Two for one

Psalm 115 and 116:  Two more psalms in the series of Hallel psalms, one a trust hymn, the other a psalm of individual salvation. According to one Konrad Schaefer's commentary, Psalm 116 is actually two psalms in Greek and Latin translations, with v. 1-9 appearing as Psalm 114 and 10-19 as Psalm 115. He says the first part of this psalm is a cry for help, where the psalmist is close to death, and God's response, and the second part is a liturgical response to the situation. What resonates here with me is the opening line: "I love the Lord because he has heard my voice and my supplications." That affirmation is paralleled in v. 2, with the psalmist affirming that he/she will call on God for the remainder of his/her life. Further on, another affirmation of life: "I walk before the Lord in the land of the living."(v. 9)  No longer is the psalmist near death as in verse 3, but walks with God, clearly on the side of life, not death, a parallel thought from v. 8, where the psalmist proclaims that God delivered him/her from death and kept his/her feet from stumbling. The first half of this psalm is an affirmation of life, even in the face of grave danger or illness, and that because God delivers from death, the psalmist keeps his/her life and faith.