August 6, 2025 - Psalm 118:27 - "The Sacrificial Lamb"

Psalm 118:27

 "God is the Lord, which hath shewed us light: bind the sacrifice with cords, even unto the horns of the altar."

What a glorious testimony we have here in this Old Testament-inspired Word, of the Revelation of Christ and Redemption in Him through the sovereign grace of God. In the shadows of Old Testament worship, the psalmist declares that God is the LORD—Jehovah is God—and He has “shewed us light.” This is not merely the light of outward religion or moral reformation, but the light of the knowledge of the Glory of God shining in the Face of Jesus Christ. Here, the Spirit of God lifts our eyes to see that salvation is not by man in any way, but revealed by God Himself to those He elected in Christ before the foundation of the world, and for whom He sent His Son into the world as a Man to pay their sin debt by His death on the cross. It is God Who makes Himself known, and it is God Who has ordained the Sacrifice of His Son for the Satisfaction of His law and justice. He has provided Himself the Lamb, and Himself as the Lamb (Genesis 22:8).

When the psalmist exhorts, “Bind the sacrifice with cords, even unto the horns of the altar,” we are brought to consider the ultimate offering—Christ, the Lamb of God, willingly bound by sovereign purpose, led to the altar of the cross. The cords were not ropes of man's making, but the cords of everlasting love, the decree of divine justice, and the unbreakable covenant of Grace. Here, then, we are led to contemplate the glorious work of the LORD Jesus—our Sacrifice and our Light—Who was not only revealed to us, but also given for us as His elect children. This Scripture points us to its fulfillment in the Person and finished work of Christ—God's chosen Redeemer, bound and offered once for all to save His people from their sins.

God [El-The Mighty One] is the LORD [Jehovah-The Eternal Covenant God], Who hath shewed us Light [“Christ Who being the brightness of His glory, and the express image of His person…”-Hebrews 1:3] bind the sacrifice [one slain as part of one of the feast days] with cords [used to tie the sacrificial victim], even unto the horns of the altar [horn-like projections at each corner of the altar].

     Knowledge of God in Christ is by His Sovereign revelation alone, by His Spirit. God causes the glorious Person of Christ to shine in the hearts of His children as an indication of His grace toward them in Christ, “For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” (2 Corinthians 4:6)

The darkness of ignorance and unbelief is dissipated and yields to the glorious knowledge of the LORD Jesus, and His effectual Sacrifice for their sin. All true Spirit-given FAITH is concerning the LORD Jesus and His Sacrifice for sinners at the cross. The LORD Jesus is that willing, sinless Sacrifice Who was bound by God’s decree, His law and justice, and the sin of those sinners the Father gave Him from eternity to save. He offered Himself up as His Sacrificial Lamb once for all, that He might be just and justify those He chose from eternity, "By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all..... "For by one offering He hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified" (Hebrews 10:10, 14).       

In the light of this Scripture, we behold the wondrous grace of our covenant God Who has made His light to shine upon us in the Face of Jesus Christ. He who is the Lamb slain (since) from the foundation of the world is the One to whom the sacrificial cords point—the very altar to which He was bound for our eternal redemption as His elected children. This binding was not by force of man, but by the will of God and the willing offering of the Son, Who gave Himself in love for His chosen people. Here is the glory of sovereign grace: not that we sought Him, but that He sought us, gave Himself for us, and has brought us into His marvelous Light. May our hearts therefore be fixed in praise, and our lives offered in continual thanksgiving, for the LORD our God has truly dealt bountifully with us in Christ.