Week 26 (Days 112-116), Psalm 118

Psalm 111—118.

This group of eight psalms begin or end with Hallel or Hallelujah (Praise the Lord). There are two exceptions: 114 and 118. They are still considered as Hallelujah Psalms because of the context of the surrounding psalms and their content. 114 is viewed as an illustration of the final point of 113.

Psalms 113-118

113 is part of the previous set of three as well as this set of six Hallel or Hallelujah (Praise the Lord) Psalms. They were sung in post exilic times at Passover (Days of Unleavened Bread), Pentecost, and the Feast of Tabernacles, and probably at all the Holy Days. The Soncino commentary notes that they were distinguished as the Hallel of Egypt (from the mention of Egypt in 114:1, which tied them to the Passover season and Holy Days in general) from “the Great Hallel,” which was defined as the songs of ascents (120ff). Jesus and the disciples traditionally sang 118 at the Passover before he was crucified.

Psalm 118

Author: Not known.

Time/Occasion: Not known, but it was written late in Judah’s history, probably after the Babylonian captivity. V. 27 connects it with the Feast of Tabernacles. It best fits the circumstances of the great keeping of the Feast of Tabernacles in 444 BC under Nehemiah. The Samaritans had tried to thwart the finishing of the walls around Jerusalem and were afraid and depressed when that project was finished (Neh. 6:15-16). Jerusalem was once again a fortified city 142 years after its destruction in 586 BC by Nebuchadnezzar. This great victory gave hope and joy to the Jews there, and this psalm expresses their joy and thankfulness for the victory.

It was used in the three festival seasons in joyful processions of the people to the temple. The victory referenced can be any previous victory beginning with the first national deliverance from Egypt, the victory over sin in general, and the victory of Christ over death through resurrection.

Jesus applied verses 22-23 to Himself in Matthew 21:42. Because of its use at Holy Days, it is traditionally believed to be the psalm that Jesus and the disciples sang the night He was betrayed (Matthew 26:30 and Mark 14:26). Its message certainly fits the occasion

This is a major Psalm with deep meaning and application. For this reason sections and several notable verses are listed, and the personal application section is more extensive than usual.

Main theme: A joyful procession to the temple expressing great jubilation.

Secondary theme: Jesus’ farewell hymn. It prophesies of His rejection, His strengthening through the dark hours of His “passion,” and ultimately to His exaltation in the Kingdom as the “Chief Corner Stone.”

Sections:

V. 1-4. Foundational relationship with God.

V. 5-9. God as our ally—ultimate safety and life despite attacks of enemies.

V. 10-14. Triumph over enemies.

V. 15-18. Joy of the delivered.

V. 19-25. The procession enters the temple.

V. 26-29. The service in the temple.

Notable verses:

V. 6. Statement of Christ’s faith. (Cp. Matthew 10:28.)

V. 14. Quoted from the Song of the Redeemed in Exodus 15:2.

V. 17. Refers to the second death.

V. 19. Gates of the temple opened to the procession of worshippers.

V. 20. Gate (singular) refers to Christ: also called the “Door.”

V. 22-23. Direct prophecy of Christ’s rejection and exaltation.

V. 24. Can refer to the day of deliverance, the Holy Day, and the day God the Father made Him the Capstone.

V. 26. This blessing was pronounced by the priests to each worshipper in the procession .

V. 27. The procession could go no farther than the altar, where the priests took over. The animal to be sacrificed was tied up to await its sacrifice and death. The term, “given us light” is a symbol of deliverance (Cp. Esther 8:16). It was through Christ’s sacrifice that deliverance came to mankind.

Hymnal: #70 O Give Thanks Unto Our God ; #143 Be Not Afraid My People

Personal application—how to use this Psalm in prayer:

This was a jubilant but thoughtful prayer of its composer and of the whole nation at times. But, when you read it from the standpoint of Jesus singing it for the last time with His personal friends knowing that He was about to be forsaken by them and go to His torture and death alone it becomes absolutely profound and contains all the elements of faith that were needed for Him to get through the greatest trial any human being has ever had. His prayers relate directly to our lives. They teach us how to pray during a trial of extreme duress.

V. 5. God has set us in a large place or situation. Like Jesus, we have a high calling with God’s guarantee of complete success, but, we also face great trials in our lives. In this life we will have to forego immediate gratification and satisfaction of our needs. Therefore, we must keep our eyes on the future when we will receive full reward in order to endure to the end as Jesus did: Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God (Hebrews 12:2). The “large place” is the calling that we have with the ultimate end being entrance into God’s Kingdom (2 Peter 1:11). He sang this hymn with his close friends, prayed earnestly under great stress, and then went to the cross without fear. This is our example.

V. 7-9. That night Christ taught His disciples, served them food, washed their feet, enjoyed fellowship, and sang with them. As He sang this hymn, one disciple had already gone to betray Him. The other eleven would forsake Him before the night was out. He knew every man would disappoint Him, so He was prepared in this way to cope with disappointment and disloyalty. This example is important for us to learn and follow. We should not expect our brethren, the Church, or anyone to be perfect and never hurt us. All of our acquaintances, friends, leaders and rulers will let us down at times. Be forewarned and therefore forearmed to fight anger, bitterness, depression, condemnation, recrimination, etc. Christ was able to forgive His disciples (and all mankind) because of His love for us and His low expectations. He knows what is in man (John 2:25). We know about the downward pulls of human nature and should be forearmed with this knowledge. When someone lets us down it will help us forgive, have compassion, and not commit the sins of hatred, resentment, bitterness, etc. And we should include these things in our discussions with God.

V. 10-12. All of mankind—each one of us—were represented at the cross. We are all individually responsible for the murder of Jesus Christ, the Innocent One. We will, as a part of our training, be in similar situations where we are under hateful attack unfairly. When you feel like you’re surrounded by attacking bees, pray for relief and justice in God’s way and time—in the name of the Lord.

V. 15-17. In the face of certain death, Christ kept His focus on His salvation through the resurrection. This is given as His perfect example for us to follow. What if it’s hard to maintain faith? Take it to God. Prayer is mandatory to keeping focus under duress.

V. 27. As the sacrificial animal was bound to the altar, condemned to death (past the point of no return), so was Christ bound by nails to the cross—a type of His spiritual commitment to go through with His crucifixion. We also are bound by covenant to our own full sacrifice in God’s service. This, too, needs to be part of our regular prayers, lest we forget. There will be many times when you will have a temptation to think or act contrary to God’s law or His Spirit. Those are the times to remember that you are completely bound by your word and covenant to choose the right. Those who don’t pray about this will likely not remember in a time of distraction or temptation. To treat this lightly is to court disaster. On the last night of His life, Christ set the example of earnest, focused, persistent prayer in the hour of temptation.

Summary comment on Psalm 118

This is fitting for Jesus’ farewell hymn on Passover night. It describes His situation as the sacrificial human Lamb of God, giving His life not only voluntarily, but enthusiastically for us to live. It contains joy and deep love as well as faith in the resurrection and reward in the Kingdom. It expresses encouragement in worshipping God and in His way of life. There is serious warning for us. And, as the Psalms all do, it instructs us in our prayerful worship, in this case, in a time of extreme duress.