I will hope continually, and will praise You yet more and more. My mouth shall tell of Your righteousness and Your salvation all the day. (Psalm 71:14-15)
A notable Jewish sage once made this observation: the most eloquent praise man can offer God is to continually hope, in spite of all, with uncomplaining faith for salvation. The primary example used to illustrate this noble concept is David. Rejected by family from a young age, held in contempt by Saul and others, David understood what it meant to persevere and to hope for what seemed well beyond his reach. In the worst of times, David proclaimed the Lord’s righteousness and his expectation of being preserved. Even in the throes of despair brought on by his own sin — for in truth, he deserved to die for the sin with Bathsheba — he placed his hope in God for restoration and redemption.
The evidence of this are the many psalms he composed that recount not only his suffering but his belief that, in the end, God would save him. Not only did he compose psalms but is credited with editing others that, together with his own, comprise the 150 psalms that have been preserved for us in the Bible. That is an amazing accomplishment but, according to some commentators, David hinted of a desire to produce even more songs, thus the statement, “I will praise You more and more.” The belief is, had he not been interrupted by the incessant suffering and persecution, he would have done just that. So the point is, within the hearts of those who love God and appreciate His mercy, there is a desire to continually tell of His righteousness and salvation.
Interestingly, the Hebrew words translated as “more and more” literally mean “beyond all.” Even more interesting is that the numerical value of these Hebrew words total 150 — the number of Psalms accredited to David. This “coincidence” suggests that, in the future, the songs of praise that will be offered to the Lord will far exceed the original 150. Of course, there are innumerable songs that have been written through the ages but the point is this — those who have hoped in the Lord will one day experience the redemption and salvation they have longed for. In that day, and for eternity, we will offer endless praise to recount His infinite wonders. As it is written, “They sang the song of Moses … and the song of the Lamb, saying: ‘Great and marvelous are Your works, Lord God Almighty! Just and true are Your ways, O King of the saints!’” (Revelation 15:3).
Blessings and Shalom,
Bill
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