This
group of psalms (113-118) are known as the “Egyptian Hallel”
('Hallel' means 'praise'). They are so named because of their
connection with the Jewish Passover celebration which commemorates Israel's deliverance from Egypt. The first two, Psalms 113-114 are
sung before the Passover meal and Psalms 115-118 are sung afterward.
At the Last Supper (a Passover meal) we are told that Jesus and His
disciples went to the Mount of Olives after they sang a hymn (Matthew
26:30; Mark 14:26). The hymns that Jesus sang the night before His
crucifixion were likely these Hallel Psalms. Keep that in mind as
you read through these songs.
“This group is necessarily of special interest to us because in all probability, these psalms were sung by our Lord and His disciples on that dark night in which He was betrayed.” (G. Campbell Morgan)
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PSALM
113 - “Great and Gracious”
(Praise
Psalm)
THEME:
Psalm 113 focuses on God's greatness and grace.
VERSES
1-3: COME PRAISE HIM
Vs. 1-2
– “Hallelujah!”:
Praise the LORD x 3!! This is the third consecutive psalm to
begin with “Hallelujah!”. These verses tell me that I need to be
praising God all the livelong day. I should praise Him in the
kitchen and I should praise Him in the car and I should teach my
children to praise Him... and their children, and their children's
children. So that when I am up in Heaven, generations of praises
will echo up from the earth and God will hear our praises to Him forever.
Vs. 3 –
"From the rising of the sun to its going down":
In this context, the psalmist was not referring to morning and
evening. He was expressing confidence that one day God will be
praised all over the world.
VERSES
4-9: WHY WE PRAISE HIM
Vs. 4-5
– “His glory is above the heavens”: We praise God
because He is GREAT.
Vs. 6 –
“Who humbles Himself to behold the things that are in the...
earth”: We praise God
because He is GRACIOUS. Who is like God that He would pay attention
to us mere mortals?(Psalm 8:4).
💛NUGGET:
To appreciate the greatness of God is to be humbled that He loves and
cares for us. Have you made God too small?
Vs. 9 –
This verse is taken from the song of Hannah in 1 Samuel 2:8. Hannah
could not conceive a child and cried out to God for help. He
answered her prayer with Samuel who became one of the greatest
prophets in Israel. SHE is the childless woman in this verse. But
the same thought can be applied to our own spiritual barrenness. If
we cry out to God, He will fill us with His strength and joy.
It is significant to remember that Jesus sang these words on the night He was betrayed and arrested, the night before His crucifixion. “As he approached the ultimate depths in this stooping, He sang the song which offers praise to God for this condescending grace.” (Morgan)
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PSALM
114 - “Song of the Exodus”
(Praise
Psalm)
This is
the only Hallel Psalm that directly references Egypt. It was sung
together with Psalm 113 before the Passover meal.
THEME:
Remembering Israel's deliverance from Egypt as the central act of
God's redemption and Grace in the OT.
Vs. 1 –
The Exodus was to be constantly remembered and celebrated.
Vs. 2 –
“They are two names [Judah and Israel] for the one people that
came out of Egypt at the exodus. This one people is declared to be
both God’s sanctuary and God’s kingdom.” (Boice)
Vs. 3-5
– Nature personified: At the beginning of Israel's Exodus when
Moses was leading the people of Israel, God parted the waters at the
Red Sea. At the end of their journey when Joshua was leading Israel
into the Promised Land of Canaan, God parted the River Jordan.
“The division of the sea and the drying up of the river are placed together though forty years intervened, because they were the opening and closing scenes of one great event.” (Charles Spurgeon)
Vs.
6 – “The mountains skipped like rams”: May refer
to the rockin' and rollin' that happened when God showed up on Mount
Sinai (Exodus 19:16-20).
In the
OT, the Exodus was a defining moment of God's redemption for all the
generations of Israelites. Under the New Covenant, the Resurrection
is OUR defining moment of redemption. Jesus and the cross is our
deliverance... a redemption greater than Egypt.
And
after singing this psalm, Jesus sat down to His Last Supper... next
to Judas, His betrayer.
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PSALM
115 - “Our God is in Heaven”
(Psalm
of Confidence)
Psalm
115 is the first song sung (or read) AFTER the Passover meal. Apparently, the intent was for this song to be sung as a response
song between groups.
“The opinion of the majority of scholars is that the psalm is liturgical, intended to be sung by alternating groups of worshipers: the priests, the high priest, the people, and so on.” (James Montgomery Boice)
THEME:
God alone is to be glorified and praised.
Vs. 1 –
“Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but
to Your name give
glory...”
This
reminds me of John 3:30: “He
must increase, but I must decrease.
“If you meet with a system of theology which magnifies man, flee from it as far as you can…. Here is a test for you to apply, and by it you may tell whether a thing is true or not. Does it glorify God? Then, accept it. If it does not, if it glorifies man—puts human will, human ability, human merit, into the place of the mercy and the grace of God—away with it, for it is not food fit for your souls to feed upon.” (C.H. Spurgeon)
Vs. 1b –
“Because of your mercy...” “Mercy” is another way to
translate “hesed”, God's covenant
love.
Vs. 3-8
– After exalting the Lord, the psalmist goes on a lengthy satirical
attack against idols and their makers.
💛NUGGET: We take
on the characteristics of whatever we worship.
Vs. 9-11
– Trust IN the Lord: An appeal to trust in God as a
help and shield is made to three groups:
- Israel
- House of Aaron (priests)
- Those who fear the Lord (“God fearers” / Gentiles)
Vs.
12-13 – The Lord remembers and blesses the three groups mentioned
above.
Vs.
17-18 – “Though the dead cannot, and the wicked will not, and
the careless do not praise God, yet we will shout ‘Hallelujah’
for ever and ever. Amen.” (C.H. Spurgeon)
Jesus
sang this song in the upper room with His disciples after eating the
Passover meal. As He sang of His Father's blessings, He was literally the embodiment of the Glory of
God.
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PSALM
116 - “Vow of Gratitude”
(Thanksgiving
Psalm)
This is
the second Hallel Psalm sung or read after the Passover meal.
THEME:
Thanksgiving to God for deliverance from impending death and a vow to
trust and worship only Him.
Vs. 3 –
“The cords of death surround me”:
According to various commentators, “cords” might allude to the
bonds and chains of captivity or the linen cloths that were
wrapped around the bodies of the dead.
Vs. 4 –
“Then I called upon the name of the LORD”: The psalmist
provides us with a short but effective 3-part prayer:
- O LORD
- I implore You
- Deliver my soul
Vs. 5 –
God is indeed GRACIOUS, RIGHTEOUS and MERCIFUL.
Vs. 7 –
“Return to your rest, O my
soul”: The Hebrew word
used for “rest” in this verse is in plural form, meaning complete
rest at all times and under
all circumstances.
“Whenever a child of God even for a moment loses his peace of mind, he should be concerned to find it again, not by seeking it in the world or in his own experience, but in the Lord alone.” (C.H. Spurgeon)
Vs.
8-9 – “For You have
delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, and my feet from
falling. I will walk before the Lord in the land of the living.”:
It is difficult to
imagine all that Jesus felt as He sang these words with His
disciples. I have no doubt that He sang with confidence and faith,
even while knowing He would soon walk down the steps that would take
Him on the path to Calvary... to bear the weight of the cross on His
bleeding shoulders.
Vs. 10 –
“I believed, therefore I spoke”:
The Apostle Paul quoted these words in 2 Corinthians 4:13-14
in regards to speaking with of faith and trust in God.
Vs. 13 –
“I will take up the cup of my salvation”: To take the
cup is to receive from God.
💛NUGGET: According to Jewish tradition, this psalm is read immediately following the third cup of wine, which is called “the cup of salvation”.
💛NUGGET: According to Jewish tradition, this psalm is read immediately following the third cup of wine, which is called “the cup of salvation”.
“It
is a profound insight: The only way we can repay God from whom
everything comes is by taking even more from him.” (Boice)
Vs.
15-17 – “Precious in the
sight of the Lord is the death of His saints.”:
(“Precious” can also be translated as “costly”.) This verse
is often read at funerals in hopes of bringing comfort to the
bereaved. As His saints, our deaths matter deeply to God. We are
precious in His sight. From a different perspective and in the
context that the death
of a believer is a transition to eternal glory... death can indeed be
considered “precious”.
Going
back to that upper room with Jesus, these words were powerfully
prophetic: the death of Jesus was precious beyond any other.
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PSALM
117 - “All You Peoples”
(Praise
Psalm)
This is
the shortest psalm and also the shortest chapter in the Bible.
THEME:
EVERYBODY is to praise the Lord.
Vs. 1 –
“Praise the LORD, all you Gentiles! Praise Him, all you peoples!”:
Here, is a call for ALL the nations to praise Yahweh. This verse is
quoted by Paul in Romans 15:11.
Vs.
2 – “For His
merciful kindness is great toward us, and the truth of the Lord
endures forever.” The
psalmist addresses his own here (denoted by the use of “us”), and
gives two attributes for God that are worthy of praise:
- His merciful kindness (hesed = covenant love)
- His enduring truth ('emeth = faithfulness)
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PSALM
118 - “Chief Cornerstone”
(Thanksgiving
Psalm)
Psalm
118 is the final psalm in the Egyptian Hallel series. It is likely
the last song that Jesus and His disciples sang before leaving the
upper room and going out to the Mount of Olives.
Many
scholars believe that David wrote this psalm. It was attributed to
him after being sung in Ezra 3:10-11.
THEME: Praise and thanksgiving to God for Salvation.
Vs.
1 – “Oh, give thanks to
the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.”:
This psalm begins and ends with the same phrase (Mercy = hesed =
lovingkindness). A variation of this song is found in Ezra 3:11 at
the laying of the foundation for the second temple.
Vs.
2-4 – As in Psalm 115, three groups are invited to join the chorus,
suggesting that this song was meant to be song with different parts
for different groups. Praising God for His enduring love are:
- Israel
- House of Aaron
- Those who fear the Lord
“He
does not say that he should not suffer, but that he would not fear:
the favour of God infinitely outweighed the hatred of men, therefore
setting the one against the other he felt that he had no reason to be
afraid.” (C.H. Spurgeon)
Vs.
10-12 – “In the name of the Lord I will destroy them”:
Surrounded by armies of enemies, the psalmist could only be
victorious through God's power... in the Lord's name, not by his own
power.
Vs.
14 – “The Lord is
my strength and song, and He has become my salvation.”:
These words are taken from the song that Moses sang after God
delivered Israel from the armies of Pharaoh (Exodus 15:2). We don't
have to be chased through the desert by chariots or surrounded by
nations who want to kill us to understand that we need God. We need
him just as much as Moses and the Israelites needed Him and just as
much as this psalmist needed Him. He gives us strength to endure
trials and happy hearts that sing praises for His salvation. He IS
our strength. He IS our song. He IS our salvation.
Vs. 22 –
“The stone which the
builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone”:
In biblical times, a cornerstone was the first stone set in the
construction of a building. It was the foundational stone upon which
the rest of the structure was made. In this passage, the 'chief
cornerstone” may have referred to Israel who was despised by the
rest of the world, or possibly David. He was rejected by those close
to him but anointed as king. Prophetically, however, it was
fulfilled in Jesus, which He acknowledged after His triumphal entry
into Jerusalem as Messiah (Luke 20:17; Matthew 21:42; Mark 12:10-11).
Peter also quoted these words following the Resurrection of Jesus in
Acts 4:11-12 and in 1 Peter 2:7.
Vs. 24 –
“This is the day the LORD has made; we will rejoice and be glad
in it”: The Lord makes every day, what's so special about
“this” day? Historically, it is a Jewish feast day. Prophetically, it's the day Jesus became the Chief
Cornerstone... when He entered Jerusalem as Messiah to the
shouts of “Hosanna!” (John 12:13).
Vs. 25 –
“Save now, I pray, O
LORD”:
The word “hosanna” comes
from two Hebrew roots meaning, "Save now!”. “Hosanna!” is
what the crowd at Jerusalem shouted as Jesus made His triumphal
entry on Palm Sunday to publicly claim that He was the Messiah
(Mark 11:10; Matthew 21:9).
Vs. 26 –
“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD”:
Along with “Hosanna!”, this was also being shouted by the crowds
welcoming Jesus to Jerusalem as Messiah (Matthew 21:9; John 12:13)
Vs. 27 –
“Bind the sacrifice with cords to the horns of the altar”:
There is no evidence in the scriptures of sacrifices being bound to the
altar, except for the story of Abraham and Isaac (Genesis 22:9).
Some scholars think this is applied to Jesus prophetically, when He was
bound and sacrificed for the redemption of our sins (Matthew 27:2).
“These verses were likely in the mind and heart of Jesus on the night before His crucifixion. Singing these words must have moved Him in a way beyond our comprehension. “No soul – neither that of the composer of the song, nor that of anyone who employs it – ever entered so completely into all its deep spiritual significance, as did the soul of Jesus, as, before passing out to Olivet, to Gethsemane, to Calvary, He sang it with that little group of men.” (Morgan)
Vs. 29 –
The psalmist comes full circle, ending where he began: “Give
thanks to the Lord, for He is good...”
VIDEO: Acappella https://youtu.be/CFWCH60nJ-A
📖In most
Bibles, the very center of the Bible (by chapter count) is
Psalm 118.
📖The shortest chapter of the Bible is Psalm 117.
📖The longest chapter of the Bible is Psalm 119.
📖The very center verse of the Bible is Psalm 118:8. It says:
“It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man.”
📖The shortest chapter of the Bible is Psalm 117.
📖The longest chapter of the Bible is Psalm 119.
📖The very center verse of the Bible is Psalm 118:8. It says:
“It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man.”
READING FOR TOMORROW: Chapter 119
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