The Glorious Gates of Righteousness

Text from: The Psalter, based upon Psalm 118

Tune usually associated with the text: Zerah by Lowell Mason 1837

Here is my YouTube recording of this hymn:  https://youtu.be/vHKKERgLu0c

1 The glorious gates of righteousness
Throw open unto me,
And I will enter them with praise,
O Lord, my God, to Thee,
And I will enter them with praise,
O Lord, my God, to Thee.

2 This is Thy temple gate, O Lord,
The just shall enter there;
My Savior, I will give Thee thanks,
O Thou, that hearest prayer,
My Savior, I will give Thee thanks,
O Thou, that hearest prayer.

3 The stone rejected and despised
Is now the cornerstone;
How wondrous are the ways of God,
Unfathomed and unknown!
How wondrous are the ways of God,
Unfathomed and unknown!

4 In this the day that Thou hast made
Triumphantly we sing;
Send now prosperity, O Lord,
O Lord, salvation bring,
Send now prosperity, O Lord,
O Lord, salvation bring.

5 Hosanna! Ever blest be he
That cometh in God’s name;
The blessing of Jehovah’s house
Upon you we proclaim;
The blessing of Jehovah’s house
Upon you we proclaim.

6 The light of joy to shine on us
The Lord our God has made;
Now be the precious sacrifice
Upon His altar laid;
Now be the precious sacrifice
Upon His altar laid.

7 O Lord, my God, I praise Thy name,
All others names above;
O give Him thanks, for He is good
And boundless is His love;
O give Him thanks, for He is good
And boundless is His love.

8 O praise the Lord, for He is good;
Let all in Heav’n above
And all His saints on earth proclaim
His everlasting love;
And all His saints on earth proclaim
His everlasting love.

Psalm 118:19-29

19 Open to me the gates of righteousness: I will go into them, and I will praise the Lord:

20 This gate of the Lord, into which the righteous shall enter.

21 I will praise thee: for thou hast heard me, and art become my salvation.

22 The stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner.

23 This is the Lord’s doing; it is marvellous in our eyes.

24 This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.

25 Save now, I beseech thee, O Lord: O Lord, I beseech thee, send now prosperity.

26 Blessed be he that cometh in the name of the Lord: we have blessed you out of the house of the Lord.

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

28 Thou art my God, and I will praise thee: thou art my God, I will exalt thee.

29 O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.

These 8 stanzas paraphrase the last 11 verses of Psalm 118. This Psalm ostensibly may refer to a Davidic king leading the nation to victory over its enemies; Israel celebrating the Feast of Tabernacles for its deliverance from Egypt; or a post-exile celebration of Israel’s return to its homeland and the rebuilding of the temple. Whichever was the original intent, its timeless and prophetic text continues in importance all the way to the 21st century.

Starting in vs 19 we are called to enter the gates of righteousness and give thanks to the Lord. This is the gate through which the righteous may enter to give praise to God and God becomes our salvation.

The third stanza paraphrases Psalm 118:22. This passage is quoted by Jesus in three instances in reference to Himself. He is the stone which the builders rejected which became the cornerstone of our salvation.  How marvelous and unknowable are God’s ways.

In vs. 24 we have another phrase which permeates and informs our faith: “This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” Out of this knowledge, we can enter the day confident in the Lord’s presence.

In vs. 26 we are told that he who comes in the name of the Lord is blessed and from the house of the Lord we are blessed. This can be taken as yet another prophetic statement about the coming Messiah as well as a statement on how the Temple will be a blessing for the people of Israel.

Vs. 27 describes God as having made his light shine upon us, and how we are to join the procession to the altar; where we are to give our thanks and praise to God for he is good and his love endures forever.

The Genevan Psalter was the first hymnal of the Reformation. It was a poetic (in French) setting of each of the Psalms. The English translation as the Scottish Psalter followed shortly. This tradition of using Scripture as a direct subject matter set into poetic meter for easy congregational singing (as opposed to a priest or cantor intoning a Psalm with a Psalm tone.)

This tradition formed the bedrock of Christian hymnody for centuries, a tradition we should never let go.

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Presbyterian 1955 Hymnbook: http://amzn.to/2zSRdpL

Episcopal 1940 Hymnal: http://amzn.to/2DEOl1H 

Broadman 1940 Hymnal:  http://amzn.to/2C1WuwK

Methodist 1939 Hymnal:  http://amzn.to/2CfJ1Wq

Pilgrim 1935 Hymnal: http://amzn.to/2DDvbJC

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Choice Hymns of the Faith 1945 http://amzn.to/2Dx97nA

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References:

Dictionary of Hymnology:  http://amzn.to/2BxPabk

American Hymns Old and New https://amzn.to/3fqkkVU