Psalms 118:27-29 The LORD is God, and he has made his light to shine upon us. Bind the festal sacrifice with cords, up to the horns of the altar! 28 You are my God, and I will give thanks to you; you are my God; I will extol you. 29 Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever!
These closing verses of Psalm 118 begin with an unshakable proclamation: “The LORD is God.” In Hebrew, it’s emphatic — YHVH, He is El — the declaration that all authority, holiness, and sovereignty belong to Him alone. Yet this is not just a statement of who He is — it’s a testimony of what He has done: “He has made His light to shine upon us.” This light is more than the glow of the sun — it is the revelation of His presence, the warmth of His favor, and the piercing truth that chases away every shadow. His light doesn’t simply illuminate — it transforms.
The psalmist then calls for a radical act of worship: “Bind the festal sacrifice with cords, up to the horns of the altar!” This is the language of the Temple, of worship that is both celebratory and costly. During Sukkot, this verse was read on Hoshana Rabbah, as worshipers circled the altar, praising God and crying out for salvation. The horns of the altar were the place of atonement and covenant — the very spot where the blood of the sacrifice was applied. To bind the sacrifice was to fully dedicate it to God, with no option of taking it back.
This is no ordinary offering — it is a festal sacrifice, brought with joy, not reluctance. In the light of God’s revelation, the only reasonable response is full surrender. It’s as if the psalmist is saying, “I will not just bring my gift to the altar — I will bind myself to it. My worship will not be convenient — it will be complete.” This points us directly to Yeshua, the ultimate festal sacrifice, who willingly allowed Himself to be bound and led to the cross, the final altar, so that His light could shine on all who believe.
From this place of total surrender, verses 28 and 29 overflow with thanksgiving: “You are my God, and I will give thanks to You… Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; for His steadfast love endures forever!” The heart that has encountered God’s light and laid itself on His altar cannot help but worship. These words also carry a Shabbat rhythm — just as Shabbat closes each week with blessings and praise, so this psalm closes with the eternal refrain of God’s goodness and enduring mercy. Shabbat reminds us that our worship flows from rest, not striving, and that our surrender is not loss, but delight.
Your light has come, the altar is before you, and the cords are ready. Will you be a casual observer of His goodness, or will you bind yourself to His purposes with joy? This is the moment to go beyond convenience into consecration. Lay yourself down — not as a reluctant offering, but as a willing one. Let the light that has shone on you ignite a life of thanksgiving. Tie your heart to the altar of His will and let your praise rise like incense. The LORD is God — acknowledge it with your life. He is good — declare it with your lips. His mercy endures forever — live in it with every breath.
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[worthy_plugins_devotion_single_body]Is that a trend or something? I don’t know what it is but I’ve heard that phrase said quite a bit. We were even walking down the Wal-Mart isle to pick up a few things and my wife showed me a T-shirt with “I have issues” written across the front! I guess the world is coming to the sad reality that we really do have some issues.
It never ceases to amaze me, the way the devil uses our offenses and our “offendedness” to divide and conquer marriages, relationships, churches — even entire nations!
There’s an old adage, “Have the heart of a lion!” Hearing it, we think, “courage”. This recalls a quote I once heard; “Courage is contagious. When a brave man takes a stand, the spines of others are often stiffened”. I doubt there’s a single hero story in which the fearless leader fails to inspire the righteous determination of his army or people. The voice of the captain resounds through the ranks evoking the fierce cry of every warrior ready to face death or worse, for the cause. Courage truly is contagious.
The Hebrew word for “face” is “panim”, (the Hebrew letters, peh-nun-yud-mem), literally “faces”, a plural word. Normally, when we think about God, we focus only upon one of His “faces” at a time. God is “love” – or He is “holy”– or He is “just”— or He’s a God of “wrath”. Yet, of course, ALL these “faces” are His at once; and so the word “panim” accurately reflects the truth of God’s multifaceted being. As we get to know Him better we begin to appreciate the complexity of His nature and the fact that our focus on one “face” is a very limited view, since there’s so much more going on in His amazing “Personality”.
Patience is one of those things… so hard to learn it… so hard to practice it faithfully in our daily walk. It’s one of of those things I truly wish we didn’t have to learn — but God requires it of us! As I was reading through this passage again in Exodus, it dawned on me that Moses sat on the mountain for six entire days before the Lord spoke to him. He had to patiently wait for the Lord for six days!
The book of Isaiah, often called the Old Testament Gospel, reveals that a child was to be born and his name called “The Mighty God, and the Everlasting Father”. We know that this Child was Yeshua (Jesus) of Nazareth, that He is the unique Son of God, the express image of the invisible God. The throne of David was to be given to Him and He now holds its “key”, a symbol of the right and authority of His reign, which will be consummated when He returns to this world and restores the Kingdom to Israel [Acts 1:6-7].
When I studied Isaiah 53 earnestly in the ancient Hebrew, I was taken back by the Hebrew word for “afflicted” (me-u-neh). In modern Hebrew this word means “tortured”. When I was young, and first learned what torture actually involved, my soul was shocked that this could happen to people; in fact that it was happening to people. That a person could be kept alive for the purpose of intentionally causing him intense agonizing pain was an astounding enigma for my young soul. It really frightened me; and I think that fear of torture is probably the greatest fear that humans can experience. We read about people who have been tortured, with a kind of horrified awe. And quietly we wonder inside, “How can this be?” And, “Could this ever happen to me?”