SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 8/25/2012 8:55:17 AM
My Worship Time Focus: Psalm 118 PT-1
Bible Reading &
Meditation Reference: Psalm 118:1-4
Message of the verses: In Today’s SD we will begin to look at the
118th Psalm by looking at introductions by different Bible
commentators.
“It is
probable that David penned this psalm when he had, after many a story,
weathered his point at last, and gained a full possession of the kingdom to
which he had been anointed. He then invites and stirs up his friends to join
with him, not only in a cheerful acknowledgment of God’s goodness and a
cheerful dependence upon that goodness for the future, but in a believing
expectation of the promised Messiah, of whose kingdom and his exaltation to it
his were typical. To him, it is certain; the prophet here bears witness, in the
latter part of the psalm. Christ himself applies it to himself (#Mt 21:42), and
the former part of the psalm may fairly, and without forcing, be accommodated
to him and his undertaking. Some think it was first calculated for the solemnity
of the bringing of the ark to the city of David, and was afterwards sung at the
feast of tabernacles.” (Matthew Henry)
“In the
book #Ezr 3:10-11, we read that "when the builders laid the foundation of
the temple of the Lord, they set the priests in their apparel with trumpets,
and the Levites the sons of Asaph with cymbals, to praise he Lord, after the
ordinance of David king of Israel. And they sang together by course in praising
and giving thanks unto the Lord; because he is good, for his mercy endureth for
ever toward Israel. And all the people
shouted with a great shout, when they praised the Lord, because the foundation
of the house of the Lord was laid." Now the words mentioned in Ezra are
the first and last sentences of this Psalm, and we therefore conclude that the
people chanted the whole of this sublime song; and, moreover, that the use of
this composition on such occasions was ordained by David, whom we conceive to
be its author. The next step leads us to believe that he is its subject, at
least in some degree; for it is clear that the writer is speaking concerning
himself in the first place, though he may not have strictly confined himself to
all the details of his our personal experience. That the Psalmist had a
prophetic view of our Lord Jesus is very manifest; the frequent quotations from
this song in the New Testament prove this beyond all questions; but at the same
time it could not have been intended that every particular line and sentence
should be read in reference to the Messiah, for this requires very great
ingenuity, and ingenious interpretations are seldom true. Certain devout
expositors have managed to twist the expression of #Ps 118:17, "I shall
not die, but live," so as to make it applicable to our Lord, who did
actually die, and whose glory it is that he died; but we cannot bring our minds
to do such violence to the words of holy writ.
“The Psalm, seems
to us to describe either David or some other man of God who was appointed by
the divine choice to a high and honourable office in Israel. This elect
champion found himself rejected by his friends and fellow countrymen, and at
the same time violently opposed by his enemies. In faith in God he battles for
his appointed place, and in due time he obtains it in such a way as greatly to
display the power and goodness of the Lord. He then goes up to the house of the
Lord to offer sacrifice, and to express his gratitude for the divine
interposition, all the people blessing him, and wishing him abundant
prosperity. This heroic personage, whom
we cannot help thinking to be David himself, broadly typified our Lord, but not
in such a manner that in all the minutiae of his struggles and prayers we are
to hunt for parallels. The suggestion of Alexander that the speaker is a
typical individual representing the nation, is exceedingly well worthy of
attention, but it is not inconsistent with the idea that a personal leader may
be intended, since that which describes the leader will be in a great measure
true of his followers. The experience of the Head is that of the members, and
both may be spoken of in much the same terms. Alexander thinks that the deliverance
celebrated cannot be identified with any one so exactly as with that from the
Babylonian exile; but we judge it best to refer it to no one incident in
particular, but to regard it as a national song, adapted alike for the rise of
a chosen here, and the building of a temple. Whether a nation is founded again
by a conquering prince, or a temple founded by the laying of its cornerstone in
joyful state, the Psalm is equally applicable.” (Charles H. Spurgeon)
We will
first look at what is found in the John MacArthur Study Bible from Psalm 113
before looking at the introduction to Psalm 118. “Psalm 113-118 comprises a rich 6-psalm
praise to God commonly called the ‘Egyptian Hallel’ (‘hallel’ meaning praise in
Heb.).”
“This
psalm, along with Ps. 110, is intensely messianic and thus the most quoted by the
NT (Mt. 21: 9, 42; 23:39, Mk. 11:9, 10; 12:10, 11; Lk. 13:35, 19:38; 20:17; Jn.
12:13, Ac. 4:11; Heb. 13:6; 1Pe. 2:7). Neither the author nor the specific
circumstances of the psalm are identified.
Two reasonable possibilities could be entertained: 1) it was written
during Moses’ day in the Exodus, or 2) it was written sometime after the Jews
returned to Jerusalem from Exile.
Probably it was the former, given 1) the nature of the Egyptian Hallel
(esp. Ps. 114); 2) its use by the Jewish community especially at Passover; 3)
the close similarity to Moses experience in the Exodus; 4) the striking
similarity in language (Ps. 118:14 with Ex. 15:2; 118:15, 16 with Ex. 15:6, 12;
118:28 with Ex. 15:2); and 5) the particularly pointed messianic significance
as it relates to the redemption provided by Christ our Passover (1Cor.
5:7). It seems reasonable to propose
that Moses possibly wrote this beautiful psalm to look back in worship at the
historical Passover and look ahead in wonder to the spiritual Passover in
Christ.” (The John MacArthur Study
Bible)
“Sandwiched
between the shortest psalm and the longest, this is the last song in the Egyptian
Hallel. The background is probably the
dedication of the restored walls and gates of Jerusalem during the Feast of
Tabernacles in 444 B.C., in the time of Ezra and Nehemiah. The Jews in the city were surrounded by
enemies who first ridiculed them and then threatened to attack them and stop
the work (vv. 10-14; Neh. 2:19-20; 4:1-9; 6:1-9). The rebuilding project took fifty-two days,
and the report of this remarkable accomplishment astounded the nations (vv.
15-16, 23-24; Neh. 6:15-16). The psalm
mentions gates (vv. 19-20) ad buildings (vv. 22) and certainly expresses the
joy the people experienced as they beheld what the Lord had done. The repeated
phrases in verses 204, 10-12, and 15-16 suggest that the psalm was written for
public worship. The pronouns “I” and “me”
in verses 5-21 refer to the nation of Israel and not to the psalmist. But the psalm speaks to all believers in
every age and gives them four practical instructions.” (Warren Wiersbe)
I have to
say that the introduction to this psalm (118) has the most varied possibilities
of who wrote it and when it was written of any of the introductions that I have
looked at thus far in the book of Psalms.
I suppose it is important to understand who wrote it and at what time it
was written, but probably the most important thing that can be gotten out of
Psalm 118 is how we can apply it to our walk with the Lord.
Give Thanks to the Lord at All Times (vv.
1-4): “ 1 ¶
Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; For His lovingkindness is
everlasting. 2 Oh let Israel say,
"His lovingkindness is everlasting." 3 Oh let the house of Aaron say, "His
lovingkindness is everlasting." 4
Oh let those who fear the LORD say, "His lovingkindness is
everlasting.’”
We see the
phrase “His lovingkindness is everlasting” four times in these first four
verses of Psalm 118. I wrote that it is
important for believers to take from this psalm something that will help them
in their walk with the Lord, and to remember that the loving kindness of the
Lord is everlasting is an important thing to remember. We know as we walk through life that our
circumstances will change, but the encouraging thing to remember is that no
matter what we are going through the lovingkindness of the Lord never changes and
that it is everlasting, meaning it will last forever and ever for us to depend
upon it.
Paul writes
the following in Romans 9:1-5 to show how much the children of Israel have to
praise the Lord for: “1 ¶ I am telling the truth in Christ, I am not
lying, my conscience testifies with me in the Holy Spirit, 2 that I have great sorrow and unceasing grief
in my heart. 3 For I could wish that I
myself were accursed, separated from Christ for the sake of my brethren, my
kinsmen according to the flesh, 4 who
are Israelites, to whom belongs the adoption as sons, and the glory and the
covenants and the giving of the Law and the temple service and the promises,
5 whose are the fathers, and from whom
is the Christ according to the flesh, who is over all, God blessed forever.
Amen.” He goes on latter in his letter
to the Romans to say that true believers today are grafted into the “tree” of
Israel, and uses an olive tree to demonstrate this, so we as NT believers have
so very much to praise the Lord for too.
In these
verses we see the house of Aaron mentioned, and they were the priests who had
the privilege of serving the Lord in first the tabernacle and then the
temple. In verse four the psalmist
speaks of all those who fear the Lord say “His lovingkindness is everlasting.” Dr. Wiersbe writes “Those who fear the Lord would
include all of God’s faithful people, Jews and Gentiles—‘the upright in heart’—who
faithfully obeyed His Word and feared His name.
God’s people today have every spiritual blessing in Jesus Christ (Eph.
1:3) and certainly ought to praise His name.”
Spiritual meaning for my life today: Being reminded that the lovingkindness of the
Lord is everlasting to me was a great reminder that the Lord loves me with an
everlasting love and no matter what decision I have to make or what I have to
do in life He will be with me demonstrating His everlasting lovingkindness.
My Steps of Faith for
Today: Trust the Lord to guide me
with His attribute of wisdom in something that I have to decide upon.
Memory verses for the week:
2Peter 1:8-11
8 For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they
render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord
Jesus Christ. 9 For he who lacks these
qualities is blind or short-sighted, having forgotten his purifications from
his former sins. 10 Therefore, brethren,
be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you;
for as long as you practice these things you will never stumble, for in this
way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of or Lord and Savior Jesus Christ
will be abundantly supplied to you.
8/25/2012 10:08:02 AM
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