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LECTIO DIVINA Psalm 118 2nd Sunday of Easter Year A Fr. Michael Brizio, IMC www.frmichaelbrizio.com
1) OPENING PRAYER:
Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love.
Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created. And you shall renew the face of the earth.
O, God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever enjoy his consolations.
Through Christ, our Lord. Amen.
2) READING OF THE WORD (What the Word says): Psalm 118
1 Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, his mercy endures forever.
2 Let Israel say: his mercy endures forever.
3 Let the house of Aaron say, his mercy endures forever.
4 Let those who fear the LORD say, his mercy endures forever.
5 In danger I called on the LORD; the LORD answered me and set me free. Page 2 of 19
6 The LORD is with me; I am not afraid; what can mortals do against me?
7 The LORD is with me as my helper; I shall look in triumph on my foes.
8 Better to take refuge in the LORD than to put one’s trust in mortals.
9 Better to take refuge in the LORD than to put one’s trust in princes.
10 All the nations surrounded me; in the LORD’s name I cut them off.
11 They surrounded me on every side; in the LORD’s name I cut them off.
12 They surrounded me like bees; they burned up like fire among thorns; in the LORD’s name I cut them off.
13 I was hard pressed and falling, but the LORD came to my help.
14 The LORD, my strength and might, has become my savior.
15 The joyful shout of deliverance is heard in the tents of the righteous: “The LORD’s right hand works valiantly;
16 the LORD’s right hand is raised; the LORD’s right hand works valiantly.”
17 I shall not die but live and declare the deeds of the LORD.
18 The LORD chastised me harshly, but did not hand me over to death.
19 Open the gates of righteousness; I will enter and thank the LORD.
20 This is the LORD’s own gate, through it the righteous enter.
21 I thank you for you answered me; you have been my savior.
22 The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.
23 By the LORD has this been done; it is wonderful in our eyes.
24 This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice in it and be glad.
25 LORD, grant salvation! LORD, grant good fortune!
26 Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD. We bless you from the house of the LORD.
27 The LORD is God and has enlightened us. Join in procession with leafy branches up to the horns of the altar.
28 You are my God, I give you thanks; my God, I offer you praise.
29 Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, his mercy endures forever. Page 3 of 19
3) EXPLANATION (What the Word means):
Composition and Context
This psalm may be classified as a communal thanksgiving for a great deliverance from the oppressing enemies that surrounded and almost destroyed the people of Israel in what appears to have been divine chastening.
The psalm appears to be a little confusing at first glance. For example, the verbs change from singular to plural on occasion; but this probably indicates that the psalmist was speaking on behalf of the nation—hence a communal thanksgiving.
Also, parts of the work are antiphonal.
A number of commentators suggest that the individual was the king, or if there was no king, a Davidic prince or some other leader.
The “I” of the first part of the psalm is the leader of the worship procession in the final part who speaks on behalf of the people.
From the report of the deliverance in the first part one can learn that the people suffered greatly under the oppression of the nations but were then delivered by God in an amazing victory.
And from the liturgical section to follow, one can also learn that they had returned to their own place to start anew as the people of God and so made their way to the sanctuary to praise the Lord.
There is some disagreement on the occasion or setting of the psalm.
A number of commentators do agree that the psalm was written to celebrate the victory of the king and his people in battle with a liturgical procession to the sanctuary to offer praise to the Lord (along the lines of the account in 2 Chronicles 20:27-28).
Exactly what victory that was is left open for speculation.
A more common and more plausible view is that the psalm represents a post-exilic liturgical thanksgiving.
Commentators propose four possible times for this: 1) the first Feast of Tabernacles after the return (Ezra 3:1-4); 2) the laying of the cornerstone (Ezra 3:8-13); 3) the consecration of the completed temple (Ezra 6:15-18); or 4) the great Feast of Tabernacles after the completion (Nehemiah 8:13- 18). Page 4 of 19
Some prefer the last option, noting that the Jewish tradition says the psalm itself was used at the Feast of Tabernacles (b. Sukkah, 45a—b) and that the psalm indicates that the temple was complete?
However, in Jewish tradition the psalm was part of the Hallel and used at all the festivals, Passover especially.
Furthermore, the fact that later Judaism used the psalm at the Feast of Tabernacles does not prove it was written for that occasion.
The use of the psalm in the Gospels witnesses to its use for Passover as well.
The general understanding is that the psalm was post-exilic.
The ideas of the psalm fit the return from the exile better than any other occasion in Israel’s history.
It is not just about the king’s (people’s) victory over oppressing enemies. The oppression was divine chastening for the nation.
And when the nation was able to gain victory over her enemies, the faithful praised the Lord for establishing a new beginning for his kingdom program in which they would all share.
v.1: Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, his mercy endures forever.
v.2: Let Israel say: his mercy endures forever.
v.3: Let the house of Aaron say, his mercy endures forever.
v.4: Let those who fear the LORD say, his mercy endures forever.
The first few verses of this psalm follow a form for calling the whole assembly to praise the Lord; but that does not in any way weaken the theology that is expressed again and again in it, that the loyal love (Psalm 23:6) of the Lord is everlasting (Psalm 61:4).
Everything expressed in the verses to follow will demonstrate the working out of God’s faithful covenant love to his people. Page 5 of 19
So after the initial call “give thanks” and the reason, “for he is good, his mercy endures forever” (Psalm 34:8), the call is for different groups in the assembly, Israelites, priests, and then all who fear the Lord, to repeat the anthem, “his mercy endures forever.”
v.5: In danger I called on the LORD; the LORD answered me and set me free.
The main reason for the praise is stated succinctly: the psalmist (i.e., the people) cried to the Lord from his anguish and the Lord answered him and set him free.
On the surface this appears to be the thanksgiving of an individual, but as the report of the dilemma and then of the deliverance unfolds it will be clear that the individual is the spokesman for the people, perhaps the king if this was written in the time of the monarchy, but more likely if written after the return then a Davidic prince or some other leader of the people.
Thus, it was not a personal dilemma and deliverance, but a national disaster.
Here he simply says “danger” (Psalm 120:1).
v.6: The LORD is with me; I am not afraid; what can mortals do against me?
The psalmist immediately acknowledges that the deliverance was due to divine intervention, meaning that in the conflict the Lord was on his side.
If the Lord was with him, who could then be against him and succeed (Romans 8:31)?
So, he states that he will not fear (Psalm 2:11) because there is nothing that man can do to him. Page 6 of 19
v.7: The LORD is with me as my helper; I shall look in triumph on my foes.
The word “helper” (Psalm 46:1) does not minimize God’s part in the victory at all; it means that God did for his people what they could not do for themselves—get free from captivity.
And the result of this “help” from the Lord is a triumphant celebration: “I shall look in triumph on my foes” (Psalm 139:21).
The psalmist is anticipating the celebration of the victory; to look on one’s enemies is to look from the perspective of the victor.
v.8: Better to take refuge in the LORD than to put one’s trust in mortals.
There is no comparison between the Lord’s ability and that of mortal man; and yet the nation did “put confidence” in other nations on the eve of the deportation to Babylon rather than trust in the sovereign Lord.
v.9: Better to take refuge in the LORD than to put one’s trust in princes.
This is a reminder to believers that no matter how serious the crisis may be they must trust in the Lord who is “with them” rather than human allies who may not be for them and may not be able to withstand a common enemy either.
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v.10: All the nations surrounded me; in the LORD’s name I cut them off.
Now we learn more of the dilemma: “all the nations surrounded me.”
Clearly the psalmist is speaking on behalf of the people for nations do not surround one man.
By “all the nations” he means the surrounding tribes and especially the great empires that were their enemies.
v.11: They surrounded me on every side; in the LORD’s name I cut them off.
The psalmist repeats this report of the dilemma: they surrounded him on every side
v.12: They surrounded me like bees; they burned up like fire among thorns; in the LORD’s name I cut them off.
He adds that the enemies died out as quickly as burning thorns.
Corresponding to these three reports of the dilemma (vv.10-12) he says three times, “in the Lord’s name I cut them off.”
The ability to gain victory over and freedom from the nations came from the “Lord’s name,” that is, his powerful intervention (Psalm 20:1). Page 8 of 19
Whatever “victory” the psalmist has in mind is explained by the verb “I cut them off.”
The verb is an unusual choice; it literally says “I circumcise them.”
Some commentators interpret this as forced conversion (by forced circumcision) or figuratively for changing the mind.
Others who find this verb too difficult follow the reading in the Greek version, something like “fend off” or “ward off, disperse.”
As it stands it is possible that the translator of the Greek version found the word as troubling as we do and offered a paraphrase that fit the context.
If we retain the meaning “I cut them off,” the psalmist would then be saying something like this: he (i.e., the nation under his leadership) was surrounded by enemies (more powerful nations) and almost perished, but that Lord ended that crisis with a great victory which he describes with the word “circumcised” and not one of the many verbs for military victory.
He did not have the literal sense in mind, but rather the significance of circumcision, circumcision of the heart (Deuteronomy 30:6), meaning that by supernatural intervention that changed their minds with regard to Israel the nation was able to gain freedom.
Now if the occasion for this psalm is the release of the people from the Babylonian captivity the choice of this word would make better sense, for there was no military battle at all.
There was a change of heart by their captors, the Persians under Cyrus the Great, so that they restored the Jews to their land.
Whatever the precise meaning of the verb is, it clearly describes an amazing deliverance from an impossible situation, a deliverance that could only have been by the power of the Lord and not by Israel’s abilities.
Furthermore, the one (leader of the people) who “in the Lord’s name cut them off” is also the one who leads the assembly to praise the name of the Lord.
v.13: I was hard pressed and falling, but the LORD came to my help.
The nation was almost destroyed but that the Lord let them live; and more importantly, the danger they were in was part of the Lord’s chastening of them.
The Hebrew text says, “you pushed me down.” Page 9 of 19
Because this does not read smoothly with the second half, “the Lord came to my help,” many follow the versions and make it a passive, “I was hard pressed and falling.”
The psalmist simply explains that the Lord pushed them down to the point of falling, the imagery suggesting an overpowering defeat.
v.14: The LORD, my strength and might, has become my savior.
But the Lord helped them, and so they were not destroyed—he became their strength (Psalm 29:1), their song (Psalm 33:2), and their salvation (Psalm 3:2).
This line seems to be drawn from Exodus 15:2a, the song of Moses when the Lord defeated Egypt at the Sea.
The Lord became their strength, because they were weak; he became their song because he gave them reason to sing (he has become the subject of their praise), and he became their salvation because he set them free.
These descriptions are explanations of the statement “the LORD came to my help” (Psalm 46:1).
v.15a: The joyful shout of deliverance is heard in the tents of the righteous:
As a result, there was the sound of rejoicing and victory (literally, salvation).
The reference to tents seems more likely to the dwellings of the people, who, if they are returning exiles, had temporary dwellings but still occasion for great rejoicing. Page 10 of 19
v.15b: “The LORD’s right hand works valiantly;
v.16: the LORD’s right hand is raised; the LORD’s right hand works valiantly.”
This rejoicing is expressed in a threefold praise for the power of the Lord, using the idiom of “the Lord’s right hand.”
He has done valiantly (Psalm 49:6).
What the Lord’s power has done is amazing to all who know it. And it is so far above anything humans could do that he can only exclaim, “the Lord’s right hand is raised” (Psalm 46:10).
v.17: I shall not die but live and declare the deeds of the LORD.
The effect of this great power was life over death.
It is not sufficient to say his troubles were like death; he means that actual death was inevitable, for the nation and certainly for the individual, until the Lord delivered them.
It is still the nation for whom he speaks—the nation did not die out, as all the other little states that were attacked and carried off. No, Israel survived, amazingly, to live and to proclaim his works.
Of course, the singular verb also makes sense here, because the praise would begin with the leader’s proclamation, and the people would follow him in this, everyone testifying to his or her renewed life. Page 11 of 19
v.18: The LORD chastised me harshly, but did not hand me over to death.
The Lord had power over their circumstances, because their suffering was divine chastening (Psalm 6:1).
If the suffering came from the Lord’s chastening, and not simply from overpowering nations, then the Lord would also easily be able to limit the chastening and bring about the deliverance.
The Lord is therefore sovereign over the nations, and over the life of his people; to him they pray, and of him they speak in their great thanksgiving.
v.19: Open the gates of righteousness; I will enter and thank the LORD.
Here we have recorded the liturgical procession of the faithful to the altar to celebrate the great salvation they have received from the Lord and to pray for the fulfillment of God’s program which has now begun anew.
The leader of the congregation speaks on behalf of the people when the congregation approaches the gate of the temple: “Open the gates of righteousness” (Psalm 1:5).
Some commentators take these gates to be symbolic of the completion of the salvation, that is, drawing near to the Lord.
But the gates may still be the actual gates of the temple.
The qualification of the gates as “gates of righteousness” means that righteous people will enter the presence of the Lord for a righteous purpose.
Page 12 of 19 v.20: This is the LORD’s own gate, through it the righteous enter.
This may be the response of the Levitical gate keepers.
People who were believing members of the covenant community and serious about following the Law of the Lord were admitted into the holy place after meeting with the gate keepers (Psalm 15; 24).
Here the psalmist’s response appears to be a claim to his qualification; it is a testimony of salvation from the Lord and therefore his right to enter.
v.21: I thank you for you answered me; you have been my savior.
The psalmist desires to praise the Lord for answering his prayer.
So, if the Lord heard the cries of his people, ended their chastening, delivered them from their enemies, and restored them to their land to renew the covenant, then surely they were acceptable to the Lord and had the right—and the necessity—to enter his courts to offer their praise.
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v.22: The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.
The language is figurative, probably inspired by the rebuilding of the temple where some of the existing stones were discarded and others used.
But such a stone probably reminded the psalmist of other prophetic passages in which the image of the stone was prominent. Isaiah 28:16 prophesied that the Lord would lay in Zion a stone for the foundation when he restored the people. And other passages identified the Messiah and his kingdom as a stone (Isaiah 8:14; Daniel 2:34. 45; Zechariah 3:9).
The stone was a type of what was happening to the nation and its leader; the stone symbolizes Israel, represented by the Judean prince; and the builders symbolize the empire builders, the great powers of the world.
As these nations swept through the land to establish their empires, they considered the little country of Judah to be of no value to them—they rejected it and would have destroyed it.
v.23: By the LORD has this been done; it is wonderful in our eyes.
But now that which was rejected by them as worthless has been chosen by God.
It not only was restored to the land, but was also made the center of God’s plan.
According to the usage of the passage in the New Testament, Israel represented by its prince, was a type of Christ. Jesus is presented in the Gospels as the true Israel, the promised seed. What was true of the nation was therefore true of him on the highest level.
And so in Matthew Jesus claims to be the “stone” of the psalm, the true king and representative head of the nation (Matthew 21:42-44). Page 14 of 19
And the “builders” then are the political and religious leaders, the chief priests and Pharisees (Matthew 21:45), the kings, and the Romans, most of whom who rejected him and tried to destroy him.
In spite of their efforts, this stone became the center of God’s new program, a new kingdom that would produce fruit (unlike the Jewish people from whom the kingdom was taken).
v.24: This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice in it and be glad.
This came about through the resurrection.
And so the day of deliverance and renewal of the covenant program in the Psalm point to the resurrection and the beginning of the new covenant.
According to the New Testament, this is the day the LORD has made.
Renewed Israel may have been the head of the corner at the return from the exile; but Jesus is the stone of the eternal covenant (Ephesians 2:20).
What was marvelous (Psalm 139:5) in their eyes, as great as that was, is not as marvelous as the fulfillment on Christ; and so also the rejoicing and celebration over the day of salvation should be far greater as well (Psalm 13:6; 48:11).
v.25a: LORD, grant salvation!
After recording the praise that would be given, the psalm then traces the procession of the people into the sanctuary.
They enter, calling on God to save completely and to grant success.
The deliverance marked a new beginning; but the deliverance was only the beginning.
Their prayer is “grant salvation” (Psalm 3:2). Page 15 of 19
It is a prayer familiar to Christian worshipers as “Hosanna,” based on the Greek translation of the acclamation of Jesus’s followers who proceeded into the temple with him (Matthew 21:9; Mark 11:9-10).
v.25b: LORD, grant good fortune!
For the returning exiles the need was still great, and so these petitions were made in their approach to the temple.
Likewise, Christians also pray this prayer, believing that the one who has begun a good work in them will perfect it.
v.26a: Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD.
The psalmist records a blessing, probably delivered by the priests to the whole assembly of worshipers collectively.
To bless (Psalm 5:12) in the name of the Lord means that the blessing comes with divine authority—only God can bless.
v.26b: We bless you from the house of the LORD.
“We” indicates that the priests spoke, and the pronoun “you” is plural.
Now, in the New Testament account of the triumphal entry of Page 16 of 19
Jesus, the people begin to acclaim the Lord with these words.
Jesus was by now believed to be the “coming one” (Matthew 11:3; John 11:27), understood by his followers as a Messianic title and not merely a true worshiper.
So they praise him and call on him to save them in the highest (Matthew 21:9).
v.27a: The LORD is God and has enlightened us.
The worshipers respond to the blessing with confidence.
The image of “light” is often used with the blessing of salvation and the joy of being in the kingdom of God (Psalm 97:11).
v.27b: Join in procession with leafy branches up to the horns of the altar.
Although there is no mention of such a practice in the Old Testament, the existence of the horns and the need for securing the sacrifices in place makes perfectly good sense.
The word for sacrifice usually refers to the festival as a whole but can also refer to the festal sacrifice.
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v.28: You are my God, I give you thanks; my God, I offer you praise.
The faithful finally make their approach to the altar where they will repeat their praise for the everlasting faithfulness of the love of God.
The psalm concludes with the acclamation that the Lord is their God and the resolution to praise and exalt him forever.
He has shown himself to be their God by answering their prayer, delivering them from bondage, and renewing their covenant relationship in his developing program.
v.29: Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, his mercy endures forever.
The refrain that summarizes all of this is here repeated: the faithful covenant love of the Lord is eternal.
Message and Application
The psalm is a thanksgiving for the Lord’s amazing deliverance of his people from the nations in order to establish them anew as the covenant people.
The Lord has redeemed his people by his amazing power and in accordance with his everlasting love so that they might have a share in his glorious kingdom.
For this they offer praise and thanksgiving; for this they assemble regularly to enter his sanctuary in adoration of his faithful love, amazing power, and redeeming grace.
Most importantly for Christians is the fact that the psalm is quoted or referred to three times in the Gospels, all within Holy Week.
That the words of this psalm were used at the triumphal entry of Jesus (Matthew 21:9) can easily be explained by the fact that it was the time of Passover and people would be familiar with the Hallel Psalms. Page 18 of 19
Many who had heard Jesus’ teachings and believed he was the Messiah readily saw his entry into Jerusalem as a triumph.
He was not now just a prince leading a congregation to worship “in the name of the Lord”; rather, he was “the coming One.”
Their hope for salvation lay in this one coming in the name of the Lord, this one rejected by his own people, especially the leaders.
Accordingly, the cultic language of the psalm took on new meaning as the followers of Jesus cried out to him as their Lord.
The second place the psalm is used is during the middle of the week when Jesus was teaching.
He gave an explanation that the meaning of the psalm was that the kingdom would be taken from Israel and given to a nation bearing fruit.
The Pharisees— who rejected Israel’s stone—knew he was talking about them (Matthew 21:42- 45).
Finally, because this psalm was a Hallel Psalm, it would have been sung at the celebrations, certainly including the Passover.
Tradition tells us that for a Passover meal Psalms 113-116 were sung before the meal, and Psalms 117 and 118 closed the evening.
This psalm, then, was the hymn that Jesus and the disciples sang in the upper room after the last supper (Matthew 26:30).
After the evening concluded with the line “Join in procession with leafy branches up to the horns of the altar,” Jesus and his disciples went out into the Garden of Gethsemane to watch and pray— and await the fulfillment of their hymn.
Both the Old Testament and the New Testament, this psalm is a song of praise.
And because Jesus clearly appropriated it to himself, the early Church made much of it in the formation of the Eucharistic Liturgy.
“Hosanna,” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD,” the “Stone the builders rejected,” all have figured prominently in the prayers and praises of the Church.
4) MEDITATION (What the Word suggests to me): a) We read the Word again. b) Select the word or a brief phrase which touched you or impressed you. Repeat this word/phrase aloud and slowly 3 times. Between each repetition allow a moment of silence for the Word to penetrate into our hearts. Page 19 of 19
c) We will remain silent for a few minutes, and let the Lord speak to us. d) We now share what the Lord has given us in this word. We avoid discussions or sermons or comments on what others have said. We share what the Lord has told us personally by using such expressions as, “To me this word has said …”
5) QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION (What the Word asks me): a) Can I recall with gratitude a situation where I was in danger and the Lord set me free? b) Do I always rely on the Lord’s strength and help rather my om my wisdom? c) Do I give thanks to the Lord always and for everything? d) When did I experience the Lord’s chastisement and painful correction?
6) WORD OF LIFE (What the Word reminds me):
He is good and his mercy endures forever
7) ACTION (What the Word invites me to do):
I will celebrate and rejoice over every event of my life because the Lord makes every detail of my day.
And may the blessing of God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit descend upon us and with us remain forever and ever.