Scripture Reading(s)
Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24
118:1 O give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his steadfast love endures forever!
118:2 Let Israel say, “His steadfast love endures forever.”
118:14 The LORD is my strength and my might; he has become my salvation.
118:15 There are glad songs of victory in the tents of the righteous: “The right hand of the LORD does valiantly;
118:16 the right hand of the LORD is exalted; the right hand of the LORD does valiantly.”
118:17 I shall not die, but I shall live, and recount the deeds of the LORD.
118:18 The LORD has punished me severely, but he did not give me over to death.
118:19 Open to me the gates of righteousness, that I may enter through them and give thanks to the LORD.
118:20 This is the gate of the LORD; the righteous shall enter through it.
118:21 I thank you that you have answered me and have become my salvation.
118:22 The stone that the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone.
118:23 This is the Lord’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes.
118:24 This is the day that the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.
Reflections
Deliverance and being set free is the heart of what this Psalm is speaking to. Often times scripture talks about how we were once in bondage and slavery and the feeling of being set free is unlike any other. We can look to this Psalm in light of what the Gospel is all about.
The Psalmist here is praising God for delivering him from sin and how the work of salvation has truly saved him. He is referring to how God’s steadfast love and how he was deserving of punishment and yet God showed him mercy instead. He recognizes that his sin is what had him enslaved and trapped and now he can rejoice in being set free in Christ.
This is a testimony to what Jesus Christ did on the cross for us. His death is what prevented our death and His love is what forgave our sins. This is a time to celebrate what Jesus did for us and we can rejoice in the promise of an eternal life that we now have with Him. Our sin no longer has a hold on us.
[Featured image from biblia.com]