This is a sermon manuscript for the Lord's Day Morning Service on March 28, 2021 at Reformation OPC (AZ)
Psalm 118 will be familiar to many of us, if for no other reason, than for its quotation in the NT on several occasions. It was quoted by the crowd that accompanied Jesus into Jerusalem (Mt. 21:9), it is quoted by the Lord more than once in pronouncing judgment on the nation that refused to believe in him (Mt. 21:42; 23:38-39), and it is quoted by Peter in exalting Christ as “the stone which the builders rejected” but which has now become the cornerstone (1Pet. 2:7). Some of you may have v.24 displayed somewhere in your home, or you may have learned it as a Scripture song in Sunday School. But chances are, no matter how familiar with Psalm 118 you may be, it is even more significant than most of you know.
Psalm 118 is the last psalm in what is known as The Great Hallel (113-118) sung by the Jews at Passover. This is, almost certainly, the hymn Jesus and his disciples sung at the end of the Last Supper after he instituted the Lord’s Supper and prepared to go out to the garden (Mt. 26:30). This psalm was on the hearts and lips of Christ and the people of Jerusalem during “Holy Week,” the period extending from his entrance into Jerusalem on Sunday until his crucifixion on Friday. It was sung by the people on Sunday, by Jesus and his disciples on Thursday, and fulfilled in the Lord’s suffering, sacrifice, and resurrection on Friday, Saturday, and the following Sunday. Psalm 118 is the theme song of Holy Week. It is the soundtrack which plays from the Triumphal Entry until the resurrection. Speaking of our text, verses 19-29, Matthew Henry affirms, “We have here an illustrious prophecy of the humiliation and exaltation of our Lord Jesus, his sufferings, and the glory that should follow.” This is the psalm we ought to meditate upon this week. An adequate exposition of the whole would take weeks (and a more efficient and faithful preacher), but I want to simply draw your attention to several important themes in the last eleven verses of this hymn.
Welcome the Coming King!
Before righteous saints could enter the gates of righteousness, the Righteous One had to go through them and open the way. For God’s people to dwell on Mt. Zion, Christ had to first fulfill the Law, make atonement by means of sacrifice, and ascend the mount of God, marking the path which we can then follow. It is not by imitation that we enter the Holy Place, but by propitiation. We are enabled to follow the Son, imitating his righteous life, because he has opened the gates of righteousness by means of his sufficient, saving work. We can sing vv.19-21 because Christ sang these verses. We can enter because he has entered. We can praise God for hearing us because he praised the Father for hearing him. And we can rejoice in salvation because Christ was saved from death and overcome sin and the curse by his resurrection. Preaching on vv.19-20 Augustine said, “This is the everlasting bliss of the righteous, whereby they are blessed who dwell in the Lord’s house, praising Him for evermore.”
As Christ entered Jerusalem on the Sunday prior to his death, a multitude greeted him with palm branches in their hands (Jn. 12:13). They laid branches on the road and spread their clothes on the road, making a poor man’s “red carpet” for the King as he rode into the city on the foal of a donkey (Mk. 11:7-8). As he came, they sang vv.25-26 of our psalm: Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the Name of the Lord! You will notice that your Bible says Hosanna in the Gospels as these lines are quoted, but that word does not appear in your English Bibles in Psalm 118. Instead, it will say something like: Save now, I pray, O LORD. But in Hebrew the word is Hosanna (הוֹשִׁ֘יעָ֥ה). Hosanna is a transliteration, where a word from one language is spelled in the letters of another language rather than being translated. But hosanna was not transliterated in the Greek OT (Septuagint); it translates it. We do not find this Hebrew word rendered in Greek letters until the NT. It is possible Christians were the first to transliterate the term into Greek.
Hosanna was originally a prayer that the Lord would save, but it became a cry of praise. We cry Hosanna, please save, because the Lord is able to save. The prayer acknowledges Yahweh as our Savior. We look to him for help. Like Peter as he sank beneath the water, so we as drowning men cry out, “Lord, save me!” (Mt. 14:30 κύριε, σῶσόν με). We are crying in desperation, but not in despair. We need salvation, and we need it now, but we cry out because the Savior is near. It is a cry of joy because we have a Savior, and we know he will hear and answer our prayer.
Blessed is he who comes in the Name of the LORD. The King comes with the authority of Yahweh, to represent the Lord, to exercise dominion in his Name and for his glory. Whether it was David or David’s Son, the Lord Jesus, the King arrives and reigns in God’s Name.The crowd that sang this line at the Triumphal Entry were confessing a biblical truth, and they were sincere in their acceptance of it, but it was even more true than they understood. Jesus was not just the next King or the Messianic King; he came in the Name of Yahweh because he is Yahweh, the God of Israel, the Maker of heaven and earth. They confessed a truth that was greater than their comprehension, and this is always the case when we pray and sing and say Amen to the Spirit’s words.
This is why we read Scripture and say Thanks be to God! It is why we sing psalms and shout Amen! We are confessing truth that is bigger than any of us, bigger than all of us together, bigger than our grasp of it or our ability to systematize it. The Westminster Confession did not exhaust the truth of God and no systematic theology textbook can ever do so. God’s thoughts are not our thoughts; his ways are not our ways. We serve a God who is infinite, but we remain finite.
We bless the King from the house of God (v.26). We welcome his coming; we pray for his saving work; we rejoice and give thanks for his answer. Psalm 118 was not only appropriate on the day Jesus entered Jerusalem. It is not only for Passover or Palm Sunday. It is the Church’s anthem every Lord’s Day. We enter the gates of righteousness as the redeemed of Yahweh. We come to bless the One who came to save us in the Name of the Lord.
The Stone Rejected by Men but Erected by Yahweh
Christ is the “stone which the builders rejected” but who is made the chief cornerstone by God. To change the figure slightly, he is the “stone cut out without hands” that strikes the Roman Empire and then grows into the everlasting kingdom of God (Dan. 2:34ff). It is Christ whose rule confronts and overcomes all earthly powers which stand against the kingdom of God. It is Christ who was rejected by men only to be enthroned by the Father in order to rule over all. When Peter and John were questioned by the Sanhedrin after healing a lame man, the apostle affirmed:
“If we this day are judged for a good deed done to a helpless man, by what means he has been made well, let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole. This is the ‘stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.’ Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:9-12)
You must either build your life on the foundation of Christ, worship in the Temple he established, submit to the kingdom over which he rules, or you will be crushed by that stone. He is a rock of salvation and of judgment. Salvation to all who trust in him; death to all who do not.
Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. Therefore it is also contained in the Scripture,
“Behold, I lay in Zion
A chief cornerstone, elect, precious,
And he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame.”
Therefore, to you who believe, He is precious; but to those who are disobedient,
“The stone which the builders rejected
Has become the chief cornerstone,”
and “A stone of stumbling
And a rock of offense.”
They stumble, being disobedient to the word, to which they also were appointed.
But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy. (1Pet. 2:4-10)
Matthew Henry well said, “Rejecters of Christ are rejected of [by] God.” Why is this? It is because Christ is the only place of safety. His rule is the only one that will last. If you refuse to find shelter in his house, there is no other place you can hide. You cannot survive without him, so all who reject him do so to their own destruction. Salvation cannot be found in anyone or anywhere else. To reject Christ is to reject salvation. To refuse Christ is to choose death for yourself. Yes, he will judge you, but you will have already judged yourself by rejecting the foundation of life.
Now reflect on singing these words as the people of God, as those who have found shelter in Christ, whose lives are built on the strong foundation. The world hated and opposed the Lord and do so to this day. They seek to cast off his authority, prevent him exercising power, deny his rule, and end his reign. But they have not succeeded. They did not then, and they cannot now. The Lord appointed Christ as the chosen cornerstone, the key to the entire project. The house of God has been established, not by human ingenuity, not by man’s faithfulness or strength, and despite the violent opposition of world powers. God’s house is founded on the Rock, the Rock that refreshed Israel in the wilderness (1Cor. 10:4), the Rock in which Moses hid while God’s dangerous glory passed by (Ex. 33:22), the Rock upon which the Ark came to rest after the world was destroyed in the flood of God’s judgment (Gen. 8:4).
This was the LORD’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes. Indeed, it ought to be. If we can sing of God’s mighty acts of redemption in history and remain unfazed, then we are not paying attention. The whole Bible is the story of Christ, the stone rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to his people. All of the Scriptures are speaking to us of the Savior and the salvation God has accomplished by him. And it all is to be marvelous in our eyes. We are to rejoice and be glad in what God has wrought. It is his work, work that can never be undone, work that cannot be overcome, work that will stand forever long after this present age and its wickedness are no more.
The Day God Made and Our Holy Duty on It
Verse 24 is often applied in an every day is God’s day sort of way, and I will not say that is an inappropriate application. But before we take it that way, consider the verse in its context. The day which God has made is not talking about each day as it arrives; it is talking about the day of the Messiah, the Day of the Lord, when the gates of righteousness are flung open, the cornerstone is laid, and the people of God rejoice.
When Jesus entered Jerusalem to offer himself as a sacrifice to purchase the elect and save the world, the Age of Man came to an end. The resurrection was the beginning of the new creation and the beginning of the end for the former one. We now live between two worlds, sojourning in the present age, but belonging to the already inaugurated age to come. Already Christ has been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Already he reigns as King, as those who are redeemed and receive him by faith are transferred out of the kingdom of darkness and into the kingdom of God’s Son (cf. Col. 1:13). The Age of Rome has ended. The Age of American supremacy never really was. All earthly powers are fleeting. Their duration is like the morning dew because the eternal Sun is already shining.
We look around us right now and are not very encouraged by what we see. You know things are not good when parents do not know if their children are boys or girls until the child tells them. We’ve reached a level of insanity that is self-destructive and irreparable but by extraordinary grace. But if you are despairing, you need to start singing Psalm 118. This is the day the LORD has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it. We will rejoice: not we may or could or even should. We will. This is God’s day, the Day of the Messiah, the day of salvation, and the beginning of the new creation. It’s not all that it will be one day. We do not yet see its full consummation. But we see that this day has dawned. We see it in Scripture. We see it by faith. We see it with new spiritual hearts.
There are three aspects in which I want us to think about v.24 for just a moment. The first is the primary aspect that we just mentioned. The “day the Lord has made” is the Day of the Messiah, the Day of Christ. We belong to this new day, the new creation. “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” (2Cor. 5:17). The Day of the Lord transcends any particular day on the calendar. Because Jesus died and rose again, all who trust in him have entered into eschatological life. We are still pilgrims, but that is our destiny.
The second aspect is the day on which this day of the Lord is most clearly perceived: every Lord’s Day. Matthew Henry said, “Sabbath days must be rejoicing days, and then they are to us as the days of heaven. See what a good Master we serve, who, having instituted a day for his service, appoints it to be spent in holy joy.” It is on the first day of the week, more so than any other, that we realize our participation in the eternal day of Christ’s glory.
The third aspect of the day is then its application to every day. If the day in view is the age of the Messiah, then every day is that day, and we can readily say, “This is the day the LORD has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it!” We can sing and say this every day that ends in y. It is not only true on Sundays. It is not only true during Holy Week. It is not only true at certain moments in our lives. It is true every day, all the time, and will always be true.
Before we leave this theme, notice the holy duty God assigns to us on the Lord’s Day. We are to rejoice and be glad. Rejoice is easy, sort of. Who God is, what Christ has done, and what he has promised are the three pillars of our rejoicing. Rejoicing does not mean feeling happy. It means to praise God and celebrate what is true. I can do that when I’m sick, broke, worried, depressed, or dying. But that’s not the only duty. We are also to be glad. That’s much harder. There are many reasons to weep, and we shed godly tears in this present age; it is right to do so. Yet even then, we are to be glad. Why? Because this is the day God has made. He appointed it for us. He will work everything in it together for our good. And no matter how much we suffer, “he has not dealt with us according to our sins or punished us according to our iniquities.” Lest I misinterpret rejoicing as a grudging, uncheerful, unemotional exercise of devotion--it’s certainly is not merely or primarily emotional!--I am reminded that because God made this day in which I live, I am to be glad. I can be glad. I ought to be glad. And by God’s grace, I will be glad. Life is too short to be otherwise.
Divine Light, Holy Sacrifice, Everlasting Praise and Thanksgiving
We said the crowds sang Psalm 118 as Jesus entered Jerusalem, and Jesus sang it with his disciples as they concluded the Last Supper. Now imagine Jesus singing these words as he looked ahead to his arrest, abuse, and crucifixion. Imagine him singing these words as he and the disciples walked to the Garden of Gethsemane.
God is the LORD, And He has given us light; Bind the sacrifice with cords to the horns of the altar. You are my God, and I will praise You; You are my God, I will exalt You. Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.
Jesus is the sacrifice bound with cords to the horns of the altar. Yahweh was about to shine a bright light for all his elect to see. That light would stream from the cross through the door of the open tomb and enlighten his people in all nations. But the crowds at the Triumphal Entry could not see that light yet. The disciples in the Upper Room could not see it either. They thought Jesus came to Jerusalem to be King just like his father David. And he did, but not exactly as David did it. He would not reign from a throne in Jerusalem. David’s kingdom was far too small an ambition for the Son of God. Christ would reign over the entire universe, all of creation. And he would not kill his enemies with a sling and a stone or a metal sword, as David did. He would crush his enemy with his foot, just as our father Adam was supposed to. He would win life by means of death. He would gain victory by apparent defeat. He would be a sacrifice before he was crowned as the Sovereign. He had to first be killed if he was to be the everlasting King.
Conclusion
It is in the sacrifice of Christ that we finally see the light. It is the sacrifice, tied with cords to the altar, that brings everything in this psalm together. It is by means of that sacrifice that the gates of righteousness are opened. This is how the righteous come into the presence of God so that we may praise him. It is how the Lord becomes our salvation rather than our Judge. It is how we find joy and gladness. Christ’s sacrifice is the means by which we can be sure God’s mercy will endure forever. God truly is good. We give thanks to him, because the Lamb of God entered the city and opened the gates of the New Jerusalem to God’s people forever. Amen.
