Title: Give thanks to the LORD / Psalm 118
This piece is one of the "Hallelujah Poems" (111-118, 146-150), and the hymn begins and ends with "Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good and His mercy endures forever"
1. "Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good and his mercy endures forever" (1-4)
The author of this psalm exhorts all who have experienced God's saving grace, including Israel, the house of Aaron, and those who fear the Lord, to praise and give thanks to God for His goodness and mercy. Those who experience God's mercy and believe that His mercy is eternal will live a life of thanksgiving and praise.
2. "I cried out in agony, and the LORD answered me and set me up in a great place" (5-18)
The content of thanksgiving and praise here is God's saving grace. God answered the prayer we cried out in pain. God was on my side. So the fear was gone. He made known to Jehovah that escape is the best way. It has been shown that the name of the Lord can cut off the power of any enemy. He allowed me to experience that the Lord is my strength, my praise, and my salvation. The right hand of the LORD showed his power. God rebuked him to the point where he sometimes severely rebuked him, but he did not put him to death. Therefore, the poet vowed not to die, but to live and proclaim widely the good and merciful works of the Lord.
3. “Open to me the door of righteousness, and I will go in and give thanks to the Lord” (19-24)
Here the poet said that he would go into the “gate of impartiality,” that is, the temple, and give thanks to God. I went into the temple and vowed to thank God for the grace that God answered my prayers and gave me salvation. He confessed that he would thank God for lifting up the stone rejected by the builders and making it the cornerstone of the house. It is a marvelous thing God has done. This day of salvation is the day ordained by God. It is a day for us to rejoice and rejoice.
4. “Save me now, O LORD” (25-29)
The poet, who experienced the grace of salvation, again prayed for God's helping grace. I prayed for the grace to prosper. Those who have received grace long for God's grace more and more earnestly. The psalmist here prophesied to bless the Messiah who comes in the name of the Lord. And the sacrifice of Christ was to be tied to the horns of the altar. And this is how the praise ended. "You are my God, and I will give thanks to you. You are my God, and I will exalt you." "Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good and his lovingkindness endures forever."