Psalm 118 - HESED - HIDDEN AND REVEALED
Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29
(Lectionary Translation)
1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; *
his mercy endures for ever.
2 Let Israel now proclaim, *
“His mercy endures for ever.”
19 Open for me the gates of righteousness; *
I will enter them;
I will offer thanks to the Lord.
20 “This is the gate of the Lord; *
he who is righteous may enter.”
21 I will give thanks to you, for you answered me *
and have become my salvation.
22 The same stone which the builders rejected *
has become the chief cornerstone.
23 This is the Lord’s doing, *
and it is marvelous in our eyes.
24 On this day the Lord has acted; *
we will rejoice and be glad in it.
25 Hosannah, Lord, hosannah! *
Lord, send us now success.
26 Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord; *
we bless you from the house of the Lord.
27 God is the Lord; he has shined upon us; *
form a procession with branches up to the horns of the altar.
28 “You are my God, and I will thank you; *
you are my God, and I will exalt you.”
29 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; *
his mercy endures for ever.
PSALM 118
“HESED - HIDDEN AND REVEALED”
This is certainly the most appropriate psalm for the Christian celebration of Palm Sunday, since it includes the cry of “Hosanna!” that is quoted in the Gospel narrative about Jesus coming into Jerusalem (Matt. 21:9). Another theological resonance is heard especially when Palm Sunday coincides with the first day of the Jewish observance of Passover. From ancient times until today, Jewish families recite Psalm 118 at the end of the Passover meal (Seder Pesah). The beautiful rhythm of the words “ki le-olam hasdo” (“for his mercy endures forever”) makes this psalm especially wonderful to chant together as a group, in a collective remembering of historic blessings.
There is still another theological and liturgical connection to this psalm. According to an ancient Jewish source called the Mishnah (m. Sukkah 4:5; 5:1-4), the phrase “form a procession with branches, up to the horns of the altar” (Ps. 118:29) is recited every autumn at the Festival of Tabernacles (the Feast of Booths). That is the Jewish pilgrim feast during which families remember the sojourn in the Desert of Sinai, and put up “booths” or simple shelters made of tree boughs and branches.
All of these rich historical and liturgical links give Psalm 118 a tone of both solemnity and joy. It’s interesting that the Gospels place the events of Holy Week around the time of the Jewish Passover festival in Jerusalem, but also describe throngs of Jesus’ contemporaries waving branches and boughs in the streets of the Holy City, just like the Feast of Booths. As a theological “narrative setting” for the coming Passion, this conjunction evokes a symbolic journey: from the City to the Wilderness and from Captivity to Freedom.
Perhaps the richest language in Psalm 118 is found in that opening chant – “for his mercy endures forever.” Here, repeated again and again, are two Hebrew words that are almost impossible to translate. One is the mysterious term “hesed” – often translated “mercy.” Really, the Hebrew word is so unique in meaning that some versions just leave it untouched: “his hesed is for all time.” The RSV version has “steadfast love,” which gives us more of the sense of intimate divine faithfulness found in the original “hesed.”
The second poignant term is “ le‘olam “ – which we find here translated “endures for ever.” The original word “ ‘olam ” seems to signify a hidden, emergent, but very real state of being, something like “the world as it truly will become.” This word is an example of the “spaciousness of time” in ancient Hebrew. “Forever” is a sacred place.
Psalm 118 invites us into Holy Week and Passover with a reminder that hesed, the steadfast love of the divine, pervades the world – our sacred home, both as we know it and as we hope it will become. It also inspires our soul’s awareness, calling us on a pilgrimage from a painful “now” into a redeemed “forever.”
Jesus makes his entry into Jerusalem, Our Savior Lutheran Church, Canby, Minnesota.
Henry Ralph Carse - March 28, 2021