It was Passover—one of the major feast celebrations of Israel when the people turned their attention back to how God had rescued His people from captivity, thanks to the blood of an unblemished lamb.
As Jesus made His way into Jerusalem, a city that was overflowing with pilgrims for the celebration, the people greeted Him as king by chanting, “Hosanna,” which means save now, “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord” (John 12:13).
This refrain is part of the Hallel, a section of the Psalms that the temple choir would sing at major Jewish festivals. Rather than hearing my thoughts on the Triumphal Entry, how much better to hear God’s. I want to encourage you to take some time meditating on the Hallel from the CSB below. I have indicated the part which the people cried out in John 12:13 in red. Notice the verse that follows it. Pause and reflect over it. There is no evidence that an animal sacrifice was tied to the alter (see CSB Study Bible footnote on Ps 118:25-29). Consider why that was in light of what will follow this in the Gospel narrative. Then, and only then, read the last two verses. Perhaps, you might be able to do so with dry eyes.
PSALM 113
PRAISE TO THE MERCIFUL GOD
Hallelujah!
Give praise, servants of the Lord;
praise the name of the Lord.
2 Let the name of the Lord be blessed
both now and forever.
3 From the rising of the sun to its setting,
let the name of the Lord be praised.
4 The Lord is exalted above all the nations,
his glory above the heavens.
5 Who is like the Lord our God —
the one enthroned on high,
6 who stoops down to look
on the heavens and the earth?
7 He raises the poor from the dust
and lifts the needy from the trash heap
8 in order to seat them with nobles —
with the nobles of his people.
9 He gives the childless woman a household,
making her the joyful mother of children.
Hallelujah!
PSALM 114
GOD’S DELIVERANCE OF ISRAEL
When Israel came out of Egypt —
the house of Jacob from a people
who spoke a foreign language —
2 Judah became his sanctuary,
Israel, his dominion.
3 The sea looked and fled;
the Jordan turned back.
4 The mountains skipped like rams,
the hills, like lambs.
5 Why was it, sea, that you fled?
Jordan, that you turned back?
6 Mountains, that you skipped like rams?
Hills, like lambs?
7 Tremble, earth, at the presence of the Lord,
at the presence of the God of Jacob,
8 who turned the rock into a pool,
the flint into a spring.
PSALM 115
GLORY TO GOD ALONE
Not to us, Lord, not to us,
but to your name give glory
because of your faithful love, because of your truth.
2 Why should the nations say,
“Where is their God? ”
3 Our God is in heaven
and does whatever he pleases.
4 Their idols are silver and gold,
made by human hands.
5 They have mouths but cannot speak,
eyes, but cannot see.
6 They have ears but cannot hear,
noses, but cannot smell.
7 They have hands but cannot feel,
feet, but cannot walk.
They cannot make a sound with their throats.
8 Those who make them are just like them,
as are all who trust in them.
9 Israel, trust in the Lord!
He is their help and shield.
10 House of Aaron, trust in the Lord!
He is their help and shield.
11 You who fear the Lord, trust in the Lord!
He is their help and shield.
12 The Lord remembers us and will bless us.
He will bless the house of Israel;
he will bless the house of Aaron;
13 he will bless those who fear the Lord —
small and great alike.
14 May the Lord add to your numbers,
both yours and your children’s.
15 May you be blessed by the Lord,
the Maker of heaven and earth.
16 The heavens are the Lord’s,
but the earth he has given to the human race.
17 It is not the dead who praise the Lord,
nor any of those descending into the silence of death.
18 But we will bless the Lord,
both now and forever.
Hallelujah!
PSALM 116
THANKS TO GOD FOR DELIVERANCE
I love the Lord because he has heard
my appeal for mercy.
2 Because he has turned his ear to me,
I will call out to him as long as I live.
3 The ropes of death were wrapped around me,
and the torments of Sheol overcame me;
I encountered trouble and sorrow.
4 Then I called on the name of the Lord:
“Lord, save me! ”
5 The Lord is gracious and righteous;
our God is compassionate.
6 The Lord guards the inexperienced;
I was helpless, and he saved me.
7 Return to your rest, my soul,
for the Lord has been good to you.
8 For you, Lord, rescued me from death,
my eyes from tears,
my feet from stumbling.
9 I will walk before the Lord
in the land of the living.
10 I believed, even when I said,
“I am severely oppressed.”
11 In my alarm I said,
“Everyone is a liar.”
12 How can I repay the Lord
for all the good he has done for me?
13 I will take the cup of salvation
and call on the name of the Lord.
14 I will fulfill my vows to the Lord
in the presence of all his people.
15 The death of his faithful ones
is valuable in the Lord’s sight.
16 Lord, I am indeed your servant;
I am your servant, the son of your female servant.
You have loosened my bonds.
17 I will offer you a thanksgiving sacrifice
and call on the name of the Lord.
18 I will fulfill my vows to the Lord
in the presence of all his people,
19 in the courts of the Lord’s house —
within you, Jerusalem.
Hallelujah!
PSALM 117
UNIVERSAL CALL TO PRAISE
Praise the Lord, all nations!
Glorify him, all peoples!
2 For his faithful love to us is great;
the Lord’s faithfulness endures forever.
Hallelujah!
PSALM 118
THANKSGIVING FOR VICTORY
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
his faithful love endures forever.
2 Let Israel say,
“His faithful love endures forever.”
3 Let the house of Aaron say,
“His faithful love endures forever.”
4 Let those who fear the Lord say,
“His faithful love endures forever.”
5 I called to the Lord in distress;
the Lord answered me
and put me in a spacious place.
6 The Lord is for me; I will not be afraid.
What can a mere mortal do to me?
7 The Lord is my helper;
therefore, I will look in triumph on those who hate me.
8 It is better to take refuge in the Lord
than to trust in humanity.
9 It is better to take refuge in the Lord
than to trust in nobles.
10 All the nations surrounded me;
in the name of the Lord I destroyed them.
11 They surrounded me, yes, they surrounded me;
in the name of the Lord I destroyed them.
12 They surrounded me like bees;
they were extinguished like a fire among thorns;
in the name of the Lord I destroyed them.
13 They pushed me hard to make me fall,
but the Lord helped me.
14 The Lord is my strength and my song;
he has become my salvation.
15 There are shouts of joy and victory
in the tents of the righteous:
“The Lord’s right hand performs valiantly!
16 The Lord’s right hand is raised.
The Lord’s right hand performs valiantly! ”
17 I will not die, but I will live
and proclaim what the Lord has done.
18 The Lord disciplined me severely
but did not give me over to death.
19 Open the gates of righteousness for me;
I will enter through them
and give thanks to the Lord.
20 This is the Lord’s gate;
the righteous will enter through it.
21 I will give thanks to you
because you have answered me
and have become my salvation.
22 The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone.
23 This came from the Lord;
it is wondrous in our sight.
24 This is the day the Lord has made;
let’s rejoice and be glad in it.
25 Lord, save us!
Lord, please grant us success!
26 He who comes in the name
of the Lord is blessed.
From the house of the Lord we bless you.
27 The Lord is God and has given us light.
Bind the festival sacrifice with cords
to the horns of the altar.
28 You are my God, and I will give you thanks.
You are my God; I will exalt you.
29 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
his faithful love endures forever.
For worship is, essentially, the reverse of sin. Sin began (and begins) when we succumb to the temptation, ‘You shall be as gods.’ We make ourselves the center of the universe and dethrone God. By contrast, worship is giving God his true worth; it is acknowledging Him to be the Lord of all things, and the Lord of everything in our lives. He is, indeed, the Most High God!” — Sinclair Ferguson
Sinclair B. Ferguson, A Heart for God (Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress, 1985), 155.
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Tracy Foster says
Hi! Thank you for the podcast. Are you still doing the videos explaining about the Bible Story each week (like you did for the prior 3-year curriculum)? We just recently jumped from the prior 3-year curriculum, to the current one, and those videos on Vimeo were great. Thank you!
Aaron Armstrong says
Hi Tracy, the leader training moved from the videos to a podcast format in early 2020. At this time, there are not plans to resume these as videos but we hope the audio conversations help!
Sarah Watson says
Thank you! These are amazing resources.