As we draw near the mellowing light of the sanctuary we see more deeply into the divine meaning of our experiences. In Psalms 118:13, "Thou [1] didst thrust sore at me," but in Psalms 118:18, "The Lord hath chastened me sore." Our Lord and His Apostles made much use of Psalms 118:22. See Matthew 21:42; Acts 4:11; Ephesians 2:20; 1 Peter 2:4-7. It probably refers to an incident in the building of the Temple, when a rejected stone was sought for to complete the structure. Its rejection and recovery were "the Lord's doing," as a parable of other and more momentous events.
Psalms 118:27 is peculiarly beautiful. As soon as God gives you light, make use of it for a fuller consecration and be renewal of sacrifice. New light means the discovery of fresh opportunities for divine service. Let light and life keep step! Pass from the altar to the Cross, at which Jesus stands to welcome and endorse your new act of surrender. Behold there the golden cord of love, the silver cord of hope, and the crimson cord of his redeeming sacrifice for you. The confession of such a life will be that God is good, that His service is bliss, and that His mercy never fails. [source]
Chapter Summary: Psalms 118
1An exhortation to praise God for his mercy 5The psalmist by his experience shows how good it is to trust in God 19Under the type of the psalmist the coming of Christ in his kingdom is expressed
What do the individual words in Psalms 118:17 mean?
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, first person common singular
Root: חָיָה
Sense: to live, have life, remain alive, sustain life, live prosperously, live for ever, be quickened, be alive, be restored to life or health.