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By: Gerrit & Judy Bothof
You may listen to this devotion in audio form via podcast here.
1 Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; His love endures forever.
4 Let those who fear the Lord say: His love endures forever.
14 The LORD is my strength and song; he has become my salvation.
15 Shouts of joy and victory resound in the tents of the righteous:
“The LORD’s hand has done mighty things!”
16 The LORD’s right hand is lifted high; “The LORD’S 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 the gates of righteousness; 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 This is the Day the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.
25 O LORD, save us; O 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.
- Psalm 118:1,4,14-26
We had a “game” in my family when I was growing up that I assumed was common to everyone. When someone said something that made you think of a song, you would sing the line of the song it reminded you of, then lick the tip of your index finger and add to your imaginary score on an imaginary blackboard. This game got especially active if we were all in the car together, or during Bible reading (because so many of the songs we knew were Christian songs). It was not until I (Judy) “played” it in a group of high school friends (who wondered what that was all about) that I realized that not all families did this sort of thing.
Gerrit increasingly joined in the ongoing Huizenga game. We continued the game with our own children. And even now, I am likely to break into song at someone’s random comment. So when we read this passage from the lectionary, we found ourselves coming up with lots of songs. When my brothers B.J. and Jonathan and their wives came for a visit, we read Psalm 118 for devotions, and Judy challenged them to sing any song it made them think of. There were so many it was difficult to keep reading! At verse 20, all 6 of us broke into a rousing rendition of ‘The Glorious Gates of Righteousness’ (# 179 in the Gray Psalter Hymnal), a favorite Palm Sunday song from our youth. (What songs did you come up with when you read Psalm 118?)
Conversation ensued. We looked up the Palm Sunday story in Matthew 21. Our brother, Jonathan, reminded us that this was the Psalm that the Jewish people were singing on their way up to the temple during Passover Week – and they were applying these scriptures to Jesus. (Our word Hosanna comes from the Jewish words of verse 25: Ho-shi-ah na meaning ‘Lord, save us now.’) The next day, Jesus applied the words of Psalm 118 verses 22 and 23 to himself: “The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes.” (Matthew 21:42)
Marvelous in our eyes! 2000+ years after Jesus rode in a procession up the streets of Jerusalem, 3000 years after Psalm 118 was written by King David, the things God has done are still marvelous! Who he is is still marvelous! A list of His marvels from this Psalm:
His love endures forever
He is our strength and song
He is our salvation
He does mighty things
He opens the gates of righteousness for us by His death and resurrection. We may enter in!
He is the GATE
He is the cornerstone of the church
This list is not exhaustive. You can probably find more marvelous things in this Psalm. Or think of some that He has done in your life. In fact, when we consider all these things that the LORD has done for us, how can we not break into song!
“The Glorious Gates of Righteousness Throw Open unto Me, and I will enter them with praise…”
“Cornerstone…”
“Hosanna Loud Hosanna the Little Children Sang”
“Give Thanks to God, for Good Is He, His Love Endures Forever”
“This is the Day the Lord has Made”
“Give Thanks with a Grateful Heart”