If you’re following our reading plan, you’ve read Psalm 117 and observed, “Wow! That’s short.” Yep. Shortest psalm, shortest chapter in the Bible:

Praise the LORD, all you Gentiles! Laud Him, all you peoples! For His merciful kindness is great toward us, And the truth of the LORD endures forever. Praise the LORD! (Psalm 117, NKJV)

• Praise the LORD, all you Gentiles!
• Laud Him, all you peoples!
• For His merciful kindness is great toward us,
• And the truth of the LORD endures forever.
• Praise the LORD!

It’s not trivial to say, “Praise the LORD, all you Gentiles! Laud him, all you peoples!” Most Israelites would have said, “Wait! He’s OUR God! Who cares about the Gentiles?”

Answer, God cares about the Gentiles. That’s why he chose Abraham:

Now the LORD said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” (Genesis 12.1 – 3, ESV)

“In you ALL the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language. And they were amazed and astonished, saying, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language? …we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God.” (Acts 2.4 – 11, ESV, emphasis mine)

The shortest psalm reminds us of the biggest truth: “God so loved THE WORLD…”

And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.” (Revelation 7.9, 10, ESV)