February 20, 2019 (Wednesday)
Psalms 115 is a congregational prayer; Psalms 116 is an individual thanksgiving for deliverance from imminent danger of death. The language is general, and the precise nature of the danger does not appear: most likely it was sickness. In many points the Psalm reminds us of Hezekiah’s thanksgiving (Isaiah 38). But whatever it was, the danger had been extreme, and the thanksgiving is correspondingly earnest. The Psalmist was familiar with older Psalms, and freely adapts language from them (especially Psalms 18, 27, 31, 56) but gives it fresh force from the depths of his own recent experience.
New International Version (NIV)
I. ANSWERED PRAYER DEMANDS LIFELONG LOVE AND GRATITUDE (1-2)
1 I love the Lord, for he heard my voice;
he heard my cry for mercy.
2 Because he turned his ear to me,
I will call on him as long as I live.
II. THE PSALMIST’S PRAYER IN PERIL (3-4)
3 The cords of death entangled me,
the anguish of the grave came over me;
I was overcome by distress and sorrow.
4 Then I called on the name of the Lord:
“Lord, save me!”
III. THE CHARACTER OF THE LORD, REALIZED IN THE PSALMIST’S EXPERIENCE 5-6)
5 The Lord is gracious and righteous;
our God is full of compassion.
6 The Lord protects the unwary;
when I was brought low, he saved me.
IV. THE PSALMIST ENCOURAGES HIMSELF WITH THE RECOLLECTION OF GOD’S MERCY (7-9)
7 Return to your rest, my soul,
for the Lord has been good to you.
8 For you, Lord, have delivered me from death,
my eyes from tears,
my feet from stumbling,
9 that I may walk before the Lord
in the land of the living.
V. FAITH’S TRIUMPH MUST BE FOLLOWED BY GRATEFUL THANKSGIVING (10-14)
10 I trusted in the Lord when I said,
“I am greatly afflicted”;
11 in my alarm I said,
“Everyone is a liar.”
12 What shall I return to the Lord
for all his goodness to me?
13 I will lift up the cup of salvation
and call on the name of the Lord.
14 I will fulfill my vows to the Lord
in the presence of all his people.
VI. THE LORD’S CARE FOR HIS BELOVED ONES HAS BEEN ILLUSTRATED IN THE PSALMIST’S EXPERIENCE, AND FOR THESE MERCIES HE WILL HAVE PUBLIC THANKS IN THE TEMPLE. (15-19)
15 Precious in the sight of the Lord
is the death of his faithful servants.
16 Truly I am your servant, Lord;
I serve you just as my mother did;
you have freed me from my chains.
17 I will sacrifice a thank offering to you
and call on the name of the Lord.
18 I will fulfill my vows to the Lord
in the presence of all his people,
19 in the courts of the house of the Lord–
in your midst, Jerusalem.
Praise the Lord (Hebrew Hallelu Yah)
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