Psalms 118

[W2L]

This Psalm is filled with interesting things. Im a bit confused though. Who is this psalm about? It refers to the cornerstone that the builders rejected. It also refers to Gods right hand. That (right hand) is where the Lord is seated beside the father in heaven. Is this Psalm about the Lord?



Psalm 118New King James Version (NKJV)

Praise to God for His Everlasting Mercy
118 Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good!
For His mercy endures forever.
2 Let Israel now say,
“His mercy endures forever.”
3 Let the house of Aaron now say,
“His mercy endures forever.”
4 Let those who fear the Lord now say,
“His mercy endures forever.”
5 I called on the Lord in distress;
The Lord answered me and set me in a broad place.
6 The Lord is on my side;
I will not fear.
What can man do to me?
7 The Lord is for me among those who help me;
Therefore I shall see my desire on those who hate me.
8 It is better to trust in the Lord
Than to put confidence in man.
9 It is better to trust in the Lord
Than to put confidence in princes.
10 All nations surrounded me,
But in the name of the Lord I will destroy them.
11 They surrounded me,
Yes, they surrounded me;
But in the name of the Lord I will destroy them.
12 They surrounded me like bees;
They were quenched like a fire of thorns;
For in the name of the Lord I will destroy them.
13 You pushed me violently, that I might fall,
But the Lord helped me.
14 The Lord is my strength and song,
And He has become my salvation.[a]
15 The voice of rejoicing and salvation
Is in the tents of the righteous;
The right hand of the Lord does valiantly.
16 The right hand of the Lord is exalted;
The right hand of the Lord does valiantly.
17 I shall not die, but live,
And declare the works of the Lord.
18 The Lord has chastened me severely,
But He has not given me over to death.
19 Open to me the gates of righteousness;
I will go through them,
And I will praise the Lord.
20 This is the gate of the Lord,
Through which the righteous shall enter.
21 I will praise You,
For You have answered me,
And have become my salvation.
22 The stone which the builders rejected
Has become the chief cornerstone.
23 This was the Lord’s doing;
It is marvelous in our eyes.
24 This is the day the Lord has made;
We will rejoice and be glad in it.
25 Save now, I pray, O Lord;
O Lord, I pray, send now prosperity.
26 Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!
We have blessed you from the house of the Lord.
27 God is the Lord,
And He has given us light;
Bind the sacrifice with cords to the horns of the altar.
28 You are my God, and I will praise You;
You are my God, I will exalt You.
29 Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good!
For His mercy endures forever.

 

[Presbyterian Continuist]

This Psalm is filled with interesting things. Im a bit confused though. Who is this psalm about? It refers to the cornerstone that the builders rejected. It also refers to Gods right hand. That (right hand) is where the Lord is seated beside the father in heaven. Is this Psalm about the Lord?

Yes it is. It talks about Jesus coming to His own and His own received Him not. The Jews rejected their Messiah. That's what the prophecy in the Psalm is about.

 

[W2L]

Yes it is. It talks about Jesus coming to His own and His own received Him not. The Jews rejected their Messiah. That's what the prophecy in the Psalm is about.

Yes but it refers to all nations coming against him, not just the Jews.

verse 10 All nations surrounded me,
But in the name of the Lord I will destroy them.



This verse is deep.

verse 27 God is the Lord,
And He has given us light;
Bind the sacrifice with cords to the horns of the altar.

 

[Thedictator]

All the nations was the Roman Empire, the empire made up all most all of the know World. We know what happened to the Roman Empire.

 

[W2L]

All the nations was the Roman Empire, the empire made up all most all of the know World. We know what happened to the Roman Empire.

I had that thought earlier. Thank you.

 

[hedrick]

The Logos commentary observes:

"The bulk of the psalm exhibits the form of an individual thanksgiving song ...
"Accordingly, Ps 118 is a thanksgiving liturgy related to entrance to the sanctuary ...
"Who was the main speaker? He seems to act in some representative capacity as leader of an associated group, in view of the changes from singular to plural in vv 19–20 and 26a, 26b."

There are varying views on more specific identification of the speaker and occasion, but they don't seem worth summarizing here. It's classified as a royal psalm.

Clearly much of the text refers to a rescue by God, of someone (or the nation as a whole) rescued from "the nations," i.e. Israel's enemies. There are enough occasions in Israel's history where something like that happened that it's hard to be specific. But the speaker , possibly representing Israel as a whole, was discarded, and now has been restored to a key place.

It's perfectly appropriate to apply this to Christ, though it's unlikely that that was the original meaning.

 

[W2L]

The Logos commentary observes:

"The bulk of the psalm exhibits the form of an individual thanksgiving song ...
"Accordingly, Ps 118 is a thanksgiving liturgy related to entrance to the sanctuary ...
"Who was the main speaker? He seems to act in some representative capacity as leader of an associated group, in view of the changes from singular to plural in vv 19–20 and 26a, 26b."

There are varying views on more specific identification of the speaker and occasion, but they don't seem worth summarizing here. It's classified as a royal psalm.

Clearly much of the text refers to a rescue by God, of someone (or the nation as a whole) rescued from "the nations," i.e. Israel's enemies. There are enough occasions in Israel's history where something like that happened that it's hard to be specific. But the speaker , possibly representing Israel as a whole, was discarded, and now has been restored to a key place.

It's perfectly appropriate to apply this to Christ, though it's unlikely that that was the original meaning.

Isnt Christ the stone that the builders rejected?

 

[hedrick]

Isnt Christ the stone that the builders rejected?

Yes, but not in quite the same you may think. Jesus quotes it in Mark 12:10. Looking at the Logos commentary on this passage. They note, first, that a tradition common in Jewish days understood the stone to be David.

"Although initially rejected by the religious establishment, including the prophet-priest Samuel, David comes to be recognized and blessed from the house of the Lord by the priests (cf. Tg. Ps 118:19–27)." The commentary goes on to note that Ps 118:25-26 is quoted in Mark 11:1-11 when Jesus enters Jerusalem, in the form "Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David”

Remember that Jewish interpretation often "recycles" OT passages, reapplying them to analogous contemporary situations. Hence Jesus, as the Davidic Messiah, uses a passage that was currently understood as about David. (In the OT context, of course, it probably meant the Davidic ruler, not David himself.)

So I would say that Jesus likely used the passage as about himself. But not because the OT was a "prophecy" about him, but because the Psalm was originally about a Davidic king (though originally not Jesus), and was understood as about David in the 1st Cent. And of course he was the Davidic king.

 

[W2L]

Yes, but not in quite the same you may think. Jesus quotes it in Mark 12:10. Looking at the Logos commentary on this passage. They note, first, that a tradition common in Jewish days understood the stone to be David.

"Although initially rejected by the religious establishment, including the prophet-priest Samuel, David comes to be recognized and blessed from the house of the Lord by the priests (cf. Tg. Ps 118:19–27)." The commentary goes on to note that Ps 118:25-26 is quoted in Mark 11:1-11 when Jesus enters Jerusalem, in the form "Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David”

Remember that Jewish interpretation often "recycles" OT passages, reapplying them to analogous contemporary situations. Hence Jesus, as the Davidic Messiah, uses a passage that was currently understood as about David. (In the OT context, of course, it probably meant the Davidic ruler, not David himself.)When was David surrounded by the nations of the world?

So I would say that Jesus likely used the passage as about himself. But not because the OT was a "prophecy" about him, but because the Psalm was originally about a Davidic king (though originally not Jesus), and was understood as about David in the 1st Cent. And of course he was the Davidic king.

When was david surrounded by the nations?

 

[hedrick]

When was david surrounded by the nations?

Huh? David spent the first part of his life in a conflict between Israel and the Philistines. He expanded Israel to its largest size in history. He was a warrior. He was always surrounded by "the nations." However you shouldn't argue with me, as it's not my interpretation. This was a 1st Cent Jewish interpretation, which Jesus was using. That it actually was is clear from Mark 11:9-10, which quotes Ps 118 in a slightly altered form, based on the Targum (interpretive translation) of that Psalm, making the identification with David explicit.

 

[W2L]

Huh? David expanded Israel to its largest size in history. He was a warrior. He was always surrounded by "the nations." However you shouldn't argue with me, as it's not my interpretation. This was a 1st Cent Jewish interpretation, which Jesus was using. That it actually was is clear from Mark 11:9-10, which quotes Ps 118 in a slightly altered form, based on the Targum (interpretive translation) of that Psalm, making the identification with David explicit.

Im not arguing, just exploring the scripture. Thanks for your thoughtful replies.

 

[hedrick]

Im not arguing, just exploring the scripture. Thanks for your thoughtful replies.

It's important to look at how 1st Cent Jews used the OT. The OT is rightly applied to Jesus, but that doesn't mean that the OT writers were thinking specifically of him.

John the Baptist is thought of as Elijah (Mat 11:14), though surely people weren't thinking of him as a literal reincarnation. Jesus is referred to as David, and passages originally aimed at David (or understood that way in the 1st Cent) are applied to him.

 

[W2L]

It's important to look at how 1st Cent Jews used the OT. The OT is rightly applied to Jesus, but that doesn't mean that the OT writers were thinking specifically of him.

Jews rejected Christ. Why would we expect them to see the Lord instead of David? They are blind.

 

[hedrick]

Jews rejected Christ. Why would we expect them to see the Lord instead of David? They are blind.

They didn't all reject him. Mark 11 was during Jesus' entrance into Jerusalem, when some accepted him at least temporarily. And of course the NT was written by Jews who accepted Jesus. The NT was written by Jews, not American Protestants. We should reasonably expect them to use the OT the way Jews did, not the way I would.

 

[W2L]

They didn't all reject him. Mark 11 was during Jesus' entrance into Jerusalem, when some accepted him at least temporarily. And of course the NT was written by Jews who accepted Jesus.

Thats true.