Psalm 116

Still reviewing the “Hallel Psalms” used with Passover, this one is unique in the collection — it was originally composed as an intensely personal individual experience. However, it’s not hard to see how it calls on the nation to enter into that experience as a reflection of all the trials of the Exodus.

Who could be unmoved by the devotion of others to our welfare? Well, Our God is a Person, as well, and He defines the quality of faithfulness we love in others. He is the source and ultimate symbol of what makes every child warmly embrace his or her own parents. When I cry, God hears. Why should I go to anyone else?

We might struggle to recount the sorrows we’ve seen, but God was there in the midst of them. He stands ready to deliver. We say these words often, but far too many people have their minds closed off to the deep moral awareness of their hearts. When your heart becomes the seat of your awareness, you cannot avoid sensing the full weight of His divine Presence. You know He’s there and will deliver you; there is no doubt that He cares beyond all comprehension.

And even if someone lacked the broad sense of worldly wisdom, when their hearts rule their minds, the pure simplicity of moral focus will carry them through. God watches of them as if they were the greatest men on this earth. There are times when all the erudition in the world won’t help you, but a pure heart that rules can carry you through Hell.

So the psalmist calls for his soul to stop panicking and just return to that place of peace, because the Lord’s redemption is so overwhelmingly generous and sure. Every flaw of our human existence is more than matched by His power and mercy. Death has to wait until God is ready for us; meanwhile, He wipes our tears and gives us traction to march on His mission. With such gracious provision, we are eager to carry His banner before the whole world.

In verse 10 the word for “I believed” is better translated as moral certainty. It comes from the image of nurturing something with constant long-term care; it’s a faith that is unshakable because God is the one who is faithful. With that kind of commitment binding us to the Lord, we would be eager to relate at length to anyone who will listen, how God carried us through our own personal exodus from slavery. By comparison, we are quick to confess our cynicism about human nature, even our own nature.

How could we possibly repay His kindness? What could we give that God did not give to us first? So in His divine Presence, we worship and share with Him the sweet wine of deliverance. Not merely for show, but we will humbly and publicly render to Him whatever offering and service is mentioned in the covenant by which we have vowed to serve Him. And typical of any real shepherd sheikh, God counts as His most precious resource the people of His living domain. When any of them perish, it’s a big loss.

How fortunate we are to count ourselves slaves born in His household, yet He adopted us as His own children. So the full accounting of what He demands is our minimum return to Him. We will gladly set the example for others, to encourage and provoke them to the same ardor in serving Him. Let us all keep each other honest in upholding the covenant.