Word Live - Daily Scripture

Prepare

Detach yourself from transient things: relationships, possessions and emotions. Align with what endures for ever. Psalm 118 ‘Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.’

Psalm 118

Psalm 118  1 Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good;        his love endures forever.     2 Let Israel say:        "His love endures forever."     3 Let the house of Aaron say:        "His love endures forever."     4 Let those who fear the LORD say:        "His love endures forever."     5 When hard pressed, I cried to the LORD;        he brought me into a spacious place.     6 The LORD is with me; I will not be afraid.        What can human beings do to me?     7 The LORD is with me; he is my helper.        I look in triumph on my enemies.     8 It is better to take refuge in the LORD        than to trust in human beings.     9 It is better to take refuge in the LORD        than to trust in princes.     10 All the nations surrounded me,        but in the name of the LORD I cut them down.     11 They surrounded me on every side,        but in the name of the LORD I cut them down.     12 They swarmed around me like bees,        but they were consumed as quickly as burning thorns;        in the name of the LORD I cut them down.     13 I was pushed back and about to fall,        but the LORD helped me.     14 The LORD is my strength and my defense ;        he has become my salvation.     15 Shouts of joy and victory        resound in the tents of the righteous:        "The LORD's right hand has done mighty things!     16 The LORD's right hand is lifted high;        the LORD's right hand has done mighty things!"     17 I will not die but live,        and will proclaim what the LORD has done.     18 The LORD has chastened me severely,        but he has not given me over to death.     19 Open for me the gates of the righteous;        I will enter and give thanks to the LORD.     20 This is the gate of the LORD        through which the righteous may enter.     21 I will give you thanks, for you answered me;        you have become my salvation.     22 The stone the builders rejected        has become the cornerstone;     23 the LORD has done this,        and it is marvelous in our eyes.     24 The LORD has done it this very day;        let us rejoice today and be glad.     25 LORD, save us!        LORD, grant us success!     26 Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD.        From the house of the LORD we bless you.     27 The LORD is God,        and he has made his light shine on us.        With boughs in hand, join in the festal procession        up to the horns of the altar.     28 You are my God, and I will praise you;        you are my God, and I will exalt you.     29 Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good;        his love endures forever.

Main point: A song for the journey

A woman who went to see a Shakespeare play for the first time was less than impressed. ‘Really,’ she said, ‘it was just a lot of quotations strung together’. In the same way, we may know several verses from this psalm without knowing where they come from. Words for the journey The psalm would originally have been used by worshippers processing to the temple in Jerusalem. It was a real celebration song. At verse 19 they reach the door, and carry on up to the altar (v 27), with verse 29 shouted out at the end! Words of purpose As Jesus rode into Jerusalem the crowds used this psalm to welcome him (v 26), as the one God had promised to send. Jesus reminds them (see Mark 12:10) that verse 22 will also be fulfilled as he is rejected, yet used to fulfil God’s purpose.  Words for us There are so many ways in which we can use the Bible. It tells us the story of how God has worked with his people over the years. Sometimes one part of the Bible helps us to understand another, just as this psalm helps us to see how Jesus was part of a plan God had always had. It can speak to us about God, about our own life and our relationship with him. Words of worship And we can make the words our own in our worship, shouting out to God in praise – rejoicing, mourning, wondering, speaking with worshippers across the ages.  Jane Cornish

Deeper study: At the opera

Don’t just read it! This is a tremendous psalm – full of excitement, action and, above all, deep faith in God born out of proven recent experience. But reading the psalm, even reading it aloud, is like reading the words of an opera. What a difference it would make actually to be there! Then we would see the colour and movement of the performers, catch the emotion of the words and their deeper meaning while they are performed, and, above all, we would become part of an audience, sharing the experience together. Imagine you were there This is how our psalm needs to be understood. Reread it now and imagine the various singers and choirs in verses 1–4. Experience the thrill as the charismatic baritone, dressed as the royal victorious warrior, bursts onto the stage with verses 5–7, and so on. And don’t miss the brilliant brass section that accompanies verse 15, or the scintillating procession in verses 19–21 and 26,27. To all of this we can add the deep national emotion as we recall the amazing deliverance that it celebrates – perhaps we can catch the reminiscence of some conflict that David fought or even the deliverance of Jerusalem when the Assyrians had besieged it under Hezekiah (see Isaiah 36,37). This psalm was also reused when at last the Maccabees had reclaimed the temple and established some kind of national freedom. The longer we linger, the more riches we find. Today, this celebration of victory can call to mind Jesus and his entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. A sure and certain hope Yet for the readers of Mark’s Gospel, as for us, this psalm is filled with ambiguities. If only the acclamations were coming from ‘the house of the Lord’! But the temple authorities are opposed to Jesus and plot his death. For now, the stone is rejected. Yet, because God’s love endures for ever, he will become the cornerstone (1 Peter 2:7)! David Spriggs

Bible in a year

Read the Bible in a year. Today's readings are: Numbers 34,35 Acts 25