Blessed Is He Who Comes in the Name of the Lord Psalm 118 Blessed Is He Who Comes in the Name of the Lord

Background & Context - Exodus: “Egyptian Hallel.” Prayer of thanksgiving for deliverance from slavery in Egypt. - Monarchy: Prayer of thanksgiving for deliverance from enemies. - Post-exile: Prayer for deliverance from foreign oppressors.

Psalm 118 Call for thanksgiving (1-4) Testimony (5-18) Processional (19-27) Thanksgiving renewed (28-29)

Jesus and Psalm 118 The last and greatest day of the Feast: early October, ad 32 (Jn 7:37-39). Passover celebration: late March / early April, ad 33 (Matt 21:9, 21:42; Mk 11:9, 12:10; Lk 19:38, 20:17; Jn 12:13)

Expectation & Reality Expectation: Reality: 1. Physical security. 1. Eternal security. 2. Provision through rain. 2. Water that springs up to eternal life. 3. Messianic rule through power. 3. Messianic rule through love. 4. Dead people stay dead. 4. Jesus is alive.

Principle Sometimes God’s provision shows up in ways we would not expect, and it always goes deeper than we will ever know.

Unexpected Glory “Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on: you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently He starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make any sense . . .”

Unexpected Glory “What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of – throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were being made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself.” C. S. Lewis, “Counting the Cost” in Mere Christianity