Psalm 118:19-29; key verse, verse 26 – Blessed is He who comes in the Name of the Lord. Again, these are
the words used to praise Jesus when He came in triumph. At the end of that day
and by the end of the week, He would be rejected. The people simply wanted a
different kind of King. What sort of king are you seeking? Does Jesus fit the
profile? If not, for what sort of king should you seek?
Psalm 118:
Looking to Christ the Chief Cornerstone
Psalm 118 does not name an author in its title, but
there is reason to believe it was King David, the Sweet Psalmist of Israel.
Ezra 3:10-11 suggests that Psalm 118 was sung at the founding of the second
temple, and when they sang it, they attributed it to David (“according to the
ordinance of David king of Israel,” Ezra 3:10).
“Most probably David was the author of this
psalm…. It partakes of David’s spirit, and everywhere shows the hand of a
master. The style is grand and noble; the subject, majestic.” (Adam Clarke)
Though this was likely David’s psalm, it was also
Jesus’ psalm. “This is pre-eminently the triumph song of the Christ, He the
ideal Servant, He the perfect Priest, He the Leader of the people. How much all
these words meant to Him as He sang them on that night in the upper room.”
(G. Campbell Morgan)
Though this was likely David’s psalm, it was also Luther’s psalm. “This
is my own beloved psalm. Although the entire Psalter and all of Holy Scripture
are dear to me as my only comfort and source of life, I fell in love with this
psalm especially. Therefore I call it my own. When emperors and kings, the wise
and the learned, and even saints could not aid me, this psalm proved a friend
and helped me out of many great troubles. As a result, it is dearer to me than
all the wealth, honor, and power of the pope, the Turk, and the emperor. I
would be most unwilling to trade this psalm for all of it.” (Martin Luther,
cited by James Montgomery Boice) [2]
Collect for
Psalm 118: Lord God, your Son, rejected by the builders, has become the
cornerstone of the Church. Shed rays of your glory upon your Church, that it
may be seen as the gate of salvation open to al nations. Let cries of joy and
exultation ring out from its courts to celebrate the wonder of Christ’s
resurrection, now and forever. [4] -05 April, 2022
[1] Palm Sunday, Schnorr Von Carolsfeld woodcuts © WELS permission granted for personal and congregational use
[3] Hosanna, copyright © Ed Riojas, Higher Things
[4] Collect for Psalm 118, For All the Saints, A Prayer Book For and By the Church, Vol I © 1994 The American Lutheran Publicity Bureau, Delhi, NY
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