Day 29 - Psalm 118
Have you ever found it hard to love someone? Sometimes love is easy, and other times it’s more of a choice we choose to make. True love, is not a just a feeling, it has to go on and on, it has to endure.
It is thought that this Psalm was sung at the laying of the foundation of the temple, we read about this in Ezra chapter 3, David orchestrates this praise celebration leading us to conclude that this psalm was probably written by him.
Psalm 118 has a clear theme throughout:
“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.”
It is stated at the beginning and at the end and David calls all those who trust in God to proclaim “his love endures forever”
In verses 5-7 he tells us why he is so thankful to God, because God heard his cry for help and rescued him, he has no fear of people because he knows His loving God is on his side.
Verses 8-14 challenges us as to where we put our trust, David mentions humans and princes. We must ultimately trust the Lord above all others, even though we may feel surrounded by enemies, God will deliver us.
The fact that this was probably sung at the building of the foundation of the temple gives added depth to verse 22, the cornerstone was the first stone laid in the foundation of a building, it was a large stone that was perfectly square, this was important because all the other stones of the building would be laid in line with this stone, if it wasn’t exactly square, the whole building would end up off square and therefore unstable, any stone that wasn’t square enough had to be rejected.
David is possibly speaking about himself here, he wasn’t what people expected when they thought of a King, (see the account of his anointing in 1 Samuel 16) but he became their greatest King.
Amazingly, this is also a prophecy of Jesus. Isaiah prophecies in Isaiah 28:16 “See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation”. Isaiah was speaking about the coming Messiah.
In Matt 21 Jesus tells the parable of the tenants, as he ends the parable in v42 he quotes this verse from psalm 188:22, then goes on to say:
Matthew 21:43
“Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you (the Pharisees) and given to a people who will produce its fruit.“
Jesus points out that He is the cornerstone, rejected by the builders, but ultimately the One in whom the foundation of God’s kingdom, Christianity and the Church is built.
When we trust in the Lord’s enduring love and make Him the cornerstone in the foundation of our life, then our foundation will be straight and true, and a strong life and Gods kingdom can be built upon it.
This should cause us great celebration and joy, and to proclaim with David and all of God’s people:
Psalms 118:28-29
You are my God, and I will praise you; you are my God, and I will exalt you. Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.
Think it over / Meditate on:
God’s love for us endures. Why is that important?
Is your trust squarely in the Lord? Is He the cornerstone, the One the rest of your life is aligned to?
Spend some time praising God today for the way he loves you, with an enduring love.
Who do you need to choose to love today?
Ben
Ben Parsons - Lead Pastor, Sutton Central location