Psalm 118 personal-God's love forever

Reminder: I read the Bible with the perspective that Jesus affirmed Genesis 1, especially Genesis 1:28, which commends humankind to independently provide safety& security to the other species and to the earth. In recent weeks, my theory that God, the Holy Spirit, Jesus’ peace, Satan, heaven/hell, and soul are all mysteries that believers can accept and take comfort in their resolutions has matured. I listen to responses to the theory hoping to improve it. Nevertheless, I think it is each citizen’s duty to take responsibility for safety& security in their way of living. Because some fellow-citizens can& may choose to be tyrants (lazy people, criminals, and elite takers), we civic-citizens must fund law, law enforcement, and development of statutory justice.

Psalm 118 personal-God’s love forever

¹ Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
    his love endures forever.

² Let Israel say:
    “His love endures forever.”
³ Let the house of Aaron [Aaron, Moses’ brother and a Levite, made the golden calf for worship] say:
    “His love endures forever.”
⁴ Let those who fear the Lord say:
    “His love endures forever.”

⁵ When hard pressed, I cried to the Lord;
    he brought me into a spacious place.
⁶ The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid.
    What can mere mortals do to me?
⁷ The Lord is with me; he is my helper.
    I look in triumph on my enemies.

⁸ It is better to take refuge in the Lord
    than to trust in humans. [This is perhaps the most divisive sentence I have read lately. The Psalmist divides people over a mystery no one can solve. It’s like telling this vagabond to trust dogma more than trust Nomads’ diverse perceptions. I won’t choose “the Lord” over Nomads.]
⁹ It is better to take refuge in the Lord
    than to trust in princes. [This refutes the Genesis 1:28 RHI, e.g., Mike Pence betraying the U.S. commander-in-chief’s responsibility to uphold election laws.]
¹⁰ All the nations surrounded me,
    but in the name of the Lord I cut them down.
¹¹ They surrounded me on every side,
    but in the name of the Lord I cut them down.
¹² They swarmed around me like bees,
    but they were consumed as quickly as burning thorns;
    in the name of the Lord I cut them down. [This aggression toward fellow-humans is a far cry from Genesis 1:28’s demand that humankind provide safety& prosperity to the earth. Jesus affirmed Genesis 1.]
¹³ I was pushed back and about to fall,
    but the Lord helped me.
¹⁴ The Lord is my strength and my defense;
    he has become my salvation.

¹⁵ Shouts of joy and victory
    resound in the tents of the righteous:
“The Lord’s right hand has done mighty things!
¹⁶     The Lord’s right hand is lifted high;
    the Lord’s right hand has done mighty things!”
¹⁷ I will not die but live [does this refer to the afterdeath?],
    and will proclaim what the Lord has done.
¹⁸ The Lord has chastened me severely,
    but he has not given me over to death.
¹⁹ Open for me the gates of the righteous;
    I will enter and give thanks to the Lord.
²⁰ This is the gate of the Lord
    through which the righteous may enter.
²¹ I will give you thanks, for you answered me;
    you have become my salvation.

²² The stone the builders rejected
    has become the cornerstone;
²³ the Lord has done this,
    and it is marvelous in our eyes.
²⁴ The Lord has done it this very day;
    let us rejoice today and be glad.

²⁵ Lord, save us!
    Lord, grant us success!

²⁶ Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
    From the house of the Lord we bless you.
²⁷ The Lord is God, [Does the-High-God agree with the Psalmist?]
    and he has made his light shine on us.
With boughs in hand, join in the festal procession
    up to the horns of the altar.

²⁸ You are my God, and I will praise you;
    you are my God, and I will exalt you. [Is the Psalmist arrogant and proud? It seems the opposite of humility and I would not mimic it.]

²⁹ Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
    his love endures forever.

[I perceive that the Psalmist thinks I am not a person with faith in his religion. I agree. If he therefore “cuts me down”, I regard him in conflict with Genesis 1:28. I accept that I could be wrong but don’t expect to change my opinion.]