What does "I will lift the cup of salvation" symbolize in Psalm 116:13? Immediate Context within Psalm 116 Psalm 116 is a personal thanksgiving psalm lodged in the Hallel (Psalm 113–118), sung at Passover. Verses 1-11 recount a life-threatening crisis; verses 12-19 answer the question, “How can I repay the LORD for all His goodness to me?” (v. 12). Lifting the cup of salvation stands at the head of the psalmist’s triad of responses: public thanksgiving (v. 13), fulfilment of vows (v. 14), and sacrificial worship in the courts of the LORD’s house (vv. 17-19). Liturgical and Temple Background: The Todah (Thanksgiving) Offering In Leviticus 7:11-15 the todah required unleavened bread, leavened bread, and a peace offering eaten the same day in the presence of witnesses. Rabbinic tradition (m. Berakhot 9.4) links Psalm 116 to this thanksgiving sacrifice. Lifting the cup was likely the climactic moment of the todah meal, publicly testifying to God’s rescue. Symbolism of the Cup in the Hebrew Bible 1. Cup of Blessing – brimming abundance granted by the Shepherd (Psalm 23:5). 2. Cup of Judgment – the nations forced to drink wrath (Isaiah 51:17). 3. Cup of Consolation – comfort extended to mourners (Jeremiah 16:7). Psalm 116 harnesses the first motif: overflowing grace. Intertestamental and Second Temple Witnesses The Dead Sea Scroll 4QPsᵃ (c. 150 BC) preserves Psalm 116 virtually identical to the Masoretic Text, underscoring textual stability. The Septuagint renders “ποτήριον σωτηρίου λήψομαι” (“I will receive the cup of salvation”), highlighting reception as well as elevation, a nuance echoed in first-century Passover liturgy where the third cup was called “the cup of blessing.” New Testament Echoes and Fulfillment in Christ 1 Corinthians 10:16 calls the communion chalice “the cup of blessing that we bless.” The Greek eucharisteō (“give thanks”) parallels Psalm 116’s todah. At the Last Supper Jesus “took the cup” (Matthew 26:27), identified it with “My blood of the covenant,” and commanded, “Do this in remembrance of Me” (Luke 22:19-20). Thus the psalm’s cup typologically points to the New Covenant ratified by Christ’s atoning death and vindicated by His bodily resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:3-8). The believer now lifts the cup by participating in the Lord’s Table, proclaiming the gospel until He comes (1 Corinthians 11:26). The Cup of Salvation and Personal Devotion To “lift” the cup is to: • Receive God’s gift gratefully (Ephesians 2:8-9). • Testify before others (Psalm 116:14; Revelation 12:11). • Consecrate one’s life anew (Romans 12:1). Corporate Worship and the Passover Connection During the Passover Hallel, families recite Psalm 116 between the third and fourth cups. The historicity of this practice is attested in tractate Pesachim 10 of the Mishnah (c. AD 200) and in Philo’s On the Special Laws 2.148-149. The church, grafted into this heritage (Romans 11:17-18), transforms the Passover cup into eucharistic celebration of the greater Exodus accomplished by the Lamb of God (John 1:29). Typology and the Lord’s Supper • Old Covenant: a literal cup lifted in the temple courts. • Fulfillment: Christ’s own lifting of the cup in Gethsemane (Luke 22:42) and at Golgotha, where He drinks the Father’s wrath (John 18:11) so that believers may raise the cup of salvation without condemnation (Romans 8:1). • Ongoing Sign: every communion service reenacts Psalm 116:13, joining gratitude with proclamation. Practical Implications for the Believer 1. Express Thanksgiving – verbal praise completes inner gratitude. 2. Maintain Vows – integrity in commitments reflects God’s faithfulness (Ecclesiastes 5:4-5). 3. Live Publicly for Christ – a lifted cup is visible; so should be a redeemed life (Matthew 5:16). 4. Hope Eschatologically – one day the redeemed will drink the new wine with Christ in the Father’s kingdom (Matthew 26:29), the ultimate fulfillment of Psalm 116’s pledge. Concluding Summary “I will lift the cup of salvation” crystallizes personal gratitude, public testimony, and prophetic foreshadowing. Rooted in the todah sacrifice, preserved in Second-Temple liturgy, and consummated in the Lord’s Supper, the cup symbolizes receiving and proclaiming Yahweh’s complete deliverance, ultimately accomplished through the death and resurrection of Jesus Messiah. |
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