Sharper Iron — The Psalter: What Is the Day the Lord Has Made?

Rev. Mark Barz, pastor at Crown of Life Lutheran Church in San Antonio, TX, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Psalm 118.

Psalm 118 begins and ends with a familiar refrain of thanksgiving to the LORD for His enduring steadfast love. All people are invited to join in singing in a procession leading to the temple. The psalmist has confidence in the LORD in the midst of danger. The LORD is the place of refuge when all human help fails. Even when the psalmist is surrounded by enemies, the LORD remains his strength and salvation. As the procession nears the temple, the picture of the Messiah becomes clearer. Jesus enters Jerusalem as the coming King. Though He is rejected and sacrificed there, the Father sets Him as the cornerstone for the Church. This is the Day of salvation that the LORD has made. The Church now sings Psalm 118 in anticipation of the day of salvation the LORD will bring on the Last Day when He takes us into resurrection life.

Join Sharper Iron during the month of July to study several Psalms. In the Psalter, God speaks His Word to us and teaches us how to speak back to Him in prayer. Even in the great variety of the Psalms, each one points us to our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Sharper Iron, hosted by Rev. Timothy Appel, looks at the text of Holy Scripture both in its broad context and its narrow detail, all for the sake of proclaiming Christ crucified and risen for sinners. Two pastors engage with God’s Word to sharpen not only their own faith and knowledge, but the faith and knowledge of all who listen.

Sharper Iron is underwritten by Lutheran Church Extension Fund, where your investments help support the work of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. Visit lcef.org.

Psalm 118

His Steadfast Love Endures Forever

118 Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
for his steadfast love endures forever!

²Let Israel say,
    “His steadfast love endures forever.”
³Let the house of Aaron say,
    “His steadfast love endures forever.”
⁴Let those who fear the Lord say,
    “His steadfast love endures forever.”

⁵Out of my distress I called on the Lord;
    the Lord answered me and set me free.
⁶The Lord is on my side; I will not fear.
    What can man do to me?
⁷The Lord is on my side as my helper;
    I shall look in triumph on those who hate me.

⁸It is better to take refuge in the Lord
than to trust in man.
⁹It is better to take refuge in the Lord
than to trust in princes.

¹⁰All nations surrounded me;
    in the name of the Lord I cut them off!
¹¹They surrounded me, surrounded me on every side;
    in the name of the Lord I cut them off!
¹²They surrounded me like bees;
    they went out like a fire among thorns;
    in the name of the Lord I cut them off!
¹³I was pushed hard,^[a] so that I was falling,
    but the Lord helped me.

¹⁴The Lord is my strength and my song;
    he has become my salvation.
¹⁵Glad 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!”

¹⁷I shall not die, but I shall live,
and recount the deeds of the Lord.
¹⁸The Lord has disciplined me severely,
but he has not given me over to death.

¹⁹Open to me the gates of righteousness,
    that I may enter through them
    and give thanks to the Lord.
²⁰This is the gate of the Lord;
    the righteous shall enter through it.
²¹I thank you that you have answered me
    and have become my salvation.
²²The stone that the builders rejected
    has become the cornerstone.^[b]
²³This is the Lord‘s doing;
    it is marvelous in our eyes.
²⁴This is the day that the Lord has made;
    let us rejoice and be glad in it.

²⁵Save us, we pray, O Lord!
O Lord, we pray, give us success!

²⁶Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!
    We bless you from the house of the Lord.
²⁷The Lord is God,
    and he has made his light to shine upon us.
Bind the festal sacrifice with cords,
    up to the horns of the altar!

²⁸You are my God, and I will give thanks to you;
you are my God; I will extol you.
²⁹Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
for his steadfast love endures forever!

Footnotes

Psalm 118:13 Hebrew You (that is, the enemy) pushed me hard
Psalm 118:22 Hebrew the head of the corner

Rev. Timothy Appel

Although a mathematics degree may not be incredibly helpful to (proudly born-and-raised Texan) Rev. Timothy Appel while hosting Sharper Iron, his love of CFW Walther and the season of Easter will come in handy. His Call is shepherding the flock at Faith Lutheran Church in Godfrey, Illinois, and he’s also husband to wife Kristin and dad to their growing basketball team of children. When he’s not carrying out pastoral duties, you may find him reading “The Lord of the Rings,” snacking on Reese’s peanut butter cups, playing dominoes with his boys, or studying up on Texas history (including Sam Houston, of course).