Psalms 118:1
The Bible says in Psalm 118:1-4, O give
thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: because his mercy endureth
for ever.[2] Let Israel now say, that his
mercy endureth for ever.[3]
Let the house of Aaron now say, that his mercy endureth
for ever.[4] Let them now
that fear the LORD say, that his mercy endureth for ever. Verse one gives two
reasons to be thankful to the LORD. The first reason given is because he is good. That is one
of the many differences between human beings and God. Human beings are not
good. Human beings are evil compared to God. Sometimes we compare human beings
to each other, and then comparatively speaking, we will say that a certain
person is good. But compared to God no one is good. All humans have that
selfish and sinful nature. Jesus said in Matthew 7:11, If ye then,
being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall
your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him? Even when
Jesus uses an example where human beings do good things in taking care of
children, He calls us evil. The truth that the all-powerful God is good
should have a great impact on all of us. Since He is good, everything that He
does is good. He has a plan for you, and everything that He allows to touch
your life is good because it comes from God who is good. Sometimes we do not
understand the good until later, much later. It may be years before you can
say, There is the good. I see it now. It always happens that way if you keep
walking with Christ, because if you cannot see it now, He will eventually show
you. And if you are a believer in Jesus, the challenge will be to recognize
that God is good even when something bad happens to you.
The second reason that we are told in
verse one to give thanks to the LORD is because his mercy endureth
for ever. This statement is made at the end of
all of the first four verses of Psalm chapter 118. It
is an important statement. Because we are not good, we need a lot of mercy. It
is wonderful to be forgiven of sins. Anyone who has lived on the earth as a
human over the centuries can have forgiveness through Christ. As the centuries
roll by, people can still find forgiveness even as most of the world turns away
from God. Why is that: his mercy endureth for
ever. When a Christian sins, how is it that he or she can confess and
stay in fellowship with Christ: his mercy endureth
for ever. If your life becomes a story of
failure time and again, how can you get to heaven: his mercy endureth for ever. That is the
basis for eternal security. What will believers in heaven say to each other as
the ages roll by: his mercy endureth for
ever. Are there Christians who give up after their many failures? Let
us hope not. But if there are, they only need to remember his mercy endureth for ever. Jesus
accomplished a lot when He suffered and died on the cross. Only because of
Jesus the Bible can tell us his mercy endureth for ever. No matter
what you have done or how many times you have done it, you can be forgiven
because his mercy endureth for
ever. The Psalmist is right. Be thankful unto God because his mercy endureth for ever.
The Bible says in Psalm 118:5-7, I called
upon the LORD in distress: the LORD answered me, and set me in a large place.[6]
The LORD is on my side; I will not fear: what can man do unto me?[7] The
LORD taketh my part with them that help me: therefore
shall I see my desire upon them that hate me. Here is a prayer that God
always answers, Help! The first part of verse six tells us why the Lord
always answers that prayer for help. It says, The LORD is on my side. Some people
say that the Lord does not take sides. Yes, He does. God takes the side of
those who look up to Him and ask Him for help. Once you have the faith, and
confidence, and knowledge that the Lord takes care of you when you call on him,
then here is one of the good results of your faith: no fear. I will not
fear: what can man do unto me? One human being trusting in God can defeat all
those who do not trust in Him. He is the Almighty God. He does have all power.
And then in verse seven the Psalmist says, The LORD taketh my part with them that
help me. According to this promise, the Lord will also send others your
way to help you. God uses people to accomplish His work. God will send people
to help you.
The Bible says in Psalm 118:8-9, It is better
to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man.[9] It is better to
trust in the LORD than to put confidence in princes. If you do not trust in the Lord,
then you will trust in someone or something else. Here is the choice: trust in
the Lord or trust in a human being. Guess which one will turn out well? Even if
the person you are trusting in is a person of power and wealth, it will turn
out much better if you trust in the LORD. Of course, the LORD has more power
and wealth than anyone. The LORD has all power and owns all wealth. He
disburses it to whom He will.
The Bible says in Psalm 118:10-12, All nations
compassed me about: but in the name of the LORD will I destroy them.[11]
They compassed me about; yea, they compassed me about: but in the name of the LORD I will destroy them.[12] They compassed me about
like bees; they are quenched as the fire of thorns: for in the name of the LORD
I will destroy them. A lot of
confidence is expressed here. Three times the Psalmist thinks about his enemies
and their threat against him, and he says, in the name of the LORD will I
destroy them. Evidently, the Psalmist is surrounded by enemies. In verse
twelve he compares his enemies to bees. A swarm of bees can do more than hurt
you: they can kill. But there is a way of getting rid of bees: fire. God has a
way of getting rid of any enemy that may come your way. Face you enemies with
the name of the Lord, and see what God does.
The Bible says in Psalm 118:13, Thou hast
thrust sore at me that I might fall: but the LORD helped me. Beware of
men. They will cut you down if they can. But God will lift you up. That is one
of the many benefits of being a Christian. Jesus is guiding your life. Jesus
will help you.
The Bible says in Psalm 118:14, The LORD is
my strength and song, and is become my salvation. Knowing Christ is a
relationship, and not a religion. The Psalmist uses the word my in this
verse. The LORD is my strength, my song, and my salvation. These are
three of the many benefits of knowing Christ as Savior. Without Christ we are
weak, but with Him we are strong. How much strength is involved here: all
power. That means that we can say along with the Apostle Paul, I can do all
things through Christ who strengtheneth me. Christ
is also my song. Believers can not only pursue happiness,
we have the key to true happiness: the joy of the LORD. Are you enjoying your
salvation and the knowledge of your Savior? That is the only way to always have
a song in your heart.
The LORD Jesus is my strength and my
song, and also my salvation. Of course, we have
salvation the moment that we accept Jesus as our Savior, that is, the moment
that we trust in Him to save us from our sins. That means that we are going to
heaven: guaranteed eternal security. But what about this life? What about the
difficulties, sorrows, failures, disappointments, and disasters that we will
experience? The LORD can save us from those also. The Christian experience
should be going from victory to victory over all these things. If we turn to
the LORD Jesus each time something happens to us, we will find the victory that
faith in the LORD can give. If you have a normal Christian life, you should be
able to look at your life so far and say, Yes, I have had many troubles and
sorrows, but the LORD delivered me out of each one.
The Bible says in Psalm 118:15-16, The voice of
rejoicing and salvation is in the tabernacles of the righteous: the right hand
of the LORD doeth valiantly.[16] The right hand of the LORD is exalted:
the right hand of the LORD doeth valiantly. The voice of rejoicing and salvation is a great
phrase, and it ties into what we have already read in this Psalm. This assumes
that if you have been saved, then you will rejoice. Rejoicing is one of the
many benefits of salvation, and rejoicing is an evidence of
salvation. How much do you rejoice? Paul told the Philippian Christians
in Philippians 3:1, Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord
If your
soul has been saved through faith in Christ, then you always have great reason
to rejoice. And then if you learn to trust in the Lord for the things that come
your way in life, you will see many acts of God to work things out, to change
things, and to fix things. All these things will be done, not by your abilities
and your efforts, but by the right hand of the LORD, which
signifies His power and His strength. Sometimes it is best not to do anything,
but to trust in the Lord Jesus, and then see what He does.
The Bible says in Psalm 118:17-18, I shall not
die, but live, and declare the works of the LORD.[18] The LORD hath
chastened me sore: but he hath not given me over unto death. The Psalmist was in such dire
straits that he feared he could even die because of the situation that he was
in. Believers should not fear death. We are going to live as
long as the Lord wants us to live. One of the primary reasons that Jesus
wants us to remain on the earth longer is that we will speak for Him. The Lord
uses His people as His spoke-persons and His mouth-pieces. Our message should
be about the Lord and the works of the LORD. His greatest work was to die on the
cross to take away our sins. His other works are all the things recorded in the
Bible and all the things He has done for you in your life. There is a lot of
declaring that needs to taking place to fulfill His will in this regard.
The Bible says in Psalm 118:19-21, Open to me
the gates of righteousness: I will go into them, and I will praise the LORD:[20]
This gate of the LORD, into which the righteous shall enter.[21] I will
praise thee: for thou hast heard me, and art become my salvation. The Psalmist has a prayer that God
would open the gates of righteousness. The Psalmist wants to do the right
thing. He wants to live a righteous life. This is the desire of anyone who
turns to Christ. But we cannot go through a door that leads to a better life, a
life of bearing fruit for Christ, unless He opens that door for us. God opens
the door that no man can shut, and God shuts the door that no man can open. We
are weak. We do not know what to do or where to go, and we will go the wrong
way and simply be a part of the world without Gods help. The Psalmists prayer
was answered. He was helped to have a life that was a testimony and therefore,
he bore fruit for Christ. He took no credit to himself for anything that he
did, and so he gave glory to God. God heard his prayer. God saved him from a
meaningless and fruitless life.
The Bible says in Psalm 118:22-23, The stone
which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner.[23]
This is the LORD's doing; it is marvellous in our
eyes. Suddenly, we
are given a Messianic verse in this Psalm. Jesus was rejected. He was rejected
by the leaders of the religion in Jerusalem. But God turned the tables. Not
only did Jesus die for the sins of the world, but He is King of kings and Lord
of lords. Every knee shall bow to Him and every tongue confess. The Lord did it
for Jesus, and He can do it for us too, but on a smaller scale of course. It is
a marvelous thing to see when He that sits in the heavens laughs, and changes
the outcome to the benefit of those that believe and trust in Him.
The Bible says in Psalm 118:24, This is the
day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it. This is a
beautiful Bible verse with a great message to it. A Christian song has been
made with this verse. It is a beautiful song too. Today is an important day. It
is important because God made this day and gave it to us. The question is this:
what will we do with this day? According to this verse, there are two things to
make sure that we do: rejoice and be glad. It says, we will rejoice and
be glad. That involves a decision and a determination. In other words,
you can rejoice if you want to bad enough. Christians certainly have great
reasons to rejoice. Jesus loves us with a great eternal love. He will always
love us in spite of the fact that we are weak and
often failing. Jesus died for us. Because of that, we have forgiveness of sins
and a final home in heaven. We also have all the promises of the Bible to
comfort us and to remind us of all the resources that God puts at our disposal:
answers to prayer, His presence, His promise to protect us, to provide for us,
and to use us for His glory; and many other wonderful things. Rejoice in the
Lord, and be glad. To be glad is to be happy. Christians should be the happiest
people in the world. We can see from this verse that happiness is a decision.
You can be happy if you decide to be happy. It is that simple. We certainly
have all the reasons to be happy.
The Bible says in Psalm 118:25, Save now, I beseech
thee, O Lord: Oh Lord, I beseech thee, send now prosperity. There is a
lot of insecurity to life from a human standpoint. Crops can fail, plans can be
thwarted, diseases and wars can come, disasters may happen any day. One of the
great sufferings of life is poverty. Although there can be certain benefits to
poverty, such as learning to appreciate things when once you have them,
learning the value of a dollar, and learning the result of hard work especially
if you live in a country where capitalism gives you the freedom to improve your
lot in life through hard work and taking the advantage of opportunity. But
believers know that we are dependent upon God to give us prosperity. In this
modern world that prayer has often been answered. Human beings on average are
more prosperous than ever before. The question is: what will you do with your
prosperity? Will you use it to serve the Lord Jesus and to glorify His name?
Will you use it to build something that will last? Will you give to those who
are serving Him so they can continue to spend their time serving Him?
The Bible says in Psalm 118:26, Blessed be
he that cometh in the name of the LORD: we have blessed you out of the house of
the LORD. Jesus is the
greatest One who comes in the name of the Lord. To be a little bit like Jesus
and to also come in the name of the Lord means that we speak in the name of the
Lord. The best way to do that is to speak the Word of God. That is what takes
place in church services. That is what takes place where Christians gather together in order to hear the Word of God. In the Old
Testament the house of the LORD was the temple. In the New Testament
the house of the LORD are the people together, and thus
where the people of God gather together. And also each of us is the temple of God because Jesus is in us.
The Bible says in Psalm 118:27, God is the
LORD, which hath shewed us light: bind the sacrifice with cords, even unto the
horns of the altar. God is the
One who lives forever, and He gives us life through the truth that shines in
darkness. Jesus is the Truth. Through Jesus we have the light of life. And we
have that life because He was bound figuratively with cords to the altar of the
cross. Nothing could make Him come down: not to save Himself, not to escape the
insults, not to destroy the enemies of God. He sacrificed Himself on the altar
of Calvarys cross.
The Bible says in Psalm 118:28, Thou art my
God, and I will praise thee: thou art my God, I will exalt thee. The phrase my God is used
twice. This is a reminder that true religion is a relationship with God. In the
age in which we live people come to this relationship through faith in the Lord
Jesus Christ. That is a good reason to praise God: the fact that He invites us
to a personal relationship with Him. This Psalm mentions over and over the need
and the motivation to praise God. Praise God every moment that you can. Praise
God for every reason that you can think of. Praise God for every situation that
you experience. Praise Him and exalt Him.
The Bible says in Psalm 118:29, O give
thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth
for ever. This verse is exactly the same as verse
one of this Psalm. They are book-ends, and of course, make clear what is the
theme of the Psalm.
Verse twenty-nine gives two reasons to
be thankful to the LORD. The first reason given is because he is good. That is one
of the many differences between human beings and God. Human beings are not
good. Human beings are evil compared to God. Sometimes we compare human beings
to each other, and then comparatively speaking, we will say that a certain
person is good. But compared to God no one is good. All humans have that
selfish and sinful nature. Jesus said in Matthew 7:11, If ye then,
being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall
your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him? Even when
Jesus uses an example where human beings do good things in taking care of
children, He calls us evil. The truth that the all-powerful God is good
should have a great impact on all of us. Since He is good, everything that He
does is good. He has a plan for you, and everything that He allows to touch
your life is good because it comes from God who is good. Sometimes we do not
understand the good until later, much later. It may be years before you can
say, There is the good. I see it now. It always happens that way if you keep
walking with Christ, because if you cannot see it now, He will eventually show
you. And if you are a believer in Jesus, the challenge will be to recognize
that God is good even when something bad happens to you.
The second reason that we are told in
verse twenty-nine to give thanks to the LORD is because his mercy endureth for ever. This
statement is made at the end of all of the first four
verses of Psalm chapter 118 and at the end of verse twenty-nine. It is an
important statement. Because we are not good, we need a lot of mercy. It is
wonderful to be forgiven of sins. Anyone who has lived on the earth as a human
over the centuries can have forgiveness through Christ. As the centuries roll
by, people can still find forgiveness even as most of the world turns away from
God. Why is that: his mercy endureth for
ever. When a Christian sins, how is it that he or she can confess and
stay in fellowship with Christ: his mercy endureth
for ever. If you get saved and your life
becomes a story of failure time and again, how can you get to heaven: his mercy endureth for ever. That is the
basis for eternal security. What will believers in heaven say to each other as
the ages roll by: his mercy endureth for
ever. Are there Christians who give up after their many failures? Let
us hope not. But if there are, they only need to remember his mercy endureth for ever. Jesus
accomplished a lot when He suffered and died on the cross. Only because of
Jesus, the Bible can tell us his mercy endureth for ever. No matter
what you have done or how many times you have done it, you can be forgiven
because his mercy endureth for
ever. The Psalmist is right. Be thankful unto God because his mercy endureth for ever.
___________________________________________________
Copyright; 2020 by Charles
F. (Rick) Creech
All Rights Reserved