Psalm 80: The Shepherd and the Vine (Part 2)

"...Turn us back, O Elohim of Hosts, and cause your Face to shine, that we might be saved!..."

As we begin looking at the second part of Psalm 80, let's start where we left off in Part One - with verse 7 (see above).

This is the plea of the psalmist, the cry for mercy, for the Salvation of YHVH, for His favor upon His wayward people.  Three times Asaph the psalmist cries out for YHVH, the Shepherd of Israel, to turn His people back to Him that they might be saved.


Why should He do it?
Why should He listen?
Why should He act on behalf of this people?

Let's continue reading...


 Psalm 80 (continued) 
        
8 You brought a vine out of Egypt; You drove out the nations and planted it.
9 You cleared a place for it, and caused it to take deep root, and it filled the land.
10 Hills were covered with its shadow, and the mighty cedars with its twigs.
11 She spread her branches to the Sea, and her shoots to the River.
12 Why have You broken down her hedges, so that every passer-by plucked her fruit?
13 The boar out of the forest ravages it, and the wild beast of the field devours it.
14 Return, we beg you, O Elohim of hosts; look down from heaven, and see, and visit this vine,
15 And the stock which Your right hand has planted, and the Son whom You made strong for Yourself.
16 It is burned with fire, it is cut down; they perish at the rebuke of Your face.
17 Let Your hand be upon the One at Your right hand; upon the Son of Adam whom You made strong for Yourself,
18 And we shall not backslide from You.  Revive us, and let us call upon Your Name.
19 Turn us back, O Elohim of hosts, and cause Your face to shine, that we might be saved!


Not many weeks ago, we were observing YHVH's appointed time of Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and now we are almost at the end of counting the days for 7 weeks plus one day until Shavuot.  During these important appointed times, we have been reminded of YHVH's faithfulness to His people in bringing them miraculously out of the land of Egypt, saving His people with His own strong Right Arm of salvation (otherwise known as the Mashiach - the Messiah - the One Who Saves)!

The second part of Psalm 80 is a wonderful reminder yet again as we continue to reflect on the faithfulness of YHVH to His people.

The psalmist speaks of YHVH's faithfulness in bringing Israel out of bondage in Egypt, specifically reminding YHVH of how He brought Israel out as a vine and planted her in the land which He promised and provided - HIS Land of inheritance for HIS chosen people.

In route to the promised land, the "Vine" (Israel) stopped at Mt Sinai where she entered into a covenant with her Elohim, her Husband, in the receiving of the covenant agreement, the Torah. 
Side note:  While not specifically stated in YHVH's Word as such, Jews traditionally celebrate Shavu'ot as the day YHVH gave His people Israel the Torah on Mt Sinai, and His people said "yes"!
Israel said "We will do everything YHVH has said!"  (Exodus 19:7-8)  And thankfully, even though Israel broke her part of the covenant time and again, YHVH has been and always will be faithful to HIS covenant with His people.

Isaiah 54:5-8
 “For your Maker is your husband, יהוה of hosts is His Name, and the Set-apart One of Israel is your Redeemer. He is called the Elohim of all the earth. For יהוה has called you like a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit, like a wife of youth when you were refused,” declares your Elohim.“For a little while I have forsaken you, but with great compassion I shall gather you.  In an overflow of wrath I hid My face from you for a moment, but with everlasting kindness I shall have compassion on you,” said יהוה, your Redeemer. 

Hosea 2:16-23

"And it shall be, in that day,” declares יהוה, “that you call Me ‘My Husband,’ and no longer call Me ‘My Baʽal.’  And I shall remove the names of the Baʽals from her mouth, and they shall no more be remembered by their name.  And in that day I shall make a covenant for them with the beasts of the field, and with the birds of the heavens... And I shall make them lie down in safety. 

 “And I shall take you as a bride unto Me forever, and take you as a bride unto Me in righteousness, and in right-ruling, and kindness and compassion...in trustworthiness, and you shall know יהוה. 

“And it shall be in that day that I answer,” declares יהוה, “that I answer the heavens, and they answer the earth, and the earth answer the grain and the new wine and the oil, and they answer Yizreʽel.  And I shall sow her for Myself in the earth, and I shall have compassion on her who had not obtained compassion. And I shall say to those who were not My people, ‘You are My people,’ while they say, ‘My Elohim!’ ” 

We see in verses 8-11 of Psalm 80 that this Vine, Israel, flourished and grew under YHVH's care and covered the land, shadowing the hills and even the mighty cedars, spreading from sea to river.

And then we read why Asaph is crying out for YHVH to return to Israel and cause Israel to return to Him:  in verses 12, 13, and 16 Asaph reveals that YHVH has broken down Israel's hedges and allowed the beasts to plunder the land, the vineyard.  Israel was perishing at the rebuke of YHVH's face!

The obvious question is "Why?"  "Why would YHVH break down the hedges of His own wife, His own inheritance?"
And I hope that the answer is also obvious to all of us who are human beings, flawed, prone to sin, never able to uphold the covenant with our God perfectly without His help...

Israel broke the covenant.
Israel broke the relationship.
Israel turned away from her Husband, her Maker, her Redeemer.

Let's look at the situation as portrayed in Isaiah 5.


Isaiah 5:1-7

Please let me sing to the One I love, a song for my loved One regarding His vineyard: my loved One has a vineyard on a fertile hill.   And He dug it up and cleared it of stones, and planted it with the choicest vine, and built a watchtower in its midst, and also made a winepress in it. And He waited for the yielding of grapes, but it yielded rotten ones. 
“And now, O inhabitant of Jerusalem and man of Judah, please judge between Me and My vineyard.  What more could have been done to My vineyard that I have not done in it? Why, when I waited for the yielding of grapes, did it yield rotten ones?  And now, please let Me inform you what I am doing to My vineyard: To take away its hedge and it shall be burned; to break down its wall and it shall be trampled down; and I lay it waste; it is not pruned or dug and thornbushes and weeds shall come up; and I command the clouds not to rain on it."
For the vineyard of יהוה of hosts is the house of Yisra’ĕl, and the man of Yehuḏah is His pleasant plant. He looked for right-ruling, but see, oppression; for righteousness, but see, weeping. 

Another interesting side note:  the Hebrew scripture includes two plays on words in Isaiah 5:7.   The Hebrew word for right-ruling or judgment is mishpat משׁפט, while the word for oppression is mispach which means slaughter/bloodshed  משׂפח.   The word for righteousness is tsedakah  צדקה, while the word for weeping (or a shriek of anarchy or covetousness) is tse'akah צעקה. 

Of course, it should come as no surprise to us when we read this story and compare it with the cry of Asaph  regarding Israel's condition in Psalm 80.

This is where we should stop and thank YHVH that this condition is NOT the end of the story between Him and His people!

This is where we should stop and thank YHVH for His faithfulness to His covenant with His people even when his people are not faithful to Him!

Even when He turns His back on His people for a short time, He is faithful to turn back to His people in everlasting compassion and redemption.  Just as Asaph cries for YHVH to return and to visit this vine that He planted and turn the vine back to Him, YHVH promises in Isaiah 54 that He will have eternal compassion and will be their Redeemer!

During my most recent trip to Israel in January and February, I was part of a group that was praying God's Word regarding His promises to His people regarding His land and His covenant of redemption.  We were traveling through many parts of Israel, praying YHVH's Word.

One thing that really caught my attention during this trip was the theme of "planted in the land."
YHVH has fulfilled and continues to fulfill His promise to plant His people in the land, never to be uprooted (Amos 9:15)!  

Methuselah:  a baby palm tree
in Israel...sprouted from a 2000
year old seed!

We saw it in the desert, blooming with life.
We saw it in the villages in Samaria, teeming with life.
We saw it in the sprouting of a seed long "dead".  (Methuselah, a baby palm tree that was sprouted from a 2,000 year old seed that was found in Masada!)

Do you know that there is only one place in all of YHVH's Word where He says He will do something with all of His heart and all of His being?
He commands His people to love Him with all our hearts and souls and beings (the Sh'ma...Deuteronomy 6:5).

What does He say HE will do with all His heart and being?

Jeremiah 32:37-41
 ‘See, I am gathering them out of all the lands where I have driven them in My displeasure, and in My wrath, and in great rage. And I shall bring them back to this place, and shall let them dwell in safety.  And they shall be My people, and I shall be their Elohim.  And I shall give them one heart and one way, to fear Me all the days, for the good of them and of their children after them.  And I shall make an everlasting covenant with them, that I do not turn back from doing good to them. And I shall put My fear in their hearts so as not to turn aside from Me. 
And I shall rejoice over them to do good to them, and shall plant them in this land in truth, with all My heart and with all My being.’ 

How exciting!

Go back and look at Asaph's cry, his plea of desperation on behalf of the people of Israel. 

And see how YHVH answers, for eternity!

But the story is not complete without seeing the VINE who came from the Vine...the Branch who sprouted from the stump of Israel...the Incorruptible Seed who is the Right Arm of Salvation of YHVH...the everlasting Covenant that YHVH has made with His people found in verse 17 of Psalm 80...the Living Word of YHVH...

Yahshua! 

YHVH is Salvation (the meaning of Yahshua's name)!

1 Peter 1:22-25

Now that you have cleansed your lives in obeying the truth through the Spirit to unfeigned brotherly love, love one another fervently with a clean heart, having been born again – not of corruptible seed, but incorruptible – through the living Word of Elohim, which remains forever, because “All flesh is as grass, and all the esteem of man as the flower of the grass. The grass withers, and its flower falls away, but the Word of Elohim remains forever.” And this is the Word, announced as Good News to you. 

Isaiah 11 (excerpts)

And a Rod shall come forth from the stump of Jesse, and a Sprout from his roots shall bear fruit.   The Spirit of יהוה shall rest upon Him – the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of יהוה, and shall make Him breathe in the fear of יהוה... And in that day there shall be a Root of Jesse, standing as a banner to the people. Unto Him the gentiles shall seek, and His rest shall be esteem.... And He shall raise a banner for the nations, and gather the outcasts of Israel, and assemble the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth. 

And this leads directly into Isaiah 12...a cry of thankfulness to Yah!

 And in that day you shall say, “I thank You יהוה, though You were enraged with me, Your displeasure has turned back, and You have comforted me.  S

ee, El is my deliverance, I trust and am not afraid. For Yah, יהוה, is my strength and my song; and He has become my deliverance.” 

 And you shall draw water with joy from the fountains of deliverance. 

  And in that day you shall say, “Praise יהוה, call upon His Name; make known His deeds among the peoples, make mention that His Name is exalted.  

Sing to יהוה, For He has done excellently; this is known in all the earth.  C

ry aloud and shout, O inhabitant of Zion, for great is the Set-apart One of Israel in your midst!” 

Yahshua said about Himself:  "I am the true vine, and My Father is the gardener.... I am the vine, you are the branches. He who stays in Me, and I in him, he bears much fruit. Because without Me you are able to do naught!"  (John 15:1,5)

What is interesting to me as I continue to dig (no pun intended) further into the living soil of God's Word is how intertwined Israel and Yahshua are!

This is a topic for another blog post, but I just want to mention it here because it is so evident in Psalm 80.  

The Son in this Psalm refers to both, separately and inseparably, Yahshua the Redeemer, the Right Arm of YHVH and Israel the son, the people of YHVH.

The Vine refers to Israel the people who came from Israel the man (Jacob), the fallible, fallen, sinful, obstinate nation.  The Vine also refers to Yahshua, who came from Israel but also is the Redeemer of Israel and the Creator of Israel and Husband of Israel and Messiah of Israel, the infallible, perfect spotless lamb, King of kings, sinless offering of redemption!

But as I said, this is a topic for another blog post!

For now, let's celebrate and thank YHVH for His faithfulness and enduring compassion and love for His people, planted in His land as His beloved Vine!

Resting in the shadow of His faithfulness,

Gina

Chesed, Yeshu'ah, and Other Important Words: A Study in Psalm 118

Shalom from Yerushalayim (Jerusalem)!!


I am doing this particular blog post in a bit of a different way.
Usually it takes me quite a few hours of study and writing to put together a blog post.
This time I am going to publish the blog post at different points throughout the process of writing it (which means it could be days before it is completed!).  So you will be able to follow along with me as Psalm 118 unfolds before our eyes!

(Of course, this will not be an exhaustive study of Psalm 118, but rather, like all my other blog posts, it will be a collection of the things I am learning from YHVH's Word as I dig deeper into the different parts and meanings of this particular Psalm.)

You will know when the blog post is complete...I will make it clear when I have published it in its final form.

Let's begin!

Firstly, I will begin with a song I have learned in Hebrew:

Hodu l'Adonai ki tov, Ki le Olam chasdo
Hodu l'Adonai ki tov, Ki le Olam chasdo
Hodu, hodu, hodu, hodu, hodu l'Adonai ki tov
Hodu, hodu, hodu, hodu, hodu l'Adonai ki tov

Do you know the song?
(If you would like to hear it sung,
 click HERE for the link to the song.)

This song is straight out of YHVH's Word.
Guess where it is found.

Yes, how did you know?!
It is the beginning and the end of Psalm 118!
(And also the beginning of Psalm 136.)

Psalm 118:1 and 29 say,
"Give thanks to YHVH, for He is good!  
For His loving-commitment is everlasting.


And now we have, encompassing this Psalm from beginning to end, the first important word of this study.  Can you identify which word in the song it might be?

It is the word Chasdo (pronounced with the "ch" as in "Bach").  Chasdo (חסדו)  is a form of the word Chesed  (חסד ), which is defined as YHVH's loving-commitment or mercy.

Chesed is a Hebrew word that does not have just one English word to express its meaning completely.
Many translations use the word mercy, some use grace, some loving-kindness, some just use the word love.

If you use just one of these words, the true deeper and complete meaning of chesed is missed.
In reality, all of these words are incorporated in chesed.

Brown-Driver-Briggs' Hebrew Definitions defines chesed as goodness, kindness, and faithfulness.

Vine's Expository Dictionary says that the word chesed must include these three interactive and equally-important meanings:  strength, steadfastness, and love.

Chesed is a covenant word.  It is wrapped up inextricably with YHVH's faithfulness in His covenant with His people.  Although the people might break the covenant, YHVH will not.
His covenant is steadfast, strong, loyal, loving, and based on His truth....chesed!  

Consider these places in Scripture:

Deuteronomy 7:9, 12
"And you shall know that YHVH your Elohim, He is Elohim, the trustworthy God guarding covenant and loving-commitment (chesed) for a thousand generations with those who love Him, and those who guard His commands....and it shall be, because you hear these right-rulings, and shall guard and do them, that YHVH your Elohim shall guard with you the covenant and the loving-commitment (chesed) which He swore to your fathers..." 

Psalm 25:10; 89:14
"All the paths of YHVH are loving-commitment (chesed) and truth, to those who guard His covenant and His witnesses....Righteousness and right-ruling are the foundation of Your throne; loving-commitment (chesed) and truth go before Your face."


Micah 7:18-20

Who is a God like You – taking away crookedness and passing over the transgression of the remnant of His inheritance? He shall not retain His wrath forever, for He Himself delights in kindness (chesed). 

 He shall turn back, He shall have compassion on us, He shall trample upon our crookednesses! And You throw all our sins into the depths of the sea! 

 You give truth to Jacob, kindness (chesed) to Abraham, which You swore to our fathers from the days of old! 

Jeremiah 31:1-4

“At that time,” declares יהוה, “I shall be the Elohim of all the clans of Israel, and they shall be My people.”  Thus said יהוה, “A people escaped from the sword found favor in the wilderness, Israel, when it went to find rest.”   יהוה appeared to me from afar, saying, “I have loved you with an everlasting love, therefore I shall draw you with kindness (chesed).   

I am going to build you again. And you shall be rebuilt, O maiden of Israel!  Again you shall take up your tambourines, and go forth in the dances of those who rejoice. 

Now let's begin to look at Psalm 118 with the deeper meaning of this word chesed in mind.

 PSALM 118 
1 Oh give thanks to YHVH, for He is good!  
Because His chasdo (chesed) is everlasting. 
2 Let Israel now say, "His chasdo (chesed) is everlasting."  
3 Let the house of Aaron now say, "His chasdo (chesed) is everlasting." 
4 Let those who fear YHVH now say, "His chasdo (chesed) is everlasting." 


Isn't that a wonderful beginning?!


Let's stop here for a bit and look at something.

Repetition in YHVH's Word is important!

Here we have it repeated 3 times that people are to proclaim the everlasting chesed of YHVH.
Who does it say is to proclaim the chesed of YHVH?

1. Israel.  The chosen covenant people of YHVH.  The recipients of His chesed.  And Israel is commissioned by YHVH to be His light to the nations (we will get to that part soon).

2. The house of Aaron.  The line of priests.  Representing the servants of the nation of Israel.  The ones who serve YHVH on behalf of Israel.  Defenders of YHVH's truth; keepers of His Word.  They served Israel as Israel served as YHVH's light to the goyim (nations).

3. Those who fear YHVH.  This is where the goyim (nations, gentiles) come into the picture.  We (gentiles) are grafted into the nation of Israel, the commonwealth of YHVH's people, when we cling to Him and join in His covenant, obeying Him alone and trusting in His grace, mercy, steadfast faithful love...His chesed.

Isn't it exciting to be reminded of who are the recipients of YHVH's everlasting chesed?!

Let's continue...

 PSALM 118 continued ... 
5 I called on Yah ( יה)  in distress;
Yah answered me in a broad place.
6 YHVH  (יהוה) is on my side; 
I do not fear what man does to me!
7 YHVH is for me among those helping me;
therefore I look on those hating me.
8 It is better to take refuge in YHVH than to trust in man.
9 It is better to take refuge in YHVH than to trust in princes.
  
Before we continue, I want to point out something important about the Name of our Elohim, our God, our only Living Supreme Being, Mighty Lord, Adonai.
All of these that I just listed are only titles...none of them are His NAME!


His Name, according to Him, is YHVH (יהוה).  
Yah (יה) is a shortened form of His name.


These are His Names that are actually written, printed in the original Hebrew text AND in the modern Hebrew text.  (And this is true not just in Psalm 118, but also in thousands of other places throughout the Bible!)


If you would like to see for yourself (without the need to be able to read any Hebrew), go to this website and take a look at some of these verses in Hebrew and in English:
Biblos - Psalm 118...click HERE.   
You will see that the English translation of these 2 names inserts the words the LORD, which can then be mistranslated again with the equivalent Hebrew word Adonai.
(If you want to look at other verses, there is a pull-down menu in the uppermost left corner - for book, chapter, and verse.)....

I also want to quote part of the introduction of this version of the Bible that I have been using (called The Scriptures by the Institute for Scripture Research).  This particular version uses the name YHVH (in Hebrew it is יהוה), as well as the name Yahshua (in Hebrew יהושע).

From The Scriptures introduction, in the section "Restoration of the Name", page 15:
...it was the Almighty Himself who originally placed His Name in the scriptures at least 6823 times!  It was human beings who decided, for reasons that made sense to them, to delete His Name and to replace it with something "more appropriate" in their view.  This, in spite of the Creator's own statement to and through Mosheh (Moses) that:  "this is My Name forever, and this is My Remembrance to all generations."  (Shemoth/Exodus 3:15)


If you look at the introduction page of most Bibles (at least those in English), you will find an explanation that the Name of God, YHVH, has been replaced by the word LORD as a sign of respect (or for some other reason).

So let's take a look at this Name, YHVH, in the scriptures.
Exodus 3:15 was quoted above....let's look at the whole verse:
And Elohim said further to Moses, “Thus you are to say to the children of Israel, ‘יהוה Elohim of your fathers, the Elohim of Aḇraham, the Elohim of Isaac, and the Elohim of Jacob, has sent me to you. This is My Name forever, and this is My remembrance to all generations.’

Here it is obvious that God calls Himself by His Name, YHVH.  Then He tells Moses that this is His Name forever and is to how all generations know Him.

Exodus 6:3

 “And I appeared to Aḇraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as Ěl Shaddai. And by My Name, יהוה, was I not known to them?"

Exodus 9:16

“And for this reason I have raised you up, in order to show you My power, and in order to declare My Name in all the earth. 

Exodus 33:19
And He said, “I shall cause all My goodness to pass before you, and I shall proclaim the Name of יהוה before you. And I shall favour him whom I favour, and shall have compassion on him whom I have compassion.” 

Leviticus 19:12
And do not swear falsely by My Name and so profane the Name of your Elohim. I am יהוה. 

Exodus 20:7  (from the Ten Commandments...stop and think about what this means in our daily usage of LORD to replace His Name)
You do not bring the Name of יהוה your Elohim to naught, for יהוה does not leave the one unpunished who brings His Name to naught. 

Isaiah 42:8
I am יהוה, that is My Name, and My esteem I do not give to another, nor My praise to idols. 

Isaiah 52:6-9
"And now, what have I here,” declares יהוה, “that My people are taken away for naught? Those who rule over them make them wail,” declares יהוה, “and My Name is despised all day continually. Therefore My people shall know My Name, in that day, for I am the One who is speaking. See, it is I.  How pleasant upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who proclaims peace, who brings good news, who proclaims deliverance, who says to Zion, 'Your Elohim reigns!'  The voice of your watchmen! They shall lift up their voices, together they shout for joy, because eye to eye they see the return of יהוה to Zion.  Break forth into joy, sing together, you waste places of Jerusalem! For יהוה shall comfort His people, He shall redeem Jerusalem. 

Jeremiah 16:20-21

Would a man make mighty ones for himself, which are not mighty ones?  Therefore see, I am causing them to know, this time I cause them to know My hand and My might. And they shall know that My Name is יהוה!

People may wonder why I am spending so much time in this blog post on the topic of the Name of YHVH (and, as we will soon explore, the Name He gave His Son).  For me, it has become obvious in these verses and the thousands of other verses in YHVH's Word where He uses His Name (YHVH) that He is serious about His Name!  I want to never again make His Name come to naught by substituting it with a title!

I think if we continue on further into Psalm 118, we can see this more clearly.

 PSALM 118 continued ... 
10 All the gentiles surrounded me, In the Name of יהוה I shall cut them off.   
11 They surrounded me, Yea, they surrounded me; In the Name of יהוה shall I cut them off. 
12 They surrounded me like bees; They were extinguished like burning thorns; In the Name of יהוה I shall cut them off.
13 Pushing, the enemy pushed me to fall, But יהוה helped me. 
14 Yah is my strength and song, And He has become my deliverance. 

I think in this passage it is clear that it is the Name of YHVH that comes against the enemies to cut them off.  But I also think using the Name of YHVH is important for deeper reasons.

I realize that I will come under some scrutiny and possible criticism from both Christians and Jews as I begin to speak and use the Name of YHVH.  Both Christians and Jews use titles in place of the Name of YHVH.  But I cannot continue to use substitutes for a Name that is SO very important and that is commanded for us to use!  (Note:  there are various interpretations of the proper pronunciation of the Name of YHVH, and while we might not be able to know with complete accuracy what the proper pronunciation is, I believe it is clear in Scripture that YHVH wants His Name to be used.)

Why is His Name so important?  So significant?
Let's look at something that comes next in this Psalm.

Look at the last word in verse 14:  Deliverance/ salvation.
Do you know which Hebrew word is used in this verse?

This is a word that still exists in modern Hebrew and is used on a daily basis for the English word "salvation."
This word is also related to the Name of the SON of YHVH.

The Hebrew word for deliverance/salvation is y'shu'ah or yeshu'ah.
In Hebrew it is written as ישׁועה. 


Do you know what the Name of the SON of YHVH is in Hebrew?  
(Of course, in English, His Name has been mistranslated as Jesus, which is not a correct transliteration.)

The Name of the SON of YHVH in Hebrew is actually the name Yehoshuah (Joshua).  It has been shortened by many to be read as Yeshua or Y'shua.
In Hebrew it is written as  יהושׁע  and it means "YHVH saves".

The Hebrew letters used here are so important.  The name of Yehoshuah has the first 3 letters of YHVH and then also part of the word for salvation (thus "YHVH saves").

When pronounced, the two words sound very similar....yeshu'ah (salvation) and Yehoshuah or Yeshua (the Name of the SON of YHVH).

So when a person reads Psalm 118:14 aloud in Hebrew, this is what is heard:  Yah is my strength and song, and He has become my yeshu'ah.

Isn't this so exciting!?  To see the Truth of the SON of YHVH written and spoken so clearly throughout the entire Word of YHVH is such an incredible reminder of His creation, His salvation, His work on behalf of His people from beginning to end...from HaRishon to HaAcharon (the beginning to the end).

But if we continue to read Psalm 118, it becomes even more clear and even more exciting!


 PSALM 118 continued ... 
15 The voice of rejoicing and deliverance (yeshu'ah) is in the tents of the righteous; the right hand of יהוה is doing mightily. 
16 The right hand of יהוה is exalted, the right hand of יהוה acts mightily.
17 Let me not die, but live, and declare the works of Yah. 
18 Yah has punished me severely, but did not give me over to death. 
19 Open to me the gates of righteousness; I enter through them, I thank Yah. 
20 This is the gate of  יהוה, the righteous enter through it. 
21 I thank You, for You have answered me, and have become my deliverance (yeshu'ah) . 

Do you see?  Do you see clearly?  Can you see the SON of YHVH clearly presented in these verses?
I am not just speaking about the Name of Yahshua appearing here in these verses.
I am also speaking about the RIGHT HAND of YHVH.

"The right hand of YHVH is doing mightily."  
"The right hand of YHVH is exalted."
"The right hand of YHVH acts mightily."

Earlier we looked at Isaiah 52:6-9 as one place where YHVH speaks strongly of using His Name.  If we add verse 10, we will also see the revelation of the arm of YHVH as the Messiah Yahshua.


Isaiah 52:7-10
 How pleasant upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who proclaims peace, who brings good news, who proclaims deliverance (yeshu'ah), who says to Zion, “Your Elohim reigns!”  The voice of your watchmen!  They shall lift up their voices, together they shout for joy, because eye to eye they see the return of יהוה to Zion.   Break forth into joy, sing together, you waste places of Jerusalem!  For יהוה shall comfort His people, He shall redeem Jerusalem. 

יהוה shall lay bare His set-apart arm in the eyes of all the nations. And all the ends of the earth shall see the deliverance (yeshu'ah) of our Elohim. 

Let us also look at Isaiah 62 for another clear picture of Israel and her Messiah.

Isaiah 62:1-2, 11-12

 For Zion’s sake I am not silent, and for Jerusalem’s sake I do not rest, until her righteousness goes forth as brightness, and her deliverance (yeshu'ah) as a lamp that burns. 

 And the nations shall see your righteousness, and all sovereigns your esteem. And you shall be called by a new name, which the mouth of יהוה designates....

See, יהוה has proclaimed to the end of the earth: “Say to the daughter of Zion, ‘See, your deliverance (yesha) has come; see, His reward is with Him, and His work before Him.’ ”  And they shall be called, “The Set-apart People, the Redeemed of יהוה.” And you shall be called, “Sought Out, a City Not Forsaken."

(If you would like to see all the verses that use the Hebrew word yeshu'ah for deliverance/salvation, go to the Blue Letter Bible Lexicon online at www.blueletterbible.org and type H3444 into the Bible/Dictionary Search box.  This is the Strong's number for yeshu'ah, and the search result will give you a list of all the verses that use this particular Hebrew word.  This list is amazing!)

Let's look at the next verses in Psalm 118....

 PSALM 118 continued ... 
22 The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief corner-stone. 
23 This was from יהוה, It is marvelous in our eyes. 
24 This is the day יהוה has made, Let us rejoice and be glad in it. 

Ah, yes, now it is all coming together!

  YAHSHUA!   

He is the Salvation of YHVH!

He is the Chesed of YHVH!

He is the Strong Right Hand of YHVH!

He is the Chief Cornerstone!

This is from YHVH!  This is the day YHVH has made!

I will not take time in this blog post to go into detail about how Yahshua is the Strong Arm, the Right Hand of YHVH throughout scripture.
If you do a word study of all the places the scriptures speak of the Right Hand and Strong Arm of YHVH, you can see for yourself.

Here are a few verses to look at (this is only the beginning!).

Exodus 15:1-6

Deuteronomy 33:1-3

Psalm 20; 44:1-4; 48:10

Psalm 80:17-19; 89:13-14; 98; 110

Psalm 136 (an entire chapter on the chesed of YHVH)
Isaiah 40:1-11; 41:8-14

Isaiah 52:10; 62:8-12

Jeremiah 27:5

Matthew 22:41-46
Matthew 26: 63-64
Acts 2:22-36
Ephesians 1:20-23
Hebrews 1

Let's continue on with the last part of this Psalm...and yet another clear picture of YHVH's faithfulness to His people through Yahshua the Messiah!


 PSALM 118 continued ... 
25 I pray, O יהוה, please save (hoshianah); I pray, O יהוה, please send prosperity.
26 Blessed is He who is coming in the Name of יהוה!  We shall bless you from the House of יהוה. 
27 יהוה is God, and He gave us light; bind the festal offering with cords to the horns of the altar. 
28 You are my God, and I praise You; You are my Elohim, I exalt You. 

29 Give thanks to יהוה, for He is good! For His kindness is everlasting. 

You are probably more familiar with this scripture than you realize.
Notice that verse 25 beseeches YHVH to save us and to send prosperity (as in "be good to us"; not in the same way that many charismatic "churches" use the word prosperity!).

Do you know what the Hebrew word for save us is in this verse?
Even if you answer "no" to this question, I think you will find out that you really are familiar with the word!
(But you should now answer "yes" to this question, because I included the Hebrew word in the verse above!)

The Hebrew word used here is HOSHIANAH.
You may know the spelling as HOSANNA.


Today's Christianity has turned this word into a word of praise and joyful celebration.
However, the word does not have that meaning.
The word hoshianah is a cry for salvation.  It is a desperate cry to be defended, to be rescued...a cry for help!  "Save us!"


And here in this Psalm, we see a cry for YHVH to work salvation (yeshu'ah) with His Strong Right Arm, with His loving-commitment/chesed, to rescue His people mightily from their enemies.


Of course, this is again a clear picture of the Strong Right Arm of YHVH, the promised Messiah Yahshua. 
Compare verses 25 and 26 from Psalm 118 with John 12:12-15:
 On the next day a great crowd who had come to the festival (Passover), when they heard that יהושע (Yahshua) was coming to Jerusalem, took the branches of palm trees and went out to meet Him, and were crying out, “Hoshiana! Blessed is He who is coming in the Name of יהוה, the Sovereign of Israel!” And יהושע, having found a young donkey, sat on it, as it has been written:   “Do not fear, daughter of Zion, see, your Sovereign is coming, sitting on the colt of a donkey.” 

There is a song in Hebrew based on Psalm 118:25-26.  It is called Ana Adonai.
It is a song that I have sung frequently in my own times of worship and in my own times of beseeching YHVH.
The words are in Hebrew, but they follow along the words of these two verses of Psalm 118, with verse 19 added at the end.


Ana Adonai
Ana Adonai hoshianah.  Ana Adonai hatzlichanah.  
Ana Adonai ha'er paneicha.
Baruch haba b'Shem Adonai. 
Mi beit Elohim avarech et shimchah.
Pitchu li sha'arei tzedek avo bam odeh ya, Ana Adonai


If you would like to hear this song being sung, 
click HERE to follow the link to the song.


And now we come to the end of Psalm 118, a psalm of the Messiah!
Verse 27 states that YHVH is God, that He gave us light...Yahshua, the LIGHT of the world!
And it says to bind the festival offering to the altar.  Yahshua was bound as the Passover Lamb, the sacrifice for His people!


Verses 28 and 29 end the Psalm just as it was begun...praising YHVH for Who He is and for His everlasting loving-commitment, His chesed, toward His people!


What can we say now at the end of this amazing Psalm?


  HalleluYAH ! !    (hallel = praise  YAH!)  




(and it is now finished)