Psalm 118 - But the Lord Helped Me

Psalm 118 - But the Lord Helped Me

Will Nielsen

March 27th, 2006

[From the English Standard Version]Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
for his steadfast love endures forever!
2 Let Israel say,
“ His steadfast love endures forever.”
3 Let the house of Aaron say,
“ His steadfast love endures forever.”
4 Let those who fear the Lord say,
“ His steadfast love endures forever.”
5 Out of my distress I called on the Lord;
the Lord answered me and set me free.
6 The Lord is on my side; I will not fear.
What can man do to me?
7 The Lord is on my side as my helper;
I shall look in triumph on those who hate me.
8 It is better to take refuge in the Lord
than to trust in man.
9 It is better to take refuge in the Lord
than to trust in princes.
10 All nations surrounded me;
in the name of the Lord I cut them off!
11 They surrounded me, surrounded me on every side;
in the name of the Lord I cut them off!
12 They surrounded me like bees;
they went out like a fire among thorns;
in the name of the Lord I cut them off!
13 I was pushed hard, so that I was falling,
but the Lord helped me.
14 The Lord is my strength and my song;
he has become my salvation.
15 Glad songs of salvation
are in the tents of the righteous:
“ The right hand of the Lord does valiantly,
16 the right hand of the Lord exalts,
the right hand of the Lord does valiantly!”
17 I shall not die, but I shall live,
and recount the deeds of the Lord.
18 The Lord has disciplined me severely,
but he has not given me over to death.
19 Open to me the gates of righteousness,
that I may enter through them
and give thanks to the Lord.
20 This is the gate of the Lord;
the righteous shall enter through it.
21 I thank you that you have answered me
and have become my salvation.
22 The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone.
23 This is the Lord’s doing;
it is marvelous in our eyes.
24 This is the day that the Lord has made;
let us rejoice and be glad in it.
25 Save us, we pray, O Lord!
O Lord, we pray, give us success!
26 Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!
We bless you from the house of the Lord.
27 The Lord is God,
and he has made his light to shine upon us.
Bind the festal sacrifice with cords,
up to the horns of the altar!
28 You are my God, and I will give thanks to you;
you are my God; I will extol you.
29 Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
for his steadfast love endures forever!

In a very cursory way let me invite you to reflect through this psalm as a smooth stone might skip across the waters of a placid pond, whose ripples tell a most astounding story. The pond has not, you see, always been placid as the sweet waters will tell you as you drink from them – that is, if you will listen.The Call to the Many to Praise the Lord (vv 1-4)
This psalm has a symmetry much like those of the ripples flowing out from the stone cast in the pond. The widest ripple is as the first verses of the psalm, calling all creation to give thanks to the Lord on account of his steadfast enduring love. In other words, this is a call for humanity to simply do what it was created to do. Then Israel, the people of the Lord, is called to give thanks. Then the Aaronic Priesthood, is called to give thanks, for they were those chosen from among Israel to lead the chosen people in giving thanks to the Lord. Finally, there is a call for those individuals who fear the Lord to give thanks and praise the Lord. As these groups of people are reduced more and more, we are lead to the voice of one who is distressed.

The Voice of One who Suffers (vv 5-9)
It is in this call to praise the Lord God, that the voice of one calls to Him in distress. What we find is that the voice of the one who suffers distress is the same voice who had called humanity, Israel, the Aaronic priests, and those who fear the Lord to praise Him. He is distressed after making this call to give thanks.

While he is distressed over the results of his call to give thanks and praise to the Lord, we also find that the Lord is on his side. It is in the fact that the Lord is on his side that he finds strength to be courageous and not fear. It is on account of the Lord that this one suffering voice declares that he will look upon those who hate him in triumph! For refuge in the Lord is better than trusting human beings even the most noble kinds (e.g., princes).

Point: The Enmity of the Nations (v10-13)
We find that all nations are identified as those who hate this one who suffers distress (c.f., v 7). They are vicious in their hatred, swarming this one as bees swarm honey. In this cosmic enmity, the suffering one is driven along hard, such that he was falling. Yet as he was falling we find here that it is the Lord who helped him, as the water helps the skimming stone back into the air.

Counter Point: The Lord is My Strength (v14-16)
How can one subdue these swarming fire of the hatred of the world? This suffering one does so because the Lord is his strength and is Himself salvation. Unlike the water which thrusts the skimming stone back up into the air only to return again and ultimately submerge, the Lord leads this suffering one on in strength towards triumph.

The Voice of One Triumphant (v 17-22)
The first person perspective of the one who was distressed takes a marked change in v 17. He shall not die at the hands of his enemies whose enmity burns with fierce heat. Though the Lord was pleased to bring severe suffering to this one, even in his distress, He has not given this one over to death. No, the Lord has set triumph aside for him! The one who suffered the severity of the Lord now passes through the gates of righteousness as Victor. The cornerstone that the human builders rejected, the Lord has used to build a New House altogether.

The Voice of the Many Praise the Lord (v 23-29)
A grand chorus now joins the voice of the One Triumphant in praising God. What is profound here is that they do so (mibayt yhwh) from the house of the Lord! They too have also passed through the gates of righteousness and into the everlasting bliss of the presence of the Lord himself. Having been led by the Triumphant One, they now dwell in the Temple of the Lord. What more can one do but give thanks and rejoice from the heart.

Conclusion
The Lord is not content in relieving us from suffering so that we can enjoy second rate shanties. He is for us, on account of the Suffering One, whom the scriptures clearly reveal to us as Jesus of Nazareth. He who suffered did not die. He who received the severity of the Father’s wrath for sin was raised from the dead victorious and leads a people, a vast multitude, in Kingly procession praising their Creator from the depths of their beings.

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