I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the LORD.

 

Tuesday, August 22, 2023


Psalm 118:1-18

2 Samuel 21:1-22

Acts 18:18-28


I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the LORD.


Recently I found myself clicking around a website of one of those new, trendy non-denominational suburban mega-churches that pop up every now and then. What stuck out to me the most was just how irrepressibly happy the whole thing seemed. Shifting uncomfortably in my sensible Anglican chair I found I could look down my snobbish nose at the “beliefs” section of the website; like so many of these new churches, there was no mention of any of the historic creeds. Of course, they have a statement of faith that is effectively a slightly-rephrased Nicene creed; but it didn’t change the fact that for many Christians, these included, life is wellspring of effervescent joy: and this joy is a blessing to those of us who find ourselves pitched into the outer darkness of life’s trials.


Today’s Psalmist has good cause to rejoice. Living in tents, surrounded by enemies who buzz like bees, disappointed by the failure of human politics; life has been one disaster after another. But then the Lord raised His right hand, and everything changed. When we do our evening prayers tonight, we will read the second half of this Psalm, and we will discover that this is no mere military victory of which the Psalmist sings. Two lines in particular stick out, and they explain just why we are singing with Israel, the house of Aaron, indeed, all who fear the Lord.


The stone the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone; blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord: this Psalm is about the Lord Jesus. There is no-one in heaven and on earth more powerful than the Lord Jesus, and He came and gave Himself for us, so that we might join Him in the festal procession, the victory parade of love over death, and sing and dance our way into the gates of heaven. What can mortals do to the One who holds the keys to life and death, and those of us under His protection? Today is the day that the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.

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