Psalm 116:1-9;
key verse, verse 9—that I might walk before the Lord in the
land of the living.
PAYING THE VOW OF
GRATITUDE
As another one of the Egyptian Hallel Psalms (Psalms 113-118), sung by
Jesus with His disciples on the night of His betrayal and arrest (Matthew 26:30
and Mark 14:26), we can say with G. Campbell Morgan: “Whatever the local circumstances which gave
rise to this song, it is evident that all its rich meaning was fulfilled, when
in the midst of that little company of perplexed souls, the shadows of the One
Death already on Him, Jesus sang this song of prophetic triumph over the
sharpness of the hour of passion to which He was passing. He has made it over
to all His own as their triumph song over death.”[2]
Psalms 116 is a
prayer of thanksgiving and praise to God for deliverance from death – hence the
emphasis on verse 9 as the key verse. It may have been written by a king. Verse
16 is very similar to the writing style of King David; however, they are very
close to the events of King Hezekiah who thanked the Lord for sparing his life
in Isaiah 38:10-20.
As a whole, psalm
116 is song of seven stanzas falling into three main divisions: verses 1-6, verses 7-14, and verses 15-19.
Collect for Psalm 116: God of power and mercy, through the Passion and resurrection of your Son you have freed us from the bonds of death and the anguish of separation from you. Be with us on our pilgrimage and help us offer you a sacrifice of praise, fulfill our vows, and glorify you in the presence of all your people; through Jesus Christ our Lord.[3] -07 September 2021
[1] Luther’s Seal, copyright © Ed Riojas, Higher Things
[3] For All the Saints, A Prayer Book For and By the Church, © 1996 The American Lutheran Publicity Bureau, Delhi, NY
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