THE STONE WHICH THE BUILDERS REFUSED

The structure of this psalm is that of a conversation; it recalls the suffering of Christ and the glory that should follow. Verses 1-4 form an introduction by the Spirit, that thanks should be offered to the Lord. Verses 5-21 record the voice of Christ prophetically—profound words that reveal His mind when on the cross surrounded by men likened to a swarm of bees. He anticipated resurrection, vv. 19-21. Verses 22-24 are the voice of the saints, speaking of His exaltation and the Lord’s Day. Verse 25 is the voice of Christ, a call for gospel progress (some expositors place this verse in the plural, so it must then be joined to the next verses). Verses 26-27 form the voice of the saints again, a gospel call “out of the house”, with worship in the courts before the altar. Verse 28 is the final reply of Christ, joining with the praise of the saints. Finally verse 29 repeats verse 1, a call by the Spirit that thanks should be offered to the Lord.

Verses 22, 23 “the stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner. This is the Lord’s doing; it is marvellous in our eyes” are quoted by the Lord Jesus after His parable of the vineyard, Matt. 21. 42. The parable left the son dead and the husbandmen destroyed. But Psalm 118. 22 visualizes a building site; an unused stone lay there, and the builders did not know where it should go, so threw it on one side, not realizing that it was the final top-most stone to crown the building. The Pharisees cast the Lord away as One that was unwanted, but they reckoned without His resurrection on the Lord’s Day. This was God’s marvellous work, testified by the saints. Psalm 118. 23, “This is the Lord’s doing”, was often quoted publicly by Field Marshal Montgomery at the end of the war in 1945, though in its context believers see that it has a far higher meaning in the resurrection of Christ.

“This is the day which the Lord hath made” refers to the resurrection day, and now we can perceive that it has the meaning of the Lord’s Day for us. It is a special day, not the last day of the Jewish week, but the first of the Christian week, a day of rejoicing, gladness and testimony, vv. 26, 27.

“In all things he might have the preeminence”, Col. 1. 18.