Daily Bible Verse - 7/5/2007 - Psalm 117:1-2

Praise the LORD, all you nations;
extol him, all you peoples.

For great is his love toward us,
and the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever.
Praise the LORD. (NIV)

O praise the LORD, all ye nations: praise him, all ye people. For his merciful kindness is great toward us: and the truth of the LORD endureth for ever. Praise ye the LORD (KJV)

Praise the LORD, all nations;
Laud Him, all peoples!
For His lovingkindness is great toward us,
And the truth of the LORD is everlasting.
Praise the LORD! (NASB)

Psalm 117:1-2

Commentary

The seal of redemptive truth is bound up in this diminutive but seminal psalm-its profundity far outdistances its size. This pivotal psalm exhibits 3 distinguishing features: 1) it is the shortest psalm; 2) it is the shortest chapter in the Bible; and 3) it is the middle chapter of the Bible. That God looked redemptively beyond the borders of Israel in the OT is made clear here. The psalm looks back to God's intent for Adam and Eve in Eden (Gen. 1, 2) and looks ahead to the ultimate fulfillment in the new heavens and earth (Rev. 21, 22).

MacArthur, John Jr: The MacArthur Study Bible. electronic ed. Nashville : Word Pub., 1997, c1997, S. Ps 117:1

Did you know?

Today's verses (Psalm 117:1-2) comprise the shortest chapter in the Bible, also the middle chapter, is Psalm 117. It has only two verses.

Miller, Stephen M. ; Gross, Paul: How to Get into the Bible. Nashville : T. Nelson Publishers, 1998, S. 150

Daily Bible Verse - 7/4/2007 - 2 Corinthians 3:17

Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.(NIV)

Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. (KJV)

Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.(NASB)

2 Corinthians 3:17

Commentary

the Lord is the Spirit. Yahweh of the OT is the same Lord who is saving people in the New Covenant through the agency of the Holy Spirit. The same God is the minister of both the Old and New Covenants. there is liberty. Freedom from sin and the futile attempt to keep the demands of the law as a means of earning righteousness (cf. John 8:32-36; Rom. 3:19, 20). The believer is no longer in bondage to the law's condemnation and Satan's dominion.

MacArthur, John Jr: The MacArthur Study Bible. electronic ed. Nashville : Word Pub., 1997, c1997, S. 2 Co 3:17

Did you know?

The divine name Yahweh is usually translated "Lord" in English versions of the Bible, because it became a practice in late Old Testament Judaism not to pronounce the sacred name YHWH, but to say instead "my Lord" (Adonai)-a practice still used today in the synagogue. When the vowels of Adonai were attached to the consonants YHWH in the medieval period, the word Jehovah resulted. Today, many Christians use the word Yahweh, the more original pronunciation, not hesitating to name the divine name since Jesus taught believers to speak in a familiar way to God.

Youngblood, Ronald F. ; Bruce, F. F. ; Harrison, R. K. ; Thomas Nelson Publishers: Nelson's New Illustrated Bible Dictionary. Nashville : T. Nelson, 1995