Psalm 118: Holy Week & Easter in One Psalm
Psalm 118Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
for his steadfast love endures forever!2 Let Israel say,
“His steadfast love endures forever.”
3 Let the house of Aaron say,
“His steadfast love endures forever.”
4 Let those who fear the Lord say,
“His steadfast love endures forever.”5 Out of my distress I called on the Lord;
the Lord answered me and set me free.
6 The Lord is on my side; I will not fear.
What can man do to me?
7 The Lord is on my side as my helper;
I shall look in triumph on those who hate me.8 It is better to take refuge in the Lord
than to trust in man.
9 It is better to take refuge in the Lord
than to trust in princes.10 All nations surrounded me;
in the name of the Lord I cut them off!
11 They surrounded me, surrounded me on every side;
in the name of the Lord I cut them off!
12 They surrounded me like bees;
they went out like a fire among thorns;
in the name of the Lord I cut them off!
13 I was pushed hard, so that I was falling,
but the Lord helped me.14 The Lord is my strength and my song;
he has become my salvation.
15 Glad songs of salvation
are in the tents of the righteous:
“The right hand of the Lord does valiantly,
16 the right hand of the Lord exalts,
the right hand of the Lord does valiantly!”17 I shall not die, but I shall live,
and recount the deeds of the Lord.
18 The Lord has disciplined me severely,
but he has not given me over to death.19 Open to me the gates of righteousness,
that I may enter through them
and give thanks to the Lord.
20 This is the gate of the Lord;
the righteous shall enter through it.
21 I thank you that you have answered me
and have become my salvation.
22 The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone.[b]
23 This is the Lord‘s doing;
it is marvelous in our eyes.
24 This is the day that the Lord has made;
let us rejoice and be glad in it.25 Save us, we pray, O Lord!
O Lord, we pray, give us success!26 Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!
We bless you from the house of the Lord.
27 The Lord is God,
and he has made his light to shine upon us.
Bind the festal sacrifice with cords,
up to the horns of the altar!28 You are my God, and I will give thanks to you;
you are my God; I will extol you.
29 Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
for his steadfast love endures forever!
Coral Rose | Mercer Botanical Garden | March 2023
There is one true thing that I cling to in the midst of life’s turmoil and trouble. It is the goodness of God. His faithfulness, steadfast love, unwavering truth, and absolutely reliable trustworthiness sustain me in the raging flood. So as we begin this Holy Week, I am thankful for the message of this psalm, and the bookends of it:
Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
for his steadfast love endures forever!
We’ll be staying with this Psalm for two weeks. There is so much here. And we begin with shouts of praise, honor, glory, and petition: Save us, O LORD, you who come in the Name of the LORD.
Holy week begins with a triumphant procession of Jesus with his disciples entering Jerusalem. Coming down the road from the Mount of Olives crowds cheer him. Palm branches are cut from the trees, waved in the air, and laid on the road on which he is riding. “Hosanna!” cry the crowds. “Save us!” it means. “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna!” Right out of this psalm:
Save us, we pray, O Lord!
O Lord, we pray, give us success!
26 Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!
We bless you from the house of the Lord.
Two important things generate these cries. First of all, Jesus has come. He comes to us today in his word and in the Supper. He comes to us in brothers and sisters in Christ. He comes to us when two or three gather in his name. He will come to us again at the end of all time to receive us into his eternal mansions in heaven. Blessed is he who comes in the Name of the LORD for he brings grace and truth, perfectly balanced, held in right tension, beautifully intertwined in the life, teaching, suffering, death, resurrection and return of Jesus. We rejoice that he came to rescue and redeem us. We thank God that he sustains us each day with his abiding presence. We look forward to his Second Coming on the Great Last Day. Hosanna! Save us! Thanks be to God, he has.
Which is the second reason we cry out, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the Name of the LORD.” We need a Savior. We need someone who comes in the name of the LORD to save us. We have sinned. We are broken. We have broken faith. We have offended God. We have done wrong things. We have failed to do right things. We might want to compare ourselves to others and say we’re not that bad. But when we compare ourselves to the Gold Standard of morality, decency, and godliness, we see how far short we fall. Jesus (the Gold Standard) does not fall short.
Try this: 1 Corinthians is the love chapter of the Bible. Paul so beautifully describes what love does not do and what it does.
Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant 5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; 6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. 7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. – 1 Corinthians 13:4-7
Now try this. Everywhere the word love is found in that passage, substitute your name. Does it work? All the time? Without exception? Perfectly? Does it work?
Now try Jesus’ name. It works. Jesus is kind. He keeps no records of wrongs. He bears all things – including our sin. Endured all things – including the horrific suffering on the cross. His love endures forever. Give thanks to the LORD our God for his goodness, mercy, and steadfast love!
David Bahn - Reflections 