Nothing But Praise

I'm preaching from Psalm 116 tomorrow morning in Davenport. This Psalm is part of the Hallel Psalms. They were written to help the Israelites not forget what God did for them when He led them out of Egypt. These Psalms became part of the celebration of Passover and other Holy Days for the Jews.

The Hallel Psalms start in 113 and conclude with Psalm 118. The first two were sung prior to the Passover meal and then the final four were sung after the meal. Most scholars think the hymns Jesus and his disciples sang after the Lord's Supper (Matthew 26 & Mark 14) were the final four Hallel Psalms.

As I was reading through Psalm 116 the idea of this being sung by Christ just minutes prior to his arrest made it take on a different meaning for me. The Psalm is nothing but praise in the face of the greatest trial known to man.

For the Israelites it was their trek through the Red Sea and the desert. For Christ it was His death via crucifixion. For you and me it might be a disease, a relationship, finances, job, future or even our past. It might just be life itself.

Look at what Jesus sang as he faced death. He sang that he loved the Lord (v1). He kept singing about how no matter what happened, he would be loyal to God (v2) and he would live right, or righteously (v9) and then he sang about his fresh resolve to obey the Lord.

The guards would have had to be on their way while Jesus and the disciples were singing these songs. But it didn't change anything. As a matter of fact, I think it gave Jesus a greater resolve as he brought this offering of praise to the Lord.

What Christ modeled for us can't go unnoticed. No matter what life doles out, may our offerings be nothing but praise.

Always in Pursuit!