Psalm 117 Sermon Notes

Text

Textual Issues

There are no real text issues here.

Psalms 113, 115, 116, and 117 all end in “hallelujah” (הַֽלְלוּ־יָֽהּ). Psalms 111, 112, and 113 also begin with hallelujah. The Septuagint moves this phrase to the beginning of the following chapter. Psalm 117 begins with “hallelujah” instead of ending with “hallelujah”. This is an obvious mistake and should be rejected. The MT reading is preferred.

Translation

Praise Yahweh, all nations.
Honor him, all tribes.
Great upon us is his loyal love.
And the faithfulness of Yahweh is everlasting.
Praise Yah(weh). [Hallelujah!]

Translation notes

שׁבח

Word is much less common than הלל. It is parallel in meaning. It has the sense of honoring or praising.

Translations struggle with this word a bit. “Laud”, “extol”, or a repeat of “praise” are the most common suggestions. HCSB “glorify” is a good suggestion. “Honor” works well to capture the sense of praise and worship that is being called for here.

אֻמָּה

“Tribes” seems to be a better translation than “peoples”. It’s not wrong, but it’s too big of a word. These are tribal peoples. Cf Num 25:15, Gen 25:16.

HALOT proposes to emend this to לְאֹם. The meaning of these two words is basically identical. אֻמָּה is only attested three times, while the other is common. It is a reasonable conjecture, but one that I am generally averse too. I prefer to let the MT text stand unless there is clear evidence of error.

גבר

The LSB wants to make this “prevails over us”. It’s not a great translation.

I assume that this is because of collocation with the preposition על. In Genesis 7:18, גבר is seen with על and is translated as “prevailed upon”. “The waters prevailed upon the earth”.

That doesn’t make good sense here. Psalm 103:11 is a similar construction. It’s not a picture of prevailing, but a sense of greatness and fullness. k

הַֽלְלוּ־יָֽהּ

This is where we get our english word “hallelujah”. It is an anthem-like phrase repeated often in Psalms 113-118.

Outline

1. Universal Call to Praise
2. Reason for Praise
   • Mercy
   • Truth
3. Hallelujah!

Commentary Notes

• Verse two is quoted in Romans 15:11
• cf Rev 7:9
• cf Rev 19:1-6 on Hallelujah in NT
• The call to all nations to worship forbids us “to accept the idea that different peoples have a right to different faiths.”¹
• “But the rhetoric will be largely empty unless the nations and tribes themselves hear it as a genuine and intelligible call. The summons therefore recoils on those who use it, with the obligation to make its invitation heard beyond their walls and their immediate circle.”¹
• Possibly used as a doxology (pure speculation, but interesting)
• Mildly interesting: sung often in Matthew Henry’s church.²
• Hermeneia is the best commentary on ps 117 that I reviewed.
• Psalms 113-118 called the “Egyptian Hallel” (praise) Psalms
  • seems to be used in great annual festivals
  • 113-114 sung before the meal
  • 115-118 sung after teh meal (cf Marck 14:26, Matt 26:30)
  • cited by many commentaries³
• Key problem: who is the us of verse two?
  • Israel?
    • “He is king and lord of the world. Therefore the realm of his lordship is addressed and enjoined to take part in the homage of praise. But Yahweh’s lordship has been manifest among the nations in the goodness and faithfulness that has shown itself as historically effective for Israel (cf. Isa. 60:2ff.*)…The heathen nations may enter the brightness of the salvation that has risen over Israel.”⁴
    • “Its invitation to all nations and their gods to join in praising Yahweh for his goodness to Israel virtually recognizes that Israel’s vocation was the salvation of the world.”⁵
  • Gentiles?
  • Both?
    • “In the context of the composition in Psalms 113–118, for which Psalm 117 was created, this alternative, “YHWH’s love and faithfulness toward Israel” or “YHWH’s love and faithfulness for the nations” is, in my opinion, false. The nations are called on by Israel here to praise YHWH because he has proved his love for Israel and for the nations”⁶

Sermon Notes

• Title: Worship the Lord
• Thesis: Let all nations worship the Lord for he is good and true.
• Outline
  • The Global Invitation (1)
  • The Gospel Reason (2)
  • Glory-Hallelujah! (2)

Intro

• Second to last Sunday in Estonia
• First time living outside the United States
• First time in a missionary church like this.
  • Diversity of the body (America, Colombia, Indonesia, South Africa, Nigeria, Cameroon, Czechia, Estonia, and more)
  • What brings us together is the good news of Jesus Christ
    • Fellowship flows from our common belief that Jesus is the Lord of our lives.
    • Our understanding that God exists, that he is our creator, that happiness, joy, fulfillment is bound up in living according to his design.
    • Our understanding that we have fallen short of that glory, that we have rebelled against him and caused pain and suffering for ourselves and others, and that we have committed treason againse the ruler of the universe.
    • Our understanding that though we were traiters and sinners, God loved us and sent his son to suffer and die and bear the weight of the wrath of God on our behalf.
    • Our understanding that we are now, by his grace alone, children of God. That there is nothing that we could do to deserve it, but God in his love and mercy brought us together into his family.
• So we will miss our family here. We will meet again here or in America or in glory. But thanks to Christ, this is not a final goodbye.
• Our text this morning celebrates the missionary work of God.
  • Our God is not the God of a particular nation or people or race.
  • He is the God of all the universe. He calls all people everywhere to repent and worship.
• Psalm 117 is a call for all of us to worship God.
• Rise to read Psalm 117
• Prayer
• Transition
  • Psalm 117 calls all of us, from every nation and language and tribe to worship the Lord because of He is good and true.
  • We’ll look at it in three points this morning:
    • The Global Invitation (1)
    • The Gospel Reason (2)
    • Glory-Hallelujah! (2)

1. The Global Invitation (1)

• Surprise of a Global invitation
  • A national identity
    • Deut 6, 23:3-7, 26:17-19
    • Creates a nation
      • Land, people, temple, priesthood, king
  • Come and see evangelism
    • Through Abraham all nations of the earth will be blessed
    • Solomon dedicates the temple 8:41-44
    • Solomon & Queen of Sheba
  • Go and tell evangelism
    • NT pattern: Matthew 28
    • Call to Jonah was so unique
    • NT struggle: does the gospel go to the Gentiles? Can they really be clean?
• Context: Hillel Psalms
  • Psalm 117 is the climax
  • Psalm 113 Yahweh is God alone
  • Psalm 114 Israel redeemed from Egypt
  • Psalm 115 Yahweh over the nations
  • Psalm 116 Personal Deliverance by Yahweh
  • Psalm 117 All nations are called to worship
  • Psalm 118 The steadfast love of Yahweh will continue forever
  • Ps 117 as Climax
    • Prophetic
    • points to the go and tell evangelism of the NT
    • fulfilled even here this morning
• Call for us to go and tell

2. The Gospel Reason (2)

Ex 34:5-7

• Lovingkindness
• Truth/Faithfulness
• Realized in Jesus Christ
• Romans 3:1-25 (focus on 21-25)

3. Glory-Hallelujah! (2)

Ex 34:8

• What do we do with this info about God? Worship
• “Hallelujah” == command “Worship the Lord”
• How to worship
  • Psalms 113-118
    • Dependence
    • Praise (boasting in the other)
    • singing
    • Holiness
    • thinking
  • Rom 12:9-21

Conclusion

• Rom 15:8-13
• This is where we are this morning. The gospel has gone out into the world. We are worshiping together this morning. Let us continue to praise the Lord.