PRAISE THE LORD ALL YOU NATIONS AND ALL YOU PEOPLE

Proclamation:

“Praise The Lord, all you nations; extol Him, all you people.  For great is His love towards us, and the faithfulness of The Lord endures forever.  Praise The Lord.”  Psalm 117:1-2 (NIV)

Explanation:

The name of the human author of this psalm is unknown, however, it is clear that it was written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  This is another one of the “Hallelujah psalms” (Psalms 112 through 118) which was sung during the feasts celebrated by the children of Israel.  This psalm is the shortest of all psalms and is only two verses in length.  It calls upon all people of all nations to praise The Lord.  It begins and ends with the phrase, “Praise The Lord.” 

Application:                                                                                                                                

Saying, or singing, “Hallelujah” is the highest form of praise that we can offer The Lord God.  Unfortunately, there are no nations today which praise The Lord.  It is also unfortunate that all of the people alive today do not praise The Lord.  However, there will come a time when all the earth will praise Him.  Currently, He is still gathering “us” His people from among the Gentiles.  The point here is that God’s redemptive purpose was a global, worldwide one. (Psalm 117:1 and repeated by the Apostle Paul in Romans 15:11)  The invitation was extended to all people but all did not accept it.  When the day comes that He has gathered up all of His people, the remaining nations will praise Him. (Zechariah 2:11 and 14:16)  The question is, will you be in the group that He gathers, or will you be one of the ones left behind? (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17)  Believe, and praise The Lord.