1 I love the Lord, because he has heard
my voice and my supplications.
2 Because he inclined his ear to me,
therefore I will call on him as long as I live.
...
12 What shall I return to the Lord
for all his bounty to me?
13 I will lift up the cup of salvation
and call on the name of the Lord,
14 I will pay my vows to the Lord
in the presence of all his people.
15 Precious in the sight of the Lord
is the death of his faithful ones.
16 O Lord, I am your servant;
I am your servant, the child of your serving girl.
You have loosed my bonds.
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 his people,
19 in the courts of the house of the Lord,
in your midst, O Jerusalem.
Praise the Lord!
Psalm 116 is a hymn of individual thanksgiving for recovery from serious illness. True, he must face his recent suffering and possible 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: 1-2, a segment that extends to verse 9, deal with the psalmist's fear of death. The writer is helpless and relies upon God. The Lord can deliver. 1 I love the Lord, because he has heard my voice and my supplications. 2 Because he inclined his ear to me, therefore I will call on him as long as I live. As is common with such prayers in the psalter, we do not know the precise nature of the illness that confronted him. It was obviously severe.
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. 12 What shall I return to the Lord for all thebounty the Lord provides to me? Here is the only question asked in the psalm. Behind the question is not the notion that God 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. God 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. 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 easilydegenerate into a spiritual void, prompting such religious leaders as the prophets to criticize self-serving sacrifices as hollow and ineffectual. Death is costly. Therefore, 15 precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of the faithful ones of the Lord. The 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. 16 O Lord, I am your servant; I am your servant, the child of your serving girl. 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. 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. Praise the Lord!
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