Psalm 116, 117, 118 are psalms that are often recited by Hebrew people (past and present) during the Feast of Unleavened Bread, most specifically on the day before the Passover (which is called the sacred assembly).

Ponder this:
If Jesus and His disciples recited these same psalms during their sacred assembly (the Last Supper) just prior to Jesus’ arrest, they take on a very deep significant spiritual meaning. Read Psalm 116 and Psalm 118 in today’s reading in the Chronological Bible as if they truly were recited by Jesus and His disciples that night. Pay particular attention to these passages for the prophetic significance.

Ps 118:26-27
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD. From the house of the LORD we bless you. The LORD is God, and he has made his light shine upon us. With boughs in hand, join in the festal procession up to the horns of the altar.
Sound like the triumphal entry into Jerusalem amid waving of palm branches? Even the same words were spoken by those gathered in the procession.

Ps 116:13-15
I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the LORD. I will fulfill my vows to the LORD in the presence of all his people. Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints.
Ps 116:18-19
I will fulfill my vows to the LORD in the presence of all his people, in the courts of the house of the LORD-- in your midst, O Jerusalem. Praise the LORD.
Who was “lifted up” as the cup of salvation. Who fulfilled His vows! None other than Jesus!

Ps 118:6-7
The LORD is with me; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me? The LORD is with me; he is my helper. I will look in triumph on my enemies.
Indeed…what can man do to Jesus? Who triumphed over His enemies? Who triumphed over Satan and the grave? None other than Jesus!

Ps 118:16-17
The LORD's right hand is lifted high; the LORD's right hand has done mighty things!" I will not die but live, and will proclaim what the LORD has done.
Who is the Lord’s right hand? None other than Jesus!

Ps 118:20
This is the gate of the LORD through which the righteous may enter.
Who is the gate? None other than Jesus!

Ps 118:22
The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone;
Who is the capstone? None other than Jesus!

All this leads us to the following:
Ps 118:29
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.

Who is good? Whose love endures forever? None other than Jesus!

INDEED!

Psalm 78 begins by reminding us of the importance of telling others and teaching our children about the truth of God’s Word. It is through teaching the truth that we develop trust in God. The rest of this psalm recounts some miraculous things that God has done for His people. It also reminds us that…

Ps 78:32
In spite of all this, they kept on sinning; in spite of his wonders, they did not believe.
Ps 78:37
their hearts were not loyal to him, they were not faithful to his covenant.
Ps 78:56
But they put God to the test and rebelled against the Most High; they did not keep his statutes.

But…in His great mercy…
Ps 78:38
Yet he was merciful; he forgave their iniquities and did not destroy them. Time after time he restrained his anger and did not stir up his full wrath.

When we lived in the hills of Tennessee, we often took drives through the Smoky Mountains. Periodically there would be a pull-over onto an overlook. We could look down at where we had just been and marvel at the beauty of the mountains. Psalm 78 reminds us of those times; it’s similar to an overlook. As we read God’s Word, it’s nice to pause and look at where we’ve been and marvel at God’s handiwork. We should be ever mindful to believe His promises, to remember His faithfulness, and to follow His commands and statutes.

Zech 7:5-6
"Ask all the people of the land and the priests, 'When you fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh months for the past seventy years, was it really for me that you fasted? And when you were eating and drinking, were you not just feasting for yourselves?
Ouch! Sounds a bit like some of our “Christian” holidays today.

When the temple was completed, the people of Israel celebrated with great joy. Shortly afterward, they celebrated the Passover. They did everything according to the Book of Moses.

Ezra 6:21
So the Israelites who had returned from the exile ate it, together with all who had separated themselves from the unclean practices of their Gentile neighbors in order to seek the LORD, the God of Israel.

At this time the Israelites did not conform to the practices of the nations around them, they followed God’s commands in honoring and celebrating His holy days, in the way He commanded. They weren’t eating and drinking and feasting for themselves as pointed out in Zechariah 7:5-6. What lessons can we learn from this?

Oh, so much to say about today’s reading!

What a great promise in these verses!

Zech 2:10-11
"Shout and be glad, O Daughter of Zion. For I am coming, and I will live among you," declares the LORD. "Many nations will be joined with the LORD in that day and will become my people. I will live among you and you will know that the LORD Almighty has sent me to you.

God, the Father sends God, the Son to live among us!

What a beautiful picture in Zechariah 3 of a “before and after picture”. Life before salvation can be compared to “wearing filthy rags”. Life after salvation can be compared to being “clothed in righteousness”.

Revelation 6:1-8 are companion verses to Zechariah 6:1-8. The horses in the first four seals (Revelation) are evil spirits allowed to go throughout the earth as explained in Zechariah. They are given directions in which to start their travel. The end result is that they traveled all over the earth. Zechariah, like John is a prophet speaking in vision.

More details in the book, These Last Days.

Haggai the prophet pointed out that the people had their priorities all out of place when it came to building the temple.

Hag 1:5-6
Now this is what the LORD Almighty says: "Give careful thought to your ways. You have planted much, but have harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it."

Sounds a bit like modern life today…never satisfied…always wanting more…looking more to the physical and worldly and less to the spiritual.

The people listened to the words of Haggai and responded positively and quickly. Think about all the other prophets. Many of them preached for years and years and few listened. Here comes one of the “lesser” prophets and the people listen and obey almost immediately. What gives???

You just have to chuckle at the letters going back and forth between the leaders of Trans-Euphrates and the two kings, first Artaxerxes and then later Darius.

Artaxerxes agreed and gave in to the leaders of Trans-Euphrates and stopped the building of the temple. Then, the temple construction was started again a few years later when the people listened to the prophets Haggai and Zechariah.

When the leaders of Trans-Euphrates “tattled” on them, Darius took a quite different approach than his predecessor. He not only approved the building of the temple, he told the leaders of Trans-Euphrates to pay for the expenses from their treasury! And, they were to provide the animals for the daily sacrifices at the temple. They were to do this without fail or else…well you can read for yourself what would happen to anyone who changed the king’s edict. No surprise that the leaders carried out the edict with diligence!

In the first part of Daniel 11, he records a prophecy that has already been fulfilled (future for Daniel, past for us). The last part (beginning with verse 2) he records a prophecy that will be fulfilled in our future.

Daniel 11:21-23
"He will be succeeded by a contemptible person who has not been given the honor of royalty. He will invade the kingdom when its people feel secure, and he will seize it through intrigue. Then an overwhelming army will be swept away before him; both it and a prince of the covenant will be destroyed. After coming to an agreement with him, he will act deceitfully, and with only a few people he will rise to power.

This contemptible person is the Antichrist who has no legitimate right to the power that he will take during the last days. The Antichrist will take over as the people have been lulled into a false sense of security. Many more details can be found in the book These Last Days.

Some revelations of future events were given to Daniel to be sealed until the time of the end. (Daniel 8:26, Daniel 12:9) As recorded in the book of Revelation, John was told not to seal up the words of prophecy because the time of the end is near. (Revelation 22:10) Guess that means it's nearer now!