Tis Better To Trust In God Than In Anything
Today during my quiet time, I came across Psalm 118: a psalm that really stresses the jubilant celebration and steadfast confidence that we, His children have in Him. Reading this psalm really reminded of the old hymn "What a friend we have in Jesus", and the line in it which reads, "O what needless pain we bear/all because we do not carry/everything to God in prayer". The Psalmist reminds us of His abounding goodness and love which never fails, and calls us to rejoice and take heart in His provision.
1.) Psalm 118:1
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.
Let Israel say: "His love endures forever."
Let the house of Aaron say: "His love endures forever."
Let those who fear the LORD say: "His love endures forever."
How good it is to know that as early as King David's rule, God had already set provision for the "aliens" in the land, the Gentiles who were around the nation of Israel. Notice that "Israel", "the house of Aaron" and "those who fear the Lord" are distinct? There was already a channel of access for the non-Jews to come to Him, as long as they "feared the Lord". God is so great for calling us, Gentiles lost in our sin, to the saving knowledge of Christ Jesus!
2.) PSA 118:5
In my anguish I cried to the LORD, and he answered by setting me free.
The LORD is with me; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?
The LORD is with me; he is my helper. I will look in triumph on my enemies.
It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in man.
It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in princes.
In the KJV, verse 5 reads, "I called upon the LORD in distress: the LORD answered me, and set me in a large place." God responds to our cry for deliverance in our dark moments by liberating us and freeing us from the constriction and tightness of our difficult moments. The image is almost that of us struggling to find space, before the Lord gives us that clear, open space, if only to breathe and find rest. God alone is our salvation and answer to life's problems. Yet, too often do we chase after our teachers, professors, superior officers, parents, legislators and authorities for the answer to our problems- no, the answer to all difficulties is really to take refuge in Him who has all the resources that we may require, and especially, rest for our tired souls. No wonder then the Pslamist exhorts us to find rest not in the pillars which hold us this world, but to Him who holds up all Creation.
3.) Psalm 118:11
All the nations surrounded me, but in the name of the LORD I cut them off.
They surrounded me on every side, but in the name of the LORD I cut them off.
They swarmed around me like bees, but they died out as quickly as burning thorns; in the name of the LORD I cut them off.
I was pushed back and about to fall, but the LORD helped me.
Returning to the image of verse 5- being "liberated" and put in a "large space", the ideas of constriction and tightness, being gripped by some kind of acute pressure return to the text, this time in the form of the "nations surrounding" us. The psalmist compares them to "bees" which pester and sting, poisoning and harrassing. The NIV calls them "cut off" whereas the KJV expresses it as "destroy". The Hebrew indicates the verb "mool" or "to cut short/curtail". And yet, even in this act of "self-deliverance", it is in the name and authority of the LORD that the Psalmist does this.
4.) Psalm 118:14
The LORD is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation.
Shouts of joy and victory resound in the tents of the righteous: "The LORD's right hand has done mighty things!
The LORD's right hand is lifted high; the LORD's right hand has done mighty things!"
I will not die but live, and will proclaim what the LORD has done.
The LORD has chastened me severely, but he has not given me over to death.
Open for me the gates of righteousness; I will enter and give thanks to the LORD.
This is the gate of the LORD through which the righteous may enter.
I love the tone of the Psalmist, whose jubilance and gratefulness really comes through the keen repetition. The few verses here just really echo the idea of the greatness of the Lord, for what He has done- for delivering us and for sustaining us through all the difficult times. Hasn't He done that for us? Bringing us through times when we thought it was all over- and yet, He never truly gave us up. No, the Lord will not abandon those He loves! The very fact that we are here to share and encourage each other in His name is a testament to how far He has brought us!
5.) Psalm 118:21
I will give you thanks, for you answered me; you have become my salvation.
The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone;
the LORD has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes.
This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.
O LORD, save us; O LORD, grant us success.
Verse 22 has special meaning for me. It talks about the "habits" of the Lord in passing over what the world sees as the best and the elite and how he favours instead those He favours. This reference was even used in the description of Christ, who "has become the capstone". The capstone referred to the central stone that held all of the construction work together, upon which the foundations of a structure were laid. Similarly, Christ, who was rejected by many and scorned by all (including even us Christians when we sin,) has come to take that central place upon which the church of CHrist is built. But in the context of the passage, the Pslamist could also have been using the "capstone" as a conceit, implying duplicitly the selection of the nation of Israel for God's chosen race, a race that was and has always been, historically, scorned by her neighbours and counterparts. Alternatively, it could refer to individuals who in all likelihood, were never to survive the ordeals, both situational and spiritual. Yet God somehow came through for them. This verse holds multiple interpretations, and for me, I think of how unlikely a child of God I was. And yet, God drew me into His family and showed His love for me upon the cross. And today, I can be called a son of God, if only by His grace.
6.) Psalm 118:26
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD. From the house of the LORD we bless you.
The LORD is God, and he has made his light shine upon us. With boughs in hand, join in the festal procession up to the horns of the altar.
You are my God, and I will give you thanks; you are my God, and I will exalt you.
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.
How has the Lord been good to us? Take a moment to give thanks and praise for His boundless grace and mercy unto us. Give Him the thanks He deserves, and do not think for a moment that the security of life in the city is truly man-made. Through Him and in Him do all things hold together and find themselves coherent. Even the food on the table and the loved ones we embrace, are marks of His providence to us, His children. His love endures forever!
1.) Psalm 118:1
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.
Let Israel say: "His love endures forever."
Let the house of Aaron say: "His love endures forever."
Let those who fear the LORD say: "His love endures forever."
How good it is to know that as early as King David's rule, God had already set provision for the "aliens" in the land, the Gentiles who were around the nation of Israel. Notice that "Israel", "the house of Aaron" and "those who fear the Lord" are distinct? There was already a channel of access for the non-Jews to come to Him, as long as they "feared the Lord". God is so great for calling us, Gentiles lost in our sin, to the saving knowledge of Christ Jesus!
2.) PSA 118:5
In my anguish I cried to the LORD, and he answered by setting me free.
The LORD is with me; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?
The LORD is with me; he is my helper. I will look in triumph on my enemies.
It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in man.
It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in princes.
In the KJV, verse 5 reads, "I called upon the LORD in distress: the LORD answered me, and set me in a large place." God responds to our cry for deliverance in our dark moments by liberating us and freeing us from the constriction and tightness of our difficult moments. The image is almost that of us struggling to find space, before the Lord gives us that clear, open space, if only to breathe and find rest. God alone is our salvation and answer to life's problems. Yet, too often do we chase after our teachers, professors, superior officers, parents, legislators and authorities for the answer to our problems- no, the answer to all difficulties is really to take refuge in Him who has all the resources that we may require, and especially, rest for our tired souls. No wonder then the Pslamist exhorts us to find rest not in the pillars which hold us this world, but to Him who holds up all Creation.
3.) Psalm 118:11
All the nations surrounded me, but in the name of the LORD I cut them off.
They surrounded me on every side, but in the name of the LORD I cut them off.
They swarmed around me like bees, but they died out as quickly as burning thorns; in the name of the LORD I cut them off.
I was pushed back and about to fall, but the LORD helped me.
Returning to the image of verse 5- being "liberated" and put in a "large space", the ideas of constriction and tightness, being gripped by some kind of acute pressure return to the text, this time in the form of the "nations surrounding" us. The psalmist compares them to "bees" which pester and sting, poisoning and harrassing. The NIV calls them "cut off" whereas the KJV expresses it as "destroy". The Hebrew indicates the verb "mool" or "to cut short/curtail". And yet, even in this act of "self-deliverance", it is in the name and authority of the LORD that the Psalmist does this.
4.) Psalm 118:14
The LORD is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation.
Shouts of joy and victory resound in the tents of the righteous: "The LORD's right hand has done mighty things!
The LORD's right hand is lifted high; the LORD's right hand has done mighty things!"
I will not die but live, and will proclaim what the LORD has done.
The LORD has chastened me severely, but he has not given me over to death.
Open for me the gates of righteousness; I will enter and give thanks to the LORD.
This is the gate of the LORD through which the righteous may enter.
I love the tone of the Psalmist, whose jubilance and gratefulness really comes through the keen repetition. The few verses here just really echo the idea of the greatness of the Lord, for what He has done- for delivering us and for sustaining us through all the difficult times. Hasn't He done that for us? Bringing us through times when we thought it was all over- and yet, He never truly gave us up. No, the Lord will not abandon those He loves! The very fact that we are here to share and encourage each other in His name is a testament to how far He has brought us!
5.) Psalm 118:21
I will give you thanks, for you answered me; you have become my salvation.
The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone;
the LORD has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes.
This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.
O LORD, save us; O LORD, grant us success.
Verse 22 has special meaning for me. It talks about the "habits" of the Lord in passing over what the world sees as the best and the elite and how he favours instead those He favours. This reference was even used in the description of Christ, who "has become the capstone". The capstone referred to the central stone that held all of the construction work together, upon which the foundations of a structure were laid. Similarly, Christ, who was rejected by many and scorned by all (including even us Christians when we sin,) has come to take that central place upon which the church of CHrist is built. But in the context of the passage, the Pslamist could also have been using the "capstone" as a conceit, implying duplicitly the selection of the nation of Israel for God's chosen race, a race that was and has always been, historically, scorned by her neighbours and counterparts. Alternatively, it could refer to individuals who in all likelihood, were never to survive the ordeals, both situational and spiritual. Yet God somehow came through for them. This verse holds multiple interpretations, and for me, I think of how unlikely a child of God I was. And yet, God drew me into His family and showed His love for me upon the cross. And today, I can be called a son of God, if only by His grace.
6.) Psalm 118:26
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD. From the house of the LORD we bless you.
The LORD is God, and he has made his light shine upon us. With boughs in hand, join in the festal procession up to the horns of the altar.
You are my God, and I will give you thanks; you are my God, and I will exalt you.
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.
How has the Lord been good to us? Take a moment to give thanks and praise for His boundless grace and mercy unto us. Give Him the thanks He deserves, and do not think for a moment that the security of life in the city is truly man-made. Through Him and in Him do all things hold together and find themselves coherent. Even the food on the table and the loved ones we embrace, are marks of His providence to us, His children. His love endures forever!
posted by leb at 5:29 AM
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