THE HEART OF THE BIBLE (Psalm 118)

Today, in our study, we have come to the exact middle of our English Bible. It is found in Psalm 118, a beautiful psalm. In fact, the middle verse of the Bible is verse 8.

“It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man.”

Let me stop right here and say, “Amen to that.” The psalmist actually took it a step further in verse 9: “It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in princes.” The word “princes” is a reference to the best and most capable men of that era.

Faith in God is better any day than faith in the most trustworthy man. Men at their best are still only men. They will fail from time to time and fall short of expectations. But praise God, He never fails.

Go back and look at verse 8 again. If you count the words carefully, you will see that the middle words in the middle verse of the Bible are the two words “the Lord.”

I would challenge you to take Psalm 118 and meditate on it on your own time, walking your way through all 29 verses. You will find the Lord in each verse in some way.

When you go to the heart of the Bible, the heart of the message is all about the Lord. It is not about men, events, or things. It is all about the Lord.

Verse 1: “O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good: because his mercy endureth forever.”

Do you hear the repeated refrain of the goodness and mercy of God? He is good. He cannot be anything else. Out of that goodness flows His mercy to us as sinners, which was described in the previous psalm as “merciful kindness.” This psalm is just picking up where the last one left off.

Verses 2-4: “Let Israel now say, that his mercy endureth forever. Let the house of Aaron now say, that his mercy endureth forever. Let them now that fear the Lord say, that his mercy endureth forever.”

In other words, this claim can be made by anyone, not just the nation of Israel or the priestly tribe. All of us who fear the Lord can and should say it. God has been very merciful to every one of us.

We believe that the people of God used Psalm 118 in Ezra 3 when they laid the foundation stone of the temple after returning from captivity. If you read Ezra 3, you will see that the people said exactly what was said in Psalm 118.

This psalm is still used by the Jewish people for special celebrations and holy days. It was sung after the Passover, which is quite significant. On the night that Jesus was betrayed, He met with His disciples in the upper room, and then they sang a hymn before going to the Garden of Gethsemane. Studying Scripture has convinced me that the hymn they sang may have been Psalm 118.

So, if you read this passage about God's goodness and mercy, suddenly, you can hear Jesus singing it. Each verse will take on far deeper meaning if you view it through the eyes of Christ. This is not just about David; it is also about the Son of David, who revealed God's goodness to us and brought the mercy of Heaven down to Earth. Psalm 118 is filled with direct references to the Messiah and many reasons to trust Him.

He Answers Our Prayers

Verses 5-7: “I called upon the Lord in distress: the Lord answered me, and set me in a large place. The Lord is on my side; I will not fear: what can man do unto me? The Lord taketh my part with them that help me: therefore shall I see my desire upon them that hate me.”

Christ went to the place of prayer and, from there, faced His enemies. The Father answered His prayer. The Lord was on His side, and He faced those enemies without fear. If Christ could do that, then in the spirit of Christ, we can do the same. As Romans 8:31 says, “If God be for us, who can be against us?”

He Takes Care of Our Enemies

Verse 10: “All nations compassed me about: but in the name of the Lord will I destroy them.” Subsequent verses repeat this theme of God providing victory. The Lord will take care of all of His enemies someday, and He is greater than whoever you are facing today.

Verse 13: “Thou hast thrust sore at me that I might fall: but the Lord helped me.” Isn’t that beautiful? The Lord stepped in when needed the most.

He Gives Us Joy

Verses 14-16: “The Lord is my strength and song, and is become my salvation. The voice of rejoicing and salvation is in the tabernacles of the righteous: the right hand of the Lord doeth valiantly. The right hand of the Lord is exalted: the right hand of the Lord doeth valiantly.”

This is a reference to His power. God will be more than enough. Rejoice in Him today.

I love the testimony of verse 17. “I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the Lord.” Imagine Jesus singing that on His way to the cross. It describes exactly what happened. He did die, but He rose from the dead and lives today, declaring the works of the Lord to us.

Verses 19-20: “Open to me the gates of righteousness: I will go into them, and I will praise the Lord: This gate of the Lord, into which the righteous shall enter.” We see the ascension of Christ and His glory as He goes back through the celestial gates of Heaven to the right hand of the Father.

Verse 22: “The stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner.” That’s right. They stumbled over Him and rejected Him, but He is our cornerstone that we build upon. He is the foundation of our faith.

Verses 23-24: “This is the Lord's doing; it is marvellous in our eyes. This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.” Think of Christ singing this on perhaps the most difficult day of His life.

He is Going to be with You Every Day

On your ordinary days, your most exciting days, and your hardest days — God is going to take care of you.

We know this is a psalm about the Lord Jesus Christ because of all the references to what He did for us. But I want to say that this is also a psalm for every person who follows Christ and is willing to yield his or her life to His lordship.

Verse 27: “God is the Lord, which hath shewed us light: bind the sacrifice with cords, even unto the horns of the altar.”

You can lay yourself on the altar as surely as Christ did, knowing that God will always do right.

Verses 28-29: “Thou art my God, and I will praise thee: thou art my God, I will exalt thee. O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good: for his mercy endureth forever.”

The heart message of the psalm, which is found throughout the Bible, is that God is good and merciful, and you can trust Him.