Psa 118:6 The LORD is on my side; I will not fear: what can man do unto me?

Psalm 118 is a song of thanksgiving for the LORD’s salvation. This is a prophetic psalm about the Messiah. Many sections of this psalm were quoted in the New Testament attributing to Christ. The Psalmist focuses intensely on the Lord. The account the psalmist here gives of his troubles is very applicable to Christ. For example, in verses 22 and 23: “The stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner. This is the LORD'S doing; it is marvellous in our eyes.” No text is more frequently quoted in the New Testament than those two verses and each time the reference is to Christ. Our Lord also quotes from this same text and applies the prophecy to Himself in Matthew 21:42. It is in that context that the Psalmist says: “This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it” (v.24). The day refers to the day when salvation has arrived for mankind. The psalmist continues with these beautiful words: “Save now…. Blessed be he that cometh in the name of the LORD” (v.25, 26). “Save now” in Hebrew is “yâsha‛ nâ”, from which we have the word hosanna. This was sung by the Jewish children when Christ made His public entry into Jerusalem: “And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the Son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest” (Matthew 21:9). “Hosanna” means “save now”. It is amazing when we read the Bible and read how prophecies written hundreds of years before were fulfilled. Such a thing is not possible without an omnipotent and omniscient God. It is what the psalms are about – Calling on men to trust in God: “The LORD is on my side; I will not fear: what can man do unto me?” (v.24). The LORD is on my side – How many today can say that they have known the Lord to be on their side? In Deuteronomy 20:1-4, God assured the Israelites they would win battles because He is on their side: “For the LORD your God is he that goeth with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you” (v.4). It would be terrible if the LORD is our enemy instead of on our side; don’t you think so? What would happen to Israel if the LORD was not on their side? Let Psalm 124 answer: “If it had not been the LORD who was on our side, when men rose up against us: Then they had swallowed us up quick, when their wrath was kindled against us.” They would have been killed long ago. But when the LORD is on our side, it does not matter what the odds are against us, or if the situation looks hopeless, because God will always deliver His people. The Psalmist says: “They compassed me about like bees; they are quenched as the fire of thorns: for in the name of the LORD I will destroy them” (v.12). Victory was certain because God was on the Psalmist’s side. Every answer to our prayers is evidence that the Lord is on our side. When will the LORD not be on our side? When we sin! “But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear” (Isaiah 59:2). For God to stay on our side, we must desire to stay on His side: “Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you” (James 4:8). God doesn’t force His way in; we must desire Him first. When we stay on His side, we can be assured He is on our side. Are you on God’s side?