Psalm 118:6
The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid.
What can mere mortals do to me?
Today’s Reading: Psalm 118 and Romans 8:31-39
Psalm 118 is the last psalm in a group of psalms from Psalm 113-118 called the Egyptian Hallel. These psalms are known as the Hallel because they frequently contain the word “hallel,” which means “praise” and they have a particular focus on the Exodus. These psalms were traditionally sung or recited at Jewish feasts, especially Passover. Typically Psalm 113 and 114 were recited before the meal and the rest after.
Recorded in the gospels of Matthew and Mark is a little nugget of information that you’ve probably never noticed before. Jesus is conducting the Last Supper with his apostles and after it is over, the two gospels say, “When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives” (Matt 26:30 and Mark 14:26)). Psalm 118 is most likely the hymn that they sang.
If so, in the moments before his crucifixion, Jesus would have sung words like, “I will not die but live, and will proclaim what the Lord has done” (vs. 17) and “Open for me the gates of the righteous; I will enter and give thanks to the Lord” (vs. 19). You can clearly see the Messianic references to this psalm when we put it in that context.
Psalm 118 begins and ends with “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever” (vs. 1 and 29). This is a worship psalm. The psalmist calls to the people of God to “rejoice today and be glad” (vs 24) by having everyone in attendance sing praises to God three times saying, “His love endures forever” (vs. 2-4).
The next few verses (vs. 5-7) describe a situation when the psalmist was in a desperate place. He was “hard pressed” by his enemies which would bring about a picture of being trapped. Israel was in this desperate situation when they encountered the Red Sea with the Egyptian army pressing down behind them. We as humans in our sin also were in a desperate situation with no escape from the bondage and no way to access God the Father.
In both cases, our only hope was the Lord to rescue us. And in both cases He came through in glorious fashion so that now “I look in triumph on my enemies” (vs. 7). Israel crossed the Red Sea on dry ground and then looked back as the water engulfed their enemies in triumph. Likewise, we look back at the sin that Jesus removed from our record and stand in triumph.
Because Jesus defeated the grave, we can now say, “The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?” (vs. 6). Paul likely had Psalm 118:6 in mind when he wrote, “What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Rom 8:31).
Jesus said, “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul” (Matt 10:28). God is the one who saves and He saved us through the blood of Jesus. And now “we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom 8:37-39).
This is a time to rejoice! The psalmist says:
“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!’” (vs. 15-16)
So because of this great victory we have in Jesus, our response will be to sing with Israel:
“You are my God, and I will praise you;
you are my God, and I will exalt you.
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
his love endures forever.” (vs 28-29).
Christ in the Old Testament 
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