The Anchor of Hope

November 13, 2018

An e-publication of Living Hope Presbyterian Church

Psalm 118:21-24 

 I shall give thanks to Thee, for Thou hast answered me; And Thou hast become my salvation.  (22)  The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief corner stone.  (23)  This is the LORD’s doing; It is marvelous in our eyes.  (24)  This is the day which the LORD has made; Let us rejoice and be glad in it.

It was the first morning after the arrival of our grandchildren for a visit when five year-old Daphne raced into the kitchen and excitedly proclaimed to my wife, “Now it is today and we can do so many stuff!”  A child’s excitement is not only endearing, it is contagious.  So indeed, she and her grandma did “so many stuff” together during the entire visit.

What is our excitement level with God?

The historical context of the passage above is the rededication of the Jewish Temple during Ezra’s time soon after the Jewish return from Babylon.  The Psalmist is leading the celebration of the people in thanksgiving for God’s deliverance of the nation, and choosing them, a people despised by other nations (v22), to cultivate the worship of the one true God.  Thus, the renewal of the Temple sacrifices was a wondrous thing to be celebrated.

The Psalm also has a prophetic/historical context.  We know from Peter’s  and Paul’s use of Isaiah 28.16 (1Pt 2.6 and Rm 9.33) that this Psalm in a broader context is a prophecy of the Messiah.  These words were a prophecy that has been historically fulfilled in Jesus Christ.  He became the ultimate Cornerstone which the Jewish leaders and nation rejected (Acts 4.8-11 and Rm 9.30-33).  And though He was spurned by them, His death and resurrection became the foundation of the Church.

The verse I wish to look at more closely is verse 24, “This is the day which the LORD has made; Let us rejoice and be glad in it.”  In Ezra’s time, the cornerstone was exalted with the rededication of the Temple.  The vivid picture of God’s salvation was renewed.  Prophetically speaking when was that day?  As we look back to Christ in this prophecy, the crucifixion was a time of mourning and humiliation for the Redeemer and His followers.  It was the day of His resurrection which brought rejoicing.  It was the day of His resurrection through which He was exalted.  As Peter preached, “This Jesus God raised up again, to which we are all witnesses.  Therefore having been exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He has poured forth this which you both see and hear.” (Acts 2:32-33, see also Rm 1.4)

The Christ’s resurrection occurred on a Sunday.  That day became known as the Lord’s Day , and is the special day God set aside each week as a day for the Church to express the joy and gratitude of the salvation which He provided for His people (John 20.19, Acts 20.7, 1Co 16.2, and Rev 1.10).  Do you come into His presence each week with the joy and gratitude of which Psalm 118 speaks?

And if I may broaden out this concept a bit further, every day we wake up in His presence with a world of opportunities laid out before us.  Each opportunity is a divine appointment.  Do we approach each day with the excitement that Daphne did when confronted with a new day with her grandma?  Or do we reluctantly launch ourselves into the day hoping just to make it through?  What joyful service we would miss if it is the latter.  Don’t misunderstand me.  All too often I land in the latter category, so I am preaching to myself here.  But the excitement can be contagious to your fellow believers – as long as they are allowed the proper time to wake up.

Joyfully anticipate accomplishing “so many stuff” every day with God, and rejoice in those opportunities.