicable to you, otherwise you question the Bible’s relevance. So, our psalm triggers a reflection on all of God’s goodness toward…you. Your family, your job, your dinner of kabobs last night. OK, not terrible. Good start!
Level 2 – Us = Everyone. As a child slowly realizes that the world contains other souls, that he’s not the center of the universe, so a maturing IM entertains the idea that the Bible isn’t a collection of God’s private monologue toward me. (By the way, this is one problem with books like “Jesus Calling” – they encourage an egocentricity that ill prepares one for reading Scripture.) A Level 2 IM allows this psalm to prod him into thankfulness for God’s rule over the world, His provision for the just and the unjust. Not bad, not bad at all! Especially because in this psalm “us” really might refer to all of us in every nation. But I don’t think so.
Level 3 – Us = Israel. It takes some experience with Scripture for “Israel” not to seem like an intrusion, an unnecessary complication. And then to grasp the main advantage of an Israel-heavy method of interpretation, that is, that it prevents a flattened reading and keeps returning the reader to the storyline of Scripture. Our psalm is a good example. Let’s try it out:
The first two lines call the whole world to praise God. And why should they praise Him? V.2 answers: Because of his steadfast love – hesed – and enduring faithfulness – emet – to Israel.
Now that’s helpful! By this interpretation I’m reminded that, in a unique way, Israel was created for the good of the world. Israel was called to serve the world by living in a covenant with God that would eventually result in global, indeed cosmic salvation. Now Israel, being all too human, was an (ahem) unreliable covenant partner. But let all the nations praise God – that despite their unsteadiness He was faithful to Israel…and thus faithful to all the nations.
With an Israel-heavy interpretation of Psalm 117 I’m guided in my praise. Now I have in mind specific acts in specific settings of God’s faithfulness. e.g., Faithfulness through long periods of waiting for the birth of Isaac. Faithful through spiraling downward cycles of judgment and deliverance in the time of the Judges. Faithfulness in conveying wisdom as captured in Job and Proverbs and Ecclesiastes (Song of Solomon too?). ETC.
And, of course, the great act of salvation that came through Israel’s ultimate covenant unfaithfulness, the execution of the Messiah. Let the nations praise God for His faithfulness to Israel and through Israel to the nations and the cosmos.
And note: a cosmos which includes, for instance, kabobs. Ultimately, God’s covenant with Israel is what allowed you to enjoy last night’s dinner! Point being: when you reach level 3, you can simultaneously scoop up all the goods retrieved from levels 1 & 2.
Praise the LORD!
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