Psalm 118 - Command to Worship
In our worship, the LORD speaks and His people respond.
PSALM 118
1 Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good;
For His lovingkindness is everlasting.
2 Oh let Israel say,
“His lovingkindness is everlasting.”
3 Oh let the house of Aaron say,
“His lovingkindness is everlasting.”
4 Oh let those who fear the LORD say,
“His lovingkindness is everlasting.”
5 From my distress I called upon the LORD;
The LORD answered me and set me in a large place.
6 The LORD is for me; I will not fear;
What can man do to me?
7 The LORD is for me among those who help me;
Therefore I will look with satisfaction on those who hate me.
8 It is better to take refuge in the LORD
Than to trust in man.
9 It is better to take refuge in the LORD
Than to trust in princes.
10 All nations surrounded me;
In the name of the LORD I will surely cut them off.
11 They surrounded me, yes, they surrounded me;
In the name of the LORD I will surely cut them off.
12 They surrounded me like bees;
They were extinguished as a fire of thorns;
In the name of the LORD I will surely cut them off.
13 You pushed me violently so that I was falling,
But the LORD helped me.
14 The LORD is my strength and song,
And He has become my salvation.
15 The sound of joyful shouting 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 will not die, but live,
And tell of the works of the LORD .
18 The LORD has disciplined me severely,
But He has not given me over to death.
19 Open to me the gates of righteousness;
I shall enter through them, I shall give thanks to the LORD.
20 This is the gate of the LORD;
The righteous will enter through it.
21 I shall give thanks to You, for You have answered me,
And You have become my salvation.
22 The stone which the builders rejected
Has become the chief corner stone.
23 This is the LORD's doing;
It is marvelous in our eyes.
24 This is the day which the LORD has made;
Let us rejoice and be glad in it.
25 O LORD, do save, we beseech You;
O LORD, we beseech You, do send prosperity!
26 Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the LORD;
We have blessed you from the house of the LORD.
27 The LORD is God, and He has given us light;
Bind the festival sacrifice with cords to the horns of the altar.
28 You are my God, and I give thanks to You;
You are my God, I extol You.
29 Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good;
For His lovingkindness is everlasting.
Heidelberg Catechism
Q&A 54
Q. What do you believe concerning “the holy catholic church”?
A. I believe that the Son of God
through his Spirit and Word,
out of the entire human race,
from the beginning of the world to its end,
gathers, protects, and preserves for himself
a community chosen for eternal life
and united in true faith.
And of this community I am and always will be
a living member.
Summary
This week's psalm begins with a rousing call to worship - which is how, at least in most of our Sunday bulletins, the opening element of our service is referred to. But it's more than just a call or invitation; it's more of a command! This command is comprehensive and goes out to all of God's people: not just Israel and the house of Aaron, but to all those who fear the LORD.
Reformed churches practice what is known as dialogical worship, in which the LORD speaks and His people respond. The opening command to worship in Psalm 118 follows this pattern, first proclaiming that the LORD's lovingkindness is everlasting, and then calling His worshippers to echo back this theological truth.
The bulk of Psalm 118 is given to the psalmist's own testimonial of thanksgiving, in which he thanks the LORD for hearing and answering his distress. This middle section includes several memorable aphorisms:
6 The LORD is for me; I will not fear;
What can man do to me?
8 It is better to take refuge in the LORD
Than to trust in man.
14 The LORD is my strength and song,
And He has become my salvation.
Dig Deeper
The final portion of Psalm 118 sets out a beautiful thanksgiving liturgy. It has an antiphonal structure in which the worship leader would sing out the first line of the couplet, and the congregation would then sing back the second line. Here's a few examples:
LEADER:
24 This is the day which the LORD has made;
CONGREGATION:
Let us rejoice and be glad in it.
LEADER:
26 Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the LORD;
CONGREGATION:
We have blessed you from the house of the LORD.
The most striking of all of these call / response couplets is the one that comes first, which is a citation used throughout the New Testament, but especially by Peter - both in his first letter as well as a sermon of his we recently read about in Acts:
LEADER:
22 The stone which the builders rejected
CONGREGATION:
Has become the chief corner stone.
Peter was simply following the lead of Jesus, who cited this Psalm in reference to Himself. A corner stone is the all important component in a masonry structure which gives order to and stabilizes all of the other foundational stones in the structure.
So as you begin to prepare yourself for the coming Lord's Day, remember that the entire service will be, in one way or another, a song of thanksgiving rising up from the solid foundation that is Jesus Christ.
ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, the LORD, is God, and He has given us light;
ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that whether it's in formal, gathered worship or in your day to day service, that your life will be a song of thanksgiving built upon the chief cornerstone;
ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED:
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