Psalm 118
BBlessingsessinBgs
Psalm 118 is one of the most significant chapters in the Bible, but nobody can appreciate this unless they know where the crucifixion took place. The cross stood before the Shushan gate on the eastern side of the temple on the brow of the hill overlooking the Kidron valley.
How do we know this? It is the only place consistent with the Bible. It is the only place where the busy priests on that afternoon could mock him. It is one of the very few places from which the temple curtain could be seen. It is the only place consistent with Old Testament foreshadowing.
Here are some of the Old Testament precedents pointing to that location:
1. Isaac, who is described as Abraham's only beloved son, was taken to a mountain in the land of Moriah to be sacrificed. In Jewish tradition the exact mountain was Mount Moriah - the temple mount. Given that his servants were able to watch from afar off narrows down the location to a fairly limited area on the brow of the hill above the Kidron valley.
2. At the time of the tenth plague on Egypt, a lamb was killed at the door of each Israelite house to protect against evil angels. The blood was spread in a cross like formation to the lintel and side posts and of course the foot of the doorway. Applying that to the temple points to the site immediately outside the eastern door of the temple.
3. The arrangement of dwellings of the children of Israel in the wilderness following the exodus from Egypt was in the shape of a Latin cross. The centre of the cross was the tabernacle and its base was outside the tabernacle on the Eastern side, thus pointing to a future cross on the Eastern side of the temple on the brow of the hill above the Kidron valley.
4. Following the rebellion of Korah all the people began to rebel against Moses and Aaron. God brought a plague upon them that caused death at an alarming rate. Within minutes 14,700 people had died. Aaron ran into the tabernacle and collected burning coals and incense. Then ran out of the tabernacle to the Eastern side, into the midst of the congregation. He placed the incense on the coals. The perfume pervaded the congregation and the plague ceased. This points to a future event where a plague is stopped on the east side of the temple on the brow of the hill above the Kidron valley.
5. Following King Saul's raid on the Gibeonites, David delivered seven sons of Saul to the Gibeonites to make atonement for Saul's sin. The end result was that they were hanged in the hill before the Lord (which at least symbolically means in front of the temple) in the first days of the barley harvest. Jesus was put to death on the first day of barley harvest.
6. Following David's sin of numbering the people without collecting a ransom, an angel of destruction (a plague) rampaged across the country from the east towards the temple site. As he reached the brow of the hill above the Kidron valley which was the border of the threshing floor of Ornan at that time, the plague was stopped when David paid the ransom money to purchase the temple site.
7. Following years of idolatry under various kings of Judah, King Hezekiah realised the worship of false gods was a form of uncleanness and ordered the priests and levites to clean out the temple and take the offending idols, shrines and altars out of the temple and cast them into the Kidron valley. Obviously the uncleanness was cast away from outside the temple gate on the brow of the hill above the Kidron valley.
8. The people fell into idolatry again but this time King Josiah found a shrine to Baal worship. He personally dragged it out to the brow of the Kidron where he burned and crushed the shrine and cast the pieces into the Kidron. Sin was crushed and a second time uncleanness was cast away from the brow of the hill above the Kidron valley.
9. According to Jewish records, the skull of Ornan was found on this hill and presumably outside the temple gate. In that sense this was Golgotha - the place of the skull.
10. A silouhette of Herod's temple had the form of a fallen Latin cross. It's base was immediately outside the eastern gate on the brow of the hill above the Kidron valley.
We could summarise these precedents as pointers to a site which is:
- A place destined to be a place of sacrifice of the father's only beloved son
- A place of salvation
- A place of crucifixion
- A place where plagues were stopped
- A place where innocents were sacrificed in the first days of barley harvest
- A place where the ransom was paid
- A place where uncleaness was cast away
- A place where sin was crushed
- A Golgotha
Then of course we have the witness of Hebrews 13:12. Jesus suffered outside the gate of the temple.
Psalm 118 is one of the most important chapters in the entire Bible. It is part of the Jewish Hallal and is mostly ignored by Christians. However the New Testament makes some notable references to it. Perhaps the most notable is the entry of Jesus to Jerusalem on a donkey described in Matthew 21:9, Mark 11:9-10, Luke 19:37-38 and John 12:13-15. The Jewish bystanders chanted “Hosanna Son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna from the highest.” It was a cry for salvation. Hosanna means “Save us” and was a quote from Psalm 118:25 and was followed in their chant by verse 26. The name “Jesus” is the logical counterpart to the word “hosanna”. It is based on the same Hebrew root and according to Matthew 1:21 it counterparts “Save us” with “he will save his people from their sins”.
Another notable reference was Jesus quoting Psalm 118:22-23 as a counter to his own rejection by the chief priests and Pharisees. “The stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner. This is the Lord's doing; it is marvellous in our eyes.”
Why is Psalm 118 so important? Because while Jesus hung on a cross at the entrance to the temple and the priests were busy killing Passover lambs they sang these words over and over.
First they were unwittingly singing about the victim’s battle with Satan, Death and the evil angels:
12They compassed me about like bees; but in the name of the LORD I will destroy them.
13 Thou hast thrust sore at me that I might fall: but YHVH helped me.
17 I shall not perish. (Ps 116:8)
18 The LORD has chastened me severely but He has not handed me over to Death.
Then failing to recognize the one on the cross in their main gateway to the temple the priests unwittingly sang:
20 This is the gate of YHVH, into which the righteous shall enter.
With Jesus body on the cross potentially obscuring the cornerstone of the gate the priests unwittingly sang:
22 The stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner.
23 This is YHVH’s doing; it is marvellous in our eyes.
Then they sang the words recited by those waving palm branches as Jesus approached Jerusalem on a donkey:
26 Blessed be he that cometh in the name of YHVH:
They were unwittingly blessing Him from the house of the Lord.
While Jesus hung on the cross outside the gate on this Passover day, masses of Jews were coming to the temple with their passover lambs. The lambs were symbolically secured to the four horns of the altar. The priests would slay them, splash their blood on the altar, then drive iron spikes through their legs, taking care not to break any bones and hang them up until sunset. They didn’t break any bones of Jesus either. Nobody considered his arms and legs secured to the arms of his cross or his blood splashed on the cross to have any relevance as they sang:
27 Secure the sacrifice with cords, even unto the horns of the altar.
Unwittingly they sang to the one who’s very name translates to a form of Hosanna YHVH:
28 Thou art my God, and I will praise thee: thou art my God, I will exalt thee.
You could look at this and say what a terrible thing the Jews did or you could look at it and say what a vitally important thing the Jews did. Psalm 118 was written hundreds of years before the crucifixion. They sang it repeatedly as Jesus hung there.
The Israelites (who we know today as Jews) were chosen by God to bring salvation to the world and they did not fail. Their history is littered with faithful servants of the most high God and their future is prophesied to produce more. The world is blessed by them. Indeed without them there would be no Christ and no salvation and we would all face a bleak future. The world should be blessing them.
God has His hand on Israel. Their time of blessing depends on their faithfulness to Him. It is now 2018. The time may have arrived.
