The Day of the Exalted Stone Text: Psalm 118:22-24
Introduction: The Architecture of Redemption
In the great contest of worldviews, the central point of dispute is always authority. Who gets to define reality? Who sets the terms? Who is in charge? The world, in its rebellion, wants a universe without a king, a building without an architect. They want to be their own builders, using their own crooked blueprints, establishing their own foundations on sand. And when God presents His chosen foundation stone, His Son Jesus Christ, they find Him to be entirely unsuitable for the project they have in mind. He doesn't fit their plans. He is the wrong shape, the wrong material. He speaks of sin and repentance when they want to hear of affirmation and self-expression. He demands submission when they are clamoring for autonomy. And so, with all the considered wisdom of rebellious men, they toss Him aside. They reject Him.
This is not a new story. It is the story of the world. But what the world fails to understand is that God is building His own house, and He is doing so according to His own unalterable plan. The stone that the builders rejected does not lie discarded in a pile of rubble. In a stunning reversal, in a move that showcases the absolute sovereignty and ironic power of God, He retrieves that very stone and makes it the cornerstone. The linchpin. The piece that holds the entire structure together. The rejection of Christ by the world was not a setback to God's plan; it was the very means by which He accomplished it.
Psalm 118 is a psalm of high triumph, a Hallel psalm sung in the midst of great conflict. It is a song of victory, but not a cheap or easy one. It is the joy that comes on the other side of immense trial. And these verses we consider today are the pinnacle of that joy. They were on the lips of the crowds on Palm Sunday as Jesus entered Jerusalem, and they were on the lips of Jesus Himself as He confronted the chief priests and elders. Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, threw these words in the face of the Sanhedrin after healing the lame man. This text is the apostolic explanation for the resurrection and exaltation of Jesus Christ. It is the key that unlocks the meaning of the cross and the empty tomb. The rejection was real, the cross was brutal, but the resurrection was glorious, and the exaltation is eternal. And this great reversal has inaugurated a new day, a new reality, a new creation.
The Text
The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief corner stone.
This is from Yahweh; It is marvelous in our eyes.
This is the day which Yahweh has made; Let us rejoice and be glad in it.
(Psalm 118:22-24 LSB)
The Rejected and Exalted Stone (v. 22)
We begin with the central paradox of the gospel:
"The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief corner stone." (Psalm 118:22)
Who are the builders? In the original context, they were the leaders of Israel who rejected David's claim to the throne. But the Spirit of prophecy is looking down the corridors of time to a greater David and a greater rejection. The New Testament is unambiguous. Jesus quotes this very verse against the chief priests and Pharisees, the religious establishment of His day, and applies it to Himself (Matthew 21:42). Peter, standing before the council that had condemned Jesus, declares, "This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner" (Acts 4:11). The builders are the experts, the professionals, the ones who are supposed to know what they are doing. They are the religious authorities, the cultural elites, the intellectual gatekeepers. And they took one look at the Son of God, the perfect man, and found Him wanting. He was a stumbling block to the Jews and foolishness to the Greeks.
His claims were too absolute. His demeanor was too humble. He consorted with the wrong people. He refused to play their political games. He was, in short, an offense to their pride. And so they rejected Him. They cast Him out. They conspired, they lied, and they nailed Him to a cross outside the city gate. They threw the foundation stone of the universe onto the cosmic trash heap.
But notice the divine passive: "has become the chief corner stone." Who did this? The next verse tells us plainly it was Yahweh. God the Father reached down into the grave, took that rejected, crucified, and buried stone, and raised Him from the dead. He exalted Him to His own right hand, making Him the head of all things. The cornerstone, or head of the corner, is the crucial stone that unites two walls, locking them together and determining the integrity and alignment of the entire structure. Jesus Christ, by His resurrection, is now the defining reality for everything. He is the one in whom all things, in heaven and on earth, hold together (Colossians 1:17). The entire building of God's new creation, the Church, is built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself as the chief cornerstone (Ephesians 2:20). Every other stone in the building must be aligned to Him. Every aspect of our lives, our families, our churches, our societies, must find its orientation from Him. To be out of alignment with Christ is to be crooked, unstable, and destined for collapse.
The Marvelous Work of God (v. 23)
The psalmist then directs our attention to the author of this great reversal and our proper response to it.
"This is from Yahweh; It is marvelous in our eyes." (Psalm 118:23)
This was not an accident. This was not Plan B. The rejection of Jesus was not a surprise to God that required some hasty divine improvisation. This was the plan from the beginning. As Peter preached at Pentecost, Jesus was "delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God" (Acts 2:23). The cross was God's idea. The rejection was woven into the fabric of His eternal decree. Yahweh did this. He orchestrated the whole affair, turning the greatest act of human wickedness into the greatest act of divine salvation. He took the builders' arrogant "no" and turned it into His own triumphant "YES."
And what is our response to this display of sovereign power and saving grace? "It is marvelous in our eyes." The word "marvelous" means wonderful, extraordinary, beyond comprehension. This is not just interesting. It is not a mildly curious theological fact. It should knock the wind out of us. It should leave us speechless with wonder, filled with awe and adoration. The gospel is not mundane. It is not boring. If you find the story of the rejected stone becoming the cornerstone to be anything less than the most marvelous thing you have ever heard, then you haven't really heard it yet. You are still looking at it with the eyes of a builder, assessing it for its utility in your own little projects. But when you see it with the eyes of faith, you see that it is everything. It is the wisdom and power of God. It is a wonder that the angels long to look into. It is a salvation so grand that it will be the subject of our songs for all eternity.
The Day of Gladness (v. 24)
This marvelous act of God has consequences. It doesn't just happen in a vacuum; it rips a hole in the old timeline and inaugurates a new one.
"This is the day which Yahweh has made; Let us rejoice and be glad in it." (Psalm 118:24)
Because the rejected stone has been made the cornerstone, the result is a particular day. What day is this? This is not a generic reference to every day being a gift from God, though that is true in a general sense. The context here is specific and powerful. The stone was rejected, which means He was killed. He became the cornerstone, which means He was raised from the dead. Therefore, "this is the day" is the day of resurrection. It is the day God the Father vindicated His Son and overturned the verdict of the wicked builders. It is the first day of the new creation.
How did the Lord make this day? He made it by coming back from the grave. And ever since He did, we have called it the Lord's Day (Revelation 1:10). The resurrection of Jesus Christ was a world-altering event. The world was overhauled. The old covenant, with its seventh-day Sabbath that commemorated the first creation, has given way to the new covenant, with its first-day Lord's Day that celebrates the new creation. This is why the early Christians met for worship on the first day of the week. It was the day their Lord conquered death. It was the day He appeared to them again and again. It was the day the Spirit was poured out at Pentecost.
And what is our assigned duty on this day that Yahweh has made? "Let us rejoice and be glad in it." The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the foundation of all Christian joy. Our joy is not a flimsy optimism based on our circumstances. It is a rugged, defiant gladness rooted in an historical event: the empty tomb. Because He is risen, our sins are forgiven. Because He is risen, death has lost its sting. Because He is risen, we have a living hope. Because He is risen, His kingdom is advancing and will one day fill the earth. Therefore, our central act of worship on the Lord's Day is not to be a grim, dutiful slog. It is to be an explosion of joy. It is a festival, a feast, a celebration of the victory of our King. We are to rejoice and be glad. This is a command. To mope around on Sunday is to live as though the stone were still in the grave. But He is not there. He is risen. He is the cornerstone. And this is His day.
Conclusion: Living in the New Day
So what does this mean for us? It means everything. First, you must decide what you will do with this stone. You cannot remain neutral. The builders rejected Him, and in doing so, they stumbled over Him and were broken. Jesus warns that this stone will fall on those who continue in their rejection and grind them to powder (Matthew 21:44). You must either build your entire life on Him, aligning everything to Him as the cornerstone, or you will be crushed by Him. There is no third option.
Second, we must recognize that God's methods are not our methods. He builds His kingdom through apparent weakness and foolishness. He triumphs through rejection. He brings life out of death. This should encourage us when we see the church in our day being rejected and mocked by the world's builders. It is par for the course. We follow a rejected King. But we know how the story ends. The very things the world despises are the instruments God uses for His greatest glory. We must not be ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God unto salvation.
Finally, we must live as a resurrection people. We must live in the reality of this new day. This means that every Lord's Day is a mini-Easter, a weekly declaration that Jesus is Lord and that His victory is our victory. We gather to rejoice and be glad, to sing psalms of triumph, to hear the Word of our King, and to feast at His table. This weekly rhythm rehearses the gospel and strengthens our faith. It reminds us that no matter how dark the week has been, no matter how much the builders have been raging, Sunday is coming. The day of the exalted Stone is our day. This is the day Yahweh has made. Let us, therefore, rejoice and be glad in it.