God’s heart was always about relationship over religion - Praise the Lord, All Nations!

May 22, 2024

Psalm 117 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! (ESV)

If you are ever in a time crunch and only have ten seconds to read the Bible, I would definitely give Psalm 117 a try. It comes in at record-setting low of only two verses! Although this chapter is incredibly brief, its impact is massive. Not gonna lie, at first glance, it’s hard for me to see anything spectacular about this chapter. I know that is not spiritual of me to admit, but it sounds like a typical Psalm of praise. And yet, the apostle Paul found Psalm 117’s short message profound enough to quote in letter to the Romans. Flip over to Romans 15 and you will see that Paul is in the middle of what seems like a very important argument where he is quoting various Old Testament passages to prove a point about Jesus. In Romans 15, we see that among quotes from some of the greatest Jewish heroes (Moses and Isaiah) is David’s shortest recorded Psalm, #117. What point was he trying to make in this discourse? Paul, having been a devout Jew, had a history of being exclusive toward Gentiles and persecutory toward Christians. But after a radical encounter with Jesus, every preferential bone in Paul’s body dissolves. In Romans 15, Paul uses the short and sweet Psalm 117 to prove that there is unity in Christ among Jews and Gentiles. In beckoning back to ancient texts, Paul shares that God’s heart was always about relationship over religion. He had chosen the Jewish people not to be exclusive, but rather to use them to be a light to the surrounding Gentile nations that they too might be included into the family of God! Paul takes this understanding seriously and becomes a missionary for the Gentile nations. God’s steadfast love does not discriminate! God, we praise you alongside our brothers and sisters from every nation. Thank you for including us into your family. Your faithfulness and love endures forever.

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