551_Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good

Psalm 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.

Vs.14-16 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!”
Vs. 28-29 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!

Matthew Henry was a well-known 17th-century Bible commentator. One night, he was robbed while traveling. When he got home, instead of complaining, he wrote these words in his journal: “Let me be thankful, first because I was never robbed before; second, because although they took my purse, they did not take my life; third, because although they took all I had, it was not much; and fourth, because it was I who was robbed, not I who robbed.”

The heart that can give thanks even in the midst of loss is a heart that knows God’s goodness. Gratitude doesn’t come from a life free of trouble, but from a heart that sees the hand of a sovereign and faithful God in everything.

Psalm 118 captures this gratitude. It begins and ends with the same refrain:
“Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His steadfast love endures forever.”

This psalm is a song of victory and thanksgiving. It is the last of the “Hallel” psalms—Psalm 113 to 118 – those feast songs of praise remembering God’s mighty deliverance from Egypt. In fact, these very words—“Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good”—would have been on the lips of the Lord Jesus and His disciples on the night before His crucifixion, when they sang a hymn before going out to the Mount of Olives.

Martin Luther, the great Reformer, called Psalm 118 his “beloved psalm.” The seventeenth verse—“I shall not die, but live, and tell of the works of the Lord”—was engraved on a plaque on his study wall. He looked at it daily during the dark days when many of his fellow Reformers were being killed. It reminded him that he was safe in God’s hands until his work on earth was finished.

Psalm 118 begins with a universal call to thanksgiving. “Let Israel say,” “Let the house of Aaron say,” and “Let those who fear the Lord say, ‘His steadfast love endures forever!’” God’s people, their leaders, and every believer who reveres His name are called to bless the Lord, because He is good. His love never ends. His covenant faithfulness never breaks.

The psalm reads like the testimony of David, rejected by his own family and by his king, but chosen by God and exalted to the throne of all Israel as the “man after God’s own heart”:
“Out of my distress I called on the Lord; the Lord answered me and set me free. The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me?” (verses 5–6)

Pressed on every side by his enemies, the psalmist clung to God as his only refuge and shelter. In every situation, he trusted in and called out to God for help, and God answered. His experience of deliverance became the song of verse 14:
“The Lord is my strength and my song; He has become my salvation.” Indeed, the moments when hope seems far away, when the heart trembles under overwhelming pressure, are the moments when God’s faithfulness shines brightest.

The psalmist is celebrating a miracle in the thrice-repeated phrase: “The right hand of the Lord has done valiantly!” This spurs the note of resolute courage in verse 17:
“I shall not die, but live, and recount the deeds of the Lord.” This is not arrogance, but faith. It springs from the knowledge that his destiny is declared and fulfilled by God alone. Nobody can thwart God’s plans. His suffering may have been God’s discipline, but it was life-giving and not the prelude to death.

As he approaches the gates of Jerusalem, the city of righteousness, the city of the great King, the psalmist cries out, “Open to me the gates of righteousness that I may enter through them and give thanks to the Lord.” Righteousness is the foundation of God’s throne. It is the righteous who sing for joy in their tents, for the Lord helps them.

Yet this is not the righteousness earned by religious efforts, but that which comes through faith. It is based on Christ’s atonement, for he is the Lamb of God, bound by love to the altar for us. Our sins are forgiven for his name’s sake. In him we find righteousness and holiness. Yet, we need to constantly search our hearts, confessing and forsaking sin when we see it in our lives, so that we may walk with him.

Verse 22 says:
“The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.” As David was rejected by men but chosen by God and exalted to the throne, Christ is the grand center of God’s greater plan. When he came from the bosom of God, he was despised and outcast by the religious leaders of His day. Yet God raised Him from the dead, higher than all other names. This complete reversal of man’s decision is described in verse 23: “This is the Lord’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes.”

The psalmist goes on to exclaim joyfully,
“This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” (verse 24)
The Lord gave him victory over all his foes and gave Israel peace. But the focus of this psalm is much greater. It is the day of salvation. Christ rose again from the dead, bringing life and immortality to light through the gospel. He is our assurance of forgiveness, our captain in righteousness, and our forerunner into eternal life.

So the psalm ends in prayer:
“Save us, we pray, O Lord! O Lord, give us success!”
This is the daily cry of the faithful heart that longs for fruitfulness in God’s service. Not worldly prosperity but deliverance from sin and the schemes of the evil one.

The victorious king is blessed by the priests (verse 26):
“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” Centuries later, these very words welcomed Jesus as He entered Jerusalem that last week. The crowds expected him to rout their Roman conquerors. But he was manifested to put away the real enemy – sin – and destroy the works of the devil. We can walk in the light as he is in the light, because the blood of Christ our Savior cleanses us from all sin. “The Lord is God, and He has made His light to shine upon us.”

The psalm ends in overflowing praise:
“You are my God, and I will give thanks to You; You are my God, and I will extol You. Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; for His steadfast love endures forever!”

As the Lord left the Upper Room, these words were on his lips. He knew the cross awaited Him. Yet He sang of God’s goodness and love that endures forever. That steadfast love carried Him through the agony of Gethsemane, the mockery of men, and the horror of the cross. It brought salvation to us.

To give thanks in all circumstances is not to deny our pain—it is to declare our trust. It isn’t a duty but a heartfelt response. We testify, “I was pushed hard, but the Lord helped me.” “The Lord is my strength and my song.” When fear whispers its lies, we remember: “The Lord is on my side; I will not fear.” For the cross reminds us that he is our good shepherd, who gave his life for his sheep, and our great shepherd, who reigns in power.

Every day that we live is the day the Lord has made—a day of joy, of salvation, and of rest in his enduring love.