The Day of Salvation

In my time with the Lord this morning, I read Psalm 118, and was overwhelmed by not just one or two words from the Lord (enough for the day), but multiple words from the Lord (enough for my entire life)! If according to Matthew 4:4, "Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God," then this morning I had a veritable feast in God's Word.

Verses 1-4 begin in this way:

"Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever. Let Israel say: 'His love endures forever.' Let the house of Aaron say: 'His love endures forever.' Let those who fear the LORD say: 'His love endures forever.'"

This is a classic revelation-response formula within Scripture. Out of a revelation of God comes a response from my heart. God's action initiates a human reaction. There are many such examples (see, for example, Romans 12:1-2 and Colossians 3:1-4). And so out of a revelation of God's goodness, what should my response be? Like the others, my response should be: "His love endures forever!" In fact, if I could squeeze another verse between verse 4 and verse 5, it would say this:

"Let David say: 'His love endures forever.'"

Verse 5 goes on to say:

"In my anguish I cried to the LORD, and he answered by setting me free."

This is such a simple statement, which doesn't reveal the nature, depth or duration of that anguish. But looking back afterwards, no matter how long it takes for God's answer to come, I will be able to make that same statement.

But it is much more than this. Even as I write, I feel that quiet rebuke from the Lord. Because once again I'm thinking in terms of the ultimate act of healing. Yet God is constantly answering me! Even today, God is answering! I don't need to wait until some vague date in the future to be able to make this statement: I can say it right now! Thank you, Lord, that in the midst of my anguish I called out to you, and you have already answered and already set me free!

Verses 6-7 say:

"The LORD is with me; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me? The LORD is with me; he is my helper. I will look in triumph on my enemies."

This is quoted in Hebrews 13:5-6, in the context of letting go of the love of money. It reminds me that Jesus said in Matthew 6:24:

"No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money."

So the issue behind Psalm 118:6-7 is the Lordship of my life. It is because Jesus is my Lord that I have no fear. It is because the Lord "is with me" and "is my helper" that "I will not be afraid."

Verses 8-9 go on to say:

"It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in man. It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in princes."

I appreciate so much what my doctors are doing for me, but I cannot take refuge in them. It is the Lord who is my refuge. It is better to trust in him than to trust in man.

Verses 10-12 say:

"All the nations surrounded me, but in the name of the LORD I cut them off. They surrounded me on every side, but in the name of the LORD I cut them off. They swarmed around me like bees, but they died out as quickly as burning thorns; in the name of the LORD I cut them off."

In warfare, timing is everything. Up till now, my battle has been primarily defensive. In essence, I've been taking refuge in the Lord and dealing with the issues of fear, hope and faith. But as of yesterday, we've taken the battle to the enemy in a major way. In their prayer, my parents (as others have also been doing) began to use the authority of God's Word to command the cancer to leave. And so to paraphrase Psalm 118:10-12 for my situation:

"Cancer threatened to take my life, but in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we cut it off!"

Verses 13-14 now say this:

"I was pushed back and about to fall, but the LORD helped me. The LORD is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation."

If all I had to depend on was my own strength and resilience, I would surely have fallen, yet there is a divine "but" in this verse: "...but the Lord helped me." Without God in the equation, there would be no hope, but include God in the equation and the result changes dramatically! For my healing is not the sum of my doctor's efforts and my own self-reliance. Rather, it is the sum of my faith and God's divine intervention!

In a previous post (see "God is My Salvation"), I made this statement:

"That last part [of Psalm 35:3] is what really struck me. The Lord doesn't just say, "I will save you." Nor does he even say, "I will show you my salvation." He says to my soul: "I am your salvation."This is, I believe, one of the most important lessons to learn in a situation like this. God is not merely my Healer (the one who performs the act of healing), He is my healing (the personification of that healing)! He is not merely my Saviour (the One who performs the act of salvation), He is my salvation (the personification of that salvation)!

The amazing thing for me, as I write this, is that this is Christmas morning. This is the annual worldwide celebration of the day on which God actually fulfilled Psalm 35:3 and 118:14. When Jesus was born, this was not merely the day when the Saviour was born, as we sing in our Christmas carols - it was the day when God became our salvation in human flesh!

In fact, as you read the whole of Psalm 118, you'll find that it is a "messianic psalm" - one of the psalms that prophesies the coming of the Messiah. This has great significance for the meaning of Psalm 118 on this special day.

Verses 15-16 describe in more detail the results that come from the previous two verses:

"Shouts of joy and victory resound in the tents of the righteous: 'The LORD's right hand has done mighty things! The LORD's right hand is lifted high; the LORD's right hand has done mighty things!'"

I want to declare this morning that shouts of joy and victory resound from the tents of the Collins clan! Indeed, "the Lord's right hand is lifted high; the Lord's right hand has done mighty things in my life!"

Verses 17-18 then say:

"I will not die but live, and will proclaim what the LORD has done. The LORD has chastened me severely, but he has not given me over to death."

What an incredible statement to be able to make! What gives me the right to be able to say, "I will not die but live"? It only on the basis of the preceding verses: "The Lord's right hand is lifted high; the Lord's right hand has done mighty things!" It is only because the Lord has already become my salvation (in the person of Jesus) that I have the authority and audacity to say: "I will not die but live"!

Special Note: I want to thank my dear friend and faithful brother, Pastor Tim Gill, of The Gathering in Ohio, who shared Psalm 118:17 with me in an email last night. It was because of his email that I began reading Psalm 118 this morning.

Verse 18 then says: "The Lord has chastened me severely..." The first reaction of some people is that anyone who has a severe disease, such as cancer, must have sinned. For example, I've heard categorical statements by well-meaning Christians who have said: "Cancer is caused by unforgiveness and bitterness." Well, I can categorically say that this is not true in my case (remember, part of the process I am walking through at this stage is allowing the Lord to speak into my life on every level). Before the Lord, I can say that unforgiveness or bitterness is not an issue for me.

This question was raised by the disciples in John 9:1-3, when they asked Jesus: "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" Jesus' response applies, I believe, also to my situation: "...this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life."

Having said that, don't think that I'm saying I'm "innocent" in all matters. The Lord does use situations such as this to "chastise" his children. Hebrews 12:5-11 tells us clearly:

"And you have forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons: 'My son, do not make light of the Lord's discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son.' Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live! Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it."

And so I treat this crisis of faith as the Lord's discipline. But it is a disciple of love, not a judgment of wrath. This is revealed in the Psalm 118:18: "The LORD has chastened me severely, but he has not given me over to death."

Romans 1:18-32 reveals that God, in his wrath, "gave [mankind] over" to what they craved, and so they "received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion." But this doesn't apply to me. God has not "given me over to death" in wrath. Although I am convinced that God will heal me (and has in fact already healed me in Christ - more on this later), if I do happen to die (and before the return of Jesus, that will happen anyway - it's only a matter of "when"), this will not be a "handing over to death" but rather a receiving into everlasting life. Because, as Paul declared, "For me, to live is Christ and to die is gain" (Philippians 1:21).

Verses 19-20 go on to say:

"Open for me the gates of righteousness; I will enter and give thanks to the LORD. This is the gate of the LORD through which the righteous may enter."

I was somewhat puzzled for a moment when I read these two verses. Verse 19 is clear: There are gates of righteousness that can be opened and through which we pass, resulting in thanks to the Lord. But what does verse 20 mean? When it says, "This is the gate of the Lord through which the righteous may enter", what gate is it talking about?

And so I re-read the context, and discovered something incredible. Remember, this is a messianic psalm. It is predicting the coming of the Messiah. And so, in verse 21, it gives us the clue as to what - or rather, who - the gate of righteousness through which we pass really is...

"I will give you thanks, for you answered me; you have become my salvation."

Once again we see this repeating theme: "It is the Lord himself who has become my salvation. He is the "gate of righteousness" through which I pass! As Jesus says in John 10:9: "I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved."

This is confirmed in the following verses of Psalm 118. Verses 22-23 tell us:

"The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone; the LORD has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes."

1 Peter 2:4-7 tells us clearly that this rejected capstone speaks of Jesus, rejected by men but chosen by God. In other words, this entire passage is speaking of the coming of Jesus, both historically (2000 years ago) and personally (into my life now).

Verse 24 then declares:

"This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it."

This is a familiar song to many, but most don't realise it is part of a messianic prophecy. In other words, the day it is speaking of is the "day of salvation" that comes through Jesus Christ.

But this also holds special meaning for me, since yesterday the Lord was encouraging me that although I have hope for the future full deliverance God will bring, my faith regards the now - it is today that God is working in my life. This is emphasised by 2 Corinthians 6:2, which says:

"In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you." I tell you, now is the time of God's favor, now is the day of salvation."

I'll probably share more on this later, but suffice it say at this point that each and every day is a day of salvation and deliverance and healing for me!

Verses 25-27 now say:

"O LORD, save us; O LORD, grant us success. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD. From the house of the LORD we bless you. The LORD is God, and he has made his light shine upon us. With boughs in hand, join in the festal procession up to the horns of the altar."

Matthew 21:9 quotes from Psalm 118:26 when it records Jesus' entry into Jerusalem, just prior to the Cross and Resurrection, showing once again the messianic nature of this psalm and the fact that the salvation it is talking about refers directly to Jesus (note that the term "Hosanna" comes from Psalm 118:25 and means "Lord, save!" and the name of Jesus itself means "The LORD saves").

It is based on this incredible revelation - that Jesus himself has become my salvation - that Psalm 118 concludes with verses 28-29:

"You are my God, and I will give you thanks; you are my God, and I will exalt you. Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever."

Because of the same revelation that the psalm begins with - that God is good - I can now declare to the Lord that "you are my God and I will exalt you...for he is good; his love endures forever"! And isn't this what the true meaning of Christmas is all about?