Psalm 116 is a hymn of individual thanksgiving for recovery from serious illness. It has the character of anthology as it quotes from other psalms. True, he must face his recent suffering and impending death, but he relies upon the Lord for help and deliverance. He can rely upon the Lord because the Lord is gracious, righteous, and merciful. The help the Lord provides transforms him. He has kept the faith even while going through affliction. He knows his weakness, but he focuses upon faithfulness. The author places himself before the Lord as a servant, offering thanks to the Lord.
Psalm 116:12-19 are the part of the psalm in which the poet becomes a transformed being. Instead of focusing upon personal weakness, the poet focuses upon faithfulness. He vows a public thanksgiving offering if the Lord will help him. 12 What shall I return to the Lord for all the bounty the Lord provides to me? Here is the only question asked in the psalm. Behind the question is not the notion that the Lord is keeping a ledger of the good one experiences in life, places us in debt, and expects repayment of the debt. Rather, the model is one of gratitude. The Lord has been good to me so of course I want to express my gratitude. The psalmist will identify some of the things he is doing to express his gratitude for the good the Lord has done in his life. 13 I will lift up the cup of salvation, the saving help of the Lord and call on the name of the Lord. This cup is a libation celebrating the deliverance of the poet. He may refer to the libation accompanying the thanksgiving offering. It may also be metaphorical, as a toast to the Lord invoking the name of the Lord to publicize the great deeds of the Lord. Just as the poet invoked the name of the Lord when asking for help in verse 4, he invokes the name of the Lord when offering thanks. The phrase became significant for Christian liturgy regarding Holy Communion. 14 I will pay my vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people. He feels an obligation to pay whatever vows he had made in exchange for the deliverance he has received. Such “I do so that God will do” views could easily degenerate into a spiritual void, prompting such religious leaders as the prophets to criticize self-serving sacrifices as hollow and ineffectual. However, such a thank offering is a token of this payment, fulfilling a vow made in the time of trouble that he can now pay. He then stresses that death is costly and therefore, 15 precious (yakar, grievous) in the sight of the Lord is the death of the faithful ones of the Lord. Death is costly because it breaks off all relationship between the Lord and the people. The psalmist gives voice to a sentiment that has become one of the most used phrases at funerals. The Lord does not wish those who adhere to the Lord to die. Therefore, the poet is assured that the Lord keep him alive. 16 O Lord, I am your servant; I am your servant, the child of your serving girl, an epithet of extreme humility. Here is the best the psalmist can offer in gratitude for the good the Lord has brought into his life. He will become the servant of the Lord for the rest of his life. You have loosed my bonds. This may refer to his illness. It may also be a general description of being constricted as one in trouble. He comes back to the saving help the Lord has demonstrated in his life. 17 I will offer to you a thanksgiving sacrifice and call on the name of the Lord. 18 I will pay my vows to the Lord in the presence of all the people of the Lord, 19 in the courts of the house of the Lord, in your midst, O Jerusalem. He will offer his tank offering in the temple in Jerusalem. Praise the Lord!
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