4 Long before the birth of Jesus, the psalms were read by the people of Israel as messianic: prophecies about the Messiah and first-person speech of the Messiah, the future Son of David
5 There is a movement from lament to praise and thanksgiving for deliverance (Todah)
A Second Structure Suggestion[1]
Summons to give thanks and responses v1-4
Account of trouble and salvation v5-18
Thanksgiving ceremony v19-28
Summons to give thanks v29
Authorship and a Third Structural Suggestion[2]
Of the authorship of this psalm, and the occasion on which it was composed, nothing can now be ascertained with certainty. The common opinion has been that it is a psalm of David, and that it was composed when his troubles with Saul ceased, and when he was recognized as king. Some (scholars), however, have referred it to Hezekiah on the occasion of his restoration from sickness; others to the time of the return from the Babylonian exile; and others to the time of the Maccabees. It would be useless to examine these opinions, as they are all of them mere conjecture, and as no certainty can now be arrived at.
What is apparent on the face of the psalm is, that it was a psalm of thanksgiving, to be employed in the Temple when an offering or sacrifice was led up to the altar Psalm 118:27 to be presented as an acknowledgment of mercy (kindness/goodness) from God, on some occasion of deliverance from danger, by someone whose claim to rule had been rejected, but who was now victorious over his enemies, and recognized as the rightful leader and ruler of the people. The psalm is in a measure dramatic. The author is the speaker in the first twenty-one verses; in the remainder of the psalm the priests and the people speak, and at the close, the psalmist again utters praise.
III. (Micah Read) ESV
His Steadfast Love Endures Forever (Faithful Love what we all want)
118 Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
for his steadfast love endures forever!
2 Let Israel say,
“His steadfast love endures forever.”
3 Let the house of Aaron say,
“His steadfast love endures forever.”
4 Let those who fear the Lord say,
“His steadfast love endures forever.”
5 Out of my distress I called on the Lord;
the Lord answered me and set me free.
6 The Lord is on my side; I will not fear.
What can man do to me?
7 The Lord is on my side as my helper;
I shall look in triumph on those who hate me.
8 It is better to take refuge in the Lord
than to trust in man.
9 It is better to take refuge in the Lord
than to trust in princes.
10 All nations surrounded me;
in the name of the Lord I cut them off!
11 They surrounded me, surrounded me on every side;
in the name of the Lord I cut them off!
12 They surrounded me like bees;
they went out like a fire among thorns;
in the name of the Lord I cut them off!
13 I was pushed hard,[a] so that I was falling,
but the Lord helped me.
14 The Lord is my strength and my song;
he has become my salvation.
15 Glad songs of salvation
are in the tents of the righteous:
“The right hand of the Lord does valiantly,
16 the right hand of the Lord exalts,
the right hand of the Lord does valiantly!”
17 I shall not die, but I shall live,
and recount the deeds of the Lord.
18 The Lord has disciplined me severely,
but he has not given me over to death.
19 Open to me the gates of righteousness,
that I may enter through them
and give thanks to the Lord.
20 This is the gate of the Lord;
the righteous shall enter through it.
21 I thank you that you have answered me
and have become my salvation.
22 The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone.[b]
23 This is the Lord’s doing;
it is marvelous in our eyes. (This is from the Lord, Scofield)
24 This is the day that the Lord has made;
let us rejoice and be glad in it.
25 Save us, we pray, O Lord!
O Lord, we pray, give us success!
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 he has made his light to shine upon us.
Bind the festal sacrifice with cords,
up to the horns of the altar!
28 You are my God, and I will give thanks to you;
you are my God; I will extol you.
29 Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
for his steadfast love endures forever!
Footnotes
- Psalm 118:13 Hebrew You (that is, the enemy) pushed me hard
- Psalm 118:22 Hebrew the head of the corner
[1] Erhard S. Gerstenberger, Psalms Part I with an Introduction to Cultic Poetry Vol XIV (Eerdmans: Grand Rapids, MI 1991) 300
[2] https://biblehub.com/commentaries/barnes/psalms/118.htm accessed May 16, 2022 Barnes Notes (Albert Barnes, Presbyterian Theologian 1798-1870)