Psalms 118

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 BC, 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) and building (vv. 22) and certainly expresses the joy the people experienced as they beheld what the Lord had done. The repeated phrases in verses 2–4, 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.

The psalm is bracketed by thanksgiving (vv. 1–4, 28–29), for this is one of the purposes of the “hallelujah” psalms, and we have met the threefold address before (115:9–11). The human situation may change many times, but God’s merciful lovingkindness endures forever. The nation of Israel certainly ought to praise God for all the blessings and privileges God has bestowed on her (Rom. 9:1–5). The house of Aaron ought to thank God for the great privilege of serving in the sanctuary and at the altar. “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.

“The Lord” is mentioned in every verse in this paragraph because He was the one who protected Israel from their enemies and enabled the people to complete the work in difficult times. In 537 BC, Israel had been set free from captivity (v. 5), and about 50,000 Jews returned to Jerusalem under the leadership of Zerubbabel the governor and Joshua the high priest. (See Ezra 3–6.) The Jews laid the foundation of the temple in 536 BC, but local officials interfered and the work stopped from 536 to 520 BC The nations around the city did not want a restored Jewish state in the neighborhood, so they opposed both the rebuilding of the temple and the fortifying of the city. The work was resumed in 520 BC and the temple was completed and dedicated in 515 BC The people learned to trust, not in kings and princes, but in the Lord alone (vv. 8–9). They also learned that, though the enemy might attack them like bees, the Lord would give them victory (vv. 10–12). This was also true when Nehemiah came to Jerusalem in 444 BC and directed the work of rebuilding the walls and restoring the gates. Knowing that the nation of Israel was God’s chosen instrument for bringing blessing to the world, Satan opposed the work and sought to destroy both the people and their city, but faith and courage carried Israel through to victory (vv. 5–7; Heb. 13:6). The statement in verse 14 is significant. The Jews sang it when they were delivered from Egypt (Ex. 15:2) and when God enabled them to rebuild their temple and the city walls (118:14). They will sing it in the future when Messiah redeems them and establishes His kingdom (Isa. 12:2, see context). Just as “all nations” attacked Israel in the past, they will do so again in the future (Isa. 29:2–7; Zech. 12:9; 14:1–5; Joel 3:1–2), and the Lord will again rescue them. God’s people must learn to trust Him in every crisis of life.

[Note: For what it is worth, vv. 8 and 9 are the central verses of the Bible. Of course, the verse divisions of the Bible are not inspired.]

When the wall was dedicated, the joyful shouts of the people were heard afar off (Neh. 12:47), and the psalmist mentions this (vv. 15–16). The “tents of the righteous” are the homes of the people of Israel as well as their temporary dwellings during the Feast of Tabernacles (Lev. 23:33–44). The people were careful to give the Lord all the glory for what Israel had done in the restoring of the city. Israel has been sorely chastened, but Israel will not die (vv. 17–18). A festive procession came to the gates of the city (see Ps. 24), or perhaps to the temple courts (see v. 27), for the celebration would involve sacrifices offered at the temple. One of the best ways to “seal” God’s blessing to our hearts and make sure He gets the glory is to publicly praise Him—and keep on praising Him!

Under Zerubbabel and Ezra, the Jewish people had been rebuilding the temple, and under the leadership of Nehemiah, they had rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem and restored the gates. During these activities, did they find among the ruins a large stone that they rejected, only to discover it was the most important stone of all? The Gentile nations had despised and rejected Israel (Neh. 2:18–20; 4:1ff.), but God had spared them to finish the work He gave them to do.

In Scripture, the stone is a familiar image of the Lord God (18:2, 31, 46; Gen. 49:24; Deut. 32:4, 15, 18, 30–31; 2 Sam. 22:2–3, 32, 47; Isa. 17:10; 26:4; 30:29; 33:6). It particularly points to the Messiah (Isa. 8:14; 28:16; Dan. 2:34–35, 45; Matt. 21:42–44; Mark 12:10; Luke 20:17–18; Acts 4:11; Rom. 9:32–33; 1 Cor. 10:4; 1 Peter 2:6–8). Peter made it clear that the Jewish leaders (“builders”) had rejected their Messiah, the Stone (Acts 4:11), and He became to them a stone of stumbling (Isa. 28:16; Rom. 9:32–33). But in His death, resurrection, and ascension, Jesus Christ has become the chief cornerstone of the church, God’s temple, binding Jews and Gentiles together in one sanctuary (Eph. 2:19–22). One day Jesus will return as the Stone of judgment and crush the arrogant kingdoms of this world (Dan. 2:34, 44–45). Every Christian believer can use verses 22–24 to praise the Lord for the salvation provided in Jesus Christ. “Save now” (v. 25) is the word “hosanna” which the people shouted when Jesus rode into Jerusalem (Matt. 21:9; Mark 11:9–10), and note the words, “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.”

The blood of a sacrifice was applied to the horns of the altar (v. 27; Lev. 4:7), but there is no evidence that the sacrifices were tied to the altar before they were slain. The altar was considered so holy that it was not likely it would be used for tethering animals. The New International Version marginal reading suggests that the bound sacrifices were brought up to the altar where the priests cut the animals’ throats, caught the blood, and offered both the animals and the blood on the altar to the Lord. Of course, each sacrifice was a picture of the death of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world. On each of the seven days of the Feast of Tabernacles, the priests led a procession once around the altar and then offered one burnt offering, but on the eighth day, the procession marched seven times around the altar and seven sacrifices were offered.

Jesus Christ is seen in this psalm—His triumphal entry (vv. 25–26), His rejection (v. 27), His death and resurrection (v. 17), and His exaltation as God’s chosen Stone (vv. 22–23). Perhaps verse 24 hints at the Lord’s Day, the day of resurrection, as “the new day” of the new creation made possible by His atoning work. It is important that we see Jesus Christ in every experience of life, for then these experiences will help us grow in grace and become more like the Savior.