Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - Psalms 118:5-9
The writer gave personal testimony to God’s deliverance of him in answer to prayer. Setting him in "a large place" (Psalms 118:5, NASB) pictures freedom to move about without constraint. Since God was with him, he did not need to fear what other people might do to him (cf. Hebrews 13:6). Furthermore the Lord would be his helper, so he could expect to prevail over his adversaries. Therefore it is better to trust in Yahweh than to place one’s confidence in men, even the most powerful of men.... read more
Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - Psalms 118:1-29
Psalms 118This is the last in this series of the Egyptian Hallel psalms (Psalms 113-118). It describes a festal procession to the temple to praise and sacrifice to the Lord. The historical background may be the dedication of the restored walls and gates of Jerusalem in Ezra and Nehemiah’s time, following the return from Babylonian captivity, in 444 B.C. [Note: Wiersbe, The . . . Wisdom . . ., p. 306.] It contains elements of communal thanksgiving, individual thanksgiving, and liturgical psalms.... read more