Meditations on Psalm 118

I began reading Psalm 118 this morning after having read Psalms 28, 58, and 88. Although I read all of the Psalms of the day devotedly, I've found that God usually speaks to me through one in particular on any given day. Today that Psalm was 118.

Because there is so much to say, I'm not sure where I should begin. But in the interest of time (I don't have much to spend here, and I'm sure anyone reading doesn't either), I'm going to share just a few verses that pierced my soul (in a good way :) ).

I say here that the Psalm pierced my soul, so let me briefly explain what I mean. As I was reading, God's word seemed to literally puncture the layers of indifference and self-centeredness that often characterize my life. It went straight to my heart, and as a consequence it came to life before my very eyes. I can attribute this to nothing other than the result of the Spirit opening my eyes to His word upon my faithful submission to His truth. Today it was particularly vivid, and it allowed me to grasp more fully what is meant by the author of Hebrews in his 4th chapter, verse 12: "For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart."

I don't believe that it's an accident that Hebrews 4:12 came to my mind, largely because it points to another passage that uses the imagery of a sharp, two-edged sword: Revelation 1:16. There Jesus is described as one who has a sharp, two-edged sword proceeding from His mouth. I take this to mean that out of Jesus' mouth comes the word of God continually, and this makes sense, since He is, well, God.

I say all of this because Psalm 118 is primarily about Messiah, and I believe with all of my being that Jesus is Messiah, the promised Christ. Look at verses 15-18. Verse 15 says that "The sound of joyful shouting and salvation is in the tents of the righteous...", after which verses 17 & 18 say, "I shall not die, but live, And tell of the works of the LORD. The LORD has disciplined me severely, But He has not given me over to death." It seems to me that these verses are speaking of the joy that is my salvation because of what Jesus did on the cross. Look at the next group of verses.

Verses 19-21 speak about God opening the gates of righteousness so that "I shall enter through them...This is the gate of the LORD; The righteous will enter through it." These verses recall for me Psalm 24, in which the King of Glory comes through the everlasting doors. Who is this King of Glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle. Let's look further at what Psalm 118 has to say about this King.

What, you may ask, are the verses that follow 19-21? Their content is what Peter preaches on in Acts 4:11, calling everyone to put their faith in Jesus. That is because He is "The stone which the builders rejected...", who "Has become the chief corner stone." Who did this? Verse 23 tells us that "This is the LORD's doing." I believe this is a reference to God's raising Jesus from the dead, given the context provided by verses 17 & 18.

But the apex of the Good News preached in the Psalm is verse 27. It says, "The LORD is God, and He has given us light; Bind the festival sacrifice with cords to the horns of the altar." This verse makes me think of John 1:4, which says, "In Him (Jesus) was life, and that life was the light of men." We have light, we have hope, because Christ came into our darkness, to bring us life - His life. And the next part of Psalm 118:27 tells us how we may have that life, which is never-ending. We may have life because Jesus was and is and will always be the perfect sacrifice that was offered in our place. Though we deserve to die, He took our death sentence and made it His own. In light of this, what other response should we give than what is found in Psalm 118:29 - "Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; For His lovingkindness is everlasting."

As I close on my meditations of Psalm 118, this last verse brings to mind another Psalm. Psalm 73:28 tells me that "The nearness of God is my good." How much nearer can God come than when He came as a Man to lay down His life for me, His friend? There just can't be a greater love than that, and that is why He, Jesus Christ, will always and forever be my savior, my friend, my Lord, and my God. I could live for other things, and they often do capture my heart for brief periods. But my heart always comes back, seeking the One for whom it was made, and I really don't want it to be any other way. That is no testimony of my goodness; it is an acknowledgment of His.


~ Reid