Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24

Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24


Commentary on Psalm by Nancy Koester

On Easter Sunday, the church proclaims, "O give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his steadfast love endures forever!" (Psalm 118:1).



Jesus Christ is risen. And in Christ, we too shall rise. God's steadfast love endures forever! The words of Psalm 118 have long been used to herald Easter. "This is the day that the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it!" (118:24).



In its ancient Jewish context, Psalm 118 was most likely an entrance liturgy to the Temple, used at the festival of Passover. It proclaimed God's deliverance from Egypt and, later on, from the Exile. The Psalm was a liturgical script, complete with speaking parts for leaders and congregation. One can hear the jubilant call and response in 118:2-4: "Let Israel say, 'His steadfast love endures forever.' Let the house of Aaron say, 'His steadfast love endures forever.' Let those who fear the LORD say, 'His steadfast love endures forever.'"



With this Psalm on their lips, the priests and people processed into the Temple. The approach to the Temple culminates in verse 19, "Open to me the gates of righteousness..." and the condition for entrance is given in verse 20, "The righteous shall enter through it." Then the festival procession proceeds up to the altar, to adorn it with signs of victory (verse 27). The physical movement begins outside the Temple, progressing inside and all the way to the altar. The people express their faith that since God has saved them in the past, he can be trusted in the future (verse 25).1



The spiritual movement is just as dramatic. Biblical scholar Richard Clifford notes that "Christians will see in the movement from humiliation to exaltation a foreshadowing of Jesus... His rescue from death is a new exodus and a fresh sign that God's steadfast love endures forever... His exaltation means [our] own. The Psalm is therefore a wonderful song for the Easter Season."2 It recalls God's deliverance of the people, and expresses their joy and gratitude.



Since New Testament times, Psalm 118 evokes for Christians the story of Easter.



"Out of my distress I called on the Lord;

the Lord answered me and set me in a broad place.

With the Lord on my side I do not fear.

What can mortals do to me?" (118:5-6)