Commentary - Psalm 118:15-18

Bird's-eye view

Psalm 118 is one of the great Hallel psalms, concluding a section (113-118) that is brimming with high notes of triumph. But this is not a cheap or superficial triumph. This is the joy of a great battle won, the celebration that perseveres through the very heat of the conflict. It is the gladness of a stone that was rejected by the builders, only to be made the head of the corner. This psalm is thoroughly Messianic, finding its ultimate fulfillment in the Lord Jesus Christ, but because we are united to Him by faith, we are not only permitted but required to find ourselves in it as well. What is true of Christ is true of His people. The section before us, verses 15-18, is the very heart of this triumphant shout. It is a declaration of salvation, a repeated testimony to God's valiant power, a defiance of death, and a sober recognition of God's fatherly discipline.

This is the song of a man who was surrounded, thrust at, and sore pressed, but who was sustained by the Lord. He has come through the fire, and now from the other side, he sings. The themes here are glorious: God's active and powerful salvation, the exaltation of His strength, the believer's confidence in the face of death, and the crucial distinction between God's chastening and final condemnation. It is a song for every believer who has known the Lord's help in a tight spot.

Outline

Context In Psalms

As noted, Psalm 118 is the capstone of the Egyptian Hallel psalms, which were sung at Passover. This context is rich with the theme of deliverance. Just as God delivered Israel from bondage in Egypt, so He delivers the psalmist, and ultimately, He delivers all His people through the great exodus accomplished by Christ. The psalm is intensely personal ("I called upon the Lord in distress") but also corporate ("Let Israel now say"). This is a pattern throughout the Psalter. The "I" of the psalm is often David, but it is also Christ, and by extension, it is the Church.

The verses immediately preceding our text describe the psalmist being surrounded by enemies, swarming like bees, but being delivered by the Lord who became his strength, song, and salvation (vv. 10-14). Our passage is the exultant response to that deliverance. It is the shout that comes after the Lord has helped. The verses that follow continue this theme of praise, speaking of entering the gates of righteousness to give thanks to the Lord who has become his salvation (vv. 19-21).

Verse by Verse Commentary

15 The sound of joyful shouting and salvation is in the tents of the righteous; The right hand of Yahweh does valiantly.

The first thing to notice is where the party is. It is in "the tents of the righteous." This is not the sound of carousing in the pavilions of the wicked. This is not the hollow laughter of fools. This is the genuine, overflowing joy that comes from a true deliverance. The word for joyful shouting is a ringing cry, a sound of jubilation. And what is the reason for the shout? It is "salvation." God has acted to save His people, and the saved people are making a joyful noise about it. This is what the church ought to sound like. Our gatherings, our homes, our tents, should be filled with the noise of salvation. When God delivers you, you don't keep it to yourself.

And the content of the song, the substance of the shout, is this: "The right hand of Yahweh does valiantly." The "right hand" in Scripture is a common metaphor for God's power and effective action in the world. It is not some abstract, deistic power, but a personal, active, involved strength. And it does valiantly. It acts with great might and courage. This is the confession of the righteous. They do not say, "My own hand has saved me." They do not celebrate their own cleverness or strength. The entire focus of the celebration is on what the Lord's right hand has accomplished. This is the essence of true worship.

16 The right hand of Yahweh is exalted; The right hand of Yahweh does valiantly.

The psalmist is so taken with this truth that he repeats it, but with a slight and glorious variation. Repetition in Hebrew poetry is for emphasis, like a great amen, or like striking a chord on the piano again to let it ring out. First, he says that this right hand "is exalted." God's power has been lifted up, displayed for all to see. The victory He has won is a manifest one. It's not a secret, back-room deal. God has openly triumphed over His enemies, and His people see it and declare it. His right hand is high and lifted up.

Then he repeats the refrain from the previous verse: "The right hand of Yahweh does valiantly." He says it again because it is a truth worth dwelling on. It is a truth that bears repeating. This is how faith is strengthened. We recount the mighty acts of God. We say them, and then we say them again. God's power is not a one-time thing. It is consistently, reliably, eternally valiant. The God who acted for David, and who acted for Israel, is the same God whose right hand was exalted in the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. And it is the same right hand that is at work on our behalf today.

17 I will not die; indeed I will live, And recount the works of Yah.

This is the personal testimony that flows from the corporate celebration. Because the right hand of the Lord is valiant and exalted, the believer can stare death in the face and defy it. "I will not die; indeed I will live." This is not a denial of physical mortality in the absolute sense. We all have an appointment with death, unless the Lord returns first. Rather, this is a statement of faith that God's purpose for my life is not yet complete. The enemy, whether it be sickness, or persecution, or despair, will not have the final say. God has delivered me, and He has done so for a purpose.

And what is that purpose? It is not simply to continue breathing, to enjoy a few more years of creature comforts. The purpose of the life God preserves is declarative: "And recount the works of Yah." I will live to tell the story. I will live to be a witness. My life itself becomes a testimony to the saving power of God. This is the great commission in miniature. Those who have been saved are sent to declare the works of the one who saved them. We are spared from death so that we might publish the news of God's mighty deeds. Your testimony is not about you; it is about the works of Yah.

18 Yah has disciplined me severely, But He has not given me over to death.

This final verse provides the crucial context for the whole episode. This great deliverance was preceded by a great difficulty, and that difficulty was the chastening hand of the Lord. "Yah has disciplined me severely." The word is chastened, or corrected. This is not the retributive punishment of a judge executing a criminal; it is the corrective discipline of a father training a son. The Lord loved the psalmist too much to leave him in his folly or sin. So He brought a severe trial. This is a hard but necessary truth. Often the distress we call upon the Lord in (v. 5) is a distress He Himself has orchestrated for our good.

But here is the gospel pivot. The discipline was severe, "But He has not given me over to death." This is the critical distinction. God's discipline is always for life, never for destruction. He chastens His own, but He does not condemn them. He brings them to the very brink, but He does not hand them over to the enemy. This is precisely what the author of Hebrews says: "For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth" (Heb. 12:6). The severity of the trial was a sign of God's fatherly love, and the deliverance from death was the proof of His saving purpose. The entire testimony, from the shout of joy to the defiance of death, is grounded in this reality: our God is a father who disciplines His children in love, in order to bring them to a greater share in His holiness and, ultimately, to life.

Application

There are several points of direct application for us here. First, our homes and churches should be places where the sound of joyful shouting and salvation is regularly heard. Is this the atmosphere of your home? Is this the sound of our worship? We have been given the greatest salvation imaginable in Christ. Our response should be loud, joyful, and centered on Him.

Second, we must learn to attribute our victories to the right source. It is always the right hand of the Lord that does valiantly. We are prone to take credit, to congratulate ourselves on our resilience or wisdom. This psalm teaches us to direct all the glory to God's exalted right hand. This is not false modesty; it is basic realism.

Third, we must understand the purpose for which God preserves our lives. We are not spared from trials simply to return to a life of ease. We are spared to testify. Every day of life is a gift, an opportunity to "recount the works of Yah." Your life is a pulpit. Use it.

Finally, we must learn to see God's fatherly hand in our trials. When we are disciplined severely, we must not despair as though God has abandoned us. Rather, we must see it as evidence of our sonship. He disciplines us because He loves us. And His discipline, however harsh it may feel, is never unto death. It is always, always, for our ultimate good and for His glory. He chastens, but He does not condemn. He corrects, but He does not cast off. This is our confidence and our comfort.