The word ‘aman means to have the confidence that comes from depending on a reliable resource, such as a loving parent––or Yahweh. We should deem ourselves bound to walk as in his presence. Once a person is dead, he/she feels no more pain. The psalmist believed in Yahweh, and that gave him confidence to face his adversities. But in this verse, the psalmist takes the cup of salvation––drinks deeply from the blessing that Yahweh has bestowed on him––on the renewed life that Yahweh has given him. To turn one’s ear to someone is to position yourself to hear that person as clearly as possible. Such a vow could be, “Save me, Lord, and I will do (whatever).”. The word hannun means gracious or merciful. Because he inclined his ear to me, therefore I will call on him as long as I live. “I was greatly afflicted.”, 11 I said in my haste, This psalm reveals the heart of a passionate man, so we can imagine him pleading passionately for God’s mercy. To call upon the name of the Lord, then, means something more than appealing for relief from a crisis. A wise counselor once told me, “We do what works for us.”  His point was that, when rewarded for our effort, we will continue to do the same thing again and again. As such, even if his father should gain freedom, as the son of a handmaid, the psalmist would remain a servant (Exodus 21:4). Some of us have experienced the cords of death closing around us. What does he have that Yahweh needs? The contents might be the blessing of abundance (Psalm 23:5) or consolation (Jeremiah 16:7). If so, the context of this Psalm is not sickness but treachery (cf. (Read Psalm 116:1-9) We have many reasons for loving the Lord, but are most affected by his loving-kindness when relieved out of deep distress. 3 The sorrows of death compassed me, and the pains of hell gat hold upon […] I love the LORD, because He has heard my voice: The 5 Yahweh is Gracious and righteous. “Yahweh, truly I am your servant. The Court of the Gentiles (open to Gentiles). into thy rest; for Jehovah hath recompensed unto thee. The psalmist is praying for Yahweh’s help in escaping from the peril that so threatens him. He may have in mind ropes or nets that he has used to ensnare game. The word raham means merciful or compassionate. Like other psalms of this type (see Psalm 30; 32; 34), Psalm 116 begins by saying that God has rescued the psalmist from trouble (verses 1-2). “I will pay my vows to Yahweh, yes, in the presence of all his people” (v. 18). 2 Because he has turned his ear to me, The psalmist says, “I was brought low, and (Yahweh) saved me.”. It is only natural, then, that the psalmist will pledge true loyalty to Yahweh. They could not have conceived of a soul apart from a body–– or of the soul continuing to live after the body died. Sign In | Sign Up × Vowing service to God in thanks for His deliverance . Then the psalm describes the distressing circumstance now past (verse 3), recalls a prayer for help (verse 4) along with the Lord’s … Continue reading "Commentary on Psalm 116:1-2, 12-19" See the comments on verse 14 above. (10-19). "It seems fitting that a service in which Psalm 116 is the sermon text would create the time and space for worshipers to offer testimony to answered prayer and to intercede for those who are still waiting for … Praise Yah! Like Psalm 118, Psalm 116 is also a psalm of thanksgiving. 4 (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1996), Ross, Allen P., A Commentary on the Psalms, 90-150, Vol. 4 Then called I upon the name of the LORD; O LORD, I beseech thee, deliver my soul. The proud person is likely to feel “self-made”––and thus feels no obligation to God or man. ; and Briggs, Charles A., The Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon (Peabody, Massachusetts: Hendrickson Publishers, 1906, 2004), Doniach, N.S. 1. Our raham God is sympathetic to those in need. Not only will he pay his vows to Yahweh, but he will do so “in the presence of all his people”––bearing witness to the faithfulness that Yahweh has shown him. I was brought low, and he saved me. John Calvin comments on today’s passage that the distress of the psalmist “was removed from him, because he felt that God was indeed propitious towards him.” Knowing that the Lord has good things for His people and is eager to hear us is an encouragement for us to call out to Him, and His deliverance gives us further reason to love and worship Him. Ezekiel uses it to describe someone who sins through ignorance (Ezekiel 45:20). He prayed and Yahweh heard, so the psalmist will continue to pray in the hope and expectation that the God who heard once will hear him again. When a poor sinner is awakened to a sense of his state, and fears that he must soon sink under the just wrath of God, then he finds trouble and sorrow. Psalm 116 is a prayer of thanksgiving. and Kahane, Ahuvia, The Oxford English-Hebrew Dictionary (Oxford University Press, 1998), Fohrer, Georg, Hebrew & Aramaic Dictionary of the Old Testament (SCM Press, 2012), Freedman, David Noel (ed. in the midst of you, Jerusalem. yes, in the presence of all his people. Doing good is sacrifice, with which God is well pleased; and this must accompany giving thanks to his name. Psalms 116:2 Because he hath inclined his ear unto me, therefore will I call upon him as long as I live. Psalm 116:1–9. I was sure I was going to die, because I could see no possibility of rescue. The word tahanun means a prayer of supplication or a plea for mercy. The old Greek Bible does this. 3  (Grand Rapids: Kregel Publications, 2016), Tate, Marvin E., Word Biblical Commentary: Psalms 51-100 (Dallas: Word Books, 1990), Waltner, James H., Believers Church Bible Commentary: Psalms (Scottdale, Pennsylvania: Herald Press, 2006), Baker, Warren (ed. 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