"God is the LORD, which hath showed us light: bind the sacrifice with cords, even to the horns of the altar. Thou art my God, I will praise thee: thou art my God, I will exalt thee. O give thanks unto the LORD for He is good! Because His mercy endures forever.” (Psalm 118: 27-29)
This psalm is the last of the six “halal” psalms. It was one of the traditional psalms that the Jews would sing at the Passover feast. In it one can see many prophecies concerning our LORD’s eventual sacrifice for us. The ‘Lamb of God”, which would take away the sins of the world, bound to the altar of the cross.
What is interesting to me is that Jesus would have sung this very psalm with His disciples at the Passover shortly before His crucifixion. Which means, they were actually singing this prophetic psalm in which some aspects had recently come to fulfillment right before their very eyes. And yet, the disciples could not see the very things they were singing about, nor the eventual outcome.
Scripture records that as Jesus entered the city of Jerusalem for Passover, a multitude was crying, "Hosanna, blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord” (Matthew 21:9). His disciples (who were with Him) witnessed this event prophesied in the very hymn they were singing (vv.23-25), and yet did not connect the dots.
Shortly after that, the disciples witnessed how Jesus spoke to the chief priests and scribes in the parable of the “Wicked Vinedressers.” How they (chief priests/scribes) were the wicked vinedressers who sought to kill the owners beloved son (Jesus), to keep the inheritance (spiritual authority) for themselves. Thus foretelling of Himself being rejected by His own, "the chief corner stone was rejected by the builders” (Luke 20:17). Once again the disciples were blind to what they were singing.
Finally, they were actually singing, "Bind the sacrifice with cords to the altar” (v. 27), prophesying how our Lord would die, nailed to the altar of the cross. But the disciples remained blind to all that was going on around them and the significance of moment. Their rituals had become just that, and the meaning lost at the time of its fulfillment. Very sad.
Psalm 118, what a prophetic word. Lord help us to see, and not be blind to Your Word. Open our eyes LORD, that we might not miss the events prophesied both now and those which are yet to come. Amen!
The Truth: "Open my eyes that I might see wonderful things in Your Law" (Psalm 119:18)
