OT Fire Starters – Day 231: Psalms 117-118
READ: Psalms 117-118
THINK: Do you ever wonder what was on Jesus’ mind during the final hours before He was crucified? He knew what was ahead, yet He faced it with humility, and even joy. During the last supper with His disciples-a Passover meal-Jesus sang with them. Since these Psalms were used by Jews at the Passover celebration, some believe that Psalm 118 may have been the last song Jesus sang with His disciples before He went to the Garden of Gethsemane, where He was arrested and led to His death (cf. Matthew 26:30; Mark 14:26). Look back over this psalm, considering what might have been in Christ’s mind when He sang it for the last time.
RESPOND: According to Psalm 117, why are all people of all nations to praise the Lord? How did Paul use Psalm 117 in the New Testament and why? (See 117:1 note.) How does this apply to all people? What’s the primary thing for which Psalm 118 praises the Lord (Psalm 118:1)? (See 118:1-29 note.) How did the Lord respond to the writer’s desperate cry in 118:5, and why wasn’t the writer afraid (118:6-7)? (See 118:6 note.) Why is it better to trust in the Lord than in anyone else (118:8-9)? How did the psalmist cut off his enemies (118:10-12)? What will the writer do since God spared his life (118:17)? What or who is “The stone the builders rejected” (118:22), and what does it mean that “he has become the capstone”? (See 118:22-23 note.) What is “the day” referred to in 118:24, and what occasion does it present for praising God? (See 118:24 note.) What’s significant about the phrase, “O LORD, save us,” in 118:25, in what way is it prophetic, and when is it used in the New Testament? (See 118:25 note.)
PRAY: Praise the Lord for His eternal love and faithfulness. Give thanks that He’s always with you and that you don’t have to fear what anyone else can do to you. Thank Jesus for providing your spiritual salvation and every other benefit through His sacrifice on the cross.
ACT: Do everything today as an act of praise to God, making a deliberate effort to reflect His love, His excellence, His worthiness and His honor. Trust that God is going to give you opportunities to get into conversations about spiritual things with people who don’t know Christ.