Senior Sunday School 4 : Psalms Book 5 : Psalm 118 : 8th September 2024

Text: Psalm 118
8 September 2024

SSS 4
Book 5
Psalms 107-150
8 September 2024

Psalm 118 (Part 2)

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.

Psalm 118:15-29

THE RIGHT HAND OF THE LORD

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.

Psalm 118: 15-16

1. It is exalted

2. It does valiantly

3. The tents of the righteous
Every reason to rejoice inn the right hand of the Lord

CHASTENING FROM THE LORD

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.

Psalm 118:17-18

1. Chastening may be done
And that severely

2. But it will not result in death

3. There are lessons to be learned in times of chastening

THROUGH GATES OF RIGHTEOUSNESS

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.

Psalm 118:19-21

1. Gates in the ancient days

a) All cities have gates
b) They were deemed necessary for protection

2. Gates of righteousness

a) Good cities were characterized by righteousness
b) Good cities are the ones blessed by the Lord
c) They may be called “the gate of the Lord”
d) The righteous may enter into cities of righteousness joyfully

 

3. The Lord is there with His righteous people

4. The righteous citizens

a) They will offer praise to the Lord
b) God will hear the prayers of the righteous
c) They will have the salvation (deliverance) of the Lord

A MESSIANIC REFERENCE

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.

Psalm 118:22-24

1. This “stone” is a reference to the Lord Jesus Christ

2. He was rejected by the religious leaders of Israel

3. But He became the chief cornerstone of the Church

4. An important commentary

a) This is the Lord’s doing
b) It is marvelous to the believer who understands
c) This is what the Lord has done and we should rejoice

ANOTHER MESSIANIC REFERENCE
THE KING WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD

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.

Psalm 118:25-26

1. There is a brief Messianic reference

“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”

Psalm 118:26a

This was cited in Matthew 21:9; Mark 11:”9-10 with reference to the Lord Jesus entering into Jerusalem triumphantly

2. The shouts of “hosanna”
The full meaning is
“Save now, I pray, O Lord;”

3. An additional context is to be noted

a) Prosperity
This is needed for a nation
b) This is a historical reference

2. Veiled references in Psalm 118

a) David could be the king
b) Jerusalem as the city of righteousness
c) The house of the Lord

APPROPRIATE RESPONSE TO 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.

Psalm 118:27-29

1. Praising the Lord for who He is

a) He is God
b) He has given light (enlightenment)
c) He is to be exalted
d) He is to be thanked and praised
i) For His goodness
ii) For His mercy that endures forever

2. Binding of the sacrifice with cords

a) This is to be understood spiritually
b) Animals were not bound by cords to the horn of the altar

3. The challenge is to be able to relate to God in a very personal way

a) “You are my God”
b) This was repeated for emphasis
c) May the Lord be very real and personal to us!