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! - Psalm 117:1-2
I was a young boy when my uncle took me to see Gone With the Wind for the first time. I had not seen many movies, but I had seen enough to realize that this one was lasting a long time. I was surprised when after sitting there for two hours, we finally got to “Intermission.” I'd never been to anything that lasted long enough to have an intermission.
Psalm 117 is like an intermission in the flow of the Bible's long story. It is the precise middle of the English Bible's 1189 chapters, 594 chapters before it and 594 chapters after it. But far from being a black screen with the word "Intermission" written across it, it's a beautiful, memorable miniature of what God reveals to us about himself in the Bible and what our response to that revelation ought to be.
Speaking of miniature, this middle chapter of the Bible is also the shortest chapter of the Bible. In just two verses totaling only 28 words, this little psalm is the most compact example of a common pattern in the psalms. It begins and ends with a call to praise God, and in between gives reasons why we should praise the Lord.
Paul quoted this shortest psalm in his exposition of grace in Romans. He cited the first verse, "Praise the Lord, all nations! Extol him, all peoples!" in his summary of Christ being the only hope of Jews and Gentiles alike. Isn't it amazing how this little psalm can be so broad? It's a call to all nations, not just one. It's addressed to all peoples, not just Israel.
As a Gentile myself, I love this psalm so much! I am so glad this good news is in the Bible. Psalm 117 is a powerful reminder that narrow, nationalistic exclusivism was never God's design. Regardless of how it came to be the mindset of Jews by the time of Jesus's life on earth, God's plan didn't start that way, nor will it end like that.
Hateful racism is a misfit with the teaching of the Bible from the first mention of the promise to Abraham: "I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed." As the story comes to an end in Revelation, John sees something much broader than prejudiced exclusivists have ever imagined: "After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands...." Narrow-minded bigotry is an expression of fallen human flesh, not the spirit and design of God.
The same pair of attributes we've seen in other psalms are celebrated here. God's steadfast love is great, and his faithfulness endures forever. This is reason to rejoice. The steadfast love of God is so great that it prevails over our great sin, over Satan's intention, over death and hell itself. And that faithfulness (or truth) that abides forever is the foundation of our faith and trust. God is always faithful. His word never fails. He always keeps his promises.
So this little psalm right in the middle of the Bible is a masterpiece. It summarizes what's gone before, and previews what lies ahead. We've met God in Part One and seen what he's done for his people. But as the brief intermission ends, and the long story of the Bible continues, isn't it good to know that the best part is yet to come?
