1 Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles!
Laud Him, all you peoples!
2 For His merciful kindness is great toward us,
And the truth of the Lord endures forever.
Praise the Lord!
This shortest of all the Psalms represents a distillation of praise for the central redemptive promise of the Bible—to wit: that the Gentiles would experience God’s blessing through Israel (see Genesis 12:3) and so be joined to the one community of those who praise the Lord. This intended sense of the psalm is indicated by (1) the Gentiles’ praise of God being represented here as the result of God’s lovingkindness towards Israel, and (2) the citation of this psalm in Romans 15:11 with direct reference to the Gentiles’ worship of God for their receipt of God’s mercy through faith in Christ. It is in Christ, specifically, that God’s promise to bless the Gentiles through Abraham/Israel is fulfilled (see Galatians 3:14). ..The statement usually translated “His lovingkindness is great toward us” is in fact literally (and preferably) rendered “has prevailed over us”—which correlates perfectly (and beautifully) with the Gospel message that God’s love towards us is demonstrated in that Christ died for us while we were yet enemies of God (Romans 5:8-10) — Wechsler, page 278.
__________
Israel from the day that she was redeemed out of Egypt to the present moment has done, an din the future will yet do, everything possible to prevent the fulfillment of the promises made to her. Idolatry, apostasy, hypocrisy, ingratitude, the murder of prophets and of the Messiah, centuries of hatred to His name and people, and the future acceptance of the Anti-Christ in preference to Him (John 5:43)—all will be forgiven; and she will invite the nations to join with her in praising a grace that as to sin forgives everything, and as to promise forgets nothing. Thus the nations will learn through His dealings with her what a God and Savior Messiah is. — Williams, page 388.
