Psalm 118:24 - This Is A Day The LORD Has Made; Let Us Rejoice And Be Glad In It.
Psa 118:24; This Is A Day The LORD Has Made; Let Us Rejoice And
Be Glad In It.
Psa 118:24 (NIV) This is the day the LORD has made; let us
rejoice and be glad in it.
CONTEXT
Psalms 111-118 are called hallelujah psalms. Hallelujah means
"praise the LORD"
Psalms 115-118 were traditionally sung at the Passover meal,
commemorating Israel's escape from slavery in Egypt. [Life Application SB]
Psalms 113-118 are sung yearly by devout Jews at the celebration
of Passover, the first two (113-114) before and the last four
(115-118) after the Passover meal. Thus it is possible that these Psalms
were the last songs our Lord sang before His crucifixion (Mark
14:26). [Your Daily Walk SB mod]
This is the last of the "Hallel" or "praise" psalms (Ps.
113-118), which were sung at the Passover. This was probably the hymn sung
by Jesus and the disciples in the Upper Room before they departed
for the Mount of Olives (see Matt. 26:30). [New Bible Companion]
Psalm 118 A Song of Victory
Psalm 118 Thanksgiving for Victory
Psalm 118 Thanksgiving for Deliverance
Psalm 118 Thanksgiving for the LORD'S Saving Goodness.
Ps. 118 is a congregational song of praise. [SDA Commentary]
Ps. 118 is a psalm of individual declarative praise, a messianic
psalm. [New Bible Companion]
This psalm of jubilant thanksgiving was sung by worshipers in
procession to the Temple. It contains an acclamation of praise (vv. 1-4),
an acknowledgment of past distress, petition, and deliverance by
God (vv. 5-21), and an anticipation of the future day when the
Foundation Stone will bring salvation (vv. 22-29). [Ryrie SB]
The Center Of The Bible:
Did you know:
1. Psalm 117 is the shortest chapter in the Bible.
2. Psalm 118 is the middle chapter of the entire Bible.
3. Psalm 119 is the longest chapter in the Bible.
4. There are 594 chapters before and 594 chapters after Psalm
118.
5. All the chapters before and after Psalm 118 total 1188
chapters.
6. This number found in Psalm 118:8 is the middle verse of the
entire Bible and it conveys a very important message: "It is better to
take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man."
7. This central verse is the central theme of the entire Bible.
[source unknown mod]
CROSS REFERENCES
Neh. 8:10b (KJV) this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye
sorry; for the joy of the Lord is your strength.
Isaiah 58:13-14 If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath,
from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a
delight, the holy of the Lord, honourable; and shalt honour him, not
doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking
thine own words: [14] Then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord; and
I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and
feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the
Lord hath spoken it.
Matthew 28:6a (KJV) He is not here: for he is risen, as he
said.
COMMENTARY / APPLICATION
Saying this verse to ourselves each morning can be a great way
to remember the practice of living one day at a time. How valuable
to remind ourselves that God made this day, with all its blessings
and opportunities, and gave it to us. We can thank him for it and
enter the day with anticipation. [Life Recovery Devotional SB]
There are days when the last thing we want to do is rejoice. Our
mood is down, our situation is out of hand, and our sorrow or guilt
is overwhelming. We can relate to the writers of the psalms who
often felt this way. But no matter how low the psalmists felt, they
were always honest with God. And as they talked to God, their prayers
ended in praise. When you don't feel like rejoicing, tell God how you
truly feel. You will find that God will give you a reason to rejoice.
God has given you this day to live and to serve him--be glad! [Life
Application SB]
God's ways are not the same as our ways. What people may cast
aside as unfit for use, God uses to do awe-inspiring work. This can be
true for us, too. We may feel that our life has been ruined beyond
repair. We probably think that we will never be used by God for anything
significant. God often uses the most unlikely people to work his greatest
miracles, proving to the world that God is at work. As willing vessels of
God's power, we can be transformed to make an impact on others that
goes far beyond our wildest dreams. All we have to do is entrust our
life to God. [Life Recovery SB]
We have the assurance that in the storms of life today, Jesus
Himself will be standing just outside the door waiting to be invited in.
He is waiting to share a meal with us, waiting to share our
sorrows, to renew our courage, to come in and talk intimately. We are not
alone. We never shall be. He has promised to be there; all we need do
is open the door to Him. What is your need today? Do you need
comfort in your personal trials? Christ is waiting. Do you need
forgiveness for your sins? He is knocking. Do you need to make a new
commitment to serve God with your life? Whatever your spiritual need, right
now Christ is knocking at the door of your heart. He is Lord of the
universe, and He wants to be Lord of your life as well. (by Billy Graham).
Application: What will you depend on today for your needs?
Although you may be tempted to trust earthly means more than God, have
more confidence in God than anything else. [Inspirational SB]
Look back to see ahead. Turn to yesterday to see tomorrow. It's
almost a paradox. But it's true. When Israel looked back each Passover
season at the redemption won for them from Egypt, they were in fact
looking ahead, and viewing the ministry of the Messiah. What will His
coming mean? A shout of praise, that "His love endures forever" (vv.
2-4). Freedom found by taking refuge in the LORD (vv. 5-9). A fresh
awareness of our desperate need, relieved by the fact that the LORD "has
become my salvation" (vv. 10-14). Shouts of joy punctuating the
realization that "I will not die but live" (vv. 15-18). Endless praise, as
we enter the gates of heaven to give God thanks for our salvation
(vv. 19-21). And in it all, the exaltation of Jesus who, rejected by
the builders, became the cornerstone of God's plan of salvation (vv.
22-23). Then comes the stunning realization that "this is the day that
the LORD has made"--a day that spills over into eternity; a
never-ending day throughout which we will give God thanks, exalting Him for
He is "my God" and because "He is good; His love endures forever."
Today when you and I turn to look back, we see our tomorrow in the
cross of Jesus, our Passover sacrifice. In the shadow of Calvary we
sense the dawn of the day that the LORD has ordained for you and me.
When we turn again after looking back at the cross, and look ahead,
we can see just beyond the horizon of tomorrow the return of
Christ. What will that return mean? How clearly this majestic psalm
tells us. For you and for me, Christ's return will mean freedom,
shouts of joy, and endless days of praise. Application: When you look
back to the cross, look intently until you see tomorrow. [The 365-Day
Devotional Commentary]
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