Bible Study for Sermon on April 1, 2012

Psalm 118 is a great choice for Palm Sunday:  Followers of Jesus Christ find Psalm 118 echoed by Jesus' life and suffering/death, and even by his (and our) resurrection.  Verse 26a ("Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the LORD") is cited by all four gospels (Matthew 21:9; Mark 11:8,9; Luke 19:37-38; John 12:13) in depicting Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem.  Jesus himself cited verses 22-23 ("The stone that the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone...") in Matthew 21:42.  Peter cites verse 22 in Acts 4:10-11.  Verse 27 speaks of a "festal procession with branches".  And the praise-filled Hosanna!" of Matthew 21:9 and John 12:13 come from the transliterated Greek form of verse 25a's Hebrew "Save us now," or "Please save us").  God has become the psalmist's salvation (vv. 14, 21).

Psalm 118, a psalm of praise which gives thanks to the Lord for that deliverance, concludes a group of hymnic psalm of prise (Psalm 113-118).  They have been used in Jewish celebrations of the yearly pilgrimage festivals (Deuteronomy 16:16; Mark 14:26);  Passover/Unleavened Bread, Weeks/Pentecost, and Shelters/Booths/Tabernacles (Deuteronomy 16:13-15).  Psalm 118 is associated with this last festival; it is sandwiched between the shortest and longest chapters of the Bible.

The first and last verses of Psalm 118 (vv. 1 and 29) are bookends with identical exuberant words:  "O give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, (for) his steadfast love endures forever."  The psalmist declares, "The LORD is good", meaning that he holds God in highest esteem, as one whose qualities are to be desired.  "Steadfast love" in Hebrew is hesed, translated variously:  steadfast love, love, loving kindness, mercy, faithful love, loyal love.  Hesed can be understood as covenant loyalty, graciousness and kindness.  God honors his covenant with us human beings, sometimes even when we breach them.

Note the joy throughout the psalm, in celebrating their annual festival, all the people and leaders trust in the Lord God to reactivate his saving victory in their lives.  The LORD is God, and the psalmist God. 

Verses 22-23 speak of the people's finding the Lord's provision of "the stone" to be marvelous.  In the earliest Old Testament writings and context the meaning of verse 22 is uncertain.  However, from the earliest days of the Christian movement the Psalm has been taken as referring to Jesus:  "the stone that the builders rejected was Jesus and followed by God raising Jesus from the dead.  And because he lives we live; Christians are encouraged by verse 17's "I shall not die, but I shall live..." 

Ephesians 2:19-22 calls Jesus Christ "the corner, the cornerstone, capstone, keystone), which corresponds to Psalm 118:22's "the head of the corner."  God is saying that the one who trusts Jesus will not panic, and in fact be made the center of our lives.

Since it is the Lord alone who can bring deliverance and victory, Psalm 118 urges placing our trust in the Lord rather than either placing our ultimate trust in human beings or fearing them.  Notice the verses 8 and 9:  put confidence in and take refuge in.  In this we may be thankful. 

The gates of righteousness are those of the temple, where only the godly righteous may enter.  Righteousness is living by God's rights, moral and ethical standards in relationships to others, which includes mercy for the needy and helpless, along with equal justice for all in legal matters.  Righteousness can also mean the righteous vindication of God. 

Significantly, verse 26a's "Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the LORD" is cited in all four gospels.  Jesus' disciples and the crowd shout it out as he enters Jerusalem that final time.  It was earlier in history referring to the king who came to Jerusalem as the representative of God, later it came to refer to the Messiah coming.  This is the beginning of eternal hope.