Hosanna - God Saves

A message from Psalm 118 by Phil Rogers 1/04/07

To listen to Phil's message click here mp3

Introduction
The Psalms are a favourite part of the scriptures and most of us have our favourite psalms. Ps 23 is one of the most well known and best loved of all. The Jews had their favourites, Psalm 136 the great hallel and the hallel psalms 113 to 118 which formed part of the worship at both the Passover celebrations and the Feast of Tabernacles. Psalm 118 was the climax of these celebrations and at the feast of tabernacles as the priests chanted the words of this psalm the congregation gave appropriate responses and waved palm, myrtle or willow branches, with which they would later make their leafy shelters for the feast of tabernacles or shelters. And they would cry out the words ‘ana adonia hoshaa-na’ - “Lord, save us” v25. In fact the bundles of branches which the people carried at the Feast of Tabernacles were called “Hosannas."

In Martin Luther’s introduction to his translation of this Psalm he writes: “This is my Psalm, my chosen Psalm. I love them all; I love all holy Scripture, which is my consolation and my life. But this Psalm is nearest my heart, and I have a peculiar right to call it mine. It has saved me from many a pressing danger, from which nor emperor, nor kings, nor sages, nor saints, could have saved me. It is my friend; dearer to me than all the honours and power of the earth... But it may be objected, that this Psalm is common to all; no one has a right to call it his own. Yes; but Christ is also common to all, and yet Christ is mine.” This is one of the six most quoted psalms in the NT because it is a Psalm about the Messiah. It is a triumphant processional song depicting a hero who despite great difficulty had overcome. Spurgeon summarises it like this “The Psalm, seems to us to describe either David or some other man of God .. appointed by the divine choice to a high and honourable office in Israel. This elect champion found himself rejected by his friends and fellow countrymen, and at the same time violently opposed by his enemies. In faith in God he battles for his appointed place, and in due time he obtains it in such a way as greatly to display the power and goodness of the Lord. He then goes up to the house of the Lord to offer sacrifice, and to express his gratitude for the divine interposition, all the people blessing him, and wishing him abundant prosperity.” This hero was widely understood to refer to the Messiah, God’s promised anointed one, who as we know was Jesus.

So when Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a colt in order to fulfil the prophecy of Zechariah, “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout in triumph, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; He is righteous and he is a Saviour, lowly, and riding upon an ass, even on a colt, the foal of an ass.” Zec 9:9 Jesus was declaring himself to be this humble righteous king who was also their Saviour. So it was not surprising that the people should take up the refrain from Ps 118, “Hosanna - Save us. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.” and wave branches and strew them in his path as he approached Jerusalem.So let’s look at this Psalm briefly. (Read Psalm.)

Jesus is our great Hero. For him to come into the world and become our Saviour was not easy. He faced opposition, rejection, difficulties, murderous intentions but Jesus had complete trust in God, his Father. “The LORD is with me; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me? The LORD is with me; he is my helper. I will look in triumph on my enemies.” In everything he faced in life he was more than a conqueror, through his trust in his God and Father who is also our God and Father. We will face the same difficulties and struggles, but as the chorus says, “It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in man. It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in princes.” This song does not deal with Jesus’ death or his resurrection. Despite all the struggles and difficulties until God’s proper time we will not die but we will live so that we might testify to all that the Lord has done in our lives.

The priests welcome the Hero into God’s temple to give thanks for his victories. We welcome the Lord into the temple of our own bodies and into the local church of which we are part. There is a sense that both individually in our private times with the Lord we have to open the gates to let him enter and when we meet together, we also welcome him into our church gathering. Many have rejected Christ but for us he has become our cornerstone. Without him all would collapse. He holds us all together. “This is the day that the Lord has made, we will rejoice and be glad in it” immediately procedes the cries of "Hosanna - O Lord save us! and O Lord grant us sucess". Then the temple priests not only welcome him who come in the name of the Lord but bless him. Our Hero deserves to be praised and blessed. The psalm concludes with the chorus declaring that “The LORD is God, and he has made his light shine upon us. With branches in hand, we will celebrate the festival right up to the horns of the altar.” The celebration and pageant takes us right up to the place of sacrifice, we come celebrating our hero right with shouts of joy, waving our hands in acclamation right up to the cross itself. The hero concludes with a cry of praise to God: “You are my God, and I will give thanks; you are my God, and I will exalt you.” To which all the people respond with the chorus “Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures for ever.”

How can we say “Hosanna - Save us?” Aren’t we already saved? In John 15 Jesus said “This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit becoming my disciples”. How can Jesus’ disciples become what they already are? Salvation, discipleship and even us being God’s children is not so much a position as a process.

Jesus came to save his people from the sins. Are we being saved on a daily basis from the sins that so easily entangle us? Let us pursue with all our energy the process of becoming a Christian becoming a disciple of Christ, becoming a believer, of being saved. Hosanna - Save us Lord we pray!