HIS LOVE ENDURES FOREVER

Psalm 118:1-29 / Keywords 118:23

the LORD has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes.

 

118:1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;

    his love endures forever.

2 Let Israel say:

    “His love endures forever.”

3 Let the house of Aaron say:

    “His love endures forever.”

4 Let those who fear the Lord say:

    “His love endures forever.”

5 When hard pressed, I cried to the Lord;

    he brought me into a spacious place.

6 The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid.

    What can mere mortals do to me?

7 The Lord is with me; he is my helper.

    I look in triumph on my enemies.

8 It is better to take refuge in the Lord

    than to trust in humans.

9 It is better to take refuge in the Lord

    than to trust in princes.

10 All the nations surrounded me,

    but in the name of the Lord I cut them down.

11 They surrounded me on every side,

    but in the name of the Lord I cut them down.

12 They swarmed around me like bees,

    but they were consumed as quickly as burning thorns;

    in the name of the Lord I cut them down.

13 I was pushed back and about to fall,

    but the Lord helped me.

14 The Lord is my strength and my defense[a];

    he has become my salvation.

15 Shouts of joy and victory

    resound in the tents of the righteous:

“The Lord’s right hand has done mighty things!

16     The Lord’s right hand is lifted high;

    the Lord’s right hand has done mighty things!”

17 I will not die but live,

    and will proclaim what the Lord has done.

18 The Lord has chastened me severely,

    but he has not given me over to death.

19 Open for me the gates of the righteous;

    I will enter and give thanks to the Lord.

20 This is the gate of the Lord

    through which the righteous may enter.

21 I will give you thanks, for you answered me;

    you have become my salvation.

22 The stone the builders rejected

    has become the cornerstone;

23 the Lord has done this,

    and it is marvelous in our eyes.

24 The Lord has done it this very day;

    let us rejoice today and be glad.

25 Lord, save us!

    Lord, grant us success!

26 Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.

    From the house of the Lord we bless you.[b]

27 The Lord is God,

    and he has made his light shine on us.

With boughs in hand, join in the festal procession

    up[c] to the horns of the altar.

28 You are my God, and I will praise you;

    you are my God, and I will exalt you.

29 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;

    his love endures forever.

Footnotes

a. Psalm 118:14 Or song

b. Psalm 118:26 The Hebrew is plural.

c. Psalm 118:27 Or Bind the festal sacrifice with ropes / and take it

 

1. The phrase “His love endures forever” was one of the most repeated phrases by the singers of Israel. It is the essence of why we can rejoice and thank God. Because God’s love endures forever, we are never forsaken and always under his protection.

2. This Psalm also prophetically describes the Messiah’s spiritual victory and contains many details of the gospel. Jesus was severely chastened for our sins on the cross, but God raised him from the dead (18). Jesus called himself the gate for the sheep (20; Jn 10:7), and he himself is our salvation (21). Jesus is “The stone the builders rejected, who has become the capstone” through his death and resurrection (22). When we meditate on God’s fulfilled salvation work in Jesus, it is truly marvelous and a cause for rejoicing (23-24).

3. It is believed that this is the hymn Jesus and his disciples sang before he went to his arrest and trial (Mt 26:30). It is written to be sung in a victory parade. Our life can be like a victory parade every day because of Jesus’ finished salvation work.

Prayer Father, thank you for Jesus’ victory in the spiritual battle against sin. I will joyfully join your festival procession, praising your unfailing love.

One Word Jesus is my salvation