Be Glad In It!

“I shall give thanks to You, for You have answered me,
And You have become my salvation.
The stone which the builders rejected
Has become the chief corner stone.
This is the LORD'S doing;
It is marvelous in our eyes.” Psalm 118: 21-23


There is something so very comforting about the psalms, and there are times when you read through a few, and something catches your eye, maybe like it never did before. I personally am amazed at the prophecies of the Old Testament concerning the Savior. Naturally, the Old Testament believer was looking ahead, looking forward to God’s promise of redemption in a messiah.

I read a psalm like 118, and find it easy to miss the mention of the chief cornerstone, and my mind immediately goes to the gospels and New Testament epistles, as Christ was the central theme to the apostles and prophets in the early church, properly so. Matthew and Mark quote this psalm, as does Luke in his gospel and in Acts. Paul quotes it to the Ephesians, and Peter recalls it in his first epistle. I can’t say that I have looked back to see where it was in the Old Testament before today. I’ve seen in my Bible where the quote was indeed Old Testament, but that was pretty much where I left it.

So I went back to read Psalm 118 today; it begins and ends with the exhortation to give thanks to the Lord, citing His lovingkindness to us. That lovingkindness is everlasting, eternal, forever. And yet, that lovingkindness can only be enjoyed by believers who have recognized the chief cornerstone and accepted Christ for who He is and what He has done for us.

Naturally, we celebrated this yesterday, and hopefully throughout the Easter season. The church is built upon this chief cornerstone. When building using masonry techniques, other stones are placed in reference to this cornerstone. Peter appropriately calls believers “living stones”. When we chose to accept Christ, our work for the Lord was to be in reference to Christ. And just like Jesus, rejected by many as that cornerstone, so, too will we be rejected and hated by those who refuse to accept what Christ has done for us and what He can do for them, by sharing His everlasting lovingkindness.

So for those who enjoy fellowship with God through His Son, Jesus Christ, read on in the psalm beyond verse 23. Go to the next verse, often quoted by itself to start the day, or a worship service, or some other setting in need of an appropriate opening line:

“This is the day which the LORD has made;
Let us rejoice and be glad in it.”

Indeed! AMEN!