The LORD hath chastened me sore: but he hath not given me over unto death.
Psalm 118:18 belongs to Psalms 113 to 118, which were sung on paschal occasions. It expresses thanksgiving for divine lovingkindness and belongs to a psalm of thanksgiving for Jehovah's saving goodness. It is prophetic of Christ, with Christ as the central figure of the section to which it belongs, picturing His inward experience of suffering and life-and-death struggles.
Jesus sang from this psalm just before His betrayal and suffering, including the agony of Gethsemane and the darkness of the cross. He did so with full knowledge that those sufferings lay before Him. He did so in trust in a Father who is too wise to make a mistake and too good to be unkind. Praise to Him from whom all blessings flow can and should be offered in the darkest suffering, such praise glorifies God, and it brings greater blessings.
The verse means that God may chasten a person severely without giving that person over to death, destroying them, surrendering them to death, or abandoning them. Affliction in the verse serves as a warning and a final call of love to turn from sin, whose way leads to death. Sickness and pain can teach people where they have departed from God's law and the way of life and health. Affliction in the verse purges sin from those who are finally triumphant, preparing them as a purified people to enter the gates of righteousness.
The verse is joined to the promise to live and declare the Lord's works. Those who claim that promise must yield themselves to God and follow the Spirit's leading, including caring for the destitute and not condemning or neglecting others. God's word gives power to fulfill these conditions. Severe chastening without being given over to death applies to sore personal trial such as grief and hardship after a husband became gravely ill and was presumed dead, leaving a wife with six small children and no means of support, while the Saviour remains precious.
Psalm 118:18 belongs to Psalms 113 to 118, which were sung on paschal occasions. It expresses thanksgiving for divine lovingkindness and belongs to a psalm of thanksgiving for Jehovah's saving goodness. It is prophetic of Christ, with Christ as the central figure of the section to which it belongs, picturing His inward experience of suffering and life-and-death struggles.
Jesus sang from this psalm just before His betrayal and suffering, including the agony of Gethsemane and the darkness of the cross. He did so with full knowledge that those sufferings lay before Him. He did so in trust in a Father who is too wise to make a mistake and too good to be unkind. Praise to Him from whom all blessings flow can and should be offered in the darkest suffering, such praise glorifies God, and it brings greater blessings.
The verse means that God may chasten a person severely without giving that person over to death, destroying them, surrendering them to death, or abandoning them. Affliction in the verse serves as a warning and a final call of love to turn from sin, whose way leads to death. Sickness and pain can teach people where they have departed from God's law and the way of life and health. Affliction in the verse purges sin from those who are finally triumphant, preparing them as a purified people to enter the gates of righteousness.
The verse is joined to the promise to live and declare the Lord's works. Those who claim that promise must yield themselves to God and follow the Spirit's leading, including caring for the destitute and not condemning or neglecting others. God's word gives power to fulfill these conditions. Severe chastening without being given over to death applies to sore personal trial such as grief and hardship after a husband became gravely ill and was presumed dead, leaving a wife with six small children and no means of support, while the Saviour remains precious.