“This is the Day”

The stone the builders rejected
has become the capstone;

the LORD has done this,
and it is marvelous in our eyes.

This is the day the LORD has made;
let us rejoice and be glad in it.
— Psalm 118:22-24

Let’s take a look at an often quoted, old favorite scripture that is possibly one of the most misquoted verses in the Bible. Psalm 118:22-24 is almost always used to say, “This is the day that the Lord has made, we will rejoice and be glad in it”, with the emphasis on the fact that God made this day and that we should be glad and rejoice in today. I’m sure that God wants us to be glad about each day but that is not the meaning of this verse.  Back up and read verse 22. The day that we are to be excited about is the day that God made Jesus the chief cornerstone or capstone. We are to be glad and rejoice in “Him”, not “It”. If you will read in the gospels (Matt 21:42, Mark 12:10-11, Luke 20:17), Jesus is speaking and he tells a parable about an owner and a vineyard. Through the telling of the parable, he tells the leaders of the Jews that since they have rejected His message, it is now being given to the Gentiles. Then Jesus quotes this verse in Psalms and basically says that He is that cornerstone that the builders rejected. Paul, in Ephesians 2:20, says that Jesus is the chief cornerstone talked about prophetically in Psalms. Peter, also, in 1 Peter 2:7, says the same thing, that Jesus is that “head of the corner”, the chief cornerstone that was foretold in scripture. Once you know this from scripture, then the passage in Psalms takes on a whole different meaning. The day that we are to rejoice in is the day that God made his son Jesus the head of the corner and the chief cornerstone! That was accomplished when Jesus completed his work on earth and rose to be at the right hand of the father. We are to rejoice in Him who has become the “Head of the Corner” everyday! We will rejoice and be glad in that fact!

Amen and Amen-which in Hebrew means, “May it be so”!

Bob Dodson

About the author:

Bob is the creator of this site and a disciple of Ray Vander Laan. Along with his wife of 50 years, he teaches a Bible study at Christ’s Church in Roswell, NM. He is also an avid hunter and fisher.