Hosanna: Save Now

Save Now, We Pray

☐

When the crowds shouted, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” (Matthew 21:9), they were using a word from an old song of God's people, Psalm 118.

A song of thanks. Psalm 118 begins and ends by telling God's people to give thanks to the Lord, because He is good and His mercy lasts forever (Psalm 118:1, 29).

Rescued. Then the singer tells how God rescued him when he was in great trouble. He called on the Lord, and the Lord answered him and set him free (Psalm 118:5).

A cry for help. Near the end, the psalm prays, Save now, I pray, O Lord (Psalm 118:25). The word Hosanna comes from that prayer. It means save now.

A welcome. The next verse says, “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” (Psalm 118:26). The crowds shouted those words to Jesus. To come in the name of the Lord means to come from God, sent by Him.

Praise and prayer together. Hosanna is praise and prayer in one word. It tells the Lord that He is the One who can save, and it asks Him to save now.

He will save us. The prophet Isaiah wrote about a day when God's people would say that the Lord is their God, that they have waited for Him, and that He will save them (Isaiah 25:9). Salvation is something only God can give.

A name that saves. Before Jesus was born, the angel told Joseph, “you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). The crowd shouted save now to the One whose name tells what He came to do.

Saved from what? Our biggest problem is not a hard day or a scary place. It is sin, which separates us from God. Jesus came to save us from sin.

Answered at the cross. That same week, Jesus answered the cry of Hosanna in the deepest way. He died on the cross for our sins and rose again on the third day (1 Corinthians 15:3-4).

A prayer you can pray. Hosanna is still a good prayer. When you know you need Jesus, you can ask Him to save you. He is glad to save everyone who trusts Him.

What to do. Thank Jesus that He is the Savior. If you have never asked Him to save you, you can ask Him today. Then praise Him, the way the crowd did.

“Hosanna to the Son of David!” (Matthew 21:9). The cry on the road came out of Psalm 118.

The psalm. Psalm 118 opens and closes with thanks to the Lord, whose mercy endures forever (118:1, 29). In between, the singer tells how he called on the Lord in distress, and the Lord answered him and set him in a broad place (118:5).

Save, please. Psalm 118:25 prays, Save now, I pray, O Lord. In Hebrew the cry is hoshi'a na (say: ho-SHEE-ah NAH): save, please, or save now. Hosanna is that prayer carried into Greek.

Blessed is he who comes. Psalm 118:26 follows: “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” To come in the Lord's name is to come from Him and with His authority.

Given to Jesus. The crowds put the psalm's words on Jesus. They hailed Him as “the Son of David” (Matthew 21:9), and John records the cry, “The King of Israel!” (John 12:13).

A Savior's name. The angel told Joseph to name Him Jesus, “for He will save His people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). The prayer save now was shouted to the One whose very name promises salvation.

The Lord will save. Isaiah pictured God's people saying that they had waited for the Lord, that He would save them, and that they would be glad in His salvation (Isaiah 25:9). Only the Lord can save, and the crowd cried for saving to the One who had just called Himself the Lord (Matthew 21:3).

A deeper rescue. Sin is the problem underneath every other problem. The rescue Jesus brought was from sin and death, not only from a hard day.

The answer that week. Within days the King who heard Hosanna was crucified, and on the third day He rose: “that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:3-4).

From prayer to thanks. Psalm 118 ends with thanks. For a believer, Hosanna turns into thanksgiving, because the prayer has been answered.

Still a prayer. A person who has never trusted Jesus can pray it honestly and ask the Lord to save. He has never turned away anyone who comes to Him in faith.

Application. Pray Psalm 118:25 this week for a friend who does not know Jesus. Then thank Him in the words of 118:1, for His mercy endures forever.

The Stones Would Cry Out

☐

Luke tells us more about the shouting on the road. As Jesus came near the descent of the Mount of Olives, “the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works they had seen” (Luke 19:37).

Praise for what they saw. They had seen Jesus heal the sick, open blind eyes and raise the dead. Praise grows when we remember what God has done.

Glory in the highest. They shouted, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” (Luke 19:38).

Tell them to stop. Some of the Pharisees did not like it. They called out, “Teacher, rebuke Your disciples” (Luke 19:39). To rebuke means to scold someone and tell them to stop.

The stones would cry out. Jesus answered, “I tell you that if these should keep silent, the stones would immediately cry out” (Luke 19:40). Praise for the King could not be stopped.

Jesus deserves praise. Jesus did not tell His followers to be quiet. When some people wanted the praise to stop, He let it go on. He is the King, and praise belongs to Him.

All creation praises. “The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork” (Psalm 19:1). Psalm 148 calls the sun, the moon, the stars, the mountains and even the sea creatures to praise the Lord.

Mountains singing. Isaiah pictured the mountains and the hills breaking into singing and the trees of the field clapping their hands (Isaiah 55:12).

A crowd in heaven. Years later, John saw heaven: “a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb” (Revelation 7:9). They held palm branches and praised God for salvation (Revelation 7:9-10).

Everything that has breath. The very last psalm says that everything that has breath should praise the Lord (Psalm 150:6). That includes you!

Why we praise. We praise Jesus most of all because He died for our sins and rose again (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). The King who rode into Jerusalem saved us. “Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God” (Hebrews 13:15). Praise is the way a saved heart says thank you.

What to do. Make a list of things Jesus has done for you and your family. Use the list to praise Him out loud this week, even when other people are quiet.

As Jesus came down the Mount of Olives, His disciples praised God, some Pharisees objected, and Jesus answered them (Luke 19:37-40).

A loud voice (19:37). “The whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works they had seen.” Their praise was rooted in what they had witnessed.

The King (19:38). “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” Here the crowd calls Him the King.

The objection (19:39). “And some of the Pharisees called to Him from the crowd, ‘Teacher, rebuke Your disciples.’” They wanted the praise silenced.

The answer (19:40). “I tell you that if these should keep silent, the stones would immediately cry out.” Jesus did not correct the praise; He accepted it as His due.

Creation's praise. Scripture often gives creation a voice: “The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork” (Psalm 19:1). Psalm 148 calls sun, moon, stars, mountains, trees and sea creatures to praise the Lord, and Isaiah 55:12 pictures hills singing and trees clapping their hands.

Why it cannot be silenced. Praise of the King does not depend on whether people approve. If people refused, the stones would cry out, because the King's worth does not change.

The heavenly crowd. John saw “a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb” (Revelation 7:9), with palm branches in their hands, crying out that salvation belongs to God and to the Lamb (7:10).

Everything that has breath. The Psalms close with a command for everything that has breath to praise the Lord (Psalm 150:6). The road outside Jerusalem was a small part of that song.

The sacrifice of praise. “Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name” (Hebrews 13:15). Praise is offered by Him: through the Christ who died for our sins and rose again (1 Corinthians 15:3-4).

Application. Write down three mighty works of God you have seen or read about. Thank Him for them aloud, even in a place where others are quiet about Jesus.

📖

Complete all sections to finish!

Read each section and answer the questions correctly.